#mehmed iii

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

magnificent century ep 139: "and after unjustly and underhandedly killing his noble and valiant brother bayezid, the unworthy selim ascended the throne of the ottoman empire"

magnificent century kösem ep 1: "in his childhood ahmed was deeply traumatized as he witnessed his father mehmed carry out the four-hundred-year-long precedent of legal fratricide and execute all nineteen of his brothers upon his ascension to the throne of the ottoman empire"

[tiny-librarian]

Royal Birthdays for today, May 26th:

Mehmed III, Ottoman Emperor, 1566

Aloys II, Prince of Liechtenstein, 1796

Augusta Reuss of Köstritz, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1822

 Elizabeth Mikhailovna, Duchess of Nassau, 1826

Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India, 1867

Frederik X, King of Denmark, 1968

[baebeylik]

[typemoonconfessions]

[elizabeth-halime]

Vlad Dracula

[ottomanladies]

DAUGHTERS OF MEHMED III

This is also a very unknown, controversial and somehow interesting topic and I would like to put my stamp on this. Also, I have a few interesting digs and findings, so I'd love to hear your comments on my research as always...

_____________________________________________

The first Sultana I would discuss is Ayşe Sultan. It is not confirmed who her mother is, but the sure thing about her is that she was in marriage during early reign of her brother Ahmed I to vizier Destari Mustafa Pasha, who made some fountain in 1608 and died in 1610 (not 1614, it’s the year his little mosque was finished(!!!)). We know also that she had two sons and a daughter and that they died very young and were buried in their father’s tomb. I would at least suggest that Ayşe survived her husband when he died in 1610.

It is very interesting that Ayşe Sultan is claimed by Öztuna to be remarried in 1613 to Gazi Hüsrev Pasha. I think that this time, Öztuna may hitted by sudden the right info;

https://cdn2.islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/dosya/19/C19006276.pdf (page 46)

https://isamveri.org/pdfdrg/D00057/1969_23/1969_23_EYICES.pdf (page 192)

Both of there liks provide the fact that Ayşe Sultan was wife of Hüsrev Pasha.

I would ask you to pay attention on second link I’ve send to you. It is a great text, and is a study of Grand Vizier Gazi Hüsrev Pasha. On page 192, we understand that his wife was Ayşe Sultan (I’m not sure if text says that she survived him or died before him). More interesting, on the same page (note 43 below) author is obviously confused which Ayşe Sultan was his wife; he suspects of daughter of Murad III and Ahmed I, but we all know it is not true; Murad III’s daughter died in May 1605, and Ahmed I’s daughter was married to Hafiz Ahmed Pasha at the time and before that. I would suggest this Sultana may really be daughter of Mehmed III. As she was not listed among Sultanas in 1638 harem registers, it means she died latest in mid 1630s (if not before 1631).

We know for sure that one of Mehmed III’s daughters was named Şah Sultan. I saw you suggested that she could be wife of Kara Davud Pasha, but you were wrong in your assumption. No source clearly claimed that she was his wife. But, I’ve found something interesting. In 82 numarali muhimme defteri, under cesision 116, here is what Ahmed I wrote in 1616/1617:

