WEBVTT - The Witch of the Ottoman Empire 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:04.640 Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim 0:00:04.680 --> 0:00:10.119 and Mild from Aaron Mank. Listener discretion advised one quick 0:00:10.160 --> 0:00:13.520 note of housekeeping before we begin today's episode. I am 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:16.799 so so excited to be leading a trip to the 0:00:16.840 --> 0:00:22.400 English Cotswalds next July July twenty twenty five. It's through 0:00:22.480 --> 0:00:26.560 an incredible program called common Ground, and it's a pilgrimage 0:00:26.600 --> 0:00:29.400 where we read a book, talk about a book, and 0:00:29.440 --> 0:00:32.360 go on walks every day. This is the third one 0:00:32.479 --> 0:00:36.360 I've done with this program. We've talked about the book Frankenstein, 0:00:36.479 --> 0:00:39.080 I've done one on the novel Rebecca, and this one 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:41.960 I'm so thrilled to say we're talking about one of 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:45.240 my all time favorite novels, The Remains of the Day. 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:48.479 If you haven't read it, absolutely read it. And if 0:00:48.520 --> 0:00:51.199 you're free next July and want to talk about the 0:00:51.240 --> 0:00:54.800 book and go on incredibly gorgeous walks around the Cotswalds, 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:59.680 you should absolutely sign up. Now. It's a website reading 0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:04.120 and Walking with dot com. The program is common Ground. 0:01:04.520 --> 0:01:07.560 There are still a few spots remaining. I think actually 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:11.000 maybe one spot, but there's always a wait list, so 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:13.360 sign up quickly. If this is something that interests you. 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:16.920 It's so much fun. I absolutely love it. I hope 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:23.959 to see there if you would indulge me, listener, I 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:27.440 would like to begin today's episode by reading you part 0:01:27.600 --> 0:01:32.520 of a poem. My intimate companion, my one and all, 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:37.880 Sovereign of all beauties, my Sultan, my life, the gift 0:01:38.040 --> 0:01:43.320 I own, my be all, the elixir of paradise, my eden, 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:49.160 my spring, my joy, my glittering day. We've done a 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:53.080 number of episodes that have cameos from Lord Byron, but 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:56.400 this isn't his work, nor is it a poem by 0:01:56.640 --> 0:02:01.960 Shelley or Keats, or Naruda or Dickinson. Instead, these are 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:07.320 the words of Suliman the Magnificent, the longest reigning sultan 0:02:07.440 --> 0:02:10.880 of the Ottoman Empire. It was under his rule that 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:14.919 the Ottoman Golden Age of art and culture was ushered in. 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:19.840 He himself was both a poet and a goldsmith. And 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:23.440 if you've listened to countless other episodes of this show, 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:29.440 you'll know that most royal marriages don't reflect the poetic 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:34.680 kind of connection above. While there are some exceptions, most 0:02:34.880 --> 0:02:40.200 sovereigns end up in practical, if not completely loveless arrangements 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:45.919 Suliman is a particular exception to this rule, because not 0:02:46.040 --> 0:02:51.679 only was his marriage a love match, it was unprecedented politically. 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:56.920 While not technically queen, he granted his wife a brand 0:02:57.080 --> 0:03:02.720 new title, Haseki Sultan, to indicate her new dynastic position 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:08.320 and importance. What was even more unusual about their marriage 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:12.440 was that his wife was not a noble. She wasn't 0:03:12.480 --> 0:03:17.520 even native to the Empire. Instead, she was originally the 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:23.480 Emperor's favorite concubine, a former slave taken from her home 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:29.160 in Ruthenia, located in modern day Ukraine. As a young 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:33.320 captive in a foreign land, she was given the name Krem, 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:37.920 