1. The founder of the Ottoman Empire; Osman Bey, the son of Ertuğrul Ghazi and Hayme Hatun, who are both of Turkish origin. Osman Ghazi's wife is Mal Hatun. While he is of Turkish origin, some sources claim that he had Mongol ancestry.
2. Ottoman Sultan; Orhan's mother is Mal Hatun, the daughter of Sheikh Edebali, a scholar from Anatolia, and Orhan Ghazi's mother.
3. Ottoman Sultan; I. Murat Hüdavendigar's mother is Herofira Hatun. She converted to Islam of her own will and took the name Nilüfer.
4. Ottoman Sultan; Yıldırım Beyazıt's mother is Maria, of Bulgarian origin. She later converted to Islam and took the name Gülçiçek Hatun.
5. Ottoman Sultan; I. Mehmet (Çelebi Mehmet), his mother Devletşah Valide Sultan, is Turkish and the daughter of Süleyman Şah, the Bey of Germiyanogullari. Since there is not much information about her, it is claimed that she may not be Turkish. However, during the conflict between the Karamanogullari and the Ottomans, Süleyman Şah sent his daughter Devlet Hatun to Yıldırım Bayazid as a gift.
6. Ottoman Sultan; Sultan II. Murad's mother, Emine Hatun, is Turkish and came from the Dulkadir Principality to the Ottomans.
7. Ottoman Sultan; The mother of Fatih Sultan Mehmed is Hüma Hatun, the daughter of Taceddin Bey. However, according to some Western historians, she is Princess Despina, the daughter of Serbian King Branković. There is not much information about her, and for this reason, most historians refer to Babinger, the German historian, as a source. According to Babinger, the name Hüma is a fabricated name from an eastern legend, and Sultan Mehmed's mother is Serbian.
8. Ottoman Sultan; The mother of Sultan II. Beyazıt is Siti Hatun from the Dulkadir dynasty. It is said that when Sultan Bayazid passed away, Gülbahar Hatun, one of Fatih Sultan Mehmed's consorts, acted as his mother.
9. Ottoman Sultan; Yavuz Sultan Selim's mother is from the Dulkadir dynasty, the son of Sultan Bayazid II. It is said that she may be Bülbül Hatun, and some sources claim she was a concubine of Romanian origin named Beti.
10. Ottoman Sultan; The mother of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman, i.e., the wife of Yavuz Sultan Selim, is Hafsa Sultan, the daughter of Crimean Khan Mengli Giray Khan. Some sources claim that Kanuni Sultan Süleyman's mother was actually a Polish Jew named Helga, and Hafsa Sultan adopted her. However, it is certain that she was brought from Crimea. She was the first Valide Sultan in history. Valide Sultan is the title given to the living mothers of the sultans during their reigns, and it began to be used after the era of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman.
11. Ottoman Sultan; The mother of Sultan II. Selim is Russian Roxelana, who converted to Islam and took the name Hürrem Sultan.
12. Ottoman Sultan; III. Murat's mother is Venetian (Italian) Rasel, who converted to Islam and took the name Nurbanu Sultan.
13. Ottoman Sultan; III. Mehmet's mother is Venetian Bafo, who converted to Islam and took the name Safiye Sultan. It is also said that she was Albanian.
14. Ottoman Sultan; I. Ahmed's mother is Greek Helen, who took the name Handan Sultan.
15. Ottoman Sultan; The mother of I. Mustafa is Halime Sultan, who is of Abkhazian origin.
16. Ottoman Sultan; II. Osman's mother is either Rum or Serbian Evdoksiya. She took the name Mahfiruz Haseki Sultan.
17. Ottoman Sultan; IV. Murat's mother is Rum Anastasia, who took the name Kösem Sultan. Some sources claim she was from Bosnia.
18. Ottoman Sultan; The mother of Ibrahim is also Kösem Sultan.
19. Ottoman Sultan; IV. Mehmet's mother is Ukrainian Nadia, who took the name Hatice Turhan Sultan. She engaged in intense struggle with Kösem Sultan and had a significant influence on state administration for about 40 years.
