1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to the show, everybody. We're here today bringing you 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: another exciting story going back in time. Gonna go back 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 1: in time. We're going to the Middle East. We're here 4 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: talking about the Ottoman Empire. More than just a piece 5 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: of furniture. People. Suleiman the Magnificent was one of the 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: most beloved and longest ruling sultans in the Ottoman Empire 7 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: in the sixteenth century, and he fell in love with 8 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 1: his concubine Horem. Horem went down in history as the 9 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: first consort to legally marry the sultan. They wrote poetry 10 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: to each other, They're buried next to each other. They 11 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: were obsessed with each other, and this totally changed the world. 12 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: Let's do it, hey the French, come listen. Well, Elia 13 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 1: and Diana got some stories to tell. There's no match making, 14 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: all romantic tips. It's just about particulous relations shifts a lover, 15 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: it might be any type of person at all, and 16 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: abstract concept are a concrete wall. But if there's a 17 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: story where the second glance, well pridic Let's rolls a 18 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. So if your longtime listener 19 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: to the show, you know that we definitely put as 20 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,680 Speaker 1: much effort as we can into getting these name pronunciations right, 21 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: and some of these are definitely outside of our normal 22 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 1: speaking tongue. But we did look up what we can 23 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 1: and we hope we nail him right. And if we 24 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: make an absolute massacre of it, and please don't hesitate 25 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: to reach out and correct us, we'd love to um 26 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: tell everybody in the next episode you know how it's 27 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: really said. I did look up one pronunciation and the 28 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: pronunciation was just in Cyrillic, and I was like, this 29 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: is not I don't know how to pronounce anything in Cyrillic. 30 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: So you have to kind of try and find someone 31 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:40,400 Speaker 1: from that region actually saying it out loud. So sometimes 32 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,680 Speaker 1: look for news reports or something they actually say it. 33 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: But it can be tricky, so we do our best. 34 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: And when you're in the sixteenth century, there's nothing, no 35 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: videos exist, but anyone's talking about her and yeah, so yeah, Leman, 36 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 1: we'll start with him. He was appointed the governor of Menissa, 37 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: which is now the Eudosia, a town in Crimea. It's 38 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: on the coast of the Black Sea. He lived there 39 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: till he was twenty six, ruling that province until his 40 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 1: father passed away and su Lehman had to take the throne, 41 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: so he goes back to Constantinople. It gets to work. 42 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 1: And as we said, he's considered to be one of 43 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: the greatest sultan's in history, and he was the longest reigning. 44 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: He ruled from fifteen twenty to fifteen sixty six. He 45 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: personally led forces in several conflicts to expand the Ottoman 46 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: Empire by like sev or something. Eventually ruled over twenty 47 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: five million people. So the Ottoman Empire is enormous, Like 48 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: cannot be understated what a power they were. And he 49 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: brought major Muslim cities like Baghdad, he brought Balkan regions 50 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: like Croatia and Hungary, and he brought most of North 51 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: Africa into the Ottoman Empire. So if you're a geography 52 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: nerd and you want to look at a map, you 53 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: can see that it really expanded a lot of space. 54 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 1: I want to add too, if he rolled over an 55 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: empire of twenty five million people in the year fifteen hundred, 56 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,080 Speaker 1: the entire world population was only about four hundred and 57 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: sixty one million, so that's a pretty fty chunk. Yeah, 58 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: that's a lot smaller than today. And I thought it 59 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: was interesting. I didn't know this, but the Ottoman Empire 60 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 1: really prided itself on how multicultural it was, so they 61 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: never they weren't really super interested in trying to convert 62 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: you to any particular religion. They didn't want you to 63 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: get rid of your language. So a lot of people 64 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: were multi lingual. They had a lot of religions mixing together, 65 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 1: a lot of different styles of art and everything going on, 66 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:26,639 Speaker 1: and they were really proud of that. They liked that. 67 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:28,919 Speaker 1: What a great idea. I know, I was like, that's dope. 68 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: He was known as lawgiver to his Ottoman subjects because 69 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 1: there are two sets of laws there. There's the Sharia 70 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: law that's sacred law. It comes from Islam and their 71 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: holy books, and no one has any control over that. 72 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: You can be the most powerful sultan in the world, 73 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:48,119 Speaker 1: you can't change the Sharia law from above heaven laws 74 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: for man kind on earth. But there's also some like 75 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: mundane ship that was never written down. There was no 76 00:03:54,640 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 1: commandments made about taxes, so there's some human law I 77 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,839 Speaker 1: guess you could say called canoons and that handled more 78 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: you know, ship like taxes, like like land ownership, criminal law, 79 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: that sort of stuff, and um each sultan would kind 80 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: of issue their own canoons every time they took power. 81 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: And so what Suleman did was take all the previous rulings, 82 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: he got rid of any duplications or contradictions, and he 83 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 1: made one comprehensive code that lasted for three years. So 84 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: I guess sultans that came after him were like, yeah, 85 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:32,720 Speaker 1: that looks good. I don't want to I don't wanna 86 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: do all that work. This guy protected the Jewish subjects 87 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: of his empire for centuries to come. He issued a 88 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: ruling formally denouncing blood libels against Jews because of a 89 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:46,159 Speaker 1: suggestion by his favorite doctor and dentist, a Spanish Jew 90 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:50,479 Speaker 1: named Moses Hammon, just like Suleiman the Magnificent. Great to 91 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:52,720 Speaker 1: see you again. Your teeth look fantastic. Just going to 92 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 1: scrape a little enamel and take care of a few things. Well, well, 93 00:04:57,600 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: I've got you. I was thinking, you know how you 94 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: like a multi cultural world of different languages and religion 95 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 1: and everything. Um, what about no more blood libels on Jews? 96 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: Just a thought, A great idea, doc you know what, 97 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: I think, I'm gonna do that, do that, and I'm 98 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:21,719 Speaker 1: gonna flash more, denounce, denounced, anti Semitism and philosophore. Please. 99 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: I wish my dentist was so explicit. You know, I 100 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 1: don't know. My dentist tells me plosophy. She's never specifically 101 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: mentioned stopping anti Semitism. We can imagine that she probably 102 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: would agree to it, I think so, I hope so. 103 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 1: Otherwise we need a new dentist, I know. Right. Anyway, 104 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: Suleiman's laws cut down on punishments requiring death or mutilation. Instead, 105 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: he moved more towards imposing fines. Right. He himself was 106 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 1: a poet and a goldsmith, so already kind of an 107 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: artist himself. And then he was a major patron of 108 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: the arts as well. He presided over the golden age 109 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: of the Ottoman Empire. In arts there was literature and 110 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: theology and philosophy and architecture just booming. Many major Turkish 111 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 1: cities still boast buildings from this architect memoir sin On. 112 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: His buildings are still up in their skyline today. They're gorgeous. 113 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 1: Look him up. They're just beautiful. It's amazing architecture. Check 114 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:18,480 Speaker 1: it out. Historians note that while Suliman's father wrote poetry 115 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 1: and Persian, and many Sultan's were influenced by Persian artistic styles, 116 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 1: Suleiman helped the Ottoman Empire assert its own artistic legacy. 117 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: Like this was part of really coming into their own 118 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: with an artistic voice, which I think really helps just define, 119 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: you know, an era and a nation. Absolutely. It's kind 120 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 1: of that marrying of all those different styles from all 121 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:47,599 Speaker 1: over his empire that made for this incredibly interesting and 122 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,599 Speaker 1: beautiful style of their own that you wouldn't get anywhere else, 123 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:52,559 Speaker 1: because everywhere else they were like, if you're not white, 124 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,599 Speaker 1: get the funk out, or if you're not this religion, 125 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,039 Speaker 1: get the funk out. He also another way he broke 126 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: tradition was that he married a concubine in his harem, 127 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,680 Speaker 1: a woman known as Roxelana. Roxalana was born in a 128 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: town is part of the Kingdom of Poland at the time. 129 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 1: Today it's in western Ukraine. Sometime before maybe fifteen seventeen, 130 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 1: she's captured by Crimean Tatars during a slave raid. She's 131 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: brought to Constantinople and she's selected for the imperial harem 132 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: by Suleman's mother as a gift for him upon his 133 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: ascension to the sultancy. Okay Um, can you explain to 134 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: me a little more about a harem, because I got 135 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 1: an image in my head about a harem, and it 136 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:40,120 Speaker 1: is probably incorrect. I bet it's a little racist. Um 137 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: and uh, it's probably in either case very stereotypical, probably 138 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: factually inaccurate. So let's talk harems. I'd love to talk 139 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: harems in a segment Harem Talk. So harems you're probably thinking, 140 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 1: are like hundreds of beautiful women that the Sultan can 141 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: just sunk at any time, right, That's what I was thinking, right, 142 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: And they're just laying around waiting to be slept, with 143 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 1: purple curtains, gold beads on their bellies. Sure right, Yeah, 144 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 1: that's the image in my head because I'm thinking about 145 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 1: that old restaurant, Imperial Fez. That was such a cool 146 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,400 Speaker 1: spot it was, and I think harem. I just think 147 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: of that restaurant, but with a lot more naked ladies, 148 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 1: a lot more naked ladies, yeah, and a lot less 149 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: white people right around. Well, you're right and you're wrong. 