Valide Sultan (, lit. "Sultana mother") was the title held by the mother of a ruling
sultan of the Ottoman Empire
The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...
. The Ottomans first formally used the title in the 16th century as an epithet of
Hafsa Sultan
Ayşe Hafsa Sultan (; 1478/1479 - 19 March 1534), was a concubine of Selim I and the mother of Suleiman the Magnificent. She was the first Valide Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and, during the period between her son's enthronement in 1520 until ...
(died 1534), mother of Sultan
Suleyman I (), superseding the previous epithets of Valide Hatun (lady mother), ''
mehd-i ulya'' ("cradle of the great").
[
] or "the nacre of the pearl of the sultanate".
[ Peirce, Leslie P., ''The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire'', ]Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 1993, (paperback)
Normally, the living mother of a reigning sultan held this title. Those mothers who died before their sons' accession to the throne never received the title of . In special cases sisters, grandmothers and stepmothers of a reigning sultan assumed the title and/or the functions .
Term
The word () literally means 'mother' in Ottoman Turkish, from Arabic . The
Turkish pronunciation of the word is .
Sultan
Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
(, ) is an
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
word originally meaning 'authority' or 'dominion'. By the beginning of the 16th century, this title, carried by both men and women of the Ottoman dynasty, was replacing other titles by which prominent members of the imperial family had been known (notably ''
hatun
Khatun ( ) is a title of the female counterpart to a khan or a khagan of the Turkic Khaganates and in the subsequent Mongol Empire.
Etymology and history
Before the advent of Islam in Central Asia, Khatun was the title of the queen of Bukhara. ...
'' for women and ''
bey
Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...
'' for men). Consequently, the title (title for living mother of reigning Ottoman sultan before 16th century) also turned into . This usage underlines the Ottoman conception of sovereign power as family prerogative.
Western tradition knows the Ottoman ruler as ''sultan'', but the Ottomans themselves used (emperor) or to refer to their ruler. The emperor's formal title consisted of ''sultan'' together with ''khan'' (for example, Sultan Suleiman Khan). In formal address, the sultan's children were also entitled ''sultan'', with imperial princes (
şehzade
''Şehzade'' () is the Ottoman form of the Persian title '' Shahzadeh'', and refers to the male descendants of an Ottoman sovereign in the male line. This title is equivalent to " prince of the blood imperial" in English.
Origin
''Şehzade'' d ...
) carrying the title before their given name, with imperial princesses carrying it after. For example,
Şehzade Sultan Mehmed and
Mihrimah Sultan were the son and daughter of Suleiman the Magnificent. Like imperial princesses, the living mother and main consort of reigning sultans also carried the title after their given names, for example,
Hafsa Sultan
Ayşe Hafsa Sultan (; 1478/1479 - 19 March 1534), was a concubine of Selim I and the mother of Suleiman the Magnificent. She was the first Valide Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and, during the period between her son's enthronement in 1520 until ...
, Suleiman's mother and first , and
Hürrem Sultan
Hürrem Sultan (; , "''the joyful one''"; 1505– 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana (), was the chief consort, the first Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and the mothe ...
, Suleiman's chief consort and first ''
haseki sultan
Haseki Sultan (, ''Ḫāṣekī Sulṭān'' ) was the title used for the chief consort of an Ottoman sultan. In later years, the meaning of the title changed to "imperial consort". Hurrem Sultan, principal consort and legal wife of Suleiman the ...
''. The evolving usage of this title reflected power shifts among imperial women, especially between the
Sultanate of Women
The Sultanate of Women () was a period when some consorts, mothers, sisters and grandmother of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire exerted extraordinary political influence.
This phenomenon took place from roughly 1534 to 1715, beginning in the r ...
, as the position of main consort eroded over the course of 17th century, the main consort lost the title ''sultan'', which replaced by , a title related to the earlier . Henceforth, the mother of the reigning sultan was the only person of non-imperial blood to carry the title ''sultan''.
Role and position

was, in most cases, the most important position in the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
after the sultan himself. As the mother to the sultan, by
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
ic tradition ("A mother's right is God's right"), the would often have a significant influence on the affairs of the empire. She had great power in the court and her own rooms (always adjacent to her son's) and state staff.
The valide sultan had quarters within the New Palace, where the Sultan himself resided, beginning in the 16th century.
As the Valide sultan (Sultana mother), who had direct and intimate access to the Sultan's person, often influenced government decisions bypassing the Imperial Council and the Grand Vizier altogether or the grille-covered window from which the Sultan or Valide sultan could observe Council meetings. This left her at the heart of the political ongoings and machinations of the Ottoman Empire. also traditionally had access to considerable economic resources and often funded major architectural projects, such as the Atik Valide Mosque Complex in Istanbul. Many valide sultans undertook massive philanthropic endeavors and buildings, as this was seen as one of the main ways to demonstrate influence and wealth. Valide sultans were also conveniently one of the few people within the empire with the station and means to embark on these expensive projects.