20. Ottoman Sultan; II. Süleyman's mother is Serbian Catherine, who took the name Saliha Dilaşub Valide Sultan.
21. Ottoman Sultan; II. Ahmed's mother is Polish and of Jewish origin, Eva, who took the name Hatice Muazzez Sultan.
22. Ottoman Sultan; II. Mustafa's mother is of Rum origin, Evemia, who took the name Emetullah Gülnuş Sultan.
23. Ottoman Sultan; III. Ahmed's mother is again Gülnuş Sultan.
24. Ottoman Sultan; I. Mahmud's mother is of Rum origin, Aleksandra (She is from the Greeks of Istanbul), who took the name Saliha Sultan.
25. Ottoman Sultan; III. Osman's mother is of Serbian origin, Mari, who took the name Şehsuvar Valide Sultan.
26. Ottoman Sultan; III. Mustafa's mother is of French origin, Janet, who took the name Mihrişah Sultan.
27. Ottoman Sultan; I. Abdülhamid's mother is a French-born concubine named Ida, who took the name Rabia Şermi Sultan. It is said that she was born in Hungary.
28. Ottoman Sultan; III. Selim's mother is Agnes of Genoese origin, who took the name Mihrişah Sultan.
29. Ottoman Sultan; IV. Mustafa's mother is of Bulgarian origin, Sonya, who took the name Sine Perver Ayşe Sultan.
30. Ottoman Sultan; II. Mahmud's mother is of French origin, Rivery, who took the name Nakşidil Sultan. It is highly likely that she was the niece of Napoleon Bonaparte's first wife, Josephine.
31. Ottoman Sultan; Sultan Abdülmecid's mother is Georgian, of Jewish origin named Suzi. She took the name Bezmialem Sultan. The Bezmialem Mosque and School in Dolmabahçe are named after her.
32. Ottoman Sultan; Abdülaziz's mother is Pertev Nihal Sultan, who is of Georgian origin. She built the Pertevniyal Mosque and School. Some sources even state that she was of Romanian origin.
33. Ottoman Sultan; V. Murad's mother is Vilma of French origin, who took the name Şefkefza Sultan.
34. Ottoman Sultan; II. Abdülhamid's mother is claimed to be of Armenian origin, Virjin, but recent research suggests that she was of Tatar or Crimean origin.
35. Ottoman Sultan; Mehmet Reşad's mother is Cavidan Valide Sultan, who is of Georgian origin.
36. Ottoman Sultan; Vahdettin's mother is Şehsuvar Sultan, who is of Georgian origin.
Why did Ottoman Sultans Marry Foreign Women?
Until Fatih Sultan Mehmed, that is, until the Ottoman Empire reached the status of a state and an empire, Ottoman Sultans married not only Turkish women but also free foreign women. By free women, I mean princesses or daughters of neighboring emirates. Their aim was to strengthen bilateral relations and establish kinship ties with neighboring kingdoms and emirates.
Now, if we look at what changed with Fatih Sultan Mehmed, he famously incorporated all the lands in Anatolia into the Ottoman Empire and even reached the gates of Rome in Italy. As a result, there were no kingdoms left in the vicinity to form alliances with. Instead, the Ottoman Empire transitioned to the splendid Harem system, taking steps to ensure the state's continuity. This meant marriages and unions with well-educated and knowledgeable concubines raised in the palace, allowing individuals raised in the same culture to continue the order.
While the Harem is a debated institution, it's important to look at history. Despite attempts to launch campaigns to discredit the Harem system and consequently the Ottoman Empire, using fabricated information from Western sources, one must acknowledge the merits of the system. The Harem is like a complete academy. It places great emphasis on education and culture from an early age, as the mother of the future Ottoman ruler is raised within it.
So, why weren't the mothers of the Sultans Turkish?
To understand why most Sultan mothers were not Turkish, we need to examine the state system of the Ottoman Empire. Until the Tanzimat period, Turkish language and identity were not emphasized to a significant extent. Instead, Ottomanism and the leadership of the Islamic world were highlighted, without regard for identity distinctions. This was a fundamental characteristic that both sustained and earned admiration for the Ottoman Empire's tolerance even today.