150 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: So a harem is made up not only of concubines, 151 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 1: but also wives, servants, female relatives of the sultan, and 152 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 1: of course unix very important part of the of the harem. 153 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: So not everybody in the harem is is having sex 154 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 1: with the Sultan. They're just like in the palace, running ship, 155 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 1: taking care of his home. The larger the harem, the 156 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,080 Speaker 1: more power and wealth the sultan was seen to have. 157 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: Sometimes they get up to the hundreds. Sue Lemon's princely 158 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 1: harem had about seventeen women in it. Most of the 159 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,439 Speaker 1: men and women in their him are bought as slaves 160 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: to ensure obedience, but some were actually free. The main 161 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 1: wives were free women because you couldn't mary a slave, 162 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 1: so if you were a wife, you were not a slave. Um. 163 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: But everyone in the harem was given a quality education, 164 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: and afterwards, the men and women within the harem would 165 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: sometimes be married off to each other, so only a 166 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:19,240 Speaker 1: small number of the women in the harem were actually 167 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: there for him to sleep with. Um. And they're governed 168 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 1: by the Valid Sultan, which is typically the sultan's mother. 169 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:29,120 Speaker 1: She's the most powerful member of the harem. She runs 170 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: everybody in it, and they all looked to her Um, 171 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: and she was also responsible for educating her son on 172 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 1: the intricacies of politics. She was a member of the 173 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,320 Speaker 1: imperial court, so she had kind of a lot of 174 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: power within the palace at least, and the next most 175 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: powerful positions in the harem where the concubines who rose 176 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,080 Speaker 1: through the ranks, they would get titles like the favorite, 177 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,960 Speaker 1: the fortunate, and the wife. Glenn close is that you? 178 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 1: And so these women held an equivalent rank to legal wives, 179 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,439 Speaker 1: and they were given their own servants, their own apartments, 180 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 1: they were paid aid more an income they got like 181 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 1: a yearly income, and you would get more the more, 182 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 1: you know, higher up you were, So it's kind of 183 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: a corporate ladder kind of action going on. Obviously, this 184 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:12,360 Speaker 1: is all for the sake of reproduction. Right, he's sleeping 185 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 1: with a lot of women, because then you have better 186 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 1: odds of having a big family and one of them 187 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,679 Speaker 1: attains their majority and are able to take over for you. Right. 188 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:24,600 Speaker 1: But concubines were actually seen as more legitimate mothers of 189 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:29,440 Speaker 1: airs because they had no influence over their sons. Legal 190 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:32,160 Speaker 1: wives would jockey for power because they would improve their 191 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,079 Speaker 1: own situation if their son became sultan, of course they 192 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: were then you know, in a higher position themselves. But 193 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: slave women had no none of that was recognized at all. 194 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 1: So if their son became sultan, it really meant nothing 195 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 1: to them. You know, had it had made no difference 196 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 1: to their lives whatsoever. So in the eyes of the 197 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,400 Speaker 1: Ottoman Empire was better off to have an air by 198 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 1: a concubine than by a legal wife. Eunuchs were also 199 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:57,960 Speaker 1: an important element to a harem. These were slaves who 200 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:00,679 Speaker 1: were castrated, and it was important to note that there 201 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:03,040 Speaker 1: were white and black slaves in the Ottoman Empire, but 202 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,840 Speaker 1: they were still treated very differently. Black slaves would have 203 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 1: everything removed, what penis, antesticles, totally separated from their bodies, 204 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 1: and then they were put in charge of the harem 205 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: because they lacked the equipment to be, you know, interested 206 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:19,559 Speaker 1: in women or be able to have sex with women. 207 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:23,079 Speaker 1: Give me a break. White slaves only had a portion 208 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 1: of their penis removed and they wouldn't have access to 209 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 1: the harem at all. Eunuchs were usually castrated before puberty 210 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:34,479 Speaker 1: by their Christian or Jewish captors because Islam actually prohibited 211 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 1: the act of castration. So you've got the sales people 212 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,480 Speaker 1: basically bringing slaves from here to there, being like step 213 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:47,079 Speaker 1: brought up, get you unpaid intens here right already castrated them, 214 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,440 Speaker 1: so you ain't gotta worry about getting Yeah, it's dirty 215 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 1: with none of that. We catch them, we cut them, 216 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: you buy them. You know you need unique eunuchs. Wow. Yeah, 217 00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: they were fine with having castrated slaves, but you couldn't 218 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:04,320 Speaker 1: actually castrate them yourself. So similarly, female slaves often white 219 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:07,400 Speaker 1: Christian girls, because it was forbidden for Muslim women to 220 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 1: be concubines. So some of them were captured like Roxalana. 221 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:15,319 Speaker 1: Others were sold by their own families. Sometimes there's a 222 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 1: blog called Siddef's Corner. He says, though these practices seem 223 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,439 Speaker 1: barbaric and impossible to understand for us, the sultan's harem 224 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: was a place for a young girl to receive a 225 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:28,680 Speaker 1: thorough education in housekeeping, gardening, and languages, and live in 226 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,439 Speaker 1: comfort and luxury. Some would get married off to high 227 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 1: ranking government officials and get a chance to head up 228 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:37,320 Speaker 1: their own household. So it was almost like kind of 229 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: a career path in this fucked up way. Yeah, like 230 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:43,320 Speaker 1: that corporate ladder again. You know, it's it's so hard 231 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,599 Speaker 1: to think about today, but you fuck your way to 232 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:48,280 Speaker 1: the top essentially, right, Yeah, I don't know. It reminds 233 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 1: me a little bit of you know what we've talked 234 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:53,080 Speaker 1: about in earlier episodes about you know, how women are 235 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:56,480 Speaker 1: putting these situations where they're like kind of enslaved and 236 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,040 Speaker 1: then told like, but it's good for you. Look how 237 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 1: many opportunities getting by being stuck in this situation. So 238 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: I don't know, that's a sticky area for sure, but 239 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:09,720 Speaker 1: it's it's understandable. I mean, I don't know. I don't know. Yeah, 240 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:12,600 Speaker 1: look look at all the opportunities you're being given. Also, 241 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:14,480 Speaker 1: you know, you don't have in the free will to 242 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:17,520 Speaker 1: make choices of your own. I don't know. At a 243 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:20,200 Speaker 1: certain point in history that was a get you know, 244 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:24,839 Speaker 1: that was like, oh cool, I have opportunities. I fucking 245 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 1: worried about being able to have choices to make on 246 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:30,320 Speaker 1: my own. That's not something my brain is even considering. Yeah, 247 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,240 Speaker 1: you can almost see like the fathers and mothers being like, 248 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:35,000 Speaker 1: I mean, you're gonna get fucked at some point in 249 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:37,520 Speaker 1: your life. It should be the sultan if it's going 250 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 1: to be anybody, because that means you're gonna be taken 251 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:41,640 Speaker 1: care of, You're gonna be in luxury if you have 252 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:44,200 Speaker 1: a child by him, even if it's a girl, you 253 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: still are taken care of for your rest of your life. 254 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: And again, you're in this palace being fed really well. 255 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:53,840 Speaker 1: I mean, you don't have to really worry about a 256 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: lot of the normal ship that people out in the 257 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 1: streets were dealing with. So it might have seemed like 258 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:01,440 Speaker 1: if you had a pretty enough daughter, Yeah it was. 259 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:04,840 Speaker 1: It was a good choice for her um A weird job, 260 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 1: a strange, strange job. So into this Harems situation, Roxelana 261 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: walked right. She's this is the this is what she's 262 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: getting herself into at this point. And I do want 263 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 1: to say her legacy is a little bit shrouded in 264 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 1: hearsay and mystery because you weren't allowed to see any 265 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 1: of these women outside of the palace. They weren't allowed 266 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:27,240 Speaker 1: to leave, you weren't allowed to talk to them or 267 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:29,640 Speaker 1: anything like that if you were, especially if you were 268 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 1: a man um. So there's no like firsthand accounts of 269 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:35,960 Speaker 1: her life. A lot of this is just legend or 270 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,440 Speaker 1: gossip that was written at the time. But it seems 271 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:40,840 Speaker 1: safe to say that while she was only fifteen years old, 272 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: she was pretty determined to make this situation work for her. 273 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:46,720 Speaker 1: So let's pause there and take a quick commercial break, 274 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 1: and we'll hear how she did that. Right after this 275 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 1: Welcome back everybody. I hope that was a lovely commercial break. 