the Persian word for joyful or laughing, but today she's 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:42.560 better known by the name that Europeans gave her, Roxillana, 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:49.040 meaning the maiden from Ruthenia. Suleiman's love for rock Salana 0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:53.760 not only provided her with comfort, safety, and luxury, but 0:03:54.280 --> 0:03:58.680 in a great shock to the Ottoman's real political influence, 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:02.720 she was an advisor and a diplomat as well as 0:04:02.760 --> 0:04:06.120 a patron that helped her husband bring about the Empire's 0:04:06.160 --> 0:04:09.520 golden age. If you were to believe the content of 0:04:09.560 --> 0:04:13.640 her surviving love letters, her devotion to her husband was 0:04:13.720 --> 0:04:17.840 equal to that of the one he poeticized. However, it 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:20.920 is important to remember that even though she was granted 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:24.760 her freedom before their marriage, it was at Suliman's behest, 0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:28.560 and becoming the Sultan's lover in the first place was 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:33.120 not rock Salana's choice to make. The only first hand 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:37.680 insight we have into Roxalana's thoughts and feelings comes from 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:42.480 those few surviving letters, which simply doesn't provide us enough 0:04:42.520 --> 0:04:48.600 context to know her entire headspace. Naturally, Roxalana's rise from 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:54.599 slave to adviser aroused plenty of anger and suspicion, with 0:04:54.760 --> 0:05:01.920 accusations of witchcraft being particularly popular. Rumors would only intensify 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:06.039 after a series of tragedies towards the end of Suleiman's reign, 0:05:06.520 --> 0:05:11.200 but his beloved never fell from his grace. While a 0:05:11.360 --> 0:05:15.400 number of European plays and stories would go on to 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:21.320 portray Roxalanna as a scheming sorceress, there's really no evidence 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:26.160 of ill intentions. She might not have been really a witch, 0:05:26.680 --> 0:05:31.599 but whether or not a literal spell was cast, Roxalanna's 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:36.839 journey from enslaved girl to the Ottoman Empire's most powerful 0:05:36.880 --> 0:05:41.920 woman can sound like something straight out of a fantasy novel. 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:53.720 I'm Danish Schwartz and this is noble blood. There's a 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:59.000 degree of mystery surrounding Roxalanna's origins, but today it's widely 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:03.600 accepted that the future Hesseki Sultan was born in Ruthenia, 0:06:03.800 --> 0:06:09.080 an area that now encompasses western Ukraine, but during Roxalana's 0:06:09.120 --> 0:06:13.080 time it was under the rule of the Polish king. Today, 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:17.479 Ukrainian legend says her birth name was either Anastasia or 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:23.360 Alexandra Lisowska, but there's no definitive evidence of that. She 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:28.080 was born during a dark period for her homeland. Around 0:06:28.279 --> 0:06:33.960 fourteen seventy five, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror defeated 0:06:34.160 --> 0:06:39.040 Venice and Genoa for control of the Black Sea slave trade. 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:43.239 Following that victory, he made a vassal of the Khan 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:47.440 of the Crimean Tatars, whose economy would be sustained through 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:52.360 slave trade with Istanbul. A significant portion of the people 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:58.279 they enslaved were taken from Ruthenia. Roxalana was likely captured 0:06:58.360 --> 0:07:02.200 in fifteen sixteen during a Tatar raid in which the 0:07:02.360 --> 0:07:07.640 region lost between an estimated anywhere from five thousand to 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:12.320 forty thousand men, women and children. She would have only 0:07:12.360 --> 0:07:17.480 been around thirteen at the time. Captives were marched in 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:20.880 chain all the way to Kafa, a settlement on the 0:07:20.920 --> 0:07:26.240 coast of the Black Sea, also located in modern day Ukraine. 