1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:13,039 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Mankie Listener discretion advised. On the 3 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: night of September second, sixteen fifty one, the most powerful 4 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 1: woman in the Ottoman Empire found herself afraid for her life. 5 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: Just on the other side of the doors of her apartment. 6 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: Her three hundred armed janissaries, the troops of the Sultan, 7 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 1: were attempting to protect her against a troop of assassins, 8 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: who were led by the chief black eunuch of the 9 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:44,519 Speaker 1: Imperial Harem. When the woman's chief private guard refused to 10 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: let the assassins pass, they cut the guard to pieces. 11 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: The woman, hearing the struggle, tried to flee through the 12 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: hidden passageways that connected her rooms to the sultans, but 13 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: she didn't time. She hid in a closet instead, but 14 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: she made a fatal mistake. The hem of her dress 15 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: was peeking out, barely visible but visible beneath the door. 16 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: One of the assassins was said to have dragged her 17 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: out by her braids. While she struggled mightily, She was 18 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: ultimately strangled to death, blood pouring from her nose and mouth, 19 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 1: strangled with either depending on your source, a cord torn 20 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: from the curtains. 21 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 2: Or with her own braids. The death of Cousem Sultan 22 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:45,320 Speaker 2: in her sixties marked the end of a political career 23 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 2: that had lasted nearly fifty years. Her long tenure in 24 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 2: power began in sixteen o five, when, as a young concubine, 25 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 2: she gained the title of Favorite or has Seki Sultan, 26 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 2: a title originally created for Suliman the Magnificent wife Roxalana, 27 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 2: the subject of a previous noble Blood episode. Kazem held 28 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 2: power during a unique era in Ottoman history, referred to 29 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 2: by historians as the Sultanate of Women, a period that 30 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 2: began with the rise of Rosalana from a concubine to 31 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 2: legal wife and influential figure in her own right. From 32 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 2: roughly fifteen thirty four to seventeen fifteen, the concubines, mothers, 33 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 2: and grandmothers of the Sultan exerted more power over the 34 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 2: political machinations of the empire than ever before. Notably, all 35 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 2: of these women began their lives enslaved in the Harem, 36 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 2: making their eventual accumulation of wealth and power all the 37 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 2: more exceptional. Ksem Sultan has been called both single handedly 38 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 2: responsible for the fall of the Ottoman Empire and also 39 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 2: the reason it held on for as long as it did. 40 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 2: As listeners of this show will suspect, the truth is 41 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 2: probably somewhere in between extremes. What can be said definitively 42 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:28,079 Speaker 2: is that Cosem's legacy is one of power, with all 43 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:32,959 Speaker 2: of the blood that that entails. I'm Danish Schwartz and 44 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 2: this is noble blood. Reconstructing Cosem's early life has not 45 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 2: been an easy task for historians, who mainly have to 46 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 2: rely on unofficial, secondhand reports. It's generally believed that she 47 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 2: was of Greek and Christian origin, though there are various 48 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 2: theories about her birthplace and birth name. As a teenager, 49 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 2: Kosem was kidnapped by raiders of the Ottoman slave trade 50 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 2: and likely singled out as a candidate for the Harem 51 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 2: because of her beauty. In the Harem, she was converted 52 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 2: to Islam and given the name ma Peker for her soft, 53 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 2: moonlike face. However, she would become known as Kosem, which 54 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,480 Speaker 2: is believed to have derived from either kose meaning hairless 55 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 2: or smooth skinned, or kosem meaning leader or free. The 56 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 2: Imperial Harem has long been a source of both fascination 57 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 2: and titillation for Western audiences, probably in part because it's 58 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 2: cloaked in mystery due to a complete absence of contemporary 59 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 2: Ottoman writing on it. Among the varied extravagant tales and 60 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 2: so called quote accounts of Harem life from European trade travels, 61 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 2: historians generally agree that the most reliable portrait of the 62 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 2: Harem can be constructed from the writings of ambassadors to 63 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 2: Istanbul and captives who served in the palace at this 64 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 2: point in Ottoman history. Following a transition first made in 65 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 2: the era of Roxalana, the Harem was housed in the 66 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:28,479 Speaker 2: main palace. In the sixteenth century, Ottoman politics were being 67 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:33,320 Speaker 2: increasingly concentrated not only within the capital but within the 68 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 2: palace itself, and the relocation of the Harem from the 69 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 2: old