Dürrî Efendi yazdurmışdur. Narda kâdîsına hüküm ki: Müteveffâ Vezîr Mustafâ Paşa'nun hâl-i hayâtında Narda hâsları bin on tokuz senesinde ebnâ-i sipâhiyândan kıdvetü'l-emâsil ve'l-akrân Muhammed zîde kadruhûnun tokuz yük akçaya uhdesinde iken mûmâ-ileyh vezîrüm fevtolup muhallefâtı zevcesi olan hemşîrem Şâh Sultân'a ve evlâdına intikâl idüp meblağ-ı mezbûr merkûm Muhammed'den taleb olundukda zikrolunan tokuz yük akçanun yedi yük iki bin dört yüz elli beş akçasın mûmâ-ileyh vezîrüme kemâl-i sıhhatinde teslîm olunduğına defterde mastûr u mukayyed bulunup ve sene-i mezbûre mahsûlâtından bâkî kalan iki yüz toksan yedi bin beş yüz kırk beş akçayı dahı mûmâ-ileyhâ sultâna teslîm idüp ve bin yiğirmi senesinün mûmâ-ileyh vezîrümün tahvîline düşen ispençesinden yüz elli bin akçayı dahı bî-kusûr mûmâ-ileyhâ sultâna teslîm itdüğine mûmâ-ileyhâ sultândan ve eytâmına vasî* olan Müteferrika Halîl zîde mecdühû tarafından me[m]hûr temessük virilmeğin, mûcebince amel olunup ol temessüğe muhâlif mezbûr Muhammed rencîde olunmamak bâbında fermân-ı âlî-şânum sâdır olmışdur. Buyurdum ki: Vusûl buldukda göresin; mûmâ-ileyh vezîrümün hâsları mahsûlinden fi'l-vâkı‘ zikrolunan mikdârı akça, mezbûr Muhammed tahvîlinden teslîm olunduğına mûmâ-ileyhâ sultân ile eytâmına vasî* olan mezbûr Halîl zîde mecdühû tarafından memhûr temessük virilmiş ise mûcebince amel idüp min-ba‘d ol temessüğe muhâlif mezbûrı rencîde vü remîde itdürmeyesin.

From this letter, we find out that Şah Sultan was in 1616/1617 widow of vizier Mustafa Pasha, who died in 1009 H. (1610) and that they had a son. I would remind you that we all know for sure that daughter of Mehmed III who was married to vizier Mustafa Pasha, died in 1610 and that this Sultana remarried in 1612 to Cığalazade Mahmud Bey, great-grandson of Mihrimah Sultan.

Now, in book Searching for Osman, T. Baki says that Sultana who was married to Mustafa Pasha and later Mahmud Bey was full-sister of Mustafa I beside wife of Kara Davud Pasha. I strongly suggest that this claim is a mishit by author or of a source he used to state this, because that Sultana was full-sister of Ahmed I and her husband Mahmud Bey was favourite brother-in-law of his. See why:

Viaggi di Pietro della Valle, il pellegrino, descritti da lui medesimo in lettere familiari all'erudito suo amico Mario Schipano divisi in tre parti cioè : la Turchia, la Persia e l'India (page 118)

Note: I found out this was originally reported in June 1615

‘’…Mahmud bascia, figliuolo chef u del gia Cicala, e cognate ora del Gran Signore , e henche giovane, uomo qui di molta estimazione e di maggiore speranza: si perchee di spirit per se stesso, come anche per lo favour della sultana sua moglie, che tra le sorelle del Gran Signore e forse la piu amata, e, se ben mi ricordo, credo che sia sorella a lui di padre e di madre, che in queste parti rade volte  avviene ai principi del sangue reale.’’

 La porta d'Oriente - lettere di Pietro della Valle : Istanbul 1614 (pp. 132-133)

‘’Di queste cose di Persia gli fece gran danno Mahmud Bascia, egli ancora vezir, detto qui per sopranome Cigaliogli, cioe figliuolo del Cicala, perche quel rinegato Cicala, gia capitano famoso nel mare, fu suo padre. Costui, richiamato dal governo che haveva non so se nella Babilonia o in altro paese de’ confine del Persiano, venuto in Constantinopoli, per disgusti che haveva havuto con Nasuh, ne disse molto male al Gran Signore, insieme con la sua moglie, che e sorella del Gran Signore e da lui molto amata. Hebbero amendue udienza poco prima della morte di Nasuh, et in particolare la moglie di Mahmud, una volta assai secretamente et a lungo. Fra le alter cose che di lui suggerirono al principe, dissero che Nasuh haveva fatto morire innocentemente in quelle parti un ufficiale, che era buonissimo ministro, solo per torgli la robba, dopo la morte del quale I turchi havevano perduto molto co’i persiani, e che in somma Nasuh se la intendeva con loro; e mostrarono alcune lettere di questa intelligenza, le quali Mahmud haveva intercettate, facendo morir secretamente e seppellir dentro al suo proprio padiglione colui che le portava, che a caso un giorno in campagna, verso quelle bande, haveva per camino incontrato e trattenuto seco alquanto a riposare.’’