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:29.560 From there, most were loaded on two vessels that would 0:07:29.600 --> 0:07:33.840 take them to Istanbul, the largest market in the region 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:39.720 of the slave market, an Ottoman courtier wrote, quote, a 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:43.120 man who has not seen this market has seen nothing 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:46.520 in this world. There a mother is severed from her 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:50.240 son and daughter, a son from his father and brother, 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:55.680 and they are sold among lamentations, cries of help, weeping 0:07:56.040 --> 0:08:02.280 and sorrow. It was amidst this horror that Roxalana was sold, 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:06.760 But to whom specifically we don't know. She could have 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:10.720 been purchased by someone directly in the palace, but the 0:08:10.760 --> 0:08:14.120 story circulating at the time claimed that she was a 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:19.640 gift to Suliman upon his ascension as ruler in fifteen twenty. 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:22.760 In that case, she could have been bought by a 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:27.080 wealthy or prominent household with ties to court, hoping to 0:08:27.160 --> 0:08:31.080 earn favor if their gift became the Sultan's new favorite. 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:35.319 One rumor alleged that it was one of Suliman's sisters 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:39.200 who found Roxalana from him, while other sources say she 0:08:39.320 --> 0:08:44.520 came from his trusted friend and adviser Ibrahim. The reason 0:08:44.600 --> 0:08:49.400 there are many probablys and most Likeli's in Roxalana's origin 0:08:49.520 --> 0:08:54.880 story is by design. The concubines in the Sultan's imperial 0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:59.440 Harem were chiefly enslaved women, and the majority of them 0:08:59.520 --> 0:09:05.440 were originally Christian from varying regions and ethnic backgrounds. As 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:10.040 you can imagine, the specific origins of the concubines were 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:15.360 not documented, erased in service of loyalty and dependence on 0:09:15.679 --> 0:09:21.040 the Sultan, it was a new start from a young age. 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:25.800 Enslaved girls chosen for the harem lived at the Old Palace, 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:29.080 which was the home of the court's women, while the 0:09:29.160 --> 0:09:33.240 men lived in the New Palace. At the Old Palace, 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:37.439 the girls were educated by palace staff and teachers. They 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:41.240 were converted to Islam, taught the principles of the religion 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:46.360 and Turkish language, the expectations of Ottoman women, and proper 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:51.959 palace etiquette. The sharpest students could one day be eligible 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:56.720 for the role of concubine and potential mother of any 0:09:56.800 --> 0:10:02.120 future ruler, So no matter how oh exactly Roxalana arrived 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:05.240 at the palace. It's clear that once she did, she 0:10:05.440 --> 0:10:09.400 stood out exceptionally. It also seemed to be that it 0:10:09.480 --> 0:10:12.840 was less so her looks, but rather her personality and 0:10:13.160 --> 0:10:17.520 charm that caught the new twenty six year old ruler's attention. 0:10:18.360 --> 0:10:22.240 The Venetian ambassador during the early years of Suleiman's reign 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:27.360 reported that the Sultan's budding favorite was quote young but 0:10:27.480 --> 0:10:32.480 not beautiful, although graceful and petite. If we recall her 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:38.280 Ottoman name Harem, meaning joyful, we can understand her favorable qualities. 