#hatice hatun

[parallellines]

Mehmed II Conqueror + consorts (pictures are for aesthetic)

Emine Gülbahar Hatun — was a favourite consort of Sultan Mehmed II. In most sources she is referred as non-muslim slave who was converted to Islam after her arrival to the harem. There is no agreement on her origins some historians think she was Pontic Greek, Albanian or lowly Slavic. She was the mother of the future Sultan Bayezid II and Gevherhan Hatun. She died circa 1492 and was buried in her mausoleum inside the Fatih Mosque next to her late husband.

Çiçek Yagmur Hatun — was a wife or consort of Sultan Mehmed II. According to some sources she could have been Turkish noblewoman or Serbian, Greek, Venetian, French slave. She entered the harem or married Mehmed at Constantinople and gave birth to her only son Şehzade Cem (Ottoman claimant Sultan) on 22 December 1459. It is not known the degree of influence she had during Mehmed’s reign or if she even was favoured by him. She died on 3 May 1498 of plague and was buried in Cairo.

Hatice Hatun — was a thrid legal wife of Sultan Mehmed II. She was a possible daughter of Zaganos Mehmed Pasha. In 1463 she became Mehmed's third legal wife. After her husband death she remarried with a statesman.

Sitti Mükrime Hatun — was a Turkish Princess and first legal wife of Sultan Mehmed II. Her father was Süleyman Bey the sixth ruler of Dulkadir State. When Mehmed turned seventeen he married her for political purposes. Her possible offspring is unknown. Due to her middle name Sittişah is sometimes confused with Gülbahar Mükrime Hatun another consort of Mehmed. She died in September 1486 and was buried in a mausoleum built inside her mosque.

Helena Palaiologina — was a possible wife of Sultan Mehmed II. Her entering the Sultan's harem is controversial and remain unconfirmed. She was a daughter of the Despot of Morea Demetrios Paleologos the brother of Constantine XI Palaiologos the final Byzantine emperor and Theodora Asanina the daughter of Paul Asan. Some rumors says Mehmed II asked for her after his campaign in Morea having heard of her beauty. Probably he never bedded with her because he was afraid she would poison him. In another case Helena was provided with a pension and large estate at Adrianople by the Sultan though she was forbidden to marry. She died of unknown causes in 1469 or 1470 in Edirne.

Gülşah Hatun — was a second legal wife or consort of Sultan Mehmed II. There is no informations about her origins. She married Mehmed or entered his harem in 1449 when he was still a Prince and the governor of Manisa. Shortly before Murad’s II death she gave a birth to her only son Şehzade Mustafa and followed him to Konya when he became governor of the province. She died circa 1487 and was buried in Bursa in the tomb she had built for herself near that of Mustafa.

Maria Hatun — was a consort of Sultan Mehmed II. Before she entered Mehmed’s harem she was a widow of Alexander Komnenos Asen. According to some sources she was judicated as the most beautiful woman of her age. Some historians claims she could be more likely Murad’s II concubine than Mehmed’s.

Anna Hatun — was a consort of Sultan Mehmed II. Her parents were Trabzon Greek emperor David Komnenos and Helena Kantakuzenos. The marriage was initially proposed by her father, but Mehmed refused. Nontheless when Trabzon was taken in 1461 Anna entered the harem and stayed there for two years after which Mehmed married her off to Zaganos Mehmed Pasha.

[magnificentlyreused]

This purple and golden cloak with a silver lining is first worn by Nigar Kalfa in the third season of Magnificent Century. The cloak is also worn by the lady-in-waiting of Isabella Jagiellon, Queen of Hungary in the thirty-eighth episode of the third season. It is seen again on Fahriye Kalfa, Melek Kalfa, Hatice Kalfa and Gülşah Kalfa in the fourth season.

The cloak is also worn by Zarife Hatun in the twenty-sixth episode of the second season of Magnificent Century: Kösem.

[queenfredegund]

Women in History Month (insp) | Week 2: Royal Mothers

[awkward-sultana]

Magnificent Century + Evolution of Hürrem's Family (requested by @skynerd157)

[fymagnificentcostumes]

★ recycled series

↳ nurbanu sultan [1/3]

[elizabeth-halime]

[dyingroses]

Magnificent Century + AO3 tags

[perioddramasource]

Favourite costumes in Magnificent Century (season 1)

[mc-critical]

Satrakci's Ibratice & Hürremleo parallels

Sadika and Matrakci become a more fascinating story with each rewatch and one of the main reasons why is the parallels it has with two other resident tragic couples.