276 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:58,440 Speaker 1: We're here talking about Roxelana. So Roxalana was probably born 277 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 1: Alexandra Lizzaus, but she was called rock Salana because of 278 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 1: her red hair. She's depicted in paintings as having white skin, 279 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,800 Speaker 1: red hair, and green eyes. But they always point out 280 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 1: no painter ever actually saw any of the women in 281 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,200 Speaker 1: the Harem, Like we said, that was totally forbidden. So 282 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:17,880 Speaker 1: most of these depictions were probably based on gossip. So 283 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: inside the Harem, there's several different classes of women that 284 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: you could be. There's the ickballs. They were like chambermaids. 285 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:28,920 Speaker 1: They still had to be beautiful. That everyone had to 286 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:32,200 Speaker 1: be pretty, all had to be I candy. Um. But 287 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,640 Speaker 1: it wasn't just looks that made a cortisan the Sultan's favorite. 288 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:38,280 Speaker 1: There's beautiful women all over the palace at all times, 289 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 1: so you needed something extra to kind of stand out. Um, 290 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:45,280 Speaker 1: you need personality, honey, you gotta have a gimmick. Yeah, 291 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: you have a gimmick. What's your angle? What's your angle? 292 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,840 Speaker 1: There were giddick who did not sleep with the Sultan, 293 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:54,520 Speaker 1: but they just served him food in the evenings and 294 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:56,200 Speaker 1: they basically just had to be hot and that's it. 295 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: Like they were just like hot serve cocktail waitresses. Yeah, 296 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:04,160 Speaker 1: the champions, yeah, and then the lowest tier were women 297 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:06,200 Speaker 1: who hadn't really been selected yet. They were just there 298 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 1: for a one night stand to see how it went. Wow, 299 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:14,960 Speaker 1: being trained at the restaurant. So the head bitch and 300 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: charged the valid Sultan. She gets to arrange the sultan 301 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 1: schedule with all these women, so the girls are really 302 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 1: trying to get in with her, you know what I mean, 303 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: Because the more you see the sultan, the more you 304 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: sleep with sultan, the more likely you are to get 305 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 1: pregnant by the Sultan. And if you have a son, 306 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: that means not only you're his favorite and you get 307 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:38,640 Speaker 1: more power, more income, nicer ship, all that stuff, but 308 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 1: also it meant they would never sleep with them again. 309 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:43,800 Speaker 1: It was a one and done rule with concubines because 310 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 1: they didn't want you to have more than one son 311 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:47,600 Speaker 1: that you would be trying to put above the other 312 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:49,440 Speaker 1: one or something. They were like, you get one and 313 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 1: that's it. So it was kind of like, sweet, I 314 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 1: can retire to have a son was the retirement plan. 315 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,280 Speaker 1: So it's a little bit weird because it's his mom, 316 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:01,680 Speaker 1: So the mom's basically picking out who her son's going 317 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 1: to sleep with that night. So I don't know about 318 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:05,359 Speaker 1: you all, but that would be odd for me to 319 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 1: have my mom be like how about this one. I'm like, 320 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:10,480 Speaker 1: I don't know. Your mom called me as she said, 321 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 1: you know, out of all the guys Diana is hanging 322 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 1: out with, you're you're the straight one. You're the straight one. Yeah, 323 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:21,200 Speaker 1: that's true. That's true, And it was pointed out. Of course, 324 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:23,199 Speaker 1: he's still the sultan. So if there's a woman he 325 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,640 Speaker 1: sees in the palace, whether his mom likes her or not, 326 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: and he wants to sleep with her, she's he's going 327 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 1: to sleep with her, right, I mean, you know, but 328 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:34,200 Speaker 1: mostly he didn't see them unless she arranged for him 329 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:36,639 Speaker 1: to see them because they had their own area of 330 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 1: the palace and everything. So anyway, long story short, you 331 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:44,440 Speaker 1: needed to be in with this valid sultan. You wanted 332 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:46,920 Speaker 1: her to like you, and then after the mom died, 333 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:49,680 Speaker 1: the sultan's wife would rule the hare him. So you're 334 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 1: probably pretty nice to whoever his current favorite was as well, 335 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 1: just in case you know what I mean to be like, Oh, well, 336 00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:58,560 Speaker 1: when if the valid sultan doesn't like me. Now, maybe 337 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: the next one will of friends with her kind of thing. 338 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:04,159 Speaker 1: If your hedge and bets on who he's going to marry. 339 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:07,920 Speaker 1: It's like a real mean girls society kind of thing. 340 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:09,919 Speaker 1: I was just about to say, like, this is like 341 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:16,359 Speaker 1: a real stressful cafeteria situation. Yeah. Yeah. And and Suleman especially, 342 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:19,399 Speaker 1: it's not like he was one of these useless rulers 343 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 1: who was just laying around waiting for the next woman 344 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 1: to come in and fuck him. Like this was a 345 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: busy guy he was. He was doing things pretty constantly, 346 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:28,879 Speaker 1: so that was part of it too, of just like 347 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:32,159 Speaker 1: you know, he that's part of why he was waiting 348 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:35,679 Speaker 1: to be sent you know what other whatever woman was 349 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:38,000 Speaker 1: decided for that particular night, because it wasn't like he 350 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:40,320 Speaker 1: was just lounging around hanging out with them and saying 351 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:42,000 Speaker 1: all right, you can stay in the rest of you 352 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 1: leave or anything like that. Yeah, And she the lead sultan, 353 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:47,359 Speaker 1: would be like, I'm looking for the best of the 354 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:49,879 Speaker 1: best because the people who sleep with him are the 355 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:52,520 Speaker 1: people were trying to get to reproduce with him, So 356 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: we want only the best. So that's why the education 357 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:58,360 Speaker 1: really matters that they're getting and Roxalana, like the other 358 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:00,919 Speaker 1: girls that Suleman's mother had her eye on, got this 359 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 1: great education. She learned to play instruments. I mean they 360 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 1: were all taught to dance and recite poetry and literature, geography, 361 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:12,360 Speaker 1: history like calligraphy, all the subjects, right, all the subjects 362 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:15,960 Speaker 1: that we never got in public school. And of course 363 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:19,760 Speaker 1: they had to learned the art of eroticism and seduction. 364 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:22,719 Speaker 1: They had to be sexperts to keep the sultan interested 365 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:24,479 Speaker 1: while they were in debt, and they had to be 366 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:28,119 Speaker 1: smart and witty enough to keep them entertained. You know, 367 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 1: she couldn't be some boring, walking hot piece of ass. 368 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 1: You had to you had to have something to say 369 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:35,879 Speaker 1: to or at least be able to hold up a 370 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 1: fun conversation. And again, you know, you're trying to build 371 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:42,280 Speaker 1: the next Sultan at this person, so you want someone 372 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 1: who can grasp some ship, right, Yeah, so it's not 373 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:49,280 Speaker 1: just about looks, right, And by all accounts, Roxelana was 374 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:51,920 Speaker 1: very intelligent. She had a really great temperament. She was 375 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: pretty joyful, and that got her her name hum or 376 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 1: cheerful one. And it didn't take long for the Sultan 377 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:00,280 Speaker 1: to fall in love with her. Apparently he's love with 378 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:04,000 Speaker 1: her once. Wow, it never stopped, that was it. She 379 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:06,639 Speaker 1: became like the number one choice pretty quickly, and he 380 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:09,200 Speaker 1: kind of neglected pretty much the entire rest of the 381 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,399 Speaker 1: harem for her. So of course she got pregnant pretty early. 382 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 1: She ended up having a son, Mehmed, the next year, 383 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:22,480 Speaker 1: and then, defying two hundred years of tradition, he continued 384 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:26,119 Speaker 1: to sleep with her and she had five more kids 385 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:29,600 Speaker 1: with him. Remember the whole idea is that concubines only 386 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:32,119 Speaker 1: had one son each. That was the rule because they 387 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:35,720 Speaker 1: didn't want multiple sons jockeying for power, right, But Suleiman 388 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:39,119 Speaker 1: was so into here him he didn't really care about 389 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:41,719 Speaker 1: you know, these traditions. They seemed silly to him. At 390 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:43,960 Speaker 1: this point. He's like, no, I love this woman. This 391 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 1: is it. We're gonna keep sleeping together. Sure, we got kids, 392 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:50,280 Speaker 1: uh raising a family. We're gonna get a dog, i'n 393 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 1: put a fence up, you know, we're gonna go to 394 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:57,119 Speaker 1: Little League games. Different culture, but yeah, this came as 395 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:02,360 Speaker 1: a bit of a surprise for Suleman's first favorite, mahadevn Um. 396 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:04,840 Speaker 1: She was the mother to his first son, Mustafa, so 397 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: she was the favorite. She was the wife. She was 398 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:09,760 Speaker 1: in fact still called his first wife even while he 399 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,800 Speaker 1: was neglecting her for her M. So she would have 400 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:15,840 Speaker 1: been higher in the harem when her M got there, 401 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:18,640 Speaker 1: but she was quickly usurped and it did not like again. 