1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:10,119 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Mank. Listener discretion advised one quick 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: note of housekeeping before we begin today's episode. I am 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,799 Speaker 1: so so excited to be leading a trip to the 5 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: English Cotswalds next July July twenty twenty five. It's through 6 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: an incredible program called common Ground, and it's a pilgrimage 7 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: where we read a book, talk about a book, and 8 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: go on walks every day. This is the third one 9 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: I've done with this program. We've talked about the book Frankenstein, 10 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: I've done one on the novel Rebecca, and this one 11 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 1: I'm so thrilled to say we're talking about one of 12 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,240 Speaker 1: my all time favorite novels, The Remains of the Day. 13 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: If you haven't read it, absolutely read it. And if 14 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,199 Speaker 1: you're free next July and want to talk about the 15 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: book and go on incredibly gorgeous walks around the Cotswalds, 16 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: you should absolutely sign up. Now. It's a website reading 17 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: and Walking with dot com. The program is common Ground. 18 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: There are still a few spots remaining. I think actually 19 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: maybe one spot, but there's always a wait list, so 20 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: sign up quickly. If this is something that interests you. 21 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: It's so much fun. I absolutely love it. I hope 22 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: to see there if you would indulge me, listener, I 23 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 1: would like to begin today's episode by reading you part 24 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: of a poem. My intimate companion, my one and all, 25 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: Sovereign of all beauties, my Sultan, my life, the gift 26 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 1: I own, my be all, the elixir of paradise, my eden, 27 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: my spring, my joy, my glittering day. We've done a 28 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: number of episodes that have cameos from Lord Byron, but 29 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: this isn't his work, nor is it a poem by 30 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: Shelley or Keats, or Naruda or Dickinson. Instead, these are 31 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: the words of Suliman the Magnificent, the longest reigning sultan 32 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: of the Ottoman Empire. It was under his rule that 33 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,919 Speaker 1: the Ottoman Golden Age of art and culture was ushered in. 34 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: He himself was both a poet and a goldsmith. And 35 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: if you've listened to countless other episodes of this show, 36 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: you'll know that most royal marriages don't reflect the poetic 37 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 1: kind of connection above. While there are some exceptions, most 38 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: sovereigns end up in practical, if not completely loveless arrangements 39 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: Suliman is a particular exception to this rule, because not 40 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:51,679 Speaker 1: only was his marriage a love match, it was unprecedented politically. 41 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 1: While not technically queen, he granted his wife a brand 42 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: new title, Haseki Sultan, to indicate her new dynastic position 43 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 1: and importance. What was even more unusual about their marriage 44 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: was that his wife was not a noble. She wasn't 45 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 1: even native to the Empire. Instead, she was originally the 46 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: Emperor's favorite concubine, a former slave taken from her home 47 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 1: in Ruthenia, located in modern day Ukraine. As a young 48 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: captive in a foreign land, she was given the name Krem, 49 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: the Persian word for joyful or laughing, but today she's 50 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: better known by the name that Europeans gave her, Roxillana, 51 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: meaning the maiden from Ruthenia. Suleiman's love for rock Salana 52 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: not only provided her with comfort, safety, and luxury, but 53 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: in a great shock to the Ottoman's real political influence, 54 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: she was an advisor and a diplomat as well as 55 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: a patron that helped her husband bring about the Empire's 56 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: golden age. If you were to believe the content of 57 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: her surviving love letters, her devotion to her husband was 58 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,840 Speaker 1: equal to that of the one he poeticized. However, it 59 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: is important to remember that even though she was granted 60 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: her freedom before their marriage, it was at Suliman's behest, 61 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: and becoming the Sultan's lover in the first place was 62 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: not rock Salana's choice to make. The only first hand 63 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: insight we have into Roxalana's thoughts and feelings comes from 64 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: those few surviving letters, which simply doesn't provide us enough 65 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 1: context to know her entire headspace. Naturally, Roxalana's rise from 66 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:54,599 Speaker 1: slave to adviser aroused plenty of anger and suspicion, with 67 00:04:54,760 --> 00:05:01,920 Speaker 1: accusations of witchcraft being particularly popular. Rumors would only intensify 68 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:06,039 Speaker 1: after a series of tragedies towards the end of Suleiman's reign, 69 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: but his beloved never fell from his grace. While a 70 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: number of European plays and stories would go on to 71 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: portray Roxalanna as a scheming sorceress, there's really no evidence 72 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:26,160 Speaker 1: of ill intentions. She might not have been really a witch, 73 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 1: but whether or not a literal spell was cast, Roxalanna's 74 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:36,839 Speaker 1: journey from enslaved girl to the Ottoman Empire's most powerful 75 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:41,920 Speaker 1: woman can sound like something straight out of a fantasy novel. 