[My initial plan for the post was for it to only be about Satrakci's parallels with Ibratice, as I wanted to rework what I said in this IG edit I made for Sol's birthday back in July (I've been unwell ever since I was graced with the Ibratice parallels then), but upon rewatch I noticed the Hürremleo parallels as well, so why not include both, right?]

In terms of Hürremleo, the parallels are looser at first; they can be seen more through some similarities in role either Sadika or Matrakci have to Leo or Hürrem, as well as the ties they have with them in the respective plots, but then the parallels become more and more direct due to the shared, ongoing tragedy of both stories.

Both Leo and Sadika are from another country and come in Istanbul for an ""ulterior"" motive connected to their love: Leo searches for his Alexandra, while Sadika seeks vengeance for her Ariel. They gain others' favor along the way and it's this exact favor that complicates matters for them even further: Sadika is sent to Hatice and Ibrahim's castle, while Leo is sent to a painters' workshop, both encountering difficulty to finish their respective duties or missions, what's ordered to them by the rulers in general (killing Süleiman ordered by Louis, finishing Süleiman's portrait ordered by SS himself). The agency of both of them is constantly violated when they only want to be done soon as possible (Leo's aforementioned "order" itself is merely a part of this, and even though Sadika wants to seek her vengeance, the pressure is definitely wearing on her too). Both of them get someone (Nigar, Matrakci) to send their letters to the people related to their 'purposes', their closest people there, really. Both of them are labeled as traitors and are "dealt with" in the same episode after their 'traitorous' acts have been revealed in some way.

There's a whole post to be made about Sadika's parallels with Hürrem, but overall it's their whole trajectory in the harem that is paralleled: they win over some main authorities (the dynasty and SS respectively) but not others, however those who are won over are really won over, their fondness and trust is really earned (until it's broken at some point, whether permanently or for a while, namely due to something to do with murder on different scales: Ayşe Hatun's murder - that both Hürrem and Sadika are tied to - or the murder attempt on SS); they cling to their original faith at first (parallel scenes with their crosses) and become muslim for more pragmatic reasons (I believe Hürrem started developing some feelings for SS right when she fainted in his arms, with her praising him in front of Gülnihal after that scene, and having flashbacks later and so on, but it was all a gradual process); their motivations have to do (at least at first in Hürrem's case) with revenge due to their past experiences, their loved ones' losses; they are seperately tutored by Sümbül Ağa (and both call his name wrong at times!); the concubines dislike and mistrust them due to their respective rises in the ranks and both have beefs with Ayşe Hatun in particular. Both Sadika and Hürrem also have Leo and Matrakci respectively as likely to compromise what they have accomplished, so they don't want them around themselves much (at least not until Sadika finds use for Matrakci and yet she doesn't want him to go much beyond that use, understandably), no matter how much they may appreciate them or what they do for them.

Both Matrakci and Leo are harem outsiders that perceive that whole world as foreign or just beyond them no matter how close to it they appear to be at this point, so the only thing they can do is go with the flow and navigate it together (Matrakci obviously knows way more than Leo but still). They are ordinary people that somehow always end up at the heart of the action (i.e. the jannisary rebellion) due to their ties with the main characters (Hürrem and Ibrahim respectively). Both of them are characterized by their strong loves. Both of them are insistent on taking every chance they get to meet their loves no matter how impossible it may seem. Both of them lean on hope to get closure with their loves no matter how delayed (Matrakci) or inconceivable (Leo) it is. Both of them are devastated at the end as they face the consequences of being involved in a supposed betrayal. Both of them want their own lives to be taken instead of having to deal with the aftermath of the painful event (that would include having to see their loves suffer or them having to make their loves suffer).

Both Matrakci and Hürrem are people who are still on their path to adapt, but get more and more ingrained in the palace life eventually to the point they get inseparable from it much later on (and that is also helped by their contrasting relationships with Ibrahim). Both of them function as Leo's guides to the inner workings of the castle at certain points. Both of them are motivated by their resurged or newfound care for him here and try to help him in many ways. Both of them try to arrange for their loves to leave (whether subtly or directly, whether for real or as a ruse for another order to be followed). Both of them have to deal with the deaths of their loved ones, brought forth by their hands, due to a cruel order of the same person. Both of them can't seem to forget the experience, no matter how much one might push them to. Both of them keep it close to their hearts.

The more we go, the more tied together these different people get. From Sadika who comes to the harem with a mission that becomes likely to get compromised and that comes to involve Hürrem (when does Hürrem first dream of Leo himself, with him telling her he'll save her? Oh, right - when she was exiled in Edirne for Sadika's murder of Ayşe!); to Sadika aiming more adamantly for SS's chambers, becoming a direct threat for Hürrem, thus she sends her away; to Leo arriving in Istanbul and then showing up all the more in the place Sadika is sent away in; to Hürrem seeing Leo again for the first time in that same place; to Hürrem meeting Leo there again, with Sadika getting involved too for a bit, suspecting something and searching at Leo's things (and it's namely there almost all her meetups with Matrakci are as well); to both the orchestration of Leo's death and the final sealing of Sadika's fate being all tied again to Ibrahim's castle (the main room and the dungeon, respectively), to Ibrahim himself.