This same logic applied not only in the Harem but also in the institution that trained statesmen for the Ottoman Empire. Children brought from different nations, especially from the Balkans at a young age with no remaining family ties, received exceptional education in the Enderun and served as statesmen in the palace. A prominent example is Sokullu Mehmet Pasha, the Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent, who, despite being a devout Muslim, came from a family of devout Christians (in fact, his father was a priest).
Likewise, this logic extended to the Harem. After receiving excellent education at a young age and with no familial ties, a girl would become the Sultan's mother with the approval of the Valide Sultan. What advantages did this bring?
To illustrate, consider the period leading up to the conquest of Istanbul, the early days of the Ottoman Empire. The Sultans contended with their own sons, as almost after every Sultan's death, the princes in their respective regions declared themselves as rulers. For instance, if we imagine any Ottoman Sultan (without specifying a particular era, as this could happen at any time) taking a wife from the Hungarian King, one from the Bey of Antalya, another from the Bey of Ankara, and yet another from the Sharif of Mecca, when the Sultan with sons from each of these wives passed away, the people of Ankara would support their own grandson or relative to ascend the throne, and the same would happen in Antalya, Hungary, and even the Sharif of Mecca would not send an army to support the ascension of a grandson unless it was his own. In such a scenario, internal conflict and civil war could erupt simultaneously in every corner of the Ottoman Empire, jeopardizing its unity.
Moreover, if the relatives of the Sultan mothers or wives were present in Anatolia, they could potentially abuse their influence by falsely claiming to be related to the Sultan, causing unnecessary oppression to the people. Therefore, through the Harem system, the authority of the Ottoman Empire was consolidated in the hands of one.
Contrary to what some may say, the mothers of the Sultans never engaged in espionage, sabotage, or attempted to shape the state on behalf of their respective countries. In short, none of them committed treachery; even though many hailed from Christian countries, they helped their offspring, the future rulers, receive a strong Islamic education. While exceptions exist, it's important to note that pressure was not exerted on the girls entering the Harem to convert to Islam; rather, they willingly adopted the religion due to the education and knowledge they gained.
Were the Sultan's mothers Muslim or not? Firstly, the girls who entered the palace received extensive education and, because they started this education at a young age, they readily let go of their previous religious beliefs and customs. Consequently, all mothers of Ottoman Sultans were Muslims. However, there are exceptions, particularly among the wives of the Sultans, where some maintained their Christian faith without converting. For instance, the stepmother of Mehmed the Conqueror and the wife of Sultan Murad II were of Christian origin. In fact, Mehmed the Conqueror gave his Christian stepmother what they considered sacred: the skull of Prophet John (Yahya). This relic is currently on display in the Sacred Trusts section of the Topkapi Palace Museum.
This shows that the Ottoman Empire was a confident state, as there was no pressure on the palace women to change their religion. Of course, the number of women who maintained their original faith was in the minority. This fact indicates that the Ottoman Empire was a state that valued its own identity. Additionally, historical sources indicate that among those living in the Harem, there were women who performed their five daily prayers.
Thanks to the Harem system, the Sultan only knew his own mother. Otherwise, using the same example, if each of the Sultan's four wives brought their siblings into the palace, along with their aunts, uncles, and their families, the palace would descend into chaos.
The real intrigues would have begun then. Thanks to the Harem system, Sultan mothers without familial ties focused all their attention on their children.
While some rely on foreign sources and launch campaigns to discredit the Ottoman dynastic system, especially by emphasizing that they did not marry Turks, there is no historical connection between the Sultan mothers or those in the Harem and the countries they came from. There were no instances of espionage, sabotage, or attempts to shape the state on behalf of their native countries. In short, none of them committed treason. Despite hailing from various European countries, they became honorable, virtuous, and powerful women due to the education they received and their selection.
In the palaces and kingdoms of Europe, marriages resembling today's strategic corporate unions were often planned and commissioned to strengthen authority. In such cases, the beauty of queens was rarely discussed. However, due to the presence of the Harem system in the Ottoman Empire, the selection of girls who were healthy and beautiful was preferred. This resulted in the most beautiful palace women in history being found in the Ottoman Empire.
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