Palace to the new palace further blurred the lines 70 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:48,160 Speaker 2: between the domestic and the political spheres. Even princes who 71 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:53,720 Speaker 2: historically had spent their adolescence governing a provincial capital under 72 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 2: the supervision of their mothers now grew up within the 73 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:03,600 Speaker 2: confines of the Harem. Surely, the reorganized Harem resembled quote 74 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 2: the third Courtyard of the Imperial Palace, which housed and 75 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 2: trained hages and eunuchs. Expenditure registers detailed the hierarchy inside 76 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:20,359 Speaker 2: the Harem, which divided its residence into three groups. The 77 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:23,480 Speaker 2: first of these was the elite of the harem, the 78 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:28,839 Speaker 2: sultan's mother, the Haseki Sultan or favorite consort, and princes 79 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:33,159 Speaker 2: and princesses. The second group was composed of the harem's 80 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:38,479 Speaker 2: administrative and training staff, while the third and largest group 81 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 2: was the service corps. In that last class were enslaved 82 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 2: girls like Kozem. While the harem had a number of 83 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 2: different functions, the purpose most relevant to this episode was, unsurprisingly, 84 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 2: to produce concubines for the sultan. There were no legal 85 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:02,159 Speaker 2: restrictions barring the son of a ruler and a concubine 86 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:05,359 Speaker 2: from inheriting the throne, and by the end of the 87 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 2: fourteenth century, concubinage had overtaken legal marriage as the dominant 88 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 2: means of reproduction for rulers. There are a few explanations 89 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 2: for this. For one, a concubine had no allegiance to 90 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 2: a family or foreign power. From a young age, she 91 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 2: was forcefully converted to Islam. Taught Oddman cultural values and 92 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 2: promised eventual elevation or even freedom through having the child 93 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 2: of the sultan or another powerful man. But as we 94 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 2: will see, greater political power was attainable for Kazem During 95 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 2: her time in the Harem. She would have been taught 96 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 2: by senior members to read, write, and speak Turkish, to 97 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 2: understand Islamic law, to play the harp and sing, and 98 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:04,280 Speaker 2: to embroider. Girls who showed the most promise were chosen 99 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,239 Speaker 2: to be the attendants to the valid Sultan or mother 100 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 2: of the current Sultan, who trained them to become concubines. 101 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 2: According to Bobovius, a Polish captive who became an interpreter 102 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 2: and musician in the Sultan's court, quote, she takes care 103 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 2: to keep them splendidly outfitted and to have them instructed 104 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 2: in all that they can learn, so that they might 105 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 2: be capable of inspiring in the grand signor the love, 106 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 2: which might allow them to become concubines, and perhaps one 107 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 2: among them the favorite and the honored mother of his 108 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 2: eldest son, or else to be married to persons of 109 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:52,959 Speaker 2: quality outside the palace end quote. That was most likely 110 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 2: how Kosem captured the attention of Ahmed, the first, shortly 111 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,760 Speaker 2: after his rise to power in sixteen o three. We 112 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 2: don't know exactly when their sexual relationship began, but we 113 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:10,480 Speaker 2: know their first child, Mehmed, was born in sixteen o five. 114 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:16,120 Speaker 2: Ahmed had one even older son, Osmon, but it's likely 115 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 2: Osmed's mother died before his fifth birthday. Ahmed's own mother 116 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 2: died in the early years of his reign, and his 117 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 2: grandmother was exiled to the Old Palace. The absence of 118 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 2: those other women put Kusem in a uniquely powerful position. 119 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:39,440 Speaker 2: She was not just the only living mother of the 120 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 2: Sultan's sons, but the most senior powerful mother in the 121 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 2: imperial court. Kusem would go on to have the rest 122 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 2: of Ahmed's children, potentially four more sons and four daughters 123 00:09:55,640 --> 00:10:00,960 Speaker 2: in her position as Hesseki or favorite. The one mother, 124 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 2: one son policy that had once defined Oddoman reproductive politics 125 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:11,960 Speaker 2: was now a relic of the pre Sulemanic era. Haseki 126 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:15,520 Speaker 2: was not simply a title either. A raise in her 127 00:10:15,559 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 2: status meant a raise in her stipend, with Privy purse 128 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 2: records showing that Kazem received one thousand aspers a day. 129 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 2: A rumor even persisted at the time, and still persists 130 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:35,079 Speaker 2: today that Ahmed and Ksem legally married. Kasem likely developed 131 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 2: an early interest in politics and held influence from the 132 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 2: early days of Ahmed's rule. In sixteen twelve, the Venetian 133 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:48,360 Speaker 2: ambassador to Istanbul described Ksem as a woman of quote, 134 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 2: beauty and shrewdness, and of many talents. She sings excellently. 