402 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 1: It wasn't even a full year before he was like, 403 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:22,680 Speaker 1: I'm done with the rest of you all. So Maha 404 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:24,439 Speaker 1: Devon had been with him since he was a prince, 405 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:26,359 Speaker 1: and she had his baby and everything when he was 406 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:29,600 Speaker 1: a prince, but then got shunted to the side. And 407 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 1: that brings us to this episode's side piece. Excuse me, 408 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:41,119 Speaker 1: Not that much is known about Mahadevran, but as I said, 409 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:43,199 Speaker 1: she was in his princely harem when he was the 410 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:46,720 Speaker 1: governor of Menissa. He brought her back to Constantinople with him, 411 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 1: and her name meant one whose beauty never fades in Persian. 412 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:54,960 Speaker 1: She had his first son, Mustafa, So she's enjoying this nice, 413 00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:00,200 Speaker 1: wage comfy palace life as the favorite until her M 414 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:06,080 Speaker 1: comes along. And this Venetian Ambassador Cardinal Bernardo Naviguero wrote 415 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:09,520 Speaker 1: that a bitter rivalry sprang up between the two women, 416 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 1: resulting in Mahadevrin attacking and beating her M, which displeased Suleiman, 417 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 1: so he banished her back to Menissa with her son Mustafa. 418 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: But Turkish historians say that it's not true. That was 419 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:25,800 Speaker 1: just some nonsense uh spread around, probably to make her 420 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:27,840 Speaker 1: M look like an asshole, because a lot of people 421 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:30,920 Speaker 1: tried that over the years, and it was actually common 422 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:34,280 Speaker 1: practice for the mother to accompany her son when he 423 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:38,600 Speaker 1: was given governorship of a province. So Mustafa was like Suleman. 424 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 1: He was one of the older sons. He was given 425 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,880 Speaker 1: this big province, Menissa to deal with in the regular 426 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:46,800 Speaker 1: course of things, and she went with him normally. Was 427 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:49,400 Speaker 1: not like a banishment. But history loves a cat fight, 428 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:53,119 Speaker 1: So yeah, her M had five sons and one daughter 429 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:57,639 Speaker 1: with Suleman over the next decade. During that time, she 430 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:04,760 Speaker 1: continued her education and diplomacy and the Ottoman language, mathematics, history, alchemy, 431 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 1: She learned how to make perfume, and she also started 432 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:11,120 Speaker 1: to influence politics. At this point, right, she becomes one 433 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:15,560 Speaker 1: of Suleiman's most trusted advisers, and she starts handling foreign 434 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:19,440 Speaker 1: affairs and international politics in this like totally unprecedented way 435 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:22,439 Speaker 1: for a concubine, especially she would sit and watch council 436 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,960 Speaker 1: meetings through this wire mesh window. So I guess she 437 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 1: was like, was she sneaking in to watch them? Or 438 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:30,600 Speaker 1: was she like I'm sure they knew about it. I 439 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:32,520 Speaker 1: think he knew that she was. It was just like, 440 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: you just can't be in here. But well, they can't 441 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 1: see her. I see. It's even more like it's funny 442 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 1: because it feels like, oh, it's this prison that you 443 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,320 Speaker 1: keep these women in, but it was almost like for 444 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:47,560 Speaker 1: their protection or something, and like they're so beautiful that 445 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:49,479 Speaker 1: you don't get to see them. They're just for me, 446 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: the sultan. Yeah, they could see you, but you can't 447 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 1: see them. They're like the shadow. People don't look over there. 448 00:23:56,359 --> 00:24:00,200 Speaker 1: So she watched these council meetings and she over saw 449 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,240 Speaker 1: massive construction projects. Even one time she wrote a letter 450 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,919 Speaker 1: to the King of Poland just to congratulate him on 451 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:09,399 Speaker 1: his ascension to the throne and express hope for a 452 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:13,640 Speaker 1: peaceful relationship between them, and then she created this Polish 453 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:16,720 Speaker 1: Ottoman alliance. Apparently he wrote back a very gracious reply 454 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:19,560 Speaker 1: that she would be the first and only female sultan 455 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:23,159 Speaker 1: to exchange letters with a king. Yeah, after her, the 456 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:26,639 Speaker 1: female sultans would correspond with queens maybe, but never kings. 457 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,400 Speaker 1: This was a one and done situation. Crimean historians say 458 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:35,440 Speaker 1: that she actually intervened to control tad Our slave rating too. Basically, 459 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,720 Speaker 1: her m was running ship while Suleman was away on 460 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:41,840 Speaker 1: military campaigns. He was expanding the empire and she was 461 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:44,960 Speaker 1: just handling it like a boss back home, and she 462 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:48,480 Speaker 1: became his eyes and ears while he was gone. She's 463 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:51,159 Speaker 1: just smart, not idle. She was really interested in a 464 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,199 Speaker 1: lot of different things. I mean, people really paint this 465 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: is like she was this grasping, ambitious, cunning woman, But 466 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,520 Speaker 1: to me, she kind of reads more like someone who's 467 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 1: just super interested and smart and was like probably telling 468 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 1: him like, well, why don't you do this? And he 469 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:07,600 Speaker 1: was like, you know, it's a damn good idea. Why 470 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:09,840 Speaker 1: don't I do that? Why don't I these dudes ever 471 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,119 Speaker 1: think of that ship? Why don't you listen in on 472 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 1: a wire through that wire mesh window and tell me 473 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:16,679 Speaker 1: what I should do? You know what I mean? Like, 474 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:18,719 Speaker 1: I think she just had good ideas that he was like, 475 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:22,119 Speaker 1: I'm into it. It really like hearkens back to me 476 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: our very first episode, Madame de Pompadour I thought about her, 477 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:29,560 Speaker 1: like with with someone who just like came in and 478 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 1: was like, Yeah, my whole job is to marry the 479 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:36,640 Speaker 1: ruler and be his wife or girlfriend. But while I'm here, 480 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 1: I'm no idiot, and I'm actually engaged and I'm interested, 481 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,080 Speaker 1: and I'm going to apply all of my knowledge and 482 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:44,359 Speaker 1: be a part of things and not just kind of 483 00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 1: be a wallflower here. Well, and like pompadour, Harem cared 484 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 1: about the kingdom, right, So I think the other thing 485 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: that frustrates me about people being like, oh, she was 486 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:55,199 Speaker 1: just grasping for power is that it's like there's no 487 00:25:55,280 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 1: women in the world who give a funk about their 488 00:25:57,520 --> 00:25:59,639 Speaker 1: own country, do you know what I mean? I was 489 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 1: like I she was really like, well, I care about 490 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,320 Speaker 1: the empire just like anybody else, and I have some 491 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:06,960 Speaker 1: good ideas. So let me. I'm going to come in 492 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:10,119 Speaker 1: here and do whatever I can to help. You know, 493 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:14,720 Speaker 1: my husband run this insane empire that he's dub anyway, 494 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 1: you draw your own conclusions. In fifteen thirty three, Mustafa 495 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:22,960 Speaker 1: is given his governor position of Menissa Mahadevran and Mustafa 496 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:27,160 Speaker 1: leave the palace, and in fifteen thirty four Suleiman's mother, 497 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:31,639 Speaker 1: Hafsa Sultan, the valid Sultan. She dies, so now her 498 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:34,639 Speaker 1: RIM's in charge of the harem. She's the hbi c 499 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:39,840 Speaker 1: also within the heron, so essentially she's running the entire palace. 500 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 1: She's domestic, Uh, domestic and international affairs all in one. 501 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:48,520 Speaker 1: Are they married? No? Not legally, she's called a wife 502 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,200 Speaker 1: because she had a son. If they had a wife, 503 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:53,119 Speaker 1: if they had a son, they were called a wife, 504 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,840 Speaker 1: but they weren't actually the sultan's wife like the queen 505 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,160 Speaker 1: kind of. But she kind of was like, you know what, 506 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:01,199 Speaker 1: I want to marry the Sultan. I want to I 507 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:03,800 Speaker 1: want to marry him. So she asks him, can I 508 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 1: learn about Islam because I've I really want to convert. 509 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:09,840 Speaker 1: You know, she's an Orthodox Christian when she was enslaved, 510 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:12,560 Speaker 1: and so she's like, you know, I just really it's 511 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:17,199 Speaker 1: calling my name, this religion. And he's thrilled. He's so excited. 512 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 1: In fact, he decided to free her so because he 513 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 1: was so happy. Um, so she's, I know, you didn't 514 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 1: think of that before. So she's not a slave anymore, 515 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:29,959 Speaker 1: which means she actually can get married because before that 516 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:33,600 Speaker 1: she couldn't obviously, So uh, you're my girlfriend and the 517 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 1: mother of my five children. Maybe it's about time I 518 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:40,400 Speaker 1: make you not a slave anymore more than Thomas Jefferson 519 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:47,520 Speaker 1: ever did. Happy Fourth of July anyway, So then she 520 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:50,679 Speaker 1: converts to Islam. She she does her studies, she gets 521 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,480 Speaker 1: through them whatever, she converts to Islam. And then she 522 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,919 Speaker 1: tells Suleiman, well, now I'm a Muslim, and that means 523 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,120 Speaker 1: I can't sleep with a man who's not my husband, 524 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 1: so sorry, you can't come in, bars him from her room, 525 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: and apparently it worked according to ancient origins. He resisted 526 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:12,400 Speaker 1: for three days, but then married her in a magnificent 527 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:18,119 Speaker 1: ceremony and she became her im Sultan. Amazing. I love it. 528 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:24,080 Speaker 1: The steps are pretty funny, um, and she broke tradition 529 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 1: yet again by remaining at the palace for the rest 530 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:28,720 Speaker 1: of her life instead of following any of her sons 531 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:31,520 Speaker 1: to their governorships, because he didn't want her to go anywhere. 