76 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:53,720 Speaker 1: I'm Danish Schwartz and this is noble blood. There's a 77 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: degree of mystery surrounding Roxalanna's origins, but today it's widely 78 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:03,600 Speaker 1: accepted that the future Hesseki Sultan was born in Ruthenia, 79 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: an area that now encompasses western Ukraine, but during Roxalana's 80 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 1: time it was under the rule of the Polish king. Today, 81 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:17,479 Speaker 1: Ukrainian legend says her birth name was either Anastasia or 82 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: Alexandra Lisowska, but there's no definitive evidence of that. She 83 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 1: was born during a dark period for her homeland. Around 84 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: fourteen seventy five, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror defeated 85 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:39,040 Speaker 1: Venice and Genoa for control of the Black Sea slave trade. 86 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:43,239 Speaker 1: Following that victory, he made a vassal of the Khan 87 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 1: of the Crimean Tatars, whose economy would be sustained through 88 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 1: slave trade with Istanbul. A significant portion of the people 89 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:58,279 Speaker 1: they enslaved were taken from Ruthenia. Roxalana was likely captured 90 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: in fifteen sixteen during a Tatar raid in which the 91 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: region lost between an estimated anywhere from five thousand to 92 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: forty thousand men, women and children. She would have only 93 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: been around thirteen at the time. Captives were marched in 94 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: chain all the way to Kafa, a settlement on the 95 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: coast of the Black Sea, also located in modern day Ukraine. 96 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 1: From there, most were loaded on two vessels that would 97 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 1: take them to Istanbul, the largest market in the region 98 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: of the slave market, an Ottoman courtier wrote, quote, a 99 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 1: man who has not seen this market has seen nothing 100 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: in this world. There a mother is severed from her 101 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: son and daughter, a son from his father and brother, 102 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 1: and they are sold among lamentations, cries of help, weeping 103 00:07:56,040 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: and sorrow. It was amidst this horror that Roxalana was sold, 104 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: But to whom specifically we don't know. She could have 105 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: been purchased by someone directly in the palace, but the 106 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: story circulating at the time claimed that she was a 107 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: gift to Suliman upon his ascension as ruler in fifteen twenty. 108 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,760 Speaker 1: In that case, she could have been bought by a 109 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 1: wealthy or prominent household with ties to court, hoping to 110 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: earn favor if their gift became the Sultan's new favorite. 111 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,319 Speaker 1: One rumor alleged that it was one of Suliman's sisters 112 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,200 Speaker 1: who found Roxalana from him, while other sources say she 113 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 1: came from his trusted friend and adviser Ibrahim. The reason 114 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: there are many probablys and most Likeli's in Roxalana's origin 115 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 1: story is by design. The concubines in the Sultan's imperial 116 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 1: Harem were chiefly enslaved women, and the majority of them 117 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 1: were originally Christian from varying regions and ethnic backgrounds. As 118 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: you can imagine, the specific origins of the concubines were 119 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: not documented, erased in service of loyalty and dependence on 120 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:21,040 Speaker 1: the Sultan, it was a new start from a young age. 121 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 1: Enslaved girls chosen for the harem lived at the Old Palace, 122 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,080 Speaker 1: which was the home of the court's women, while the 123 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: men lived in the New Palace. At the Old Palace, 124 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:37,439 Speaker 1: the girls were educated by palace staff and teachers. They 125 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: were converted to Islam, taught the principles of the religion 126 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 1: and Turkish language, the expectations of Ottoman women, and proper 127 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:51,959 Speaker 1: palace etiquette. The sharpest students could one day be eligible 128 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 1: for the role of concubine and potential mother of any 129 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 1: future ruler, So no matter how oh exactly Roxalana arrived 130 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 1: at the palace. It's clear that once she did, she 131 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 1: stood out exceptionally. It also seemed to be that it 132 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: was less so her looks, but rather her personality and 133 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 1: charm that caught the new twenty six year old ruler's attention. 134 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 1: The Venetian ambassador during the early years of Suleiman's reign 135 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 1: reported that the Sultan's budding favorite was quote young but 136 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:32,480 Speaker 1: not beautiful, although graceful and petite. If we recall her 137 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: Ottoman name Harem, meaning joyful, we can understand her favorable qualities. 