0:10:39.160 --> 0:10:43.319 The Venetian ambassadors at the Sultan's court are often our 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:47.960 best source for details about life inside the palace, as 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:51.520 there's a lack of Ottoman writing about the women of 0:10:51.559 --> 0:10:56.080 the Harem. From that same ambassador's writings, we learn quote 0:10:56.400 --> 0:10:59.839 the Grand Turk chooses whoever pleases him the most, and 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:03.480 keeps her separate for two months and amuses himself with 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:07.360 her as he pleases. If she becomes pregnant, he takes 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:15.000 her as his consort. Rock Sillana evidently pleased Suliman greatly 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:18.720 after she was presented to him in fifteen twenty. It 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:23.440 wouldn't be long before their intimate relationship began. Before she 0:11:23.559 --> 0:11:26.680 was even brought to the Old Palace to begin her training, 0:11:27.040 --> 0:11:30.080 it would have been confirmed that rock Salana was a virgin. 0:11:30.679 --> 0:11:35.040 In addition to her training in etiquette, religion, language, and art, 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:38.680 she would have been prepared for the moment the Sultan 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:43.600 may invite her to his chambers. There were protocols for 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:47.640 approaching and addressing him. She would be escorted to his 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:52.920 room by eunuchs, her eyes downcast. The knight would either 0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:58.400 end with a polite dismissal from Suliman or a repeat invitation. 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:02.880 If she became pregnant that night or any night following, 0:12:03.400 --> 0:12:07.360 her position with the Ottoman Empire, and her safety would 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:11.679 be secured. We can speak of the material weight of 0:12:11.760 --> 0:12:15.440 these outcomes, but we just don't know anything about the 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:23.280 emotional weight of that first night. Was she afraid, determined, pleased, disgusted, numb, 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:26.440 a mix of all of it. We can be assured 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:30.240 that the Suleiman at least had a very good night 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:36.760 and the relationship continued. Roxalana gave birth to their first son, Mehmed, 0:12:37.120 --> 0:12:41.520 in fifteen twenty one, when she was likely around seventeen 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:48.040 years old. The phrase first son was until that point unprecedented, 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:51.920 as it implied a concubine would bear the sultan more 0:12:51.960 --> 0:12:57.600 than one possible heir. Ottoman policy declared one mother, one son. 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:01.320 There was no limit to how many daughters a concubine 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:04.360 could have with a sultan, but once she gave birth 0:13:04.400 --> 0:13:08.880 to a son, this sexual relationship ended. The idea was 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:12.079 that each potential heir to the throne would have the 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:16.040 undivided attention of his mother to best prepare him for 0:13:16.080 --> 0:13:21.760 his future. Ottoman succession differed from most major monarchies in 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:26.400 that the first born son did not automatically inherit the throne. 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:29.920 All living sons had a shot in a game of 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:34.240 survival of the fittest. Mehmed was the first child born 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:38.240 during Suliman's reign as sultan, but he was Suliman's fifth 0:13:38.320 --> 0:13:43.320 child overall. However, while rox Salana was pregnant or shortly 0:13:43.360 --> 0:13:49.240 after she gave birth, tragedy struck. Suleiman lost his eldest son, 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:54.320 his second eldest son, and his daughter in rapid succession, 0:13:55.000 --> 0:13:59.840 likely to a plague. His only surviving child until Mehmed 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:05.120 was another son, Mustapha, the son of the favorite before 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:10.560 Roxalana's arrival, a woman named Mahadevron. The timing of these 0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:16.240 events meant that Roxalana's status shifted dramatically in a short 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:20.280 amount of time. First the status boost that came with 0:14:20.400 --> 0:14:25.080 carrying the Sultan's child, then the additional boost that came 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:28.720 with the child being a boy, and finally an even 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:32.960 greater boost when her infant son became one of only 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:38.600 two remaining living heirs. Mehmid's