532 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:34,199 Speaker 1: He put her close. Yeah. So all this power and 533 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:39,280 Speaker 1: influence totally shocked everybody. And they hadn't seen this before. 534 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:41,120 Speaker 1: I mean, a slave had risen to the heights of 535 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,280 Speaker 1: becoming a legal wife of the sultan. This woman is 536 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 1: running the show and people are just mind blown, and 537 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 1: rumors start circulating that her m was a witch who 538 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:52,560 Speaker 1: had put sulim On under a spell because of course, 539 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:57,240 Speaker 1: which which you are a witch. Any time a woman 540 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:01,920 Speaker 1: applies herself and get something done in history, she's got 541 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:04,160 Speaker 1: to be a witch. Which and then if she's a witch, 542 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:07,480 Speaker 1: that means that she's controlling people with her magic powers 543 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:10,680 Speaker 1: and causing them to do terrible things. Just that that 544 00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:14,640 Speaker 1: cycle back again. Which I'm not saying women don't have magic, 545 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 1: because we do, sure, but it's not like that. It's 546 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:20,080 Speaker 1: not like you can snap your fingers and the dishes 547 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:24,719 Speaker 1: you're done, right, That would be some magic, some bewitched magic. 548 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:28,960 Speaker 1: That would be pretty man, right, little Samantha action in here. Well, 549 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 1: my first, my first crush, Samantha. Yeah, Elizabeth Montgomery, I'm bewitched. 550 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,240 Speaker 1: I actually never saw be Witched. I saw the Nicole 551 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,200 Speaker 1: Kidman movie I didn't make, and it was not good. 552 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 1: Well that doesn't surprise me, even though she's great normally, 553 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:47,560 Speaker 1: but it wasn't a very good movie. Yeah. No, Samantha 554 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:54,040 Speaker 1: on Bewitched was my first crush on TV. She was lovely. Anyway, 555 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:56,880 Speaker 1: people are freaking out, they're calling her a witch. But 556 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,840 Speaker 1: Leslie Pierce, who's the author of Empress at the East 557 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: European slave Girl became Queen of the Ottoman Empire, points 558 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 1: out that other powerful women were also emerging in politics 559 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 1: in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, like Anne Boleyn and 560 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:14,440 Speaker 1: Isabella the First of Castile. So she speculates Sultan probably 561 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:16,880 Speaker 1: wanted a European style queen to rule beside him, but 562 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:18,800 Speaker 1: it's just as likely that he really did love her 563 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:21,880 Speaker 1: m and value her perspective and advice. If anything, I 564 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,720 Speaker 1: don't know, maybe those just coincided, that's true. It might 565 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:26,960 Speaker 1: have been like, not only is my heart in this, 566 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:30,200 Speaker 1: but the politics makes sense. Yeah, like I really want 567 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 1: to fall in love with a white European wife, and 568 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 1: then like, oh ship, I did look you mean, I 569 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:39,080 Speaker 1: mean that's it seems. It sounds like it sounds like 570 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:42,360 Speaker 1: a movie we'd see, right, like this the rom com 571 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:44,960 Speaker 1: the Sultans, Like, you know, I have to fall in 572 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:47,280 Speaker 1: love with this woman, so I have to marry this woman. 573 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 1: You can, you know, it's good for the empire. But 574 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:52,840 Speaker 1: then they actually fall in love, you know, and it'll 575 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:58,560 Speaker 1: be Scarlett Johansson as as sparks Lana and Scarlett Johansson 576 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:04,920 Speaker 1: as Sultan sule Matt perfect perfect. But I also think 577 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: it's interesting because it just kind of discounts the cultural difference. 578 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:10,320 Speaker 1: I feel like that, like as sultan would want a 579 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:13,080 Speaker 1: European style queen, Like, I'm not sure that they really 580 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:15,680 Speaker 1: would have seen it the same way, like that that 581 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 1: was a thing that was working for Europe, you know 582 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:19,920 Speaker 1: what I mean. I'm not sure that they would have 583 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:22,120 Speaker 1: felt the same way, just considering how they were feeling 584 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:24,920 Speaker 1: about one son per woman and that sort of thing. 585 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: It's just a completely different setup. But I thought it 586 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:31,000 Speaker 1: was interesting anyway. And the way that they wrote to 587 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,960 Speaker 1: each other is some evidence of their actual passion for 588 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 1: one another. Um here Rim wrote him letters all the time, 589 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:39,680 Speaker 1: because again she's his eyes and ears, so she was 590 00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:41,880 Speaker 1: writing him news of the palace and stuff, and she 591 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 1: would sometimes be like, right back to me, it's not 592 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 1: just about me want to hear from you. I need 593 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:48,240 Speaker 1: to let people know you're still alive and doing fine, 594 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:51,840 Speaker 1: you know, because otherwise they're gonna start some ship. But 595 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:54,560 Speaker 1: she also wrote stuff like if you ask about me, 596 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:57,360 Speaker 1: your servant who has caught fire from the zeal of 597 00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,640 Speaker 1: missing you, I am like the one who's liver in 598 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:04,320 Speaker 1: this case meaning heart has been broiled, whose chest has 599 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:08,120 Speaker 1: been ruined, whose eyes are filled with tears, who cannot 600 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:11,720 Speaker 1: distinguish anymore between night and day, who has fallen into 601 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:16,000 Speaker 1: the sea of yearning, desperate, mad with your love, this 602 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:19,520 Speaker 1: passionate love of yours, Your slave is burning because I 603 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:22,920 Speaker 1: have been separated from you, So he wrote back to her, 604 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:27,240 Speaker 1: At last, we shall unite in souls, in thoughts, in imagination, 605 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:30,800 Speaker 1: in will, in heart, in everything that I have left 606 00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:34,000 Speaker 1: of mine, in your and have taken you with me, Oh, 607 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:37,360 Speaker 1: my only love. And he's also a renowned poet. He 608 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:39,920 Speaker 1: has some verses that are still quoted to this day 609 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:43,719 Speaker 1: in in Turkey, and their mutual love for poetry might 610 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:45,080 Speaker 1: have been one of the first things that he liked 611 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:48,240 Speaker 1: about her, especially because when they got together to sleep 612 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:50,520 Speaker 1: together the first time, I guess they probably talked about 613 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:53,800 Speaker 1: what they were into, how a little date, and then 614 00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:56,560 Speaker 1: they ended up just being like, oh, you like poetry 615 00:32:56,560 --> 00:32:59,480 Speaker 1: to let's just talk poetry. And he actually wrote a 616 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:03,240 Speaker 1: poem for Harnt, So let's go on down to poetry 617 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:05,880 Speaker 1: corner and hear what the layman has to say about 618 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:10,640 Speaker 1: his loved one, throne of my lonely niche, my wealth, 619 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:16,200 Speaker 1: my love, my moonlight, my most sincere friend, my confidante, 620 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: my very existence, my sultan, my one and only love, 621 00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:25,560 Speaker 1: the most beautiful among the beautiful, my springtime, my merry 622 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:30,560 Speaker 1: faced love, my daytime, my sweetheart, laughing leaf, my plants, 623 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:33,760 Speaker 1: my sweet my rose. The only one who does not 624 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:38,680 Speaker 1: distress me in this world, My Istanbul, my Karaman, the 625 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 1: earth of my Anatolia, my Badakshan, my Baghdad and Khorassan, 626 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:46,800 Speaker 1: my woman of the beautiful hair, my love of the 627 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:50,840 Speaker 1: slanted brow, my love of eyes full of mischief. I'll 628 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:55,040 Speaker 1: sing your praise as always, I lover of the tormented heart, 629 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:59,479 Speaker 1: Wuhibi of the eyes full of tears. I am happy. 630 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:04,640 Speaker 1: I mean they seemed pretty hot for each other. Is 631 00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:09,359 Speaker 1: a yeah, yeah's little horn dogs. But the only one 632 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:11,600 Speaker 1: who does not distress me. I mean that that can 633 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:13,680 Speaker 1: be enough. That's a lot. That's a lot. I mean, 634 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:15,680 Speaker 1: even you're not the only one who does not distress me. 635 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:18,719 Speaker 1: There is no only one who does not distress. That's true. 636 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:22,160 Speaker 1: Your state, new state distress. Yeah, it's my natural state. 637 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:25,239 Speaker 1: He does call it Istanbul. Was it not Constantinople. At 638 00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:29,799 Speaker 1: this it is Istanbul, not Constantinople. It's been a long 639 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 1: time con since it was Constantinople. Well why did Constantinople 640 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:36,160 Speaker 1: get the way? If you're asking me why constantin all 641 00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:38,080 Speaker 1: we got the works, I don't want to hear it, 642 00:34:38,160 --> 00:34:46,160 Speaker 1: because honestly, it's not our business. Actually, the Turks called 643 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:49,799 Speaker 1: it Istanbul themselves since the fourteen fifties when the city 644 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:52,680 Speaker 1: fell to the Ottomans, but Christians and people in the 645 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:55,560 Speaker 1: West continue to call it Constantinople until the name is 646 00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:59,440 Speaker 1: Stanbul was officially adopted in nineteen thirty. So it's not 647 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:03,319 Speaker 1: my business. But I did find out anyway, Well, if 648 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:07,960 Speaker 1: you have a date from Constantinople, she'll be waiting in Istanbul. Yeah. Well, anyway, 649 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:10,279 Speaker 1: by they might be giants albums and then whatever. I 650 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:12,399 Speaker 1: guess they're about to sell you during this commercial break, 651 00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:16,759 Speaker 1: All right, welcome back to the show. So anyway, her 652 00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:20,400 Speaker 1: ms image is only getting worse in the Kingdom because 653 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:24,279 Speaker 1: of some political shenanigans that she has blamed for orchestrating. 