Ibrahim seems to "bless" both respective couples or at least the people that are part of them that are more tied to him (Matrakci, Leo); one instance genuine, the other quite performative (wanting to marry Matrakci to Sadika throughout many episodes; telling Leo to confess everything in order for Ibrahim to ""protect"" Hürrem in E24), but ultimately, he screws over both of them at the same time, in the same episode (Hürremleo at day, Satrakci at night), without hesitation. They are forever torn apart and only the surviving have to deal with the fallout (no wonder Matrakci's anguish right after Sadika's death is immediately followed by Hürrem's cries in the hammam!).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In terms of Ibratice, along with the more basic similarities in role these four people share with one another and the ways they're tied in their respective plots, we have more outlined but deceptive parallels that solidify and become more legitimate due to the joint inevitable future tragedies that await both stories.

Both Ibrahim and Sadika are loved before they feel anything for the people who love them in return. They make their first move only when they sense they can latch onto these people due to different reasons, but they still grow eventual fondness for them regardless. They are the more restrained, cautious side in most of the interactions. They are the ones mostly sending the letters.

Both Ibrahim and Matrakci are the more active forces in their dynamics with their significant others: they seek the opportunities to arrange the meetings, they mostly send the gifts. They are more persistent to fight for their loves however possible. They respect each other's feelings (at least to a point in Ibrahim's case) because they get each other and they get it. They're close witnessers of the others' happiness.

Both Hatice and Sadika have faced the death of their former husband and have trauma related to that, regardless of their different views on said men and their different reactions. Both of them are pressured by those above them in some ways (Hatice to marry Mehmet Celebi; Sadika to avenge Ariel as quickly as possible, at all costs). Both of them are wary not to be seen, of the reactions of others while meeting Ibrahim and Matrakci respectively. Both of them strive for put some distance between Ibrahim and Matrakci respectively, no matter the reason.

Hatice's dynamic with Sadika in particular, along with Ibrahim's with Matrakci, is only bound to put Sadika and Matrakci's parallel story at a center stage. Both Hatice and Ibrahim relate to the hurdle Sadika and Matrakci are apparently experiencing, as this is a hurdle they both have recently experienced and they (Hatice especially) want Sadika and Matrakci to flourish, so they obviously plan to marry them.

However, just like Hatice is a distant witnesser to what's happening around Sadika and the similarities between the four are again very baseline, that relating of Ibratice's to Satrakci is merely relating by assumption. Ibrahim and Hatice think that a love story is happening in front of them, but despite of the similar secret meetings both duos have in the palace gardens, Sadika and Matrakci aren't quite a love story. It's more about Sadika seeking ways to smooth her situation over and fulfill her mission. While Matrakci really loved her, the way Sadika's feelings develop turns out to be way more complicated and it all starts from an initial sense of discomfort, even fear (given her previous experience with Bonçuk Ağa, why wouldn't she be wary of another man who wants her and pursues her?; I think the main reason why she grew fond of Matrakci regardless was him actually showing Sadika basic respect in spite of his passionate feelings he also struggled to contain at times, along with him helping her that unconditionally. And given how many traumas related to that she's experienced - not just by Bonçuk but also by Süleiman - of course that would mean the world to her. Him actually being decent to her and facilitating her mission? Of course that would come to comfort her at least a bit.), then moving to gratitude and only then, finally, to appreciation and fondness (even before his offer for escape in E25, as she called him a good person several times before, in E24 as well) and even then, the objective is prioritized most. The letters weren't letters for her uncle but for the Hungarian king. They all were involved in a spy mission and no one realized it until it was already too late.

But the more we head to the reveal of who Sadika truly is and the characters' realizations and reactions, the closer Satrakci end up to Ibratice. Along with Sadika becoming fonder of Matrakci, more parallels between her and Ibrahim crop up as both of them emerge as traitors to the Sultan not just through their parallel plot-lines in the same episode with Leo/Hürrem and Süleiman respectively (with Ibrahim as the more indirect traitor in both the Leo situation and his involuntary involvement in Sadika's own 'traitorous' actions; though both him and Sadika are placed as killers in their parallel plot-lines: one of Leo - a successful attempt, the other of Süleiman - an unsuccessful one), but also through one finalizing action that will directly threaten the sultan (more metaphorically in Ibrahim's case and more literally in Sadika's) that will bring them on their way to execution.