birth also changed his mother's 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:43.320 legal status. She was now um al awad, or mother 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:46.960 of a child. While this did not grant her her freedom, 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:50.200 it meant that she could not be sold or given away, 0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:53.680 and she would automatically gain her freedom upon the death 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:58.080 of her master. As noted by the Venetian ambassador, when 0:14:58.160 --> 0:15:02.120 a woman gave birth to the Sultan's child, quote, her 0:15:02.160 --> 0:15:05.880 salary is increased, or rather, she is now given a 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:10.320 spending stipend quote, and she is honored and elevated above 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:14.600 the others and is served as a lady. The ambassador 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:18.120 also explained the role of the royal concubine in her 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:22.240 child's life. Quote. If she gives birth to a son, 0:15:22.720 --> 0:15:25.360 the boy is raised by his mother until the age 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:29.160 of ten or eleven. Then the Grand Turk gives him 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:34.280 a province and sends his mother with him. As we know, however, 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:38.400 things would play out differently for Rock Salana, who would 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:47.400 remain by her husband's or future husband's side. Breaking protocol. 0:15:47.880 --> 0:15:52.120 Suleiman invited Rock Salana back to his chambers after she 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:55.240 gave birth to a son, and she was pregnant once 0:15:55.280 --> 0:16:00.160 again by early fifteen twenty two. We don't know. We're 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:04.480 sure what prompted the rekindling of their relationship. Did they 0:16:04.520 --> 0:16:08.400 feel a mutual connection from the start, or was Rock 0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:13.160 Salana manipulating Suliman reluctant to share the power that she 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:18.320 had gained through Mehmet's birth. We can't answer those questions, 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:21.240 but we know their daughter, Mirima, was born in the 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:25.120 fall of that year, followed over the next few years 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:28.600 by the birth of their son Salim Abdullah and Bazid, 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:33.240 and later an additional son. Suliman was often away on 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:37.720 military campaigns during the pregnancies, but it was always Rock 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:41.840 Solana whom he returned home to. It was clear to 0:16:41.960 --> 0:16:46.400 those inside and outside the palace that not only did 0:16:46.400 --> 0:16:50.880 the Sultan have a new favorite, he was downright monogamous. 0:16:51.800 --> 0:16:56.280 We don't have records of Suliman and Roxalana's correspondence from 0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:59.760 these early years. Those will come later, so we have 0:16:59.840 --> 0:17:04.399 to rely on outside sources and conjecture to understand what 0:17:04.520 --> 0:17:08.480 their relationship might have been like at this time. Thankfully, 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:13.000 the Venetians in court loved to gossip. In fifteen twenty 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:16.760 two we see claims that the Sultan was very lustful, 0:17:17.240 --> 0:17:21.080 but by fifteen twenty four those shift, arguing that the 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:26.000 signor is not lustful, rather devoted to a single woman. 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:30.800 In fifteen twenty six, the ambassador notes that the Sultan 0:17:31.040 --> 0:17:34.560 no longer paid attention to the mother of his eldest son, 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:38.640 the former favorite, but gave all his affection to quote 0:17:38.920 --> 0:17:45.119 another woman of the Russian nation, namely rock Sollana. Among 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:48.320 the public, it's possible that this is the time during 0:17:48.320 --> 0:17:53.160 which the rumors of Roxalanna's sorcery begin to germinate, as 0:17:53.200 --> 0:17:57.879 there had never been a sultan committed to monogamy before. Yes, 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:02.760 even in the fifteen twenties, people were doing a polyamory discourse. 