654 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:28,560 Speaker 1: Of course. So first of all, sue Lehman's grand vizier 655 00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:32,359 Speaker 1: was named Ibrahim Pasha. He had known Slemon since they 656 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:35,080 Speaker 1: were young, and su Lemon had made him a royal 657 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:39,520 Speaker 1: falconer and then promoted him to vizier in Okay, send 658 00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:43,120 Speaker 1: me through history, right, don't. I don't get to pick, 659 00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:46,920 Speaker 1: but um roll the dice. I'm getting thrown into history 660 00:35:47,160 --> 00:35:51,120 Speaker 1: to be anybody at any time. There's a couple of 661 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:54,160 Speaker 1: positions that I want. But royal falconer is up there. 662 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:56,560 Speaker 1: I got my fingers crossed. That's a pretty good job. 663 00:35:56,800 --> 00:36:00,600 Speaker 1: The guy who's got the falcon all at all times. 664 00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:03,400 Speaker 1: I mean, this guy's pretty cool, right, I mean, not 665 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:09,040 Speaker 1: particular guy, ye know, the falconer. Probably more than one 666 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:13,319 Speaker 1: falcon too, probably aviarrea falcons, But you've always got one 667 00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:16,200 Speaker 1: on your arm. Sure, right, that's my that's my whole 668 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:18,600 Speaker 1: thing hanging on the glove. If I didn't have one, 669 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:20,880 Speaker 1: people be like, where's your falcon? No, I got it 670 00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:24,120 Speaker 1: all the time. Or I'd be like, well, he's scouting, 671 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:28,120 Speaker 1: she's she's probably she. I feel like, I don't know why. 672 00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:31,320 Speaker 1: I just feel like falcon females are probably better hunters. 673 00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:36,279 Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know any um any ornithologists 674 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:39,360 Speaker 1: out there. Let me know if male or female falcons 675 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:45,920 Speaker 1: are preferred for a falconer to have on their forearm. Anyway, Well, 676 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:47,880 Speaker 1: Abraham might have been a great falconer, but he was 677 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:50,839 Speaker 1: definitely a good diplomat. Um. He achieved quite a lot, 678 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:54,160 Speaker 1: and he actually married the granddaughter the man who enslaved 679 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:57,359 Speaker 1: him as a child um, which is kind of kind 680 00:36:57,400 --> 00:37:00,200 Speaker 1: of dope to me, and it elevated him to the 681 00:37:00,239 --> 00:37:03,160 Speaker 1: Ottoman elite. But he got a little arrogant and he 682 00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:05,440 Speaker 1: started kind of acting like he were the true power 683 00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:09,160 Speaker 1: behind the Sultan, sometimes even called himself the Sultan while 684 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:12,480 Speaker 1: he was out and the provinces and stuff. So the 685 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:15,800 Speaker 1: story is that her Ram did not like that, and 686 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:20,399 Speaker 1: she convinced Suleman to have him executed. But there's there's 687 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:23,160 Speaker 1: another story that Suleman himself was worried about that kind 688 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:25,759 Speaker 1: of grandstanding and he went and consulted a judge and 689 00:37:25,840 --> 00:37:28,040 Speaker 1: the judge told him the best way to handle this 690 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:31,000 Speaker 1: is to put this man to death. So, either way, 691 00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:34,320 Speaker 1: whether it was her Ram or a judge, Ibrahim was 692 00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:37,839 Speaker 1: strangled in his sleep in fifteen thirty six, and people 693 00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:40,600 Speaker 1: started to be like, oh, ship, her Rim is cold blooded. 694 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,600 Speaker 1: She is making all these murders happen out of nowhere 695 00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:46,879 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, and they said that she did 696 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:51,480 Speaker 1: it because Abraham supported Mahadevran's son Mustafa as Air, and 697 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:54,280 Speaker 1: her Ram was worried about her own sons. She wanted 698 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:56,120 Speaker 1: them to get the job, so she just wanted to 699 00:37:56,200 --> 00:37:59,400 Speaker 1: get everybody who supported Mustafa out of the way. Because 700 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:01,560 Speaker 1: see the way that it worked here was there was 701 00:38:01,719 --> 00:38:05,480 Speaker 1: no official succession. You might be first in line, but 702 00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:08,200 Speaker 1: that doesn't mean you're gonna be the best. Each son 703 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:11,200 Speaker 1: would try to gain power and popularity during their governorships, 704 00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:13,840 Speaker 1: and if they were selected to succeed their father, they 705 00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:17,040 Speaker 1: would actually kill every one of their brothers. The leman 706 00:38:17,120 --> 00:38:19,680 Speaker 1: did not have to do it this because I was like, oh, Ship, 707 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:22,200 Speaker 1: Suleiman must have killed all his brothers, But actually all 708 00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:25,160 Speaker 1: his brothers had already died by the time his father died, 709 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:27,839 Speaker 1: so he was only one left, so he never had 710 00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:30,799 Speaker 1: to do this lucky, right, But every other sultan did. 711 00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:32,920 Speaker 1: So you wouldn't have any type of game of thrones 712 00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:36,520 Speaker 1: like house trail, house lanister ship like that about who 713 00:38:36,640 --> 00:38:38,520 Speaker 1: was the real heir, because they'd all be dead, right, 714 00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:40,400 Speaker 1: you just wipe them out before it starts to be 715 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:44,960 Speaker 1: a problem. But it's gonna like guarantee chaos. Obviously, this 716 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:47,440 Speaker 1: guy be Aside the first and he died in fourteen 717 00:38:47,480 --> 00:38:51,880 Speaker 1: oh three. His four sons started a decade long civil 718 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:54,160 Speaker 1: war over who was going to succeed him and the men. 719 00:38:54,320 --> 00:38:57,120 Speaker 1: The third was cround in and he had all nineteen 720 00:38:57,200 --> 00:38:59,640 Speaker 1: of his brothers come into the throne room. His dad 721 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:03,960 Speaker 1: didn't collect the harem. His dad was taken care of it. 722 00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:07,479 Speaker 1: Nineteen brothers, so he brings them all in. He says, 723 00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:10,960 Speaker 1: nothing to worry about. You're all just here to get circumcised, 724 00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:13,520 Speaker 1: which is like a big deal. Hey, brothers, I I 725 00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:15,759 Speaker 1: need you in the other room here real quick. Oh no, 726 00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:17,920 Speaker 1: this sounds just seems like a bad news. No, no, no, 727 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,920 Speaker 1: don't worry about it. It's just a quick circumcision for 728 00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:24,759 Speaker 1: everyone to line them up, so it's no big deal. 729 00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:26,719 Speaker 1: But then they go into the room for the operation 730 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:30,239 Speaker 1: and they were all strangled by assassins, which I mean, 731 00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:33,200 Speaker 1: it's just like I'm expecting a circumcision and I get 732 00:39:33,239 --> 00:39:35,440 Speaker 1: strangle to death instead. I don't know if that's a 733 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:38,160 Speaker 1: win or what I'm thinking about, because apparently they win 734 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:40,600 Speaker 1: in one by one, so I'm thinking about, you know, 735 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:42,560 Speaker 1: like by the fourth or fifth, I'd be like, well, 736 00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:44,160 Speaker 1: where are they. They're not coming back out there in 737 00:39:44,239 --> 00:39:49,439 Speaker 1: the recovery room. There's some in there. They put nice 738 00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:54,760 Speaker 1: on it. Don't worry, don't worry. Circumcision. An Austrian ambassador 739 00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:57,080 Speaker 1: once wrote to the Empire and he said, the sons 740 00:39:57,120 --> 00:39:59,840 Speaker 1: of Turkish sultan's are in the most wretched position in 741 00:39:59,880 --> 00:40:01,880 Speaker 1: the world, for as soon as one of them succeeds 742 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:05,120 Speaker 1: his father, the rest are doomed to certain death. The 743 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:08,080 Speaker 1: conduct of the janissaries, who they were like the Sultan's 744 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:12,120 Speaker 1: elite army corps. Their conduct renders it impossible for the 745 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:16,239 Speaker 1: new sultan to spare his brothers. So basically, if any 746 00:40:16,320 --> 00:40:19,280 Speaker 1: of them survived, the brothers, then the janisaries that basically 747 00:40:19,360 --> 00:40:22,000 Speaker 1: keep asking the Sultan for raises, and if they didn't 748 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:24,600 Speaker 1: get them, they'd be like, well then I'm gonna go 749 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:27,040 Speaker 1: get the brother and help him rise to the throne. 750 00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:30,239 Speaker 1: So there's just this constant threat if you have any 751 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:32,359 Speaker 1: brothers alive, the one of them can just come take 752 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:35,600 Speaker 1: your place. So it became this like source of leverage 753 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:38,480 Speaker 1: for the janissaries, So it was smarter basically just ruthlessly 754 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:41,160 Speaker 1: murder every single one of your brothers, which is outrageous 755 00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:43,719 Speaker 1: to me for for so many reasons, because not only 756 00:40:43,880 --> 00:40:46,840 Speaker 1: what they're talking about here about once you're the sultan 757 00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:50,680 Speaker 1: you have all these threats, but also like before that, 758 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:53,879 Speaker 1: if you have any contact with those brothers, why would 759 00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:55,400 Speaker 1: you not be scheming to get rid of them so 760 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:57,720 Speaker 1: that you could be the one to go and charge. 761 00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:02,400 Speaker 1: So I feel like you've already got that element in 762 00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:04,680 Speaker 1: that sort of monarchy where it's like, if you have 763 00:41:04,840 --> 00:41:07,040 Speaker 1: multiple princes, one of them is already going to have 764 00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:08,920 Speaker 1: in the back of his mind like I should scheme 765 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,399 Speaker 1: to make myself the king instead of my older brother. 766 00:41:12,239 --> 00:41:14,920 Speaker 1: Then add on top of that, not only if my 767 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:16,920 Speaker 1: older brother gets to be king, will I not be king, 768 00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:19,520 Speaker 1: but also I'll get murdered by him. It just becomes 769 00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:22,399 Speaker 1: a who can kill who first situation and just really 770 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:25,440 Speaker 1: pits people against each other. It's weird too, because they 771 00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:28,200 Speaker 1: would grow up in the harem together with the mother's 772 00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:30,919 Speaker 1: so it's kind of like, I mean, there's some real 773 00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:34,920 Speaker 1: brotherly feeling, but it's in the law, like they probably 774 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:38,520 Speaker 1: knew from a very young age. Yeah, this is the law. 775 00:41:38,719 --> 00:41:41,000 Speaker 1: One y'all gonna be killed one day, by your brother. 