Sadika is immediately disarmed and imprisoned, awaiting for her fate while the full extent of her several crimes is yet being uncovered. lbrahim's single crime is still pondered on by Süleiman, so he isn't directly confronted, it all rather seeming like his relationship with SS is on a high instead, having no idea what would later come forth. Both Ibrahim and Sadika are supposedly given a way out by (Ibrahim's other lover :DDDD) Süleiman and Matrakci respectively - Ibrahim apparently solidifiying even more his perhaps no longer shaky place next to his majesty and Sadika getting hopeful for a few moments that, maybe, an escape is truly possible (this can also be a parallel with Hatice to an extent - with her having worries earlier but ultimately brushing them off until the unavoidable truth is delivered to her, just like Sadika). Both are executed anyway.

This is where the parallels between Matrakci and Hatice come in: Both Matrakci and Hatice will have to grapple with these respective deaths. The loves of both emerge as traitors executed by the order of another person - of the one person, the next person Matrakci and Hatice value the most. Even though Ibrahim's death comes as a surprise to Hatice, while Matrakci is all too aware of it, having to follow the order himself, their pain is the same. And both of them are urged to get over it "with time", but they struggle to (and Hatice doesn't manage to at all; just like Sadika, she'll want to AVENGE her (other) husband who SS killed).

All these different people are tied together all the more directly and from the very beginning: Ibrahim brings Sadika in the castle per Matrakci's request due to Matrakci's pity and compassion for her; the first move Sadika does to gain favor is done during Hatice's engagement to Mehmet Celebi; Sadika becomes Hatice's main lady not only due to Hürrem's suggestion, but also because she too has come to like her; Sadika and Matrakci's whole story takes place in Ibrahim's castle once again; Ibratice's wedding opens the path for a possible Satrakci wedding, as I already mentioned; both Sadika and Matrakci (along with Leo) are next to Hatice during the jannisary rebellion and witness the loss of her child; Ibrahim and Matrakci order a brooch and a necklace for Hatice and Sadika respectively at the same time after Hatice loses the child; the closer Satrakci get to Ibratice's orbit in general, the more chipper Ibratice get over said possible wedding, trying to realize it... until Satrakci's doom suddenly comes forth, once again by the same person they've been "blessed" by before {and on an interesting more symbolic note that links that doom even more with Ibrahim: we have water motives around both Satrakci and Ibratice. Matrakci's last moments with Sadika, with what will only become a relic of the past, were on a boat (coming full-circle, as Sadika herself also arrived in Istanbul by a boat, ready to embrace her future). Ibrahim traveled on a ship to Parga, a remnant of his past as well, after everyone learned about his relationship with Hatice and it was unclear what would happen. Both relationships were threatened and in a completely final way, in terms of Satrakci. The freedom symbolism of the ship is pretty much taken away for the boat namely by the guy for who it meant freedom to quite an extent and it's turned into a close, inevitable, encompassing doom instead of a further, temporary one (although one could argue that some of the original freedom symbolism remains against all odds, as Matrakci allowed Sadika to put the sack on her head herself - but the outcome isn't changed regardless and this is sadly the most he could do in this situation...). Ibrahim himself is quite associated with boats too outside of that and this association is even called back in his last episode. Ibrahim is executed at night, just like Sadika is. Okay, I may be reaching here a bit, BUT...}.

Regardless of his earlier "blessing" of Sadika and Matrakci, everything is discarded after the betrayal and Ibrahim will make him execute her anyway, constantly insisting for him to move on. What's more intriguing, he tells this to Hatice as well, presenting the very assertion of "moving on with time" that she'll challenge in the future namely over her grief for him [the "scales of relation" tip again - it's now Ibrahim who distances himself from Matrakci's circumstances (even though he will end up unable to due to what'll come for him in the future), while Hatice relates to Matrakci's pain (and she'll continue relating to it in the future). It's kind of fascinating that Ibrahim and Hatice are actually at odds for this and that it is one of the first things they're actually at odds for outside of their different relationships with Hürrem, even before Hatice's first pull of rank on him; it may not be just a matter of viewpoints (and coping mechanisms: Ibrahim strives to completely move on from his painful experiences, to not even recall them and expects others to do so as well, while Hatice arrives at a point when she no longer can after the person she leans on the most is also taken away from her, after her brother too is taken away from her; how can she cling to peace any further, will it be possible? She desperately wishes to make it possible, however...) - Ibrahim at this point definitely wouldn't want her to grieve for him forever, he would like to spare her that pain, still though...]. So Matrakci and Sadika skip straight to Ibrahim and Hatice's tragic ending in spite of both Ibrahim and Hatice's hopes for them to get that initial happy ending of their wedding instead. This is how Satrakci emerge right up as tragic mirrors to Ibratice that'll only be an omen for the future, no matter how many ups there otherwise are and will be, no matter how much everything seems to be smoothed over.