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:08.240 Subjects feared the sultan's devotion to his favorite concubine would 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:11.639 be a distraction from his duty, which they saw as 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:16.879 defending the borders from enemy threats. Additionally, they supported the 0:18:16.960 --> 0:18:20.879 system of succession as it functioned, and believed in the 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:25.679 tradition that each prince should have one devoted mother as 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:31.440 his personal adviser. Suleiman's mother, Hafsa, remained a trusted adviser 0:18:31.560 --> 0:18:35.400 even after her son's ascension, and she was responsible for 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:41.080 spearheading the construction of a massive public mosque complex, alongside 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:44.719 staying up to date with political affairs and maintaining her 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:49.520 own network of informants. Roxalana would later follow in her 0:18:49.520 --> 0:18:54.320 mother in law's footsteps. A story emerged around this time 0:18:54.440 --> 0:18:58.760 that shines some light on rock Salana's feelings and or 0:18:58.960 --> 0:19:04.959 tactics for ensuring her own continued survival and comfort in 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:10.040 the palace. As reported by the ambassador, quote, the Sultan 0:19:10.280 --> 0:19:14.480 was given two beautiful Russian maidens by a provincial governor, 0:19:14.880 --> 0:19:17.720 one for his mother and one for him. When they 0:19:17.840 --> 0:19:22.160 arrived in the palace, his second wife, wife meaning favorite 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:27.600 here whom he esteems at present, became extremely unhappy and 0:19:27.760 --> 0:19:32.600 flung herself to the ground weeping. The ambassador then noted 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:36.120 the reaction of Hafsa and the Sultan himself as they 0:19:36.160 --> 0:19:41.320 attempted to ease rock Salana's sadness. Quote. The mother who 0:19:41.320 --> 0:19:44.760 had given her maiden to the Sultan was sorry about 0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:47.800 what she had done, took her back and sent her 0:19:47.840 --> 0:19:50.760 to one of the governors as wife, and the Sultan 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:55.200 agreed to send his to another governor because his wife 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:59.160 would have perished from sorrow if these maidens, or even 0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:04.240 one of them, had remained in the palace. Whether Roxalana 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:08.440 gave an Academy award winning performance or if she truly 0:20:08.760 --> 0:20:13.120 was so attached to Suliman, she certainly was not the 0:20:13.200 --> 0:20:18.120 first concubine to experience jealousy. The uniqueness here is how 0:20:18.119 --> 0:20:22.240 both Hafsa, the head of the house, and Suliman himself 0:20:22.640 --> 0:20:27.680 not only acquiesced to Roxalana's emotional needs but felt remorse. 0:20:28.320 --> 0:20:31.639 These are the two most powerful people in the empire, 0:20:32.000 --> 0:20:37.600 and Roxalana's feelings were clearly important to both of them. 0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:41.800 Our first surviving letters from the couple come from fifteen 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:45.919 twenty six. My Sultan, there is no limit to the 0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:52.240 burning anguish of separation. Roxalana's earliest surviving letter concludes, now 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:56.760 spare this miserable one and do not withhold your noble letters, 0:20:57.240 --> 0:21:01.560 let my soul gain at least some comfort. The poetry 0:21:01.600 --> 0:21:06.879 of her letters also takes inspiration from Islamic tradition. Quote 0:21:07.080 --> 0:21:10.400 oh you with the face of Yusef and words sweet 0:21:10.440 --> 0:21:14.040 as candy she writes to her lover. Based on the 0:21:14.160 --> 0:21:18.760 penmanship these letters were written by a Harem scribe, and 0:21:18.960 --> 0:21:23.320 Roxalana's Turkish was not at the level of composing stanzas, 0:21:23.760 --> 0:21:28.080 but it's probable she dictated what sentiments to include. The 0:21:28.160 --> 0:21:32.320 comparison of her lover to Yusef, the counterpart of Joseph, 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:36.200 for those more familiar with the Hebrew or Christian Bible, 0:21:36.680 --> 0:21:40.119 takes on a level of irony when considering the story 0:21:40.240 --> 0:21:44.919 of Zuleka, or Potiphar's wife in the Hebrew tradition of 0:21:44.960 --> 0:21:49.320 the story. While Potiphar's wife is known traditionally as a 0:21:49.359 --> 0:21:54.000 