776 00:41:41,360 --> 00:41:45,000 Speaker 1: So as Suleiman is aging, both Maha Devan and her 777 00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:48,319 Speaker 1: Am are looking out for their son's best interests. Unfortunately 778 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:51,879 Speaker 1: for her m Mustafa is super popular with the army 779 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:54,719 Speaker 1: and with the general population, and they kind of really 780 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:56,600 Speaker 1: want him to take over, but of course she wants 781 00:41:56,760 --> 00:41:59,120 Speaker 1: one of her sons, Selim or be AzID to get 782 00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:03,080 Speaker 1: the job. So it becomes a pretty sticky situation. And 783 00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:06,040 Speaker 1: again this is uh this is the hot gass around 784 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:10,240 Speaker 1: around Istanbul, but not proven. The story is that Harem 785 00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:13,520 Speaker 1: went to her daughter Mirama, who was married to Rustim Pasha, 786 00:42:13,680 --> 00:42:17,320 Speaker 1: who was Sleiman's grand viziers since fifteen forty four, and 787 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:20,439 Speaker 1: she's like, Mirama, we gotta get a whisper campaign going 788 00:42:20,719 --> 00:42:25,800 Speaker 1: about Mustafa to destabilize him. He's getting too popular. So 789 00:42:25,920 --> 00:42:29,839 Speaker 1: in fifteen forty nine there's these rumors that Mustafa's life 790 00:42:29,920 --> 00:42:33,880 Speaker 1: is in danger because of Hiram and Rustem's court alliance 791 00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:36,359 Speaker 1: against him. They there was some plot to make him 792 00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:39,160 Speaker 1: look like a trader where Rustem wrote a letter to 793 00:42:39,239 --> 00:42:42,759 Speaker 1: the Shah of Iran using Mustafa's seal, and then when 794 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:46,680 Speaker 1: the Shah wrote back, Rustem showed the reply to Sleiman 795 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:49,680 Speaker 1: like Oh, look at who your son's writing to the enemy. 796 00:42:49,920 --> 00:42:52,640 Speaker 1: This bitch just plotting against you. But around the same time, 797 00:42:52,719 --> 00:42:56,000 Speaker 1: Mustafa is given a better governor position. He gets a 798 00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:58,960 Speaker 1: bigger province to rule over as a reward for all 799 00:42:59,080 --> 00:43:01,560 Speaker 1: his great work in the war, all the wars that 800 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:04,520 Speaker 1: he's fighting to expand the kingdom and everything. So he 801 00:43:04,680 --> 00:43:06,640 Speaker 1: kind of plays off these rumors. He's like, I ain't 802 00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:09,279 Speaker 1: worried about it. I'm leading campaigns, I'm kicking ass I'm 803 00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:11,719 Speaker 1: getting rewarded. I mean, everything seems to be going fine 804 00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:13,800 Speaker 1: for me. So these rumors are just nonsense. I'm not 805 00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:18,359 Speaker 1: worried about them. But then in fifteen three were stems like, hey, 806 00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:21,360 Speaker 1: your dad's armies halted in Persia, why don't we go 807 00:43:21,520 --> 00:43:23,800 Speaker 1: join him? Bring your army with you. He'd love to 808 00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:28,239 Speaker 1: see you. And at the same time, he's telling Sleiman 809 00:43:28,440 --> 00:43:30,920 Speaker 1: that Mustafa is about to march on him to kill 810 00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:33,040 Speaker 1: him and replace him. So when he shows up with 811 00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:35,880 Speaker 1: his army, it looks like he's, you know, coming for 812 00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:40,080 Speaker 1: some business. So Mustafa walks into his father's tent like, hey, Dad, 813 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:42,239 Speaker 1: what's up? Showed up with some backup, and he gets 814 00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:45,200 Speaker 1: immediately attacked and after a long struggle. He is killed 815 00:43:45,200 --> 00:43:49,000 Speaker 1: by ristems right hand man, and apparently Mahadevrin had tried 816 00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:52,200 Speaker 1: to warn him, warned Mustafa about this, but he ignored 817 00:43:52,239 --> 00:43:54,680 Speaker 1: her message. So anyway, answer the phone when your mama 818 00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:59,399 Speaker 1: calls you. People are super piste off, of course, because 819 00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:03,440 Speaker 1: Mustafa's so popular, and they're like, Haram plotted this whole thing. 820 00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:06,400 Speaker 1: This is a conspiracy. This is not cool. We're not 821 00:44:06,520 --> 00:44:09,560 Speaker 1: happy about this. But Suleiman is of course like, well, 822 00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:11,920 Speaker 1: let me try and chill out everybody here. Let me 823 00:44:11,960 --> 00:44:14,120 Speaker 1: try and cool this thing off, lower the temperature in 824 00:44:14,160 --> 00:44:17,120 Speaker 1: the room here a little bit. So he has Mustafa 825 00:44:17,239 --> 00:44:19,600 Speaker 1: laid out in state at the palace and then laid 826 00:44:19,640 --> 00:44:22,760 Speaker 1: to rest in a nice mausoleum, and he dismisses Rustem 827 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:24,920 Speaker 1: as his vizier. After a couple of years he ended 828 00:44:24,960 --> 00:44:27,120 Speaker 1: up bringing him back though, so not too bad for Rustem. 829 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:31,839 Speaker 1: But this conspiracy was never really proven, like Mustafa's guilt 830 00:44:31,880 --> 00:44:34,720 Speaker 1: was never proven or disproven. It's all kind of hearsay. 831 00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:39,360 Speaker 1: There's a English professor at the Sales University, Galina Yermilinko, 832 00:44:39,760 --> 00:44:42,359 Speaker 1: who says that the story helps cement the West's view 833 00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:45,759 Speaker 1: of ram As cold and calculating, serving as a cautionary 834 00:44:45,800 --> 00:44:48,880 Speaker 1: detail to princes who might want powerful women in their courts. 835 00:44:49,640 --> 00:44:51,960 Speaker 1: So it could be a lot of like political reasons 836 00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:54,680 Speaker 1: for making her look so ambitious and grasping. So it's 837 00:44:54,719 --> 00:44:57,680 Speaker 1: just more men being like, don't trust a smart woman. 838 00:44:57,760 --> 00:44:59,320 Speaker 1: You know she'll she'll stab me on the back of 839 00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:03,520 Speaker 1: the second she gets chance. Outrageous. Yeah, yeah, just to 840 00:45:03,600 --> 00:45:06,879 Speaker 1: say that it was not only for the Ottoman Empires 841 00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:10,520 Speaker 1: politics but also European politics that they were like, yeah, 842 00:45:10,640 --> 00:45:12,640 Speaker 1: let's make her rim look like a real right, right, 843 00:45:12,920 --> 00:45:15,400 Speaker 1: but let's look at who she was. I mean, her 844 00:45:15,440 --> 00:45:18,440 Speaker 1: philanthropy pretty much made that look like bullshit. Right. She 845 00:45:18,560 --> 00:45:21,320 Speaker 1: was all about like helping the poor and commissioning schools, 846 00:45:21,400 --> 00:45:24,400 Speaker 1: She built mosques, she had a women's hospital made that 847 00:45:24,480 --> 00:45:27,640 Speaker 1: was still in operation today. She also established a soup 848 00:45:27,719 --> 00:45:31,239 Speaker 1: kitchen that fed like five people twice a day. And 849 00:45:31,400 --> 00:45:34,960 Speaker 1: her personality too, like she was joyful and smiling, candid, 850 00:45:35,120 --> 00:45:37,759 Speaker 1: she was open hearted. That was her whole thing. Just 851 00:45:37,920 --> 00:45:40,680 Speaker 1: a sweet baby. Yeah, so it doesn't really jive with 852 00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:42,719 Speaker 1: this kind of picture they tried to paint of her 853 00:45:42,800 --> 00:45:47,120 Speaker 1: as being this schemer, but you know, hey, maybe that 854 00:45:47,280 --> 00:45:49,040 Speaker 1: was part of the gig. Maybe that was how she 855 00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:53,919 Speaker 1: pulled it off. Speculation, right. She's like, oh, I would 856 00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:57,520 Speaker 1: never do this myself, but maybe the best thing is 857 00:45:57,600 --> 00:46:01,920 Speaker 1: to just execute Abraham Pasha. How sad would that be? 858 00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:04,879 Speaker 1: I know he's so close to you. Anyway, how about 859 00:46:04,960 --> 00:46:08,440 Speaker 1: let's read some poetry while you think it over. He's like, 860 00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:12,680 Speaker 1: that's pretty. It seems kind of cruel. But she couldn't 861 00:46:12,680 --> 00:46:15,759 Speaker 1: be cruel. She's got a soup kitchen. She's like, you know, 862 00:46:15,840 --> 00:46:20,480 Speaker 1: it would be fun. Let's strangle your firstborn son. I 863 00:46:20,520 --> 00:46:23,080 Speaker 1: think that would be super cool. You are a very 864 00:46:23,320 --> 00:46:25,360 Speaker 1: sweet girl, so it must be the right thing to do. 865 00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:30,440 Speaker 1: You have never led me wrong before now, I mean, 866 00:46:30,640 --> 00:46:33,440 Speaker 1: you know, take your pick. But I choose to believe 867 00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:36,000 Speaker 1: that she was actually super chill and cool and not 868 00:46:36,480 --> 00:46:38,920 Speaker 1: a conniving murderer. Maybe a little both. I don't know. 869 00:46:39,600 --> 00:46:42,640 Speaker 1: But the murder of Mustapha did start a little civil war, 870 00:46:43,640 --> 00:46:46,880 Speaker 1: civil war, the Wolflibal war between her son's Selim and 871 00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:51,200 Speaker 1: Bayazide about who would succeed the Suleiman. Even though Sleiman 872 00:46:51,280 --> 00:46:53,160 Speaker 1: is not dead yet or anything like that. He's still 873 00:46:53,360 --> 00:46:56,279 Speaker 1: kicking right um. But they're still trying to figure out 874 00:46:56,400 --> 00:46:59,440 Speaker 1: who's going to be next. And actually her youngest son 875 00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:03,560 Speaker 1: died of grief over Mustafa being killed, which I thought 876 00:47:03,640 --> 00:47:06,360 Speaker 1: was interesting knowing again, you know, knowing that he probably 877 00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:09,560 Speaker 1: would have been killed by Mustafa and he had succeeded 878 00:47:09,600 --> 00:47:12,320 Speaker 1: the tone. Um. But again, I think it kind of 879 00:47:12,360 --> 00:47:15,759 Speaker 1: speaks to the family feeling that still existed amongst them. 880 00:47:15,840 --> 00:47:18,080 Speaker 1: Do you know what I mean? Because even though you'd 881 00:47:18,120 --> 00:47:21,200 Speaker 1: be like, I know how it works, that's still my 882 00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:26,319 Speaker 1: brother and I'm sad, I guess or speculation station there's 883 00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:29,120 Speaker 1: a civil war going on between Selim and be a Zide. 884 00:47:29,440 --> 00:47:32,359 Speaker 1: What if they're like one of them is like, funk, 885 00:47:32,440 --> 00:47:36,560 Speaker 1: we got a younger brother too. Um, Like, I don't 886 00:47:36,600 --> 00:47:38,279 Speaker 1: want this to turn into a three way battle. Let's 887 00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:41,160 Speaker 1: kind of let's try and nip this in the bud, 888 00:47:41,560 --> 00:47:45,000 Speaker 1: so to speak. So yeah, oops, he died of grief. 889 00:47:45,200 --> 00:47:46,800 Speaker 1: I just went into the room to see him for 890 00:47:46,840 --> 00:47:48,799 Speaker 1: a second, and then he just died of grief right 891 00:47:48,840 --> 00:47:51,360 Speaker 1: in front of me. I don't know, he was definitely 892 00:47:51,400 --> 00:47:55,680 Speaker 1: crying anyway we died, It seemed to really be grieving 893 00:47:55,760 --> 00:48:01,800 Speaker 1: and then just dropped dead. So don't know, I've certainly 894 00:48:01,880 --> 00:48:04,920 Speaker 1: that's my own speculation I've never seen it anywhere, but no, 895 00:48:05,200 --> 00:48:07,640 Speaker 1: I feel like it would have been found out, possibly 896 00:48:07,719 --> 00:48:11,080 Speaker 1: in some way, but it's totally possible. Died of grief 897 00:48:11,239 --> 00:48:16,000 Speaker 1: just seems like a real stretch. In April of fifty eight, 898 00:48:16,280 --> 00:48:20,960 Speaker 1: Herem died. She was buried in a domed mausoleum decorated 899 00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:24,759 Speaker 1: with exquisite is Nick tiles depicting the Garden of Paradise 900 00:48:25,400 --> 00:48:27,839 Speaker 1: that was commissioned by Suleman and built by the Royal 901 00:48:27,960 --> 00:48:30,840 Speaker 1: architect me Marsonan. And it was said that Suleman was 902 00:48:30,960 --> 00:48:33,879 Speaker 1: so sad that he was unable to enjoy life ever 903 00:48:34,040 --> 00:48:37,400 Speaker 1: again after his wife passed away. That could also be 904 00:48:37,640 --> 00:48:41,840 Speaker 1: because life wasn't super enjoyable though. He was very old 905 00:48:41,920 --> 00:48:46,280 Speaker 1: and sickly, and he supported Selim against his brother Beyazide 906 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:50,239 Speaker 1: in fifteen fifty nine. Beyazide was defeated and executed and 907 00:48:50,320 --> 00:48:53,600 Speaker 1: Selim status as the Air was solidified. Suliman was also 908 00:48:53,680 --> 00:48:56,280 Speaker 1: fighting other fights to expand the Ottoman Empire in Hungary. 909 00:48:56,440 --> 00:48:59,120 Speaker 1: Kind of a grind like, especially when he didn't have 910 00:48:59,239 --> 00:49:02,400 Speaker 1: this lovely, aful wife to lighten the mood, right the 911 00:49:02,560 --> 00:49:06,120 Speaker 1: right in street letters. Yeah, just a lot of fighting 912 00:49:06,440 --> 00:49:08,640 Speaker 1: and winning and stuff and it's just like, you know, 913 00:49:08,800 --> 00:49:13,160 Speaker 1: guns complaining about each other, just fying for power. I mean, 914 00:49:13,560 --> 00:49:16,680 Speaker 1: that's not fun. That's hard to live a tough, good 915 00:49:16,719 --> 00:49:20,520 Speaker 1: life anyway. And then in September fifteen sixty six, Suleiman 916 00:49:20,680 --> 00:49:24,000 Speaker 1: died in his tent the night before a battle. His 917 00:49:24,120 --> 00:49:26,440 Speaker 1: Grand Vizir kept it a secret, and the Ottomans won. 918 00:49:26,840 --> 00:49:30,600 Speaker 1: So these two literally changed the Ottoman Empire forever. Their 919 00:49:31,000 --> 00:49:35,319 Speaker 1: relationship super important to history. Um because obviously Stu Lehman 920 00:49:35,440 --> 00:49:40,920 Speaker 1: expanded the empire around through military and diplomatic victories. He 921 00:49:41,080 --> 00:49:43,520 Speaker 1: changed the legal system to be more fair and less bloody, 922 00:49:43,760 --> 00:49:46,080 Speaker 1: and his patronage of the arts ushered in the Ottoman 923 00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:50,800 Speaker 1: Golden Age, and her rims unprecedented power ushered in the 924 00:49:50,880 --> 00:49:54,040 Speaker 1: reign of women, which is when imperial consorts had a 925 00:49:54,120 --> 00:49:56,840 Speaker 1: lot more political power and influence than they ever had before. 