[palaceoftears]

Something about these two scenes being in the same episode makes me feral

[mahisultan]

Hatice Sultan as Lover

Ibrahim Paşa as Folklore

Suleyman Sultan as Evermore

Mahidevran Sultan as Midnights

Taslicali Yahya Bey as The Poets Tortured

[thevampiricnihal]

[magnificentlyreused]

This pink tiara with a pearl drop was first worn by Hatice Sultan in the fourth episode of the first season of Magnificent Century. It was worn again by Mahidevran Sultan in the nineteenth episode of the same season. Gülfem Hatun can also be seen with it in the tenth episode of the second season. The tiara appears again on Mihrimah Sultan in tenth episode of the third season. During the use on her, the pearl drop eventually gets removed. The fourth season saw the tiara three times, first on Nurbanu Sultan in the tenth episode, then on Nergisşah Sultan in the eighteenth episode and lastly on Ayşe Sultan in the twenty-ninth episode.

[magnificentcenturyfics]

Am I The Asshole? - Topkapi Edition

Unfortunately for @faintingheroine I just... Could not bring myself to fulfill her request. I am sorry, it just wasn't very inspiring! But I wrote this as a replacement/apology. Basically, this one is just the Magnificent Century universe, only with the addition of Reddit. Don't think about it too hard.

Disclaimer: Usernames here aren't always super clear, so I am going to just relay here who is who, both the obvious and not-so-obvious ones. ButterflyPrincess - Hatice FeelLikeABot - Nigar Genghiskhanwithteats1001 - Aybige manfromparga - Ibrahim (d'oh) M&MCustodian - Süleyman moonofdestiny500 - Mahidevran Moonlover69 - Gülşah RoyalTurqoise7 - Şah smilingsultana - Hürrem thebossakinci - Bali Bey

***

AITA for taking revenge on my friend for sleeping with my boyfriend? by user smilingsultana So, about a year ago I (18F) entered the harem of some powerful dude (30?M) and met this really nice, chill girl (19F), who is even from the same region as me??? We instantly hit it off, we even slept next to each other in the servant’s quarters, it was pretty great. A few months in, our master noticed me and WTF he was so dreamy??? I mean yeah he’s also very generous to his favourites haha but that’s besides the point. The thing is, he fell in love with me like immediately, and I am also crazy for him. He jokes around with me, gives me gifts, does really unspeakable things in bed, the whole package. There was some drama with his family, but from the way he talks to me, I thought he won’t even look at another woman again. Especially when I became pregnant! He even nursed me back to health, three times, because did mention his family are a fucking bag of dicks (except for his sister she’s cool)?! But whatever, this isn’t about them.

The point is, remember that best friend I mentioned before? Well, you know that war that we had recently, the one where we took Belgrade and everything? My master left shortly before I learned I am pregnant, and when I came back, I was pretty far along, I think like seven and a half month in? So he gave me my own room, attendants and everything, and my friends was one of those attendants. I thought it’s gonna be great, she will stay with me forever and they are never going to send her away because she’s too old to serve or some junk. But shortly before I gave birth, she started acting suspiciously. For one, she converted to islam, and I know you’ll be asking „but op isn’t this a good thing that she turned away from the false faith?“ – well no, because the moment I learned what she did I knew she got this idea from me. And I converted mostly to please my master. The red flags were just blaring in my mind, but if you’ve ever been pregnant, then you know that this kind of thing is usually pretty low on one’s list of priorities shortly before giving birth. Besides, I thought it would be a bit of a dick move to worry about her stealing my man, like, she would never, and also, how would she even do that when she’s always by my side? So, when I started going into labor in the middle of the night, I thought she would be there to help... But then I couldn’t find her anywhere??? I searched for her for what felt like an eternity, I almost gave birth on the ground of a palace corridor, and she only turned up the next morning! I was too happy to really be pissed off, because you know, I just had my baby boy, and I almost kinda forgave her.