135 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:57,080 Speaker 2: She continues to be extremely well loved by the king. 136 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:00,360 Speaker 2: Not that she is respected by all, but she is 137 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:03,600 Speaker 2: listened to in some matters and is the favorite of 138 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 2: the king, who wants her beside him continually end quote. 139 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:13,320 Speaker 2: He noted, however, that Cosem quote restrains herself with great 140 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:17,400 Speaker 2: wisdom from speaking to the Sultan too frequently of serious 141 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:22,200 Speaker 2: matters and affairs of the state end quote, likely meaning 142 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 2: that she understood how to appropriately appease his ego. We 143 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 2: know Ahmed wanted Cosem constantly by his side, but how 144 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 2: did Cozem feel about the man who was her maybe husband, 145 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:41,679 Speaker 2: whether legally or in effect. That's a question I cannot answer, 146 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 2: as no personal writing regarding Ahmed survives. It's worth noting 147 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:50,800 Speaker 2: that even if we did have access to letters between 148 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 2: Sultan and concubine, such as those between Raksalana and Suliman. 149 00:11:56,080 --> 00:12:01,120 Speaker 2: It's inherently difficult to parse the true nature of feelings 150 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 2: in such a complex power dynamic, when, of course, you 151 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:08,720 Speaker 2: have to remember that Kozam began her life in the 152 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 2: Harem as an enslaved concubine. What we have a greater 153 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 2: understanding of, however, is her political career. Historians believe she 154 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 2: potentially played an integral role in the shift in Ottoman 155 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:31,199 Speaker 2: succession politics from primogeniture, in which the eldest son inherits 156 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:36,160 Speaker 2: the throne, to agnatic seniority, in which power goes to 157 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:42,359 Speaker 2: the eldest male in the dynasty. Primogeniture in practice resulted 158 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:49,199 Speaker 2: in systemic fratricide upon the new sultan's ascension. Ahmed's situation 159 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:53,880 Speaker 2: was unique. He had a living brother, Mustapha, who was 160 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:59,040 Speaker 2: most probably left alive because Ahmed was only thirteen at 161 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 2: the time of his sension and his reproductive capacity had 162 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:09,319 Speaker 2: not been confirmed. However, once several sons were successfully sired, 163 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:15,240 Speaker 2: Mustapha's survival was in question. The Venetian ambassador reported in 164 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:20,360 Speaker 2: sixteen twelve that Kozem had prevailed upon Ahmed to spare 165 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:25,400 Speaker 2: his brother Mustapha. She argued that because Ahmed himself was 166 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:29,680 Speaker 2: his father's second son, he should not harm the brother 167 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 2: whose place he once occupied. The story of Ahmed's elder 168 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 2: brother and his execution potentially organized by his own grandmother 169 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:43,839 Speaker 2: based on a prophecy, is a story for another time, 170 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 2: But according to the ambassador, in this case, Kosem's motive 171 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:53,440 Speaker 2: in sparing her brother in law was quote to see 172 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:57,200 Speaker 2: if it was possible that this mercy which she displayed 173 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 2: at the present to the brother, might all so be 174 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:05,960 Speaker 2: employed later toward her son, the brother of the firstborn prince. 175 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:11,199 Speaker 2: In other words, she believed if she supported Mustapha, her 176 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 2: sons might later be spared themselves. Ahmed, remember had an 177 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:20,800 Speaker 2: oldest son, Osman, who would be more likely to simply 178 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 2: kill his brothers, despite his warm relationship with their mom Kasem. 179 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 2: As a small boy, Osmond could be seen going for 180 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:34,400 Speaker 2: carriage rides with Kasem, tossing coins to spectators. However, the 181 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 2: Venetian ambassador claimed Ahmed later forbade the two from speaking 182 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 2: to each other, and speculated it was because of Kosem's 183 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 2: well known ambitions for her own sons. When Ahmed died, 184 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 2: Kazem would legally become a free woman, but if she 185 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 2: wanted to maintain power in the empire, it would have 186 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:02,080 Speaker 2: to be through her children. To realize those ambitions, Kosem 187 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:08,240 Speaker 2: was already building a network of powerful allies. In sixteen sixteen, 188 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 2: the Venetian ambassador reported that she was the most valuable 189 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 2: ally to have an Istanbul because of her sway over 190 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 2: the Sultan, and that she should be rewarded for her 191 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 2: contributions to Venice's good standing. But the most valuable way 192 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 2: a woman could build influence within the empire was through 193 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 2: the marriages of her daughters and other women indebted to her. 194 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 2: The marriages of Ottoman princesses especially, were important links between 195 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 2: the Harem and other concentrations of power, both inside and 196 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 2: outside the palace. Cosem found a close ally in her 197 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 2: son in law, the acting Grand Vizir, after he married 198 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 2: one of her daughters. In a blow to Cosem's growing influence, 199 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:02,320 Speaker 2: Ahmed had that Grand Vizir strangled on charges of corruption 200 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 2: in sixteen fourteen. It's likely that around this time Kasem 201 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:11,640 Speaker 2: also began to build her alliance with the leaders of 202 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:16,479 Speaker 2: the Janissary Corps, an alliance that would last her entire lifetime. 