138 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:43,319 Speaker 1: The Venetian ambassadors at the Sultan's court are often our 139 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 1: best source for details about life inside the palace, as 140 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: there's a lack of Ottoman writing about the women of 141 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:56,080 Speaker 1: the Harem. From that same ambassador's writings, we learn quote 142 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,839 Speaker 1: the Grand Turk chooses whoever pleases him the most, and 143 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,480 Speaker 1: keeps her separate for two months and amuses himself with 144 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 1: her as he pleases. If she becomes pregnant, he takes 145 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 1: her as his consort. Rock Sillana evidently pleased Suliman greatly 146 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:18,720 Speaker 1: after she was presented to him in fifteen twenty. It 147 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:23,440 Speaker 1: wouldn't be long before their intimate relationship began. Before she 148 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:26,680 Speaker 1: was even brought to the Old Palace to begin her training, 149 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:30,080 Speaker 1: it would have been confirmed that rock Salana was a virgin. 150 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: In addition to her training in etiquette, religion, language, and art, 151 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:38,680 Speaker 1: she would have been prepared for the moment the Sultan 152 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: may invite her to his chambers. There were protocols for 153 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: approaching and addressing him. She would be escorted to his 154 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: room by eunuchs, her eyes downcast. The knight would either 155 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:58,400 Speaker 1: end with a polite dismissal from Suliman or a repeat invitation. 156 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 1: If she became pregnant that night or any night following, 157 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:07,360 Speaker 1: her position with the Ottoman Empire, and her safety would 158 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:11,679 Speaker 1: be secured. We can speak of the material weight of 159 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:15,440 Speaker 1: these outcomes, but we just don't know anything about the 160 00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 1: emotional weight of that first night. Was she afraid, determined, pleased, disgusted, numb, 161 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:26,440 Speaker 1: a mix of all of it. We can be assured 162 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:30,240 Speaker 1: that the Suleiman at least had a very good night 163 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:36,760 Speaker 1: and the relationship continued. Roxalana gave birth to their first son, Mehmed, 164 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: in fifteen twenty one, when she was likely around seventeen 165 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:48,040 Speaker 1: years old. The phrase first son was until that point unprecedented, 166 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: as it implied a concubine would bear the sultan more 167 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: than one possible heir. Ottoman policy declared one mother, one son. 168 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:01,320 Speaker 1: There was no limit to how many daughters a concubine 169 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: could have with a sultan, but once she gave birth 170 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: to a son, this sexual relationship ended. The idea was 171 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:12,079 Speaker 1: that each potential heir to the throne would have the 172 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: undivided attention of his mother to best prepare him for 173 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: his future. Ottoman succession differed from most major monarchies in 174 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 1: that the first born son did not automatically inherit the throne. 175 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: All living sons had a shot in a game of 176 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 1: survival of the fittest. Mehmed was the first child born 177 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:38,240 Speaker 1: during Suliman's reign as sultan, but he was Suliman's fifth 178 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 1: child overall. However, while rox Salana was pregnant or shortly 179 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: after she gave birth, tragedy struck. Suleiman lost his eldest son, 180 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: his second eldest son, and his daughter in rapid succession, 181 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:59,840 Speaker 1: likely to a plague. His only surviving child until Mehmed 182 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 1: was another son, Mustapha, the son of the favorite before 183 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:10,560 Speaker 1: Roxalana's arrival, a woman named Mahadevron. The timing of these 184 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:16,240 Speaker 1: events meant that Roxalana's status shifted dramatically in a short 185 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:20,280 Speaker 1: amount of time. First the status boost that came with 186 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 1: carrying the Sultan's child, then the additional boost that came 187 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:28,720 Speaker 1: with the child being a boy, and finally an even 188 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,960 Speaker 1: greater boost when her infant son became one of only 189 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:38,600 Speaker 1: two remaining living heirs. Mehmid's birth also changed his mother's 190 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:43,320 Speaker 1: legal status. She was now um al awad, or mother 191 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:46,960 Speaker 1: of a child. While this did not grant her her freedom, 192 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: it meant that she could not be sold or given away, 193 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: and she would automatically gain her freedom upon the death 194 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:58,080 Speaker 1: of her master. As noted by the Venetian ambassador, when 195 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:02,120 Speaker 1: a woman gave birth to the Sultan's child, quote, her 196 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,880 Speaker 1: salary is increased, or rather, she is now given a 197 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 1: spending stipend quote, and she is honored and elevated above 198 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:14,600 Speaker 1: the others and is served as a lady. The ambassador 199 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 1: also explained the role of the royal concubine in her 200 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:22,240 Speaker 1: child's life. Quote. If she gives birth to a son, 201 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: the boy is raised by his mother until the age 202 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: of ten or eleven. Then the Grand Turk gives him 203 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 1: a province and sends his mother with him. As we know, however, 204 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 1: things would play out differently for Rock Salana, who would 205 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: remain by her husband's or future husband's side. Breaking protocol. 