926 00:49:57,080 --> 00:50:00,759 Speaker 1: And that was all started by her. She changed completely 927 00:50:01,080 --> 00:50:03,799 Speaker 1: the role of a favorite consort and of a legal wife, 928 00:50:04,440 --> 00:50:07,480 Speaker 1: and as Leslie Pearce says, brought women right to the 929 00:50:07,560 --> 00:50:10,000 Speaker 1: heart of government. I would like to ussure in a 930 00:50:10,120 --> 00:50:12,160 Speaker 1: ragin of women. I know, if only there was a 931 00:50:12,320 --> 00:50:15,440 Speaker 1: rim today, well at least right through the House like 932 00:50:15,520 --> 00:50:20,279 Speaker 1: a rain of women had just passed through through our house. Yeah, 933 00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:24,960 Speaker 1: a personal reign of women, Like I'd like it. It's 934 00:50:24,960 --> 00:50:26,840 Speaker 1: about it's always raining men, was it? When is it 935 00:50:26,840 --> 00:50:32,120 Speaker 1: going to rain women? Women? It doesn't fit. It doesn't 936 00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:35,839 Speaker 1: fit the cadence of the song. That's the problem. That's why, 937 00:50:36,000 --> 00:50:39,279 Speaker 1: that's why she picked. She was like, rain and oh no, 938 00:50:39,760 --> 00:50:42,719 Speaker 1: it's rain and women. No, it doesn't fit. I guess 939 00:50:42,760 --> 00:50:46,400 Speaker 1: it's gonna be men. She's like, and it's raining girls. 940 00:50:47,520 --> 00:50:49,400 Speaker 1: That's creepy. So yeah, it just goes to show you 941 00:50:49,440 --> 00:50:50,759 Speaker 1: don't have to be a giant bitch to give what 942 00:50:50,840 --> 00:50:54,320 Speaker 1: you want. You don't have to be a searcy lanister. 943 00:50:55,280 --> 00:50:57,560 Speaker 1: Her Ram got what she wanted because she was smart 944 00:50:57,640 --> 00:51:00,200 Speaker 1: and friendly and fun to be around. And I think 945 00:51:00,239 --> 00:51:03,279 Speaker 1: that's cool. I think that's unusual in history. You know, 946 00:51:03,400 --> 00:51:06,719 Speaker 1: usually it's about who's the most bloody, murderous piece of ship, 947 00:51:07,680 --> 00:51:09,000 Speaker 1: And this time I was like, you know what, this 948 00:51:09,200 --> 00:51:12,319 Speaker 1: cheerful girl is smart and I like her. Let's listen 949 00:51:12,360 --> 00:51:14,759 Speaker 1: to her and let her have what she wants. Sue 950 00:51:14,800 --> 00:51:17,520 Speaker 1: Lehman devoted himself to her in a way no other 951 00:51:17,600 --> 00:51:19,920 Speaker 1: sultan had done before, and ends up crushing it as 952 00:51:19,960 --> 00:51:22,839 Speaker 1: sultan in pretty much every possible way. Is it because 953 00:51:22,840 --> 00:51:26,040 Speaker 1: of her? Maybe maybe not, but it had She certainly 954 00:51:26,080 --> 00:51:28,080 Speaker 1: had a lot to do with it. So pretty good. 955 00:51:28,120 --> 00:51:30,080 Speaker 1: I mean, a lot of people died, but still it's 956 00:51:30,120 --> 00:51:33,440 Speaker 1: not too bad, not too bad for sixteenth century Turkey. 957 00:51:34,160 --> 00:51:37,600 Speaker 1: So yeah, that's her Rim and Suleman and their love. 958 00:51:37,680 --> 00:51:39,879 Speaker 1: And I just wanted to say that Salim, her son 959 00:51:40,200 --> 00:51:44,400 Speaker 1: was known as Selim the sawt Oh. No, he was 960 00:51:44,440 --> 00:51:47,560 Speaker 1: a bad choice. He wasn't terrible, but he wasn't great. 961 00:51:47,640 --> 00:51:50,160 Speaker 1: He was just he was just there. It seems like 962 00:51:50,239 --> 00:51:52,440 Speaker 1: he was just there. But he also did take care 963 00:51:52,520 --> 00:51:56,120 Speaker 1: of Mahadevrin in her final days. Um she kind of 964 00:51:56,520 --> 00:51:58,880 Speaker 1: after Mustafa was killed, she had to go off and 965 00:51:59,160 --> 00:52:02,279 Speaker 1: live somewhere else in Versa alone or whatever, and she 966 00:52:02,400 --> 00:52:04,160 Speaker 1: was kind of poor for a while. But then when 967 00:52:04,200 --> 00:52:08,480 Speaker 1: Selim ascended, he sent her enough money where she could 968 00:52:08,520 --> 00:52:13,279 Speaker 1: maintain Mustafa's grave and she was able to live independently 969 00:52:13,360 --> 00:52:15,200 Speaker 1: for the rest of her life. And she actually outlived 970 00:52:15,200 --> 00:52:18,799 Speaker 1: all of them. Maha Devron also did pretty good. Now 971 00:52:19,320 --> 00:52:23,400 Speaker 1: did these new traditions stick, Like, did Selim live with 972 00:52:23,600 --> 00:52:27,880 Speaker 1: his wife, his his lead sultan and everything now, I 973 00:52:27,960 --> 00:52:31,160 Speaker 1: think her rim was special. I think her room was 974 00:52:31,200 --> 00:52:34,560 Speaker 1: really special. Obviously, like I say, she did usher in 975 00:52:34,600 --> 00:52:36,880 Speaker 1: a whole new reign of women, so there were definitely 976 00:52:36,920 --> 00:52:40,120 Speaker 1: women who were taking more part in the government. But 977 00:52:40,239 --> 00:52:44,279 Speaker 1: I don't think that many sultan's after her, or after 978 00:52:44,400 --> 00:52:47,359 Speaker 1: sue Lehman neglected the rest of their harem for one 979 00:52:47,560 --> 00:52:50,279 Speaker 1: above another. And I don't know if that's because sue 980 00:52:50,360 --> 00:52:53,359 Speaker 1: Lehman was a type of guy who wasn't really un 981 00:52:53,400 --> 00:52:55,480 Speaker 1: interested in a lot of women. He was like this one. 982 00:52:55,600 --> 00:52:57,400 Speaker 1: I like talking to her, and I like sleeping with her. 983 00:52:57,440 --> 00:53:01,160 Speaker 1: That's all I care about. I'm not trying to around both. 984 00:53:01,719 --> 00:53:05,240 Speaker 1: I mean, right, or if you know, again, maybe Harram 985 00:53:05,400 --> 00:53:07,600 Speaker 1: was really special and they didn't get that many who 986 00:53:07,640 --> 00:53:11,640 Speaker 1: were hot and smart and whatever, you know, worth worth 987 00:53:11,760 --> 00:53:14,359 Speaker 1: talking to, and also had something intelligent to say about 988 00:53:14,360 --> 00:53:18,160 Speaker 1: politics or whatever. I would guess more the former than 989 00:53:18,239 --> 00:53:22,000 Speaker 1: the latter. But I don't know. I couldn't say. I 990 00:53:22,080 --> 00:53:24,880 Speaker 1: don't know. So if you know anything about the Ottoman 991 00:53:24,920 --> 00:53:27,719 Speaker 1: Empire after this, I love to hear it. I did 992 00:53:27,840 --> 00:53:31,160 Speaker 1: read something about how a lot of Western writers say 993 00:53:31,200 --> 00:53:34,600 Speaker 1: that the Ottoman Empire started to decline after this, but 994 00:53:34,719 --> 00:53:38,600 Speaker 1: it's a misinterpretation of Turkish writers who were kind of 995 00:53:38,680 --> 00:53:42,160 Speaker 1: saying the empire declined, but it was only because they 996 00:53:42,239 --> 00:53:45,960 Speaker 1: felt like Suleiman was such a great sultan, no one 997 00:53:46,040 --> 00:53:51,319 Speaker 1: else really came close to him. Um, So it wasn't that. Yeah, 998 00:53:51,440 --> 00:53:54,640 Speaker 1: it wasn't that the empire was like going downhill or something. 999 00:53:54,760 --> 00:53:56,719 Speaker 1: They were just like, it just wasn't that was the 1000 00:53:56,840 --> 00:53:59,120 Speaker 1: shining moment, you know, And it wasn't. It never quite 1001 00:53:59,160 --> 00:54:02,520 Speaker 1: reached that, right, And of course the West had invested 1002 00:54:02,560 --> 00:54:04,759 Speaker 1: interest in making you feel certain type of way about 1003 00:54:04,760 --> 00:54:07,439 Speaker 1: the Middle East, of course, so they were like, yeah, 1004 00:54:07,520 --> 00:54:10,040 Speaker 1: everything went to ship after that, and it didn't really. 1005 00:54:10,120 --> 00:54:13,640 Speaker 1: It lasted along a lot longer than than uh than 1006 00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:16,600 Speaker 1: all that. Yeah, but I loved this story. I thought 1007 00:54:16,640 --> 00:54:19,640 Speaker 1: it was super cool. Look at Harem's and all their 1008 00:54:19,719 --> 00:54:24,640 Speaker 1: crazy politics, mean girl cafeteria situation that we had to 1009 00:54:24,719 --> 00:54:27,600 Speaker 1: deal with. And also, yeah, weirdly a lot like the 1010 00:54:27,680 --> 00:54:30,719 Speaker 1: French court had it kind of called called back a 1011 00:54:30,800 --> 00:54:34,000 Speaker 1: lot of things. It feels like, I mean, you get 1012 00:54:34,120 --> 00:54:36,759 Speaker 1: you put people in a position of power and they 1013 00:54:36,840 --> 00:54:39,359 Speaker 1: need to build a structure around that to maintain their 1014 00:54:39,400 --> 00:54:44,480 Speaker 1: power and have people in different subpositions, you know, like 1015 00:54:44,600 --> 00:54:47,200 Speaker 1: you're gonna kind of anywhere in the world like end 1016 00:54:47,320 --> 00:54:50,319 Speaker 1: up with a similar structure. You know, I can kind 1017 00:54:50,320 --> 00:54:52,440 Speaker 1: of see where the parallels came from. And I'm sure 1018 00:54:52,520 --> 00:54:55,200 Speaker 1: you know once the training started to their exchanging ideas 1019 00:54:55,239 --> 00:54:57,360 Speaker 1: and coming in and be like, elected this idea of 1020 00:54:57,440 --> 00:54:59,640 Speaker 1: a herem that you've developed, maybe I could just have 1021 00:55:00,120 --> 00:55:02,640 Speaker 1: at least one, like just a royal mistress, you know, 1022 00:55:02,800 --> 00:55:06,160 Speaker 1: something like that. So you can see these ideas being 1023 00:55:06,200 --> 00:55:09,680 Speaker 1: exchanged too, and that's sort of, um, not homogenizing, but 1024 00:55:09,880 --> 00:55:12,320 Speaker 1: sort of where you start to see one being reflected 1025 00:55:12,360 --> 00:55:14,880 Speaker 1: in another. You kind of see these parallels across the 1026 00:55:14,920 --> 00:55:19,520 Speaker 1: globe in different systems because you know, again, if someone's 1027 00:55:19,560 --> 00:55:23,920 Speaker 1: gonna maintain their control over an entire empire, then um, 1028 00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:27,120 Speaker 1: they've got to build a certain kind of structure to 1029 00:55:27,200 --> 00:55:30,080 Speaker 1: do it with. So no surprise that they're reminiscent, and 1030 00:55:30,239 --> 00:55:34,160 Speaker 1: also no surprise that if you have women around, they're 1031 00:55:34,160 --> 00:55:37,400 Speaker 1: going to think, how can I improve my situation using 1032 00:55:37,480 --> 00:55:40,520 Speaker 1: my brain and beauty and anything else I have at 1033 00:55:40,560 --> 00:55:45,680 Speaker 1: my disposal. Um, I think that is cool. I think 1034 00:55:45,719 --> 00:55:49,600 Speaker 1: that's a cool characteristic and also not a surprising one. 1035 00:55:49,840 --> 00:55:51,719 Speaker 1: I don't think that is if if you if they 1036 00:55:51,800 --> 00:55:53,960 Speaker 1: were flipped. If we were like Tesla and we we 1037 00:55:54,160 --> 00:55:56,360 Speaker 1: flipped it exactly and it was a one woman and 1038 00:55:56,480 --> 00:56:00,879 Speaker 1: several men or whatever, um, then I think the men 1039 00:56:00,960 --> 00:56:03,040 Speaker 1: would also be trying to find a way to be 1040 00:56:03,160 --> 00:56:05,880 Speaker 1: the favorite and be the one that influence, you know. 1041 00:56:06,120 --> 00:56:07,960 Speaker 1: I just think it's funny when you go through history, 1042 00:56:08,080 --> 00:56:12,440 Speaker 1: it's always like this ambitious woman is fucking trying to 1043 00:56:12,520 --> 00:56:15,680 Speaker 1: do some ship. I'm just upsetting the whole apple card 1044 00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:21,719 Speaker 1: or whatever, and you're like, yeah, duh, the bottom of 1045 00:56:21,760 --> 00:56:27,759 Speaker 1: a apple car seriously out of here apples well, and 1046 00:56:27,880 --> 00:56:30,400 Speaker 1: just not realizing that the human nature of wanting to 1047 00:56:30,480 --> 00:56:34,120 Speaker 1: improve your situation whatever it is, however you can, you 1048 00:56:34,239 --> 00:56:37,319 Speaker 1: do try, and if you can do it by being 1049 00:56:37,400 --> 00:56:41,880 Speaker 1: a good person, then all the better. And and for 1050 00:56:42,040 --> 00:56:44,400 Speaker 1: someone who's, you know, maybe naturally inclined to be a 1051 00:56:44,440 --> 00:56:48,919 Speaker 1: good person, she might use goodness to get to rise. 1052 00:56:49,000 --> 00:56:54,480 Speaker 1: It's not conniving ambition. It's like I want to if 1053 00:56:54,560 --> 00:56:58,440 Speaker 1: I help people, I and if if I'm likable, I 1054 00:56:58,760 --> 00:57:02,600 Speaker 1: will ascend, So I'm gonna do that. That's not me 1055 00:57:02,719 --> 00:57:06,520 Speaker 1: being sneaky. It's just me benefiting from goodness, right, And 1056 00:57:06,600 --> 00:57:08,719 Speaker 1: I think it's kind of telling that she was really 1057 00:57:08,840 --> 00:57:12,000 Speaker 1: nice and kind in real life because nobody really tried 1058 00:57:12,120 --> 00:57:14,200 Speaker 1: to stop her. I mean, there was all these rumors 1059 00:57:14,200 --> 00:57:16,320 Speaker 1: about her being a witch and having all the you know, 1060 00:57:16,640 --> 00:57:19,960 Speaker 1: doing too much or whatever, but nobody really tried to 1061 00:57:20,080 --> 00:57:22,640 Speaker 1: stop her. So I'm like, I think within the palace 1062 00:57:23,240 --> 00:57:26,520 Speaker 1: they were like, yeah, cool. You know, think about all 1063 00:57:26,560 --> 00:57:28,320 Speaker 1: the people who might have been in charge before her, 1064 00:57:28,400 --> 00:57:31,520 Speaker 1: who were very mean, maybe in throwing ship and like 1065 00:57:31,600 --> 00:57:35,640 Speaker 1: acting crazy. So you know, I think that says something 1066 00:57:35,720 --> 00:57:37,520 Speaker 1: too that people were like, yeah, I know this works 1067 00:57:37,560 --> 00:57:40,680 Speaker 1: for me. You know, however she's doing it, keep keep 1068 00:57:40,760 --> 00:57:45,040 Speaker 1: casting those spells. Well, however you're doing it, send us 1069 00:57:45,040 --> 00:57:47,880 Speaker 1: an email. Let's know. I'd love to hear from you 1070 00:57:47,960 --> 00:57:50,800 Speaker 1: as always. Hope you enjoyed this, of course, and you 1071 00:57:50,920 --> 00:57:52,919 Speaker 1: can hit us up at Romance at i heeart media 1072 00:57:53,000 --> 00:57:55,560 Speaker 1: dot com it's right, or we're on the social media 1073 00:57:55,760 --> 00:57:59,440 Speaker 1: platforms Twitter and Instagram as well on at Dynamite Boom 1074 00:58:00,200 --> 00:58:03,320 Speaker 1: at o Grade it's Eli and we're both at Riddic Romance, 1075 00:58:03,680 --> 00:58:06,520 Speaker 1: and don't forget to leave a little rating for us 1076 00:58:06,600 --> 00:58:09,400 Speaker 1: at Apple Podcasts and let us know how you're enjoying 1077 00:58:09,440 --> 00:58:12,800 Speaker 1: the show so we can share it with our corporate overlords. Right, 1078 00:58:14,840 --> 00:58:17,280 Speaker 1: Thanks so much everybody in jury weekend and we will 1079 00:58:17,320 --> 00:58:21,360 Speaker 1: see you next time. Hi, so long friends, it's time 1080 00:58:21,440 --> 00:58:25,520 Speaker 1: to go. Thanks so listening to our show. Tell your 1081 00:58:25,600 --> 00:58:29,240 Speaker 1: friends Nahbor's uncle's in dance to listen to our show. Ridiculous, 1082 00:58:29,320 --> 00:58:29,960 Speaker 1: Well Nance