203 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 2: Later in her life, as valid Sultan, Ksem was known 204 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 2: to free her slaves after relatively short periods of service 205 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,640 Speaker 2: and to maintain ties with them in their new lives. 206 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:37,920 Speaker 2: According to the seventeenth century historian Mustafan Naima quote, she 207 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 2: would free her slave women after two or three years 208 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 2: of service and would arrange marriages with retired officers of 209 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:49,160 Speaker 2: the court or suitable persons from outside, giving the women 210 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:53,400 Speaker 2: dowries and jewels and several purses of money according to 211 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 2: their talents and station, and ensuring that their husbands had 212 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:01,600 Speaker 2: suitable positions. She looked after after these former slaves by 213 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 2: giving them an annual stipend, and on the religious festivals 214 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 2: and holy days she would give them purses of money. 215 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 2: This all was very nice, but it wasn't just out 216 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 2: of the goodness of her heart. As with the marriages 217 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 2: of her daughters, arranging the marriages of loyal, formerly enslaved 218 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:27,439 Speaker 2: girls to potentially influential husbands would be the key to 219 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:32,200 Speaker 2: her political success. While her actions may not have been 220 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:37,800 Speaker 2: entirely magnanimous, Kuzem is remembered for a tradition of charity work. 221 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:42,800 Speaker 2: She began as hesseki and continued throughout her career. She 222 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 2: arranged dowries for a number of girls whose families could 223 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:51,000 Speaker 2: not afford them, and provided them with lodgings and furnishings. 224 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 2: She systematically delivered water to pilgrims traveling to the Holy City, 225 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 2: and annually distributed clothing and shoes to both pilgrims and locals. 226 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 2: Perhaps most surprisingly, every year in the month of Rajab, 227 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:12,040 Speaker 2: Kasem would leave the palace in disguise and arrange for 228 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 2: the release of imprisoned debtors and criminals, with the notable 229 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 2: exception of murderers through personal payment of their debts or 230 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 2: equal compensation. Kuzm's time as Hesseki or favorite ended when 231 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:35,359 Speaker 2: Ahmed died in November sixteen seventeen, likely of typhus. Fortunately 232 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:41,240 Speaker 2: for Kuzm, her intervention was successful, and Ahmed's brother, Mustafa 233 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:48,120 Speaker 2: and not Ahmed's eldest son, succeeded his position. Unfortunately for Kasem, 234 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:53,119 Speaker 2: Mustapha was both mentally and physically ill, and he was 235 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:59,160 Speaker 2: deposed only ninety six days later. He was replaced by Osman, 236 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:04,680 Speaker 2: who altered intimately killed Mehmed, Kusem's oldest son, but sent 237 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:07,439 Speaker 2: the rest of her sons to live with her in 238 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:11,920 Speaker 2: the Old Palace. It seems he still harbored some affection 239 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 2: for the woman who briefly acted as his stepmother, and 240 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:20,199 Speaker 2: he even paid her a three day visit during his reign. 241 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:27,040 Speaker 2: Kuzm additionally maintained her daily thousand asper stipend through Mustapha 242 00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:33,640 Speaker 2: and Osmond's reigns, evidencing a level of respect. Osmond proved 243 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:38,719 Speaker 2: to be another unpopular ruler, which some historians argue was 244 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:42,679 Speaker 2: in part due to his lacking a valid sultan or 245 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:46,600 Speaker 2: mother to guide him. He was ultimately killed in a 246 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:52,640 Speaker 2: Janissary uprising in sixteen twenty two. Power was briefly returned 247 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:56,920 Speaker 2: to his uncle Mustapha, but he was once again deposed 248 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,120 Speaker 2: due to his instability, and he was sent to live 249 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:03,840 Speaker 2: in the Old Palace for the rest of his days. 250 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:11,040 Speaker 2: On September tenth, sixteen twenty three, Kasem's son Murad ascended 251 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:15,720 Speaker 2: the throne as Murad the Fourth, and Ksem's time as 252 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 2: valid sultan began. Seeing as Murad was only about eleven 253 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 2: years old when he came into power, Kasem was appointed 254 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 2: official regent and she governed in her son's place alongside 255 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:40,720 Speaker 2: the Grand Vizier through his teenage years. Shortly after Murad's enthronement, 256 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:47,119 Speaker 2: a Venetian ambassadorial dispatch read quote, all power and authority 257 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:50,280 Speaker 2: is with the mother, in the prime of life and 258 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:54,119 Speaker 2: of lofty mind and spirit, who often took part in 259 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 2: the government during the reign of her husband. Around the 260 