Nurbanu Sultan
Nurbanu Sultan (; 1525 – 7 December 1583) was Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and legal wife of Sultan Selim II (reign 1566–1574), as the mother of Sultan Murad III (reign 1574–1583) and the Valide sultan of the Ottoman Empire from ...
's daily stipend as valide sultan to her son,
Murad III
Murad III (; ; 4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. His rule saw battles with the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburgs and exhausting wars with the Safavid Iran, Safavids. The long-inde ...
, was 2000 aspers, an extraordinary sum for the time, which revealed the highly influential position she held at court.
The valide sultan also maintained special privileges that other harem members could not participate in. A valide sultan was not subject to sole seclusion within the confines of the palace. She had mobility outside of the harem, sometimes through ceremonial visibility to the public or veiled meetings with government officials and diplomats. Additionally, the valide sultan spearheaded one of the most crucial elements of diplomacy within the Ottoman Empire’s court: marriages of royal princesses. The most powerful and influential valide sultans had multiple daughters, with whom they forged crucial alliances through by marriage.
During the 17th century, in a period known as the
Sultanate of Women
The Sultanate of Women () was a period when some consorts, mothers, sisters and grandmother of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire exerted extraordinary political influence.
This phenomenon took place from roughly 1534 to 1715, beginning in the r ...
, a series of incompetent or child sultans raised the role of the to new heights. Two Valide sultans acted as regents for their sons, assuming the vast power and influence the position entailed.
The most powerful and well-known of all in the history of the Ottoman Empire were
Nurbanu Sultan
Nurbanu Sultan (; 1525 – 7 December 1583) was Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and legal wife of Sultan Selim II (reign 1566–1574), as the mother of Sultan Murad III (reign 1574–1583) and the Valide sultan of the Ottoman Empire from ...
,
Safiye Sultan,
Kösem Sultan
Kösem Sultan (; 1589 – 2 September 1651), also known as Mahpeyker Sultan (;), was the Haseki sultan, Haseki Sultan as the chief consort and legal wife of the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, Valide sultan, Vali ...
, and
Turhan Sultan
Hatice Turhan Sultan (, "''merciful"'' or "''noble''"; 1627 – 4 August 1683) was the first Haseki sultan of the Ottoman sultan Ibrahim (), and Valide sultan as the mother of Mehmed IV () as well as the Official Regent of the Ottoman Empi ...
.
Nurbanu Sultan became the first of the great valide sultans during the sixteenth century, as haseki as well as legal wife to Sultan Selim II. Nurbanu’s influential career as valide sultan established the precedent of valide sultan maintaining more power than her nearest harem rival, the haseki, or favorite concubine of the reigning sultan. The following influential valide sultans, Safiye Sultan, Kösem Sultan and Turhan Sultan, maintained this precedent and occupied positions of extreme power within the Ottoman imperial court. These positions helped them solidify their own power within the imperial court and ease diplomatic tensions on a broader, international scale.
Most harem women who were slaves were never formally married to the sultans. Nevertheless, their children were
considered fully legitimate under
Islamic law
Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...
if recognized by the father.
List of
The list does not include the complete
list of mothers of the Ottoman sultans
This is a list of the biological mothers of Ottoman sultans. There were thirty-six sultans of the Ottoman Empire in twenty-one generations (during early days the title ''Bey'' or ''Ghazi'' was used instead of ''Sultan''). Throughout the six-centur ...
. Most who held the title of were the biological mothers of the reigning sultans. The mothers who died before their sons' accession to throne, never assumed the title of , like
Hürrem Sultan
Hürrem Sultan (; , "''the joyful one''"; 1505– 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana (), was the chief consort, the first Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and the mothe ...
,
Muazzez Sultan
Hatice Muazzez Sultan (, "''respectful lady''" and "''precious''"; – 12 September 1687) was the third Haseki Sultan of Sultan Ibrahim and the mother of Sultan Ahmed II.
Life
Muazzez entered in Ibrahim's harem around 1640, became his concub ...
,
Mihrişah Kadın Mihrişah may refer to:
* Mihrişah Kadin (mother of Mustafa III) (d. 1732), consort of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III, and the mother of Mustafa III
* Mihrişah Sultan (mother of Selim III)
Mihrişah Sultan (; "''sun/light of the Şah''"; 1745 � ...