206 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 1: Suleiman invited Rock Salana back to his chambers after she 207 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,240 Speaker 1: gave birth to a son, and she was pregnant once 208 00:15:55,280 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 1: again by early fifteen twenty two. We don't know. We're 209 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:04,480 Speaker 1: sure what prompted the rekindling of their relationship. Did they 210 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:08,400 Speaker 1: feel a mutual connection from the start, or was Rock 211 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:13,160 Speaker 1: Salana manipulating Suliman reluctant to share the power that she 212 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: had gained through Mehmet's birth. We can't answer those questions, 213 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:21,240 Speaker 1: but we know their daughter, Mirima, was born in the 214 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 1: fall of that year, followed over the next few years 215 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: by the birth of their son Salim Abdullah and Bazid, 216 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: and later an additional son. Suliman was often away on 217 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: military campaigns during the pregnancies, but it was always Rock 218 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: Solana whom he returned home to. It was clear to 219 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:46,400 Speaker 1: those inside and outside the palace that not only did 220 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 1: the Sultan have a new favorite, he was downright monogamous. 221 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:56,280 Speaker 1: We don't have records of Suliman and Roxalana's correspondence from 222 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: these early years. Those will come later, so we have 223 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:04,399 Speaker 1: to rely on outside sources and conjecture to understand what 224 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:08,480 Speaker 1: their relationship might have been like at this time. Thankfully, 225 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:13,000 Speaker 1: the Venetians in court loved to gossip. In fifteen twenty 226 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: two we see claims that the Sultan was very lustful, 227 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:21,080 Speaker 1: but by fifteen twenty four those shift, arguing that the 228 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: signor is not lustful, rather devoted to a single woman. 229 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:30,800 Speaker 1: In fifteen twenty six, the ambassador notes that the Sultan 230 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 1: no longer paid attention to the mother of his eldest son, 231 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,640 Speaker 1: the former favorite, but gave all his affection to quote 232 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:45,119 Speaker 1: another woman of the Russian nation, namely rock Sollana. Among 233 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,320 Speaker 1: the public, it's possible that this is the time during 234 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:53,160 Speaker 1: which the rumors of Roxalanna's sorcery begin to germinate, as 235 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:57,879 Speaker 1: there had never been a sultan committed to monogamy before. Yes, 236 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 1: even in the fifteen twenties, people were doing a polyamory discourse. 237 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 1: Subjects feared the sultan's devotion to his favorite concubine would 238 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:11,639 Speaker 1: be a distraction from his duty, which they saw as 239 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:16,879 Speaker 1: defending the borders from enemy threats. Additionally, they supported the 240 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 1: system of succession as it functioned, and believed in the 241 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:25,679 Speaker 1: tradition that each prince should have one devoted mother as 242 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:31,440 Speaker 1: his personal adviser. Suleiman's mother, Hafsa, remained a trusted adviser 243 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:35,400 Speaker 1: even after her son's ascension, and she was responsible for 244 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:41,080 Speaker 1: spearheading the construction of a massive public mosque complex, alongside 245 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:44,719 Speaker 1: staying up to date with political affairs and maintaining her 246 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 1: own network of informants. Roxalana would later follow in her 247 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: mother in law's footsteps. A story emerged around this time 248 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:58,760 Speaker 1: that shines some light on rock Salana's feelings and or 249 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:04,959 Speaker 1: tactics for ensuring her own continued survival and comfort in 250 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:10,040 Speaker 1: the palace. As reported by the ambassador, quote, the Sultan 251 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: was given two beautiful Russian maidens by a provincial governor, 252 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:17,720 Speaker 1: one for his mother and one for him. When they 253 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:22,160 Speaker 1: arrived in the palace, his second wife, wife meaning favorite 254 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: here whom he esteems at present, became extremely unhappy and 255 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:32,600 Speaker 1: flung herself to the ground weeping. The ambassador then noted 256 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:36,120 Speaker 1: the reaction of Hafsa and the Sultan himself as they 257 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: attempted to ease rock Salana's sadness. Quote. The mother who 258 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:44,760 Speaker 1: had given her maiden to the Sultan was sorry about 259 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 1: what she had done, took her back and sent her 260 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:50,760 Speaker 1: to one of the governors as wife, and the Sultan 261 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:55,200 Speaker 1: agreed to send his to another governor because his wife 262 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:59,160 Speaker 1: would have perished from sorrow if these maidens, or even 263 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: one of them, had remained in the palace. Whether Roxalana 264 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: gave an Academy award winning performance or if she truly 265 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:13,120 Speaker 1: was so attached to Suliman, she certainly was not the 266 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:18,120 Speaker 1: first concubine to experience jealousy. The uniqueness here is how 267 00:20:18,119 --> 00:20:22,240 Speaker 1: both Hafsa, the head of the house, and Suliman himself 268 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:27,680 Speaker 1: not only acquiesced to Roxalana's emotional needs but felt remorse. 