00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 2: same time in English, and abassador commented that Murad would 261 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:06,399 Speaker 2: be quote governed by his mother, who governed his father 262 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:10,920 Speaker 2: a man of spirit and wit. The title of valid 263 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 2: Sultan came not only with power, but with money too. 264 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:19,760 Speaker 2: Kozim had a greater income than any valid sultan before her, 265 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:25,639 Speaker 2: at an astonishing twenty four million aspers a year. Most 266 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 2: of this money came from land grants endowed to her 267 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:35,120 Speaker 2: through Ahmed Murad and even Osmond. During her regency, Kuzm 268 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 2: enjoyed a good working relationship with the Grand Vizier and 269 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:44,639 Speaker 2: had numerous allies in powerful governmental positions. In one letter, 270 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 2: she frankly tells the Grand Vizier quote, you really give 271 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,200 Speaker 2: me a headache, but I give you an awful headache. 272 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,680 Speaker 2: To how many times have I asked myself, I wonder 273 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,120 Speaker 2: if he's getting sick of me? But what else can 274 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:04,199 Speaker 2: we do? Pretty traditionally, the Grand Vizier was responsible for 275 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:08,440 Speaker 2: day to day imperial affairs and leading the empire in war, 276 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 2: while the valid Sultan and Chief Eunuch ran the household 277 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:19,520 Speaker 2: and palace affairs as regent. It seems Ksem's influence crossed 278 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 2: these spheres, as you can imagine, as Murad became older, 279 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:30,280 Speaker 2: a level of conflict between sultan and regent was inevitable. 280 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:35,840 Speaker 2: A sixteen twenty five Venetian report revealed Kzem and Murrad 281 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:40,520 Speaker 2: were clashing over the possibility of a truce with the Spanish. 282 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:45,879 Speaker 2: The report reads quote the imperialists and Spaniards declared that 283 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:50,479 Speaker 2: the matter was progressing favorably, being actively assisted by the 284 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:54,560 Speaker 2: Sultan's mother, but also states that the Sultan, quote with 285 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 2: a prudence beyond his years, was opposed to such a deal. 286 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 2: Zizem had a powerful ally in negotiations, in this case, 287 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:08,880 Speaker 2: the governor of Egypt, who by no coincidence, was married 288 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:12,760 Speaker 2: to one of her daughters. In a letter from Kozm 289 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 2: to the Grand Vizier, likely written around sixteen twenty eight, 290 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:22,199 Speaker 2: we see her frustrations as both an anxious mother and 291 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 2: an anxious regent. First, she expresses political distress, writing quote, 292 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 2: something absolutely must be done about Yemen. It's the gate 293 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 2: to Mecca. You'll talk to my son about this. I 294 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:39,880 Speaker 2: tell you my mind is completely distraught over this. The 295 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:43,960 Speaker 2: tone then shifts to worrying about Murad. In equal measure, 296 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:47,679 Speaker 2: she complains, quote, my son leaves in the morning and 297 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 2: comes back at night. I never see him. He won't 298 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:53,040 Speaker 2: stay out of the cold. He is going to get 299 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,639 Speaker 2: sick again. I tell you this grieving over the child 300 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 2: is destroying me. Talk to him when you get a chain, 301 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 2: as he must take care of himself. What can I do? 302 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,760 Speaker 2: He won't listen. He's just gotten out of a sick 303 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 2: bed and he's walking around in the cold. All this 304 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:13,280 Speaker 2: has destroyed my peace of mind. All I wish is 305 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 2: for him to stay alive at least try to do 306 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:21,399 Speaker 2: something about Yemen. End quote. Another letter to the Grand 307 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:27,399 Speaker 2: Vizier expresses similar concerns, but additionally reveals Kazem's fears for 308 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:32,920 Speaker 2: her own position should something happen to Murad. She writes, quote, 309 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:35,440 Speaker 2: I wish you would listen to me and have them 310 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 2: stop practicing the javelin in the hippodrome. Why can't they 311 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,080 Speaker 2: go play in langa? My son loves it. I lose 312 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:46,120 Speaker 2: my mind over it. Whoever says it's good for him 313 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,879 Speaker 2: is lying. Caution him about it, but not right away. 314 00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 2: What can I do? My words are bitter to him. Now, 315 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,520 Speaker 2: just let him stay alive. He is vital to all 316 00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:01,959 Speaker 2: of us. While the last line may not be relatable 317 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 2: to most, there's something at comforting in both of those letters, 318 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:10,560 Speaker 2: in knowing mothers throughout history have always been worried about 319 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:15,359 Speaker 2: their sons staying in the cold too long, playing dangerous sports, 320 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:21,640 Speaker 2: and not stopping by often enough. Murraud sought to gain 321 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 2: greater independence in his rule through limiting his mother's network 322 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:30,000 Speaker 2: of power. In sixteen twenty eight, he dissolved the marriage 323 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:34,400 Speaker 2: between his sister and a powerful admiral, one of Kazem's 324 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:39,320 Speaker 2: closest allies. She reportedly attempted to appease her son with 325 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:43,919 Speaker 2: elaborately outfitted horses and a lavish banquet, to no avail. 