Mahidevran

Mahidevran Gülbahar Haseki Sultan (ماه دوران) or Gülbahar (گلبهار), (died in 1581), was one of the concubines of Ottoman sultan Süleyman I the Magnificent. She was Süleyman's first concubine and the mother of his first son Mustafa.

Early life

Her original name was Rosne Pranvere but Süleyman named her Mahidevran Gülbahar, with Gül meaning 'rose' and Bahar meaning 'spring' in Turkish. She was a daughter of a rich Albanian musician, whose name was Abdullah Recai. Mahidevran Sultan also had a brother, Nakkashan Adem. Süleyman was still a shahzade (prince) and governor of Manisa sanjak (then known as Saruhan) when she gave birth to her son in 1515. When Selim I died in 1520, Süleyman moved to İstanbul, the capital of the empire, along with his family to ascend the throne.

During Süleyman's reign

In the İstanbul harem, she had a very influential rival, Hürrem Sultan, who soon proved to be Süleyman's favorite consort as well as his legal wife. Hürrem Sultan gave birth to her first son Mehmet 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.^[1] The rivalry between the two women was partially suppressed by Hafsa Sultan, the Valide sultan (Suleyman's mother), ^[2] but, after 1534, the bitter rivalry was evident. The situation was made worse when a fight between the two women broke out, with Mahidevran beating Hürrem up. This angered Süleyman, who subsequently sent Mahidevran to live with her son.

According to Turkish tradition, all princes were expected to work as provincial governors as a part of their training. Mustafa was sent to Amasya Sanjak and Mahidevran accompanied him. Towards the end of Süleyman's long reign, the rivalry between his sons became evident. Furthermore, both Hürrem 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, Süleyman ordered the execution of Mustafa.^[3]

Later years

For several years after her son's execution, Mahidevran lived a troubled life. She moved to Bursa where her son's tomb lay but 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.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire
2. ^ Selçuk Aksin Somel: Historical Dictionary of the Ottoman Empire, Scarecrow pres, Oxford, 2003 ,ISBN 0-8108-4332 3, p. 123
3. ^ Lord Kinross:The Ottoman Centuries, (Trans. by Nilifer Epçeli) Altın Kitaplar, İstanbul,2008, ISBN978-975-21-0955-1 p.233

See also

• Ottoman Empire
• Ottoman family tree
• List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire

Persondata
Name
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death