269 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:31,639 Speaker 1: These are the two most powerful people in the empire, 270 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:37,600 Speaker 1: and Roxalana's feelings were clearly important to both of them. 271 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 1: Our first surviving letters from the couple come from fifteen 272 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:45,919 Speaker 1: twenty six. My Sultan, there is no limit to the 273 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 1: burning anguish of separation. Roxalana's earliest surviving letter concludes, now 274 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:56,760 Speaker 1: spare this miserable one and do not withhold your noble letters, 275 00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 1: let my soul gain at least some comfort. The poetry 276 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:06,879 Speaker 1: of her letters also takes inspiration from Islamic tradition. Quote 277 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:10,400 Speaker 1: oh you with the face of Yusef and words sweet 278 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: as candy she writes to her lover. Based on the 279 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:18,760 Speaker 1: penmanship these letters were written by a Harem scribe, and 280 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: Roxalana's Turkish was not at the level of composing stanzas, 281 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 1: but it's probable she dictated what sentiments to include. The 282 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:32,320 Speaker 1: comparison of her lover to Yusef, the counterpart of Joseph, 283 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:36,200 Speaker 1: for those more familiar with the Hebrew or Christian Bible, 284 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:40,119 Speaker 1: takes on a level of irony when considering the story 285 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:44,919 Speaker 1: of Zuleka, or Potiphar's wife in the Hebrew tradition of 286 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:49,320 Speaker 1: the story. While Potiphar's wife is known traditionally as a 287 00:21:49,359 --> 00:21:54,000 Speaker 1: seductress and a villainous, a number of great Muslim poets 288 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:58,119 Speaker 1: Roxalana would have been familiar with saw Zuleika's lust for 289 00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:09,200 Speaker 1: Joseph as the soul's lust for God. After fifteen twenty six, 290 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 1: there's a lull in information regarding rock Salana, but she 291 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:17,280 Speaker 1: becomes a subject of great interest again in fifteen thirty four, 292 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 1: as the result of a shocking revelation. A journal entry 293 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:26,160 Speaker 1: from the Genoese Bank of Saint George in Istambul reads quote, 294 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,560 Speaker 1: this week, there has occurred in this city a most 295 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:35,520 Speaker 1: extraordinary event, one absolutely unprecedented in the history of the sultans. 296 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:40,200 Speaker 1: The Grand Signor Suliman has taken to himself as his empress, 297 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:44,200 Speaker 1: a slave woman from Russia called rock Salana, and the 298 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 1: festivities have been beyond all record. At night, the principal 299 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:52,640 Speaker 1: streets were gaily illuminated, and there is much music and feasting. 300 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:57,159 Speaker 1: The houses are festooned with garlands, and there are everywhere 301 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:00,679 Speaker 1: swings in which the people swing by the hour with 302 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: great enjoyment. There is great talk about the marriage, and 303 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:09,400 Speaker 1: none can say what it means. It was an accurate statement. 304 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:13,119 Speaker 1: Who could say what it meant for a sultan to 305 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:18,000 Speaker 1: marry his concubine. Roxalana, by this point was technically no 306 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:21,960 Speaker 1: longer his concubine either. He had granted her her freedom 307 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:25,399 Speaker 1: before they married, not to mention the fact that a 308 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:28,479 Speaker 1: sultan had not been married at all in over one 309 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:33,000 Speaker 1: hundred years. Political marriages used to be common, but ceased 310 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:37,520 Speaker 1: by the fifteenth century. The marriage broke a collection of 311 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 1: traditions all at once. Timing wise, we know the marriage 312 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:48,359 Speaker 1: of Roxalana and Suliman likely followed the passing of Suliman's mother, Hafsa, 313 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 1: who herself did not gain her freedom until the death 314 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 1: of her master, Suliman's father. It would have been disrespectful 315 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 1: to Hafsa, the highest ranking woman of the empire, for 316 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:05,959 Speaker 1: Suliman to elevate ro Sollana's position while the queen mother lived. 317 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:12,000 Speaker 1: Elevating Roxalana through marriage also served a political purpose for Suliman. 318 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 1: He was about to embark on a long military campaign 319 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:19,880 Speaker 1: in Iran, and he needed trustworthy eyes and ears in 320 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:23,880 Speaker 1: Istanbul now that his mother was gone. So there were 321 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:28,439 Speaker 1: the political reasons, and then there were the personal. Suliman 322 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 1: was devoted to Roxalana and was legitimizing her position as 323 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:38,639 Speaker 1: the mother of his children and a woman of exceptional status. 324 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:43,920 Speaker 1: Upon the marriage, she relocated to the new palace, becoming 325 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 1: the first woman to do so. She would move with 326 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 1: her entourage and the now thirteen year old Memate, and 327 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:54,760 Speaker 1: Suliman surely wanted both of them to be closer to 328 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:59,000 Speaker 1: the political heart of the empire. From a Venetian observer. 