326 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:49,359 Speaker 2: Murraud gained full formal control in sixteen thirty two, ending 327 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 2: his mother's regency. Despite earlier strife, it appears they ultimately 328 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:58,159 Speaker 2: came to respect each other's roles in the empire in 329 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,960 Speaker 2: the latter half of his reign, but respect did not 330 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:08,080 Speaker 2: mean peace. In sixteen thirty five, while celebrating a victorious campaign, 331 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:13,439 Speaker 2: Murad had two of his four remaining brothers murdered. In 332 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 2: sixteen thirty eight, he used another victory celebration to mask 333 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 2: the killing of a third brother. Only at the intervention 334 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:28,359 Speaker 2: of Kuzam, was the final living brother Ibrahim spared. She 335 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:32,919 Speaker 2: argued that his mental illness rendered him harmless no threat 336 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:36,920 Speaker 2: to his brother's throne. Kusem's defense may not have only 337 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:41,200 Speaker 2: saved her son, but the existence of the Ottoman Empire. 338 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:45,679 Speaker 2: When Murad died of liver failure in sixteen forty, with 339 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 2: no surviving heirs, Ibrahim was the only living male in 340 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 2: the line of succession. During the first year of Ibrahim's reign, 341 00:26:56,400 --> 00:27:00,159 Speaker 2: Kusem followed in the footsteps of Valid Sultan's before for 342 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:06,119 Speaker 2: her and constructed a mosque complex. Despite her massive wealth, 343 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:11,440 Speaker 2: the complex was considered more modest than her predecessors'. As 344 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:15,520 Speaker 2: the fate of the Ottoman Empire hung in limbo. It's 345 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:19,879 Speaker 2: very possible Kasem sped up her plan to endow a 346 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 2: complex and cement her legacy before the potential fall. It 347 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 2: was Kasem's responsibility as the lead to make sure her son, 348 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:34,920 Speaker 2: Ibrahim produced heirs to secure the future of the dynasty. 349 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:39,960 Speaker 2: Ibrahim turned out to be rather too enthusiastic about producing 350 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:45,800 Speaker 2: heirs and notoriously spent excessive time and money on his harem. 351 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:50,879 Speaker 2: Kasem may have later regretted introducing him to his first 352 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:58,400 Speaker 2: concubine and future hesseki, a woman named Turan. Though Kazm 353 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:02,320 Speaker 2: was not a formal regent to Ibrahim the first, she 354 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:07,320 Speaker 2: maintained the role in effect. His sheltered childhood, combined with 355 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:12,200 Speaker 2: his alleged mental illness and fixation on his harem, made 356 00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:17,720 Speaker 2: him an incapable ruler. This naturally left a power vacuum 357 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:21,520 Speaker 2: that many were eager to fill. As opposed to the 358 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:26,760 Speaker 2: harmony Kazem had enjoyed with Maraud's grand viziers, Kuzim found 359 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:32,400 Speaker 2: herself in competition with Ibrahim's advisers. According to yet another 360 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:36,760 Speaker 2: Venetian ambassador quote in the present Government, to the extent 361 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 2: that this son's capabilities are less. Kazm is held in 362 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:45,120 Speaker 2: greater esteem than at the end of Mrod's reign, and 363 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:48,800 Speaker 2: thus with her commanding affairs within the palace and the 364 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:53,560 Speaker 2: grand Vizier commanding those outside, it happens quite often that 365 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:57,000 Speaker 2: these two rulers come up against each other, and in 366 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:00,560 Speaker 2: doing so take offense at each other. But one can 367 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:04,040 Speaker 2: say that in appearance they are in accord, but secretly 368 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:07,680 Speaker 2: each is trying to bring about the downfall of the other. 369 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:12,560 Speaker 2: These attempts to bring about the downfall of the other 370 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:17,080 Speaker 2: appear to have been quite caddy at times. When the 371 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:22,080 Speaker 2: Venetian ambassador attempted to pass on a letter of congratulations 372 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:26,760 Speaker 2: to Cozem through the Grand Vizier, the Vizier reportedly did 373 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:31,080 Speaker 2: not forward the letters, quote as if scorning them, and 374 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:34,000 Speaker 2: in the words of the Venetian quote, told me that 375 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:37,200 Speaker 2: the queen mothers of the Ottomans are slaves of the 376 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:41,360 Speaker 2: Grand Signor like all others, not partners or heads of 377 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:46,360 Speaker 2: government like those in Christian countries. It was an ironic 378 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:51,400 Speaker 2: attempt to undermine her authority. After all, the Grand Viziers 379 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 2: were also enslaved by the Sultan. There is obvious gender discrepancy. 380 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:02,080 Speaker 2: While the valid Sultan was technically a free woman upon 381 00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 2: the death of her husband, she had begun her career 382 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 2: as a concubine, enslaved for sexual purposes. This fact would 383 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:17,640 Speaker 2: unsurprisingly appear repeatedly in attempts to invalidate the power of 384 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:21,920 Speaker 2: both the Hassekis and valides of the Sultanate of Women. 