seductress and a villainous, a number of great Muslim poets 0:21:54.080 --> 0:21:58.119 Roxalana would have been familiar with saw Zuleika's lust for 0:21:58.280 --> 0:22:09.200 Joseph as the soul's lust for God. After fifteen twenty six, 0:22:09.320 --> 0:22:13.000 there's a lull in information regarding rock Salana, but she 0:22:13.080 --> 0:22:17.280 becomes a subject of great interest again in fifteen thirty four, 0:22:17.840 --> 0:22:22.280 as the result of a shocking revelation. A journal entry 0:22:22.320 --> 0:22:26.160 from the Genoese Bank of Saint George in Istambul reads quote, 0:22:26.600 --> 0:22:29.560 this week, there has occurred in this city a most 0:22:29.640 --> 0:22:35.520 extraordinary event, one absolutely unprecedented in the history of the sultans. 0:22:36.040 --> 0:22:40.200 The Grand Signor Suliman has taken to himself as his empress, 0:22:40.480 --> 0:22:44.200 a slave woman from Russia called rock Salana, and the 0:22:44.240 --> 0:22:48.760 festivities have been beyond all record. At night, the principal 0:22:48.800 --> 0:22:52.640 streets were gaily illuminated, and there is much music and feasting. 0:22:53.200 --> 0:22:57.159 The houses are festooned with garlands, and there are everywhere 0:22:57.520 --> 0:23:00.679 swings in which the people swing by the hour with 0:23:00.800 --> 0:23:05.040 great enjoyment. There is great talk about the marriage, and 0:23:05.080 --> 0:23:09.400 none can say what it means. It was an accurate statement. 0:23:09.880 --> 0:23:13.119 Who could say what it meant for a sultan to 0:23:13.320 --> 0:23:18.000 marry his concubine. Roxalana, by this point was technically no 0:23:18.040 --> 0:23:21.960 longer his concubine either. He had granted her her freedom 0:23:22.040 --> 0:23:25.399 before they married, not to mention the fact that a 0:23:25.480 --> 0:23:28.479 sultan had not been married at all in over one 0:23:28.560 --> 0:23:33.000 hundred years. Political marriages used to be common, but ceased 0:23:33.080 --> 0:23:37.520 by the fifteenth century. The marriage broke a collection of 0:23:37.600 --> 0:23:42.840 traditions all at once. Timing wise, we know the marriage 0:23:42.880 --> 0:23:48.359 of Roxalana and Suliman likely followed the passing of Suliman's mother, Hafsa, 0:23:48.760 --> 0:23:51.800 who herself did not gain her freedom until the death 0:23:51.840 --> 0:23:56.800 of her master, Suliman's father. It would have been disrespectful 0:23:56.880 --> 0:24:00.840 to Hafsa, the highest ranking woman of the empire, for 0:24:00.960 --> 0:24:05.959 Suliman to elevate ro Sollana's position while the queen mother lived. 0:24:06.600 --> 0:24:12.000 Elevating Roxalana through marriage also served a political purpose for Suliman. 0:24:12.560 --> 0:24:15.960 He was about to embark on a long military campaign 0:24:16.040 --> 0:24:19.880 in Iran, and he needed trustworthy eyes and ears in 0:24:19.920 --> 0:24:23.880 Istanbul now that his mother was gone. So there were 0:24:23.920 --> 0:24:28.439 the political reasons, and then there were the personal. Suliman 0:24:28.720 --> 0:24:34.000 was devoted to Roxalana and was legitimizing her position as 0:24:34.080 --> 0:24:38.639 the mother of his children and a woman of exceptional status. 0:24:39.560 --> 0:24:43.920 Upon the marriage, she relocated to the new palace, becoming 0:24:44.080 --> 0:24:47.320 the first woman to do so. She would move with 0:24:47.440 --> 0:24:51.119 her entourage and the now thirteen year old Memate, and 0:24:51.240 --> 0:24:54.760 Suliman surely wanted both of them to be closer to 0:24:54.840 --> 0:24:59.000 the political heart of the empire. From a Venetian observer. 0:24:59.200 --> 0:25:05.520 We learned that Ra Roxallana's quarters were splendid with chapels, baths, gardens, 0:25:05.520 --> 0:25:08.919 and other amenities, not only for herself but for her 0:25:09.000 --> 0:25:12.480 damsels as well, of which she keeps as many as 0:25:12.560 --> 0:25:17.720 one hundred. Over time, Roxalana's quarters would grow into an 0:25:17.960 --> 0:25:22.800 entire wing of the palace that housed the imperial Harem. 0:25:23.119 --> 0:25:26.480 It was under her guidance that the gender politics of 0:25:26.520 --> 0:25:31.080 the empire began to shift and women became more involved 0:25:31.160 --> 0:25:36.760 in the political sphere. Roxalanna kept Suleiman informed during his 0:25:36.880 --> 0:25:41.600 time away by maintaining an information network, just as her 0:25:41.800 --> 0:25:45.480 late mother in law had done before her. The stewards 0:25:45.480 --> 0:25:49.000 and eunuchs in her service would pick up gossip from 0:25:49.040 --> 0:25:53.119 both inside and outside the palace walls. She began to 0:25:53.200 --> 0:25:57.919 work with Hofsa's former go between and even her own son, Mehmed, 0:25:58.240 --> 0:26:02.400 who could provide access to men mens spaces that Roxalana 0:26:02.520 --> 0:26:07.800 was barred from. The network wasn't the only thing Roxalana 0:26:07.920 --> 0:26:12.439 was building. In fifteen thirty eight, construction began on a 0:26:12.560 --> 0:26:18.119 new mosque in Istanbul, outside the city's imperial core. It 0:26:18.160 --> 0:26:22.720 would soon expand to include two schools, primary and a 0:26:22.760 --> 0:26:27.359 secondary A soup kitchen was built, including a fountain in 0:26:27.440 --> 0:26:31.359 its courtyard which could provide fresh water to the neighborhood. 