329 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 1: We learned that Ra Roxallana's quarters were splendid with chapels, baths, gardens, 330 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:08,919 Speaker 1: and other amenities, not only for herself but for her 331 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,480 Speaker 1: damsels as well, of which she keeps as many as 332 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:17,720 Speaker 1: one hundred. Over time, Roxalana's quarters would grow into an 333 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:22,800 Speaker 1: entire wing of the palace that housed the imperial Harem. 334 00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: It was under her guidance that the gender politics of 335 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:31,080 Speaker 1: the empire began to shift and women became more involved 336 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 1: in the political sphere. Roxalanna kept Suleiman informed during his 337 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 1: time away by maintaining an information network, just as her 338 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:45,480 Speaker 1: late mother in law had done before her. The stewards 339 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: and eunuchs in her service would pick up gossip from 340 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:53,119 Speaker 1: both inside and outside the palace walls. She began to 341 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:57,919 Speaker 1: work with Hofsa's former go between and even her own son, Mehmed, 342 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:02,400 Speaker 1: who could provide access to men mens spaces that Roxalana 343 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:07,800 Speaker 1: was barred from. The network wasn't the only thing Roxalana 344 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:12,439 Speaker 1: was building. In fifteen thirty eight, construction began on a 345 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:18,119 Speaker 1: new mosque in Istanbul, outside the city's imperial core. It 346 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:22,720 Speaker 1: would soon expand to include two schools, primary and a 347 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:27,359 Speaker 1: secondary A soup kitchen was built, including a fountain in 348 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:31,359 Speaker 1: its courtyard which could provide fresh water to the neighborhood. 349 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: A couple of years in, the complex even gained a hospital, 350 00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:39,679 Speaker 1: a rare amenity for the time. Charitable giving was a 351 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 1: requirement for all Muslims with disposable income, and the imperial 352 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:49,720 Speaker 1: household was no exception. Philanthropy, however, was traditionally the queen 353 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 1: mother's job. While breaking yet another norm, Roxalana's ambitious project, 354 00:26:56,200 --> 00:27:00,359 Speaker 1: upon her elevation, would have attempted to legitimize her in 355 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:04,040 Speaker 1: the eyes of the people who still called her ziyati 356 00:27:04,119 --> 00:27:09,439 Speaker 1: in their whispers, or which The mosque complex also served 357 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,720 Speaker 1: a larger purpose as an instrumental piece of Suliman's agenda, 358 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:19,000 Speaker 1: which sought to consolidate a stronger Sunni Muslim identity, achieved 359 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 1: in part through philanthropy. Roxalana's project was additionally historic for women. 360 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:30,640 Speaker 1: It was the first foundation in Istanbul donated by and 361 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:35,400 Speaker 1: named after a woman. The neighborhood selected for its location 362 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:40,280 Speaker 1: was associated with women, home to the weekly Avrat Pazar 363 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:45,920 Speaker 1: or women's market. We also know that Roxalana specifically requested 364 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:49,440 Speaker 1: a female scribe to work on the project in an 365 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:54,359 Speaker 1: administrative position, a rarity for the time, which gives credence 366 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:58,080 Speaker 1: to the idea that her project was designed to uplift 367 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:04,400 Speaker 1: women's circumstances. The project was a resounding success. A few 368 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:09,400 Speaker 1: decades later, an Ottoman historian remarked that the exalted Mosque 369 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:12,840 Speaker 1: and the various other quote good works of the Hesseki 370 00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:18,199 Speaker 1: Sultan were known to all human kind. In addition to 371 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 1: her philanthropic efforts, Roxalana established new diplomatic relations for the empire. 372 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:29,480 Speaker 1: When the Polish king died in fifteen forty eight, Roxalana 373 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:35,440 Speaker 1: established diplomatic correspondence with the Polish monarchy, congratulating the king's 374 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:39,640 Speaker 1: son on his ascension. She would continue to cultivate more 375 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:44,600 Speaker 1: contacts in Europe and maintain correspondence with Safavid royal women, 376 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,680 Speaker 1: pioneering a new role for the women that would follow her. 377 00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:53,200 Speaker 1: The Ottomans had had female diplomat in the past, but 378 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: as elite women became more secluded, women were no longer 379 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:04,160 Speaker 1: employed for negotiations ords, peace treaties. Roxalana established letter writing 380 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:08,000 Speaker 1: as a method of diplomacy for women, and by the 381 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 1: end of the century, the mother of her grandson was 382 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:16,440 Speaker 1: corresponding with Catherine de Medici, while the next Queen Mother 383 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:21,520 Speaker 1: exchanged gifts with Elizabeth the First. As we students of 384 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 1: history know, these relationships between important women are incredibly important 385 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:33,360 Speaker 1: in establishing good relations between nations. Roxalana was now also 386 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:36,960 Speaker 1: in charge of the major affairs of the Old Palace. 