385 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:27,320 Speaker 2: Despite the infighting, the early years of Ibrahim's reign are 386 00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:32,520 Speaker 2: remembered as relatively peaceful and prosperous under the joint rule 387 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 2: of Kozem and the Grand Vizier. The same cannot be 388 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:41,680 Speaker 2: said of the latter years. In the war for control, 389 00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:48,120 Speaker 2: both of them ultimately lost. The increasingly unstable Ibrahim had 390 00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:52,080 Speaker 2: his Grand Vizier executed in sixteen forty four after an 391 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:56,360 Speaker 2: attempted coup, and he planned to exile his mother to 392 00:30:56,480 --> 00:31:00,800 Speaker 2: the island of Rhodes, despite no evidence of her involvement 393 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,880 Speaker 2: in the scheme. That plan was stopped thanks to the 394 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:09,520 Speaker 2: intervention of Ibrahim's own Hesseki, who saw it as too 395 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:14,320 Speaker 2: great an indignity. Kozm was instead confined to one of 396 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:22,959 Speaker 2: the imperial gardens in the Capitol Quote. Ibrahim the Mad 397 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:27,960 Speaker 2: as he became known, was ultimately deposed and imprisoned in 398 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:33,560 Speaker 2: sixteen forty eight, replaced by his son Mehmed. While they 399 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:39,000 Speaker 2: had detrimental effects on Ibrahim's capabilities as a ruler, Kosem's 400 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 2: efforts to secure the future of the empire were successful. 401 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:48,400 Speaker 2: Ibrahim's final words as a saultan were allegedly, I am 402 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:52,960 Speaker 2: the father of a dynasty. Mehmed the fourth, the eldest, 403 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:56,960 Speaker 2: was only seven years old at the time of his ascension, 404 00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 2: thus requiring a regent. In a rare occurrence, there were 405 00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:08,320 Speaker 2: two valid sultans to choose from, Cosem and Memid's young mother, 406 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:14,720 Speaker 2: Turan Sultan. The Chief Justice ultimately appointed Kosem, the new 407 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:20,880 Speaker 2: sultan grandmother, as regent, potentially despite her wishes, because of 408 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:26,480 Speaker 2: her decades of experience. According to a seventeenth century Ottoman 409 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:30,440 Speaker 2: scholar quote, it being an ancient custom that upon the 410 00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:34,200 Speaker 2: ascension of a new sultan, the mother of the previous 411 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:37,479 Speaker 2: sultan removed to the old palace and thus give up 412 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:42,120 Speaker 2: her honored office. The elder valid requested permission to retire 413 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:46,240 Speaker 2: to a life of seclusion, But because the loving mother 414 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:49,800 Speaker 2: of the new Sultan was still very young and truly 415 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:52,600 Speaker 2: ignorant of the state of the world, it was thought 416 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:55,680 Speaker 2: that if she were in control of government, there would 417 00:32:55,760 --> 00:33:00,760 Speaker 2: result the possibility of harm to the welfare of the state. Therefore, 418 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:05,000 Speaker 2: the elder valid was reappointed for a while longer to 419 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:08,960 Speaker 2: the duty of training and guardianship, and it was considered 420 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:13,120 Speaker 2: appropriate to renew the assignment of crown lands to the 421 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:18,360 Speaker 2: Valid Sultan. Quote training and guardianship appears to have been 422 00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:24,720 Speaker 2: an understatement, as in actuality, Kuseem resumed near full control 423 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:29,960 Speaker 2: and gave herself the title Great Valid Sultan as the 424 00:33:30,080 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 2: highest ranking Ottoman woman of all time. Clashes with other 425 00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:39,680 Speaker 2: officials were once again inevitable, calling an imperial audience with 426 00:33:39,800 --> 00:33:44,000 Speaker 2: all leading statesmen, The young Sultan dismissed his grand Vizier 427 00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:47,480 Speaker 2: and appointed the leader of the janissaries to the position. 428 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:51,440 Speaker 2: All the while, his grandmother was sitting behind a curtain, 429 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:56,880 Speaker 2: a practice employed by Valid sultans before her. Not content 430 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 2: to use her grandson as a literal mouth piece, however, 431 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:05,520 Speaker 2: Kazem made a speech from behind the curtain, defending her 432 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:09,920 Speaker 2: role and silencing her critics with a vehemence that surprised 433 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:14,280 Speaker 2: the audience. She commented on the Grand Vizier's failed plan 434 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:18,239 Speaker 2: to assassinate her, declaring quote, thanks to God, I have 435 00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 2: lived through four reigns, and I have governed myself for 436 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:26,040 Speaker 2: a long while the world will be neither reformed nor 437 00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 2: destroyed by my death. You might be wondering what Turan 438 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 2: was up to during all of this. As her grandmother 439 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:40,239 Speaker 2: in law had done in her younger years, Turan was 440 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:44,040 Speaker 2: building a faction of her own. Where Kazem had the 441 00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:49,320 Speaker 2: allegiance of the janisaries, Turan had the influential palace eunuchs 442 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:54,280 Speaker 2: on her side, including the Chief Black Eunuch, an official 443 00:34:54,360 --> 00:35:00,239 Speaker 2: position held by an enslaved Black African eunuch. Turan's facttion 444 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:04,400 Speaker 2: was built around discontent with the level of power and 445 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:12,720 Speaker 2: influence the janissaries wielded, especially regarding their domination over provincial government. Kuzm, 446 00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:16,239 Speaker 2: of course, learned of the growing intent to have her 447 00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:21,000 Speaker 2: removed or killed. She began to formulate her own plan 448 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:26,600 Speaker 2: in which Ibrahim's second son, Suliman, would replace Mehmed, as 449 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:30,920 Speaker 2: she believed Suliman's mother would be a lesser threat than Turhan. 