Then one of my other attendants told me that my master had another concubine with him that night – I wasn’t quite convinced it was my friend, but you can bet that when I ordered her to find the woman from last night, I choked the bitch real good. Just as a warning, you know? And that bitch had the audacity to tell me to „let it go“ because master does whatever he wants or something. Well, I wasn’t going to kill him, but that bitch, so I could care less about that. Then my friend disappeared on the same night they told me not to disturb the master, because there’s another girl with him and... I mean, you don’t need to be a genius to figure that little mystery out, you get me? That morning, I woke up to my friend coming back to my rooms, with sable furs around her neck (did I mention that my boyfriend recently gave me the exact same furs as a gift, because he did) and a big smile on her face as she admired it in the mirror. So of course I lost my shit. I only realized I should’ve been more subtle when there was this big hulabaloo around the fact that I said I am going to kill her (which I didn’t even really mean that way, like sure I wanted to beat the shit out of her and cause her grievious bodily harm, but that’s about it), and in the end I only got a few slaps in, so of course that didn’t satisfy my thirst for revenge.

That day, I visited a mirrormaking workshop. The mirrormaker mentioned that I shouldn’t touch this one chemical (don’t remember the name, only that it was this transparent liquid), because it’s dangerous, which gave me an idea. During my initial freakout, I took out my friend’s sable stole; now I was going to return it to her, but of course poisoned with that chemical (which I stole beforehand). And it worked like charm! My friend woke up with her face utterly ruined, and I was happy at first, because now our master defo won’t call her to his bed again! But when my revenge was finished and my thirst for blood satisfied, I looked at the situation with clearer eyes, and I felt so guilty? Like I could’ve killed her??? Which, I thought I wanted to kill her, but maybe not? Like yes what she had done is fucking inexcusable, but now I can’t even really hate her because I put her in the fucking hospital and she’s suffering so much, I... Did I go too far this time? Please help.

COMMENTS

FeelsLikeABot YTA. YTA AS ALL HELL. WTF, THAT WAS TIN AMALGAM? THAT THING CONTAINS MERCURY??? YOU ABSOLUTELY COULD’VE KILLED HER.

moonofdestiny500 NTA! That bitch absolutely had it coming lol - Moonlover69 Agreed! Fuck that whore.

ButterflyPrincess Uh, can we talk about the fact that you literally made your friend one of your attendants?! I mean I feel like just that makes you an asshole. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for having cordials relationship with staff, but... That cordial? Especially when she was your friend BEFORE she became your servant? - manfromparga Nonsense! My best is also my boss and I can tell you from experience it’s actually pretty chill? People tend to make way too big deal out of it, but so far it’s working pretty well for us. Then again my boss is way less of an asshole lol.

***

AITA for keeping my family in the dark about my marriage untill the last moment? by user M&MCustodian I (36M) have had my favourite concubine (27F) for about a decade, and I never had any regrets about keeping her. Sure, she is jealous and temperamental, which is a bit of a problem, but at the same time, her fiery temper can be such fun! Besides, she’s extremely loving and devoted towards me, as well as our children, sometimes to the point of clinginess. In that decade, I might’ve entertained the thought of disposing of her or replacing her, especially whenever she crossed some lines and got into trouble (which, to be honest, happens a lot), but I’ve always decided against it. To put it simply, she makes me too happy to deprive myself of this happiness just because of whatever she has done at the moment.

Of course, the rest of my family does not exactly appreciate this. It’s quite understandable that my previous favourite concubine and mother of my oldest son (35F) dislikes the woman that replaced, but my mother (51F) is no friend of hers as well. While I can imagine she might dislike my favourite’s argumentativeness and ambition, I do not understand how that threatens my mother – or our entire family, as she keeps telling me. My mother is a strong woman, and in conflicts with my favourite, she usually gets her way without much effort. In fact, some of the actions she takes to punish my favourite whenever she steps out of line seem overblown; I strongly suspect mother punishes my favourite overly harshly, or even accuses her of things she did not commit – like that one time she claimed my favourite was unfaithful to me, with the only evidence being a diary of her alleged lover that conveniently disappeared before she was able to present it to me. It feels less like justice and more like spite, if I’m being honest. The only other family members who even live in the same town as us are my younger sister (31F) and her husband (36M), who also happens to be my right-hand man and best friend. My best friend also can’t stand my favourite, though they don’t come into contact that often, and even my sister has a complicated relationship with her, though despite disagreements, they are still generally friends (though since she’s also friends with my other favourite, this often makes her position a bit awkward). Needless to say, my favourite, the love of my life, is not exactly popular with my own family.

Recently, she has played a fine trick on me – first, she made me free her by complaining about how she can’t do charity in the Holy Cities because of her slave status, then refused to sleep with me because, well, she’s a free woman, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to sleep with someone she isn’t married to? According to all legal experts I’ve consulted, that is in fact the correct course of action, which makes her little trick all the more insidious. Of course I was angry with her, and I banished her to one of our country estates, even though that turned out to be as much of a punishment for me than for her. My pain was only enhanced when our daughter (9F), whom I sent away with her, got sick and I had to visit her. To see my beloved with our darling little girl in her arms, and know that I might never see them again... Well, it was too much. I decided that my favourite’s banishment should only be temporary, but I didn’t quite know when to end it.