387 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,480 Speaker 1: While day to day management was the job of the 388 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 1: internal staff, Roxalana was in charge of major decisions and 389 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: resolving problems. She became involved in matchmaking the girls of 390 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:54,920 Speaker 1: the Imperial Harem, which likely served several purposes. The first 391 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:58,280 Speaker 1: and most cynical is that it kept them away from 392 00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:02,040 Speaker 1: her husband. Scond reason is that it's not hard to 393 00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 1: imagine the empathy she felt for those in the place 394 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:09,880 Speaker 1: she once was, but now she could help in securing 395 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 1: them better futures and eventually freedom. In fifteen forty three, 396 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:24,920 Speaker 1: the family was faced with great tragedy the death of Mehmed. 397 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:30,200 Speaker 1: He had contracted an illness, likely smallpox, during the celebration 398 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:34,800 Speaker 1: for his father's recent military victory, mirroring the loss of 399 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:39,800 Speaker 1: Suliman's first three children upon his triumphant return to Istanbul. 400 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:45,120 Speaker 1: Around the time of Mehmed's birth, My Sultan Mehmed distinguished 401 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:48,600 Speaker 1: among princes. The distraught father wrote of his late son, 402 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:53,520 Speaker 1: we know that Suleiman dressed in black and attended prayers 403 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:58,040 Speaker 1: for the dead for forty days instead of the customary three. 404 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:03,160 Speaker 1: Rak Salana's grief, however, was not chronicled. Women did not 405 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:06,800 Speaker 1: attend funeral prayers, and she was rarely seen in public. 406 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:11,000 Speaker 1: As it was, she likely threw herself into caring for 407 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:14,920 Speaker 1: Mehmed's infant daughter, whose arrival was imminent at the time 408 00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:18,480 Speaker 1: of his death. The loss of Mehmed also meant the 409 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:23,400 Speaker 1: loss of a candidate for sultan. By fifteen forty six, 410 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:27,920 Speaker 1: Suliman was fifty three by the Islamic calendar, two years 411 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:30,160 Speaker 1: older than his father had been at the time of 412 00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: his death. The most experienced candidate for sultan at this 413 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:39,960 Speaker 1: point was Mustafa, who, if you remember, was Suliman's only 414 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:43,560 Speaker 1: other surviving son at the time of Mehmed's birth, a 415 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:48,920 Speaker 1: son that was not born to Roxalana. Roxalana's own surviving 416 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:53,520 Speaker 1: sons had a more powerful mother, naturally, but Mustafa had 417 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:58,120 Speaker 1: a mother solely dedicated to his success, and again he 418 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:04,040 Speaker 1: was older and more experienced. Tension was inevitable. In fifteen 419 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:08,240 Speaker 1: fifty two, the tension came to a deadly point. The 420 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: Empire was at war with Persia, but Suleiman himself was 421 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:15,920 Speaker 1: not leading the charge. Rumors began to circulate that the 422 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 1: soldiers were losing faith in their sultan, and there were 423 00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:24,479 Speaker 1: backers seeking to put Mustapha, now forty, on the throne. 424 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:29,320 Speaker 1: Suliman's first reaction was apparently to blame those trying to 425 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:33,880 Speaker 1: sow discord, but he did decide to join the campaign 426 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:39,440 Speaker 1: to show his competency. Nonetheless, it's unclear how exactly we 427 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:42,120 Speaker 1: get from point A to point B here, but we 428 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 1: know this. Mustafa was called for a meeting with his father, 429 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:51,040 Speaker 1: and Mustafa's advisers, including his mother, the former favorite, begged 430 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:55,240 Speaker 1: him not to attend. They were right to fear. When 431 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:58,200 Speaker 1: Mustapha and his men went to the meeting, they were 432 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:03,640 Speaker 1: executed upon their arrival. We don't know what drove Suleiman 433 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: to go so far as to kill his son, but 434 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:10,440 Speaker 1: history would put the blame on rock Sollana, earning her 435 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:14,440 Speaker 1: the reputation as villainous. It was not the first time 436 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:18,200 Speaker 1: she was painted as scheming and jealous. Of course, she 437 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:22,640 Speaker 1: was already sometimes blamed for Mustapha and his mother both 438 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:26,640 Speaker 1: being sent to a governorship post outside of Istanbul, the 439 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:31,560 Speaker 1: traditional practice at the time. The blame for Mustapha's death, however, 440 00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:35,880 Speaker 1: was a reputation that she would gain over time. Ottoman 441 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:40,440 Speaker 1: historians over the following century did not associate Roxalana with 442 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:45,240 Speaker 1: the execution, but by the twentieth century historians were sharing 443 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:50,760 Speaker 1: it as fact. The flaw in asserting Roxalana's guilt, as 444 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:55,760 Speaker 1: described by biographer Leslie Pearce, quote, the Ottoman habit of 445 00:33:55,760 --> 00:34:00,000 Speaker 1: blaming subordinates so as to avoid holding the powerful accout 446 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 1: countable for unsavory acts. The most likely explanation for Mustafa's 447 00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:10,200 Speaker 1: execution was the threat that his success and his followers 448 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:15,160 Speaker 1: posed to his father, not to