450 00:35:31,719 --> 00:35:36,920 Speaker 2: According to the chronicler Naima, Kuzm secretly asked the guards 451 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:40,839 Speaker 2: to leave the palace gates open so that janissaries could 452 00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:45,200 Speaker 2: sneak in and kill Turhan Sultan in her chambers. At 453 00:35:45,239 --> 00:35:49,239 Speaker 2: the same time, she allegedly gave two bottles of poisoned 454 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:52,880 Speaker 2: sherbet to the head sweets maker in the palace kitchen 455 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:58,160 Speaker 2: to serve Mehmed. Yes, she was allegedly attempting to poison 456 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:03,680 Speaker 2: her own grandson the day before enacting the plan. However, 457 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:09,400 Speaker 2: one of Cosem's servants revealed the plot to Turhan. You 458 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:14,200 Speaker 2: know what happened next. When news of the violent death 459 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:18,720 Speaker 2: of the widely respected great Valid Sultan reached the people 460 00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:23,560 Speaker 2: of Istanbul, they shut down the city's mosques and markets 461 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:28,360 Speaker 2: for three days in mourning. In the wake of her assassination, 462 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:34,560 Speaker 2: the Central Treasury confiscated Cosem's entire wealth, her vast estates 463 00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:38,880 Speaker 2: and taxes, her jewelry, precious stones, cash, and gold coins. 464 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:42,520 Speaker 2: According to Naima, the story goes that her wealth was 465 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:46,839 Speaker 2: so vast and varied across different enterprises that it took 466 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:50,879 Speaker 2: fifty years for the state treasury to confiscate it all. 467 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:57,680 Speaker 2: Commenting on Cosem's legacy, Naima praised her charitable contributions to 468 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:02,400 Speaker 2: the empire, but condemned the harsh taxes on the peasants 469 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:07,480 Speaker 2: of her estates who dared not complain. In his words, quote, 470 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:11,759 Speaker 2: it was divine wisdom that the respected Valid, philanthropic and 471 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:15,520 Speaker 2: regal as she was, was martyred for the sake of 472 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:20,880 Speaker 2: those unjust oppressions. He considered these ills the result of 473 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:25,560 Speaker 2: the valid sultan having too much power, a departure from 474 00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:31,320 Speaker 2: traditional Ottoman norms. The reality is the nearly two hundred 475 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:35,680 Speaker 2: year Sultanate of women saw the empire through the same 476 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:40,000 Speaker 2: peaks and valleys it experienced with men at the holms 477 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:45,640 Speaker 2: of power. Just as Helen didn't destroy Troy and Megan 478 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:51,040 Speaker 2: didn't destroy the British monarchy. Yet one woman, no matter 479 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:55,640 Speaker 2: how powerful, cannot be responsible for the rise or fall 480 00:37:55,800 --> 00:38:00,839 Speaker 2: of an empire. Kazem was ultimately right. The world was 481 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:12,800 Speaker 2: neither reformed nor destroyed by her death. That's the story 482 00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:16,680 Speaker 2: of Kazm Sultan. But keep listening after a brief sponsor 483 00:38:16,719 --> 00:38:19,560 Speaker 2: break to hear a little bit about her legacy in 484 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:30,880 Speaker 2: pop culture. If you've finished listening to this episode thinking 485 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 2: I would really like to watch the death of Kosem 486 00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:37,640 Speaker 2: acted out in slow motion, then oh boy, do I 487 00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:42,480 Speaker 2: have the show for you. The twenty eleven Turkish television 488 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:48,600 Speaker 2: drama Magnificent Century Kosem chronicles her entire life and of course, 489 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:53,520 Speaker 2: her dramatic end. In this depiction, after she has strangled, 490 00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:57,120 Speaker 2: the women of the Harem descend upon her like vultures, 491 00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:01,279 Speaker 2: ripping the jewels off her body twist. She wakes up, 492 00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:04,840 Speaker 2: gasping for air. It's only then that a curtain is 493 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:08,839 Speaker 2: ripped from a window, finishing the job. A ring is 494 00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:12,600 Speaker 2: taken from her finger and presented to Turan, who is 495 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:17,600 Speaker 2: smugly watching the entire scene from above. Perhaps it would 496 00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:20,200 Speaker 2: be of solace to Cosem to know that, in the 497 00:39:20,320 --> 00:39:26,719 Speaker 2: twenty first century, she has stands. One commenter wrote, finally 498 00:39:26,840 --> 00:39:30,880 Speaker 2: she got what she herself had served many times, but 499 00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:36,759 Speaker 2: another commenter replied, ksem is better than all your faves. 500 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:43,680 Speaker 2: Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and 501 00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:47,319 Speaker 2: Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted by me 502 00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:52,799 Speaker 2: Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, 503 00:41:52,960 --> 00:41:57,120 Speaker 2: Courtney Sender, Amy Hyt, and Julia Milaney. The show is 504 00:41:57,239 --> 00:42:02,560 Speaker 2: edited and produced by Jesse Funk, with supervising producerrima Ill 505 00:42:02,719 --> 00:42:07,719 Speaker 2: Kali and executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young and Matt Frederick. 506 00:42:08,239 --> 00:42:13,880 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 507 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:18,720 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.