Then mother suddenly called my favourite back home, just to visit our children, which was admittedly a bit suspicious, especially when she was then attacked on the way by bandits; then again, she apparently also sent the party that eventually helped save her, so it might’ve been just a coincidence. Either way, hearing that she might’ve died, then spending the whole night with the rescue party, only to see her lying near death on the forrest floor... It was all a little too much for me. I took her home and let her stay for good, despite my mother’s protestations, and while I couldn’t marry her immediately for fear of losing face, my mind was already made. But when my mother sent me another concubine, which I had to refuse, I just knew the time was right. I needed to state my committment to her loud and clear.

I chose the circumcission of my three sons for that purpose. After all, why waste the biggest celebration this family has seen in years? I did not tell anyone, not even my future wife of my intentions – I might’ve dropped a few cheeky hints here and there, but not enough for anyone to connect the dots. When I brought my bride to watch the ceremony, her happiness more than made up for the difficulties of the past few months. We then went to tell our family, which was gathered for the afforementioned triple circumcission, and... Well, I probably should’ve seen their reactions coming. They still made me second guess my decision – not to marry my favourite, the more I think, the more convinced I am that I should’ve done that years ago. But mayhaps keeping them in the dark this whole time might’ve been a little bit insensitive towards them? I don’t know; that’s why I’m turning to redditors.

COMMENTS

manfromparga Okay, ngl that was kind of a hillarious story! And God no, you should not have told them beforehand! They would’ve tried to ruin it anyway! It seems your family is a bunch of scheming bastards. You don’t need their approval. - thebossakinci Agreed! I myself have experience with meddlesome parents – not mine, they are chill, but myfather-in-law was a cockblocking jackass. And mother is a much easier obstacle to overcome! - moonofdestiny500 There you are! You okay, man? I’ve heard you ended up in a hospital! What happened? -- manfromparga Ah, nothing. Minor incident. As you can see, I am well enough to use reddit lol

ButterflyPrincess Hmm. That’s a difficult situation. On the one hand, I understand that disapproving parents can be a pain in the ass – I myself faced the same issue. More because of my husband’s station than because of personal disagreements with my parents, but still. On the other hand, maybe your mother has a point at least in the fact that after tricking you like that, your concubine DEFINITELLY didn’t deserve your full forgiveness? Let her stay in your house, fine, for the sake of your children, but I feel like if my husband pulled a fast one on me like that, I couldn’t possibly forgive him? Then again, maybe if you really, really love her and if she’s really so wonderful despite her flaws, and if (and that’s a big if) you’re not leaving out some more legitimate reasons for your mother to be mad at her... Hmm. I don’t know. - manfromparga    https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F3gf3i18hcf0a1.jpg - ButterflyPrincess OH GO FUCK YOURSELF. God. Why do you have to be a dick under every single comment I write?! -- moonofdestiny500 Ahh there’s our good ButterflyPrincess and manfromparga banter! -- Genghiskhanwithteats1001 ButterflyPrincess x manfromparga. 500k, enemies-to-lovers, slow burn... -- ButterflyPrincess GO TO HELL YOU VULTURES. -- manfromparga I am honestly offended by the suggestion that I would fuck a pathetic old maid like ButterflyPrincess lol

FeelsLikeABot Okay, dude, but can we talk about the fact that you just. Freed your concubine and didn’t think about the fact that you aren’t going to be able to sleep with her anymore? Serves you right for being an idiot. - RoyalTurquoise7 Agreed! That’s very basic islamic law, man. Where did you go to school again?! Overall YTA, but like... Not a big one? I mean, you did free a slave and made her an honest woman, even if you did do that for stupid reasons.

Genghiskhanwithteats1001 HAHAHA. No, fuck your mum. You don’t owe her shit. Honestly, your wife is kinda boss for pulling a fast one on you like that. Is she on reddit?

- M&MCustodian Yes, actually! She’s smilingsultana. -- moonofdestiny500 SMILINGSULTANA IS YOUR WIFE?! Lucky bastard! To be honest, I wouldn’t even clock her as a slave woman. She rocks. NTA. Or maybe YTA for not marrying smilingsultana sooner.

