Information about Mahidevran Sultan Suleiman was still a şehzade (Ottoman prince) and the governor of Manisa sanjak (then known as Saruhan) when she gave birth to Şehzade Mustafa in 1515. When Selim I died in 1520, Suleiman moved to Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, along with his family to ascend the throne. In the Istanbul harem, Mahidevran Sultan had a very influential rival, Hürrem Sultan, who soon proved to be Suleiman’s favorite consort as well as his legal wife. Hürrem gave birth to her first son Mehmed in 1521 (who died in 1543) and then Selim (future sultan Selim II) in 1524, destroying Mahidevran’s status of being the mother of the sultan’s only son. The rivalry between the two women was partially suppressed by Ayşe Hafsa Sultan, Suleiman’s mother,[9] but after her death in 1534, as a result of the bitter rivalry a fight between the two women broke out, with Mahidevran beating Hürrem. This angered Suleiman, who subsequently sent Mahidevran to live with her son. According to Turkish tradition, all princes were expected to work as provincial governors (Sanjak-bey) as a part of their training. Mustafa was sent to Manisa and Mahidevran accompanied him. Towards the end of Suleiman’s long reign, the rivalry between his sons became evident. Furthermore, both Hürrem Sultan and the grand vizier Rüstem Pasha turned him against Mustafa and Mustafa was accused of causing unrest. During the campaign against Safavid Persia in 1553, Suleiman ordered the execution of Mustafa. For several years after her son’s execution, Mahidevran lived a troubled life. She moved to Bursa where her son’s tomb lay, but lived in poverty for she had almost no income of her own. Her last years, however, were not in poverty, for Selim II, the new sultan after 1566 as well as her stepson, put her on a salary. She died in 1581.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 08:44:58 +0000
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