,
Şermi Kadın,
Tirimüjgan Kadın
Gülnihal Tirimüjgan Kadın (16 October 1819 – 3 October 1852; , ''young rose'' and ''darting eyelashes'') was a consort of Sultan Abdulmejid I, and the mother of Sultan Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire.
Early life
Tirimüjgan was of Sha ...
,
Gülcemal Kadın
Gülcemal Kadın (; 1826 – 29 November 1851) was a consort of Sultan Abdulmejid I, and the mother of Sultan Mehmed V of the Ottoman Empire.
Early life
Of Bosnian origin, Gülcemal Kadın was born around 1826 at Sarajevo. She had one sister, ...
and
Gülistu Kadın
Gülistü Kadin, called also Gülüstü Kadin, Gülistu Hanim or Gülüstu Hanim (; ; "''garden'' ''rose''"; born Princess Fatma Chachba; 1830 - 1861) was a consort of Sultan Abdulmejid I, and the mother of Sultan Mehmed VI, the last Sultan of ...
. In special cases, there were grandmothers, stepmothers, adoptive mothers and sisters of the reigning sultans who assumed the role, and eventually the title, of , like
Mihrimah Sultan,
Kösem Sultan
Kösem Sultan (; 1589 – 2 September 1651), also known as Mahpeyker Sultan (;), was the Haseki sultan, Haseki Sultan as the chief consort and legal wife of the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, Valide sultan, Vali ...
and
Rahime Perestu Sultan
Rahime Perestu Sultan ( and 'swallow'; 1830 – 1904), also known as Rahime Perestu Kadın, was the first legal wife of Sultan Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire. She was given the title and position of Valide sultan (Queen mother) when Ab ...
.
The title of ''Büyük Valide Sultan'' (Senior Valide Sultan) or ''Büyükanne Sultan'' (Grandmother Sultana) was created by
Kösem Sultan
Kösem Sultan (; 1589 – 2 September 1651), also known as Mahpeyker Sultan (;), was the Haseki sultan, Haseki Sultan as the chief consort and legal wife of the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, Valide sultan, Vali ...
and officially used only by her during the reign of her grandson
Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV (; ; 2 January 1642 – 6 January 1693), nicknamed as Mehmed the Hunter (), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the age of six after his father was overthrown in a coup. Mehmed went on to b ...
, thus limiting the power of
Turhan Sultan
Hatice Turhan Sultan (, "''merciful"'' or "''noble''"; 1627 – 4 August 1683) was the first Haseki sultan of the Ottoman sultan Ibrahim (), and Valide sultan as the mother of Mehmed IV () as well as the Official Regent of the Ottoman Empi ...
who was deemed too young to fulfill the title of Valide Sultan.
The official and unofficial Büyük Valide Sultans that lived in the reign of their grandsons are:
See also
*
Hanımefendi
Ikbal () was the title given to the imperial consort of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who came below the rank of ''kadın''.
Etymology
The word () is an Arabic word, which means good fortune, or lucky. Historians have translated it either ...
*
Harem
A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...
*
Haseki Sultan
Haseki Sultan (, ''Ḫāṣekī Sulṭān'' ) was the title used for the chief consort of an Ottoman sultan. In later years, the meaning of the title changed to "imperial consort". Hurrem Sultan, principal consort and legal wife of Suleiman the ...
*
Kadınefendi
*
List of mothers of the Ottoman sultans
This is a list of the biological mothers of Ottoman sultans. There were thirty-six sultans of the Ottoman Empire in twenty-one generations (during early days the title ''Bey'' or ''Ghazi'' was used instead of ''Sultan''). Throughout the six-centur ...
*
List of Ottoman titles and appellations
This is a list of titles and appellations used in the Ottoman Empire. In place of surnames, Muslims in the Empire carried titles such as "Sultan", "Paşa", "Agha (title), Ağa", "Hoca", "Bey", "Mrs.#Non-English equivalents, Hanım", "Efendi", etc. ...
*
Ottoman family tree
This is a male family tree for all the Ottoman Sultans and their mothers.
Family tree
See also
* Ottoman Empire
** Ottoman dynasty
** Ottoman histo ...
*
Seraglio
A seraglio, serail, seray or saray (from , via Turkish, Italian and French) is a castle, palace or government building which was considered to have particular administrative importance in various parts of the former Ottoman Empire.
"The S ...
*
Sultana (title)
Sultana or sultanah (; ') is a female Imperial, royal and noble ranks, royal title, and the feminine form of the word sultan. This term has been officially used for Queen regnant, female monarchs in some Islamic states, and historically it was ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
Guide2womenleaders.com
{{Ottoman Dynasty
Lists of queens
Turkish words and phrases
Sultanate of Women