***

AITA for making my best friend divorce his wife (that he didn’t want!) so I can sleep with her? by user manfromparga My friend (45M), whom I will call Fatih, has a very sordid romantic history. His most recent romantic relationship was that time he flirted with one of my servants, only for her to turn out to be a spy??? Yeah, he was forced to throw her into the Bosphorus himself, it was pretty fucked. I should also note that he only avoided charges of treason thanks to my intervention, which will be important down the line. But anyway. Since then, Fatih gave up on finding love entirely and started living disorderly – he visit a tavern nearly every day, getting drunk and sleeping around. It’s pretty awful, especially since our friendship is well-known by public, and I am curretly holding a high office, so being associated with such wastrel is extremely inconvenient for me. I thought marrying him off might help, and my wife (31F) agreed with me – hell, she even found an excellent wife for him, a servant of ours we could call Filiz (30?F). The problem is, me and Filiz have a history.

A few years ago, me and Filiz served the same household, and our paths often met. I slowly became aware of Filiz‘ crush on me, though she didn’t act on it, and it largely manifested as her faithful service to me and my wife, so I wasn’t too bothered by it. Then our son died, my wife became depressed, and so her mother took her into the countryside, hoping that a change of enviroment would do her good. It did, but Filiz also used that opportunity to seduce me. Now, I reacted as is appropriate to such a situation – I distanced myself from her, sent her to another household, I even thought of marrying her off, though that didn’t quite work out. But she continued to make ruckus, bursting into tears in front of me, writing love letters, even threatening suicide. Soon, I got pretty sick of it. However, in the meantime, my wife continued to be just as difficult – you see, she is from a much more high-born family than me, and neither she, nor her family ever forget to remind me of that fact. And Filiz’s over-the-top gestures of affection made me think that if I was married to her, she would never humiliate me in the same way. After all, as all the men of reddit can attest, a man has his needs, and one of those needs is to be the head of his family. But because of my wife’s superior status, that wasn’t the case with me. I only did what any other man would do – started looking for affection elsewhere.

As Fatih’s wedding was approaching, my desire for Filiz grew. And Fatih made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want a wife at all. So shortly after the wedding I made a pact with him: on his wedding night, he will divorce his wife, that as mentioned he did not want anyway, and he will let me sleep with her, using the public charade of a marriage as a cover. It’s an easy, convenient solution to both of our problems. The only problem is, I might’ve impugned on his manly pride somehow by denying him his lawful wife? But as I’ve said, he consented to the whole thing, and I’ve mentioned he has a life debt towards me, so it’s a bit of a grey area. But then, what is this subreddit if not for clearing up grey areas? So tell me, am I the asshole here?

COMMENTS

smilingsultana Okay, can we talk about the fact that YOU ARE MARRIED?! Does your wife know you’re here, writing this shit as if she didn’t exist?! - moonofdestiny500 Agreed. Ugh, thanks smilingsultana for being the only sane person out here, lol! - M&MCustodian Here comes smilingsultana, defender of women and children haha. I mean, his wife sounds like a proper bitch. Maybe she had it coming? Like if I lived with that kind of harridan and couldn’t divorce her, I 100% would do the same and worse. -- moonofdestiny500 Wow, that’s a very nice, comforting thing to hear from one’s husband. Smilingsultana, why do you put up with this douchebag again?! --- smilingsultana He’s not that bad in person lol --- manfromparga White knighting much? ---- RoyalTurquoise7 Wait. I thought moonofdestiny is a woman? Just from their general writing style. ----- smilingsultana No, he always says he’s a guy. I mean unless he’s lying or something lol.

thebossakinci NTA in this particullar case, but jury’s still out on the whole adultery thing. I know your wife probably has your balls in an iron grip, but can‘t you really just divorce her? Like I personally would rather die that stay in a marriage with such a bitch. Honestly there’s a reason why I am not married lol. Especially not for money. - manfromparga I did not marry for money. Like yes she’s rich, but I genuinely loved her. I was young and stupid, what can I say.

moonofdestiny500 There’s just... So much else wrong with this picture that I didn’t even notice that this „Filiz“ sounds completely insufferable??? Like I have a servant just like this, and worse. I don’t know how bad your wife is, man, but I guarantee you that fucking a yandere does not make her more bearable. Not that I ever tried haha. - FeelsLikeABot https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuspiciouslySpecificDenial

ButterflyPrincess Wow. Manfromparga just keeps digging trough the bottom of the barrel, doesn’t he? Like I guess we now know where his misogyny comes from, but still. Punishing every other woman for your own unhappy marriage is pretty heinous.

[awkward-sultana]

Magnificent Century + Costumes in 1.22: The Fury

[historicalreusedcostumes]

This Headpice with pearls is worn three times in Magnificent Century, First on Selma Ergeç as Hatice Sultan Season 1 Episode 3 (2011) and second worn on Selen Öztürk: Gülfem Hatun in Season 2 Episode 29 (2012) and worn last time on Pelin Karahana as Mihrimah Sultan in Season 3 Episode 10 (2012)