Braxillana or her sons. 449 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:20,200 Speaker 1: The loss of Mustafa devastated many in the empire, but 450 00:34:20,280 --> 00:34:24,520 Speaker 1: the following year Roxalana would face a more devastating loss. 451 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:29,480 Speaker 1: An anxious note from her to Suliman reads quote, the 452 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 1: city is clamoring that a messenger is coming, and everyone 453 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:36,319 Speaker 1: is getting ready to deck the city out. They are 454 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:39,480 Speaker 1: saying the messenger will arrive in two or three days, 455 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:43,719 Speaker 1: and so they are standing ready to decorate the city. Now, 456 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:46,560 Speaker 1: my Sultan, it is a very odd thing that a 457 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:50,560 Speaker 1: good news messenger should come when you yourself are wintering 458 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:55,600 Speaker 1: in Aleppo. The messenger was likely carrying the news that 459 00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:59,799 Speaker 1: her youngest son had died of sickness after struggling with 460 00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:05,600 Speaker 1: de disabilities his entire life. He was only around twenty one. Again, 461 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:10,360 Speaker 1: we can only imagine Roxalana's devastation and the added sadness 462 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:13,680 Speaker 1: that came with having to mourn while her husband was 463 00:35:13,719 --> 00:35:17,239 Speaker 1: still away. Still life carried on for her, and she 464 00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:21,560 Speaker 1: continued to work on her latest project, construction on a 465 00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:25,440 Speaker 1: large and well funded complex in Jerusalem. It would be 466 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:29,520 Speaker 1: her crowning achievement, a soup kitchen that could feed four 467 00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:34,040 Speaker 1: hundred people twice a day, and housing was provided for 468 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:38,120 Speaker 1: those visiting the Holy City. She was the third woman 469 00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:42,799 Speaker 1: to build a public project in Jerusalem. But as the 470 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:48,080 Speaker 1: project progressed, Roxalana's health declined. She died in the spring 471 00:35:48,239 --> 00:35:52,880 Speaker 1: of fifteen fifty eight, one year after the complex formally opened. 472 00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:57,600 Speaker 1: Roxalana's letters always stressed her pain at being away from 473 00:35:57,640 --> 00:36:01,160 Speaker 1: her husband, and it's believed he was by her side 474 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:05,200 Speaker 1: when she did die. Quote they say, the day before 475 00:36:05,239 --> 00:36:09,240 Speaker 1: she died Suleiman promised her and swore by the soul 476 00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:13,200 Speaker 1: of his father Selim that he would never approach another woman. 477 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:17,880 Speaker 1: That's from the French ambassador at the time, who also 478 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:21,920 Speaker 1: noted that Roxalana was mourned by all those who owed 479 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,399 Speaker 1: their status to her, as the majority of those who 480 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:29,720 Speaker 1: governed the empire at this time were of her making. 481 00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:38,080 Speaker 1: That's the story of Roxalana, who went from slave to 482 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:41,880 Speaker 1: the most powerful woman in an empire. But keep listening 483 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:45,120 Speaker 1: after a brief sponsor break to hear a little bit 484 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:58,520 Speaker 1: more about her legacy and why it's so specifically interesting. 485 00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:03,279 Speaker 1: Roxalana was a subject of European fascination even during her lifetime, 486 00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:09,640 Speaker 1: but after her death her legend continue to grow in stories, plays, operas, 487 00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:15,000 Speaker 1: and today in film and TV shows. Many of these 488 00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:19,239 Speaker 1: interpretations portray her as a witch and a villainous, but 489 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:24,240 Speaker 1: in Ukraine she's often considered a national hero. The scholar 490 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:28,959 Speaker 1: Galina Yermalenko argues that as the country gained its independence 491 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:32,920 Speaker 1: from Russia, rox Selena became an important figure in the 492 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:38,040 Speaker 1: construction of Ukraine's national identity. Rox Selena Is Coming Back 493 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:42,239 Speaker 1: Home is a bronze monument in Ukraine, believed to be 494 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:46,680 Speaker 1: her birthplace. The statue stands four meters tall on a 495 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:52,000 Speaker 1: six meter column, and she's dressed in a traditional Ukrainian costume. 496 00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:57,799 Speaker 1: The names rock Soalana and Rosoliana are popular among Ukrainian 497 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:01,600 Speaker 1: girls and women, and you can find rock Salana's name 498 00:38:01,719 --> 00:38:05,360 Speaker 1: and imagery on postage stamps, in the windows of beauty 499 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:09,840 Speaker 1: salons and boutiques, and even on vodka bottles. So next 500 00:38:09,840 --> 00:38:12,439 Speaker 1: time you take a shot of vodka, make sure to 501 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:22,640 Speaker 1: toast to the Maiden from Ruthenia. Noble Blood is a 502 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:27,240 Speaker 1: production of iHeart Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Manky. 503 00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:31,960 Speaker 1: Nobel Blood is hosted by me Danish Forts, with additional 504 00:38:32,080 --> 00:38:37,360 Speaker 1: writing and researching by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zewick, Courtney Sender, 505 00:38:37,719 --> 00:38:41,960 Speaker 1: Julia Milani, and Arman Cassam. The show is edited and 506 00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:47,279 Speaker 1: produced by Noemy Griffin and rima Ill Kali, with supervising 507 00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:52,480 Speaker 1: producer Josh Thain and executive producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams 508 00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:57,319 Speaker 1: and Matt Frederick. Four more podcasts from iHeartRadio visit the 509 00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:01,640 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 510 00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:02,320 Speaker 1: favorite shows.