0:26:32.000 --> 0:26:35.320 A couple of years in, the complex even gained a hospital, 0:26:35.760 --> 0:26:39.679 a rare amenity for the time. Charitable giving was a 0:26:39.760 --> 0:26:44.320 requirement for all Muslims with disposable income, and the imperial 0:26:44.359 --> 0:26:49.720 household was no exception. Philanthropy, however, was traditionally the queen 0:26:49.960 --> 0:26:56.040 mother's job. While breaking yet another norm, Roxalana's ambitious project, 0:26:56.200 --> 0:27:00.359 upon her elevation, would have attempted to legitimize her in 0:27:00.400 --> 0:27:04.040 the eyes of the people who still called her ziyati 0:27:04.119 --> 0:27:09.439 in their whispers, or which The mosque complex also served 0:27:09.480 --> 0:27:13.720 a larger purpose as an instrumental piece of Suliman's agenda, 0:27:14.240 --> 0:27:19.000 which sought to consolidate a stronger Sunni Muslim identity, achieved 0:27:19.000 --> 0:27:25.800 in part through philanthropy. Roxalana's project was additionally historic for women. 0:27:26.520 --> 0:27:30.640 It was the first foundation in Istanbul donated by and 0:27:30.880 --> 0:27:35.400 named after a woman. The neighborhood selected for its location 0:27:36.040 --> 0:27:40.280 was associated with women, home to the weekly Avrat Pazar 0:27:40.440 --> 0:27:45.920 or women's market. We also know that Roxalana specifically requested 0:27:46.000 --> 0:27:49.440 a female scribe to work on the project in an 0:27:49.520 --> 0:27:54.359 administrative position, a rarity for the time, which gives credence 0:27:54.400 --> 0:27:58.080 to the idea that her project was designed to uplift 0:27:58.160 --> 0:28:04.400 women's circumstances. The project was a resounding success. A few 0:28:04.440 --> 0:28:09.400 decades later, an Ottoman historian remarked that the exalted Mosque 0:28:09.480 --> 0:28:12.840 and the various other quote good works of the Hesseki 0:28:12.920 --> 0:28:18.199 Sultan were known to all human kind. In addition to 0:28:18.280 --> 0:28:24.520 her philanthropic efforts, Roxalana established new diplomatic relations for the empire. 0:28:25.040 --> 0:28:29.480 When the Polish king died in fifteen forty eight, Roxalana 0:28:29.640 --> 0:28:35.440 established diplomatic correspondence with the Polish monarchy, congratulating the king's 0:28:35.520 --> 0:28:39.640 son on his ascension. She would continue to cultivate more 0:28:39.760 --> 0:28:44.600 contacts in Europe and maintain correspondence with Safavid royal women, 0:28:45.200 --> 0:28:48.680 pioneering a new role for the women that would follow her. 0:28:49.320 --> 0:28:53.200 The Ottomans had had female diplomat in the past, but 0:28:53.400 --> 0:28:57.880 as elite women became more secluded, women were no longer 0:28:57.920 --> 0:29:04.160 employed for negotiations ords, peace treaties. Roxalana established letter writing 0:29:04.560 --> 0:29:08.000 as a method of diplomacy for women, and by the 0:29:08.120 --> 0:29:11.800 end of the century, the mother of her grandson was 0:29:11.880 --> 0:29:16.440 corresponding with Catherine de Medici, while the next Queen Mother 0:29:16.920 --> 0:29:21.520 exchanged gifts with Elizabeth the First. As we students of 0:29:21.640 --> 0:29:27.160 history know, these relationships between important women are incredibly important 0:29:27.200 --> 0:29:33.360 in establishing good relations between nations. Roxalana was now also 0:29:33.520 --> 0:29:36.960 in charge of the major affairs of the Old Palace. 0:29:37.560 --> 0:29:40.480 While day to day management was the job of the 0:29:40.640 --> 0:29:45.080 internal staff, Roxalana was in charge of major decisions and 0:29:45.280 --> 0:29:49.800 resolving problems. She became involved in matchmaking the girls of 0:29:49.840 --> 0:29:54.920 the Imperial Harem, which likely served several purposes. The first 0:29:54.960 --> 0:29:58.280 and most cynical is that it kept them away from 0:29:58.440 --> 0:30:02.040 her husband. Scond reason is that it's not hard to 0:30:02.120 --> 0:30:05.400 imagine the empathy she felt for those in the place 0:30:05.640 --> 0:30:09.880 she once was, but now she could help in securing 0:30:09.920 --> 0:30:19.600 them better futures and eventually freedom. In fifteen forty three, 0:30:19.800 --> 0:30:24.920 the family was faced with great tragedy the death of Mehmed. 0:30:25.440 --> 0:30:30.200 He had contracted an illness, likely smallpox, during the celebration 0:30:30.440 --> 0:30:34.800 for his father's recent military victory, mirroring the loss of 0:30:34.840 --> 0:30:39.800 Suliman's first three children upon his triumphant return to Istanbul. 0:30:40.160 --> 0:30:45.120 Around the time of Mehmed's birth, My Sultan Mehmed distinguished 0:30:45.160 --> 0:30:48.600