Also, there was one of Mehmed III’s daughters named Hatice. Oztuna suggests she was wife of Mirahur Mustafa Pasha, but obviously not the one who was vizier and died in 1610. It is true that she had her own tomb in Şehzade Mosque Complex as one of her sisters Ayşe and her first husband Destari Pasha, but she was not married to Mustafa Pasha.

In 82 numarali muhimme defteri, in decision 56, Ahmed I points her out just as Hatice Sultan, in difference to his full-sister Şah Sultan, to whom he reffered in decision 116 as hemşîrem Şâh Sultân (my sister Şah Sultan; similar case with Murad IV’s sister Gevherhan and Ümmügülsüm). Just to remind you, this is not Murad III’s daughter Hatice, who was wife of beylerbeyi of Kefe Mehmed Pasha.

Mâliyye emri mûcebince. Vulçıtrın Beği olup bi'l-fi‘l Üsküb ve Kratova Nâzırı olan Mehmed dâme ızzühûya ve Đvranya kâdîsına hüküm ki: "Kazâ-i mezbûrda vâkı‘ Đvlasne (?) ve Kovanes (?) hâsları mukaddemâ Dergâh-ı Mu‘allâm Yeniçerileri Ağası olup vefât iden Mustafâ'nun zevcesi seyyidetü'l-muhadderât Hadîce Sultân dâmet ısmetühâya ber-vech-i paşmaklık hâs ta‘yîn olunup zabt üzre iken girü havâss-ı hümâyûnuma ilhâk olunup kendüye gadrolduğın" Rikâb-ı Hümâyûnum'a arz-ı hâl sunup girü; "Bin yiğirmi altı Zi'l-hıccesi'nün yiğirmi birinci güninden havâss-ı hümâyûnumdan ifrâz olunup müşârun-ileyhâya ibkâ’en mukarrer ola." diyü hatt-ı hümâyûn-ı sa‘âdet-makrûnum ile fermân-ı âlî-şânum sâdır olmağla Mâliyye tarafından dahı emir virilüp mûcebince Dîvân-ı Hümâyûnum'dan dahı hükm-i hümâyûnum recâ itmeğin buyurdum ki: Vusûl buldukda, Mâliyye tarafından virilen emir mûcebince amel idüp min-ba‘d hılâfına cevâz göstermeyesiz.

Anyway, we find out from this letter that her former husband was late (by then) jannisary Mustafa Aga. Also, I found out something more interesting; I found writings of vakfiye of twice Grand Vizier Kayserili Halil Pasha (d. 1629), where his wife was Hatice Sultan!

              https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/203007  (PAGE 7)

Also there are sources where Halil Pasha is claimed to have two sons with Hatice, Mahmud Bey and Ebubekir Bey: https://en.marastaedebiyat.com/templates/yayinlar/marasli-kardesler.pdf (page 24)

Interesting is that Halil Pasha is rarely known as damad, and that he married one of the daughters of Mehmed III. (A Short History of the Ottoman Empire by Ayfocu (2022), Diplomatic Cultures at the Ottoman Court, C.1500–1630 (2021), Rarities of These LandsArt, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Dutch Republic (2021), etc…)

I will now suggest name of Kara Davud Pasha’s wife. It is confirmed that he and his wife had a son, and rumours were that they wanted to put him on throne. What is lesser known is that their son’s name was Suleiman, confirmed first by Evliya Celebi in his work Şeyahatname and by John Freely in Inside the Sergalio. By documents of judicial reports, Suleyman Bey had a juridical dispute with one of his aunts, Fahri Sultan, in 1662 about the lands. He is referred in those documents as Sultanzâde Süleyman Bey b. el-merhûm Davud Paşa. However, he died in 1687/88, and after his death, he left three daughters behind him, named Ayşe, Safiye and Afife.

Husûs-ı âti’l-beyânı mahallinde tahrîri için fermân-ı âlî sâdır olmağla imtisâlen-leh savb-ı şer‘-i şerîfden irsâl olunan Mevlânâ es-Seyyid Abdülmu‘ti Efendi Âsitâne-i Sa‘âdet’ime bi’l-fi‘il kāimmakām-ı vezâret-i uzmâ ve nâib-i menâb-ı vekâlet-i kübrâ olan vezîr-i rûşen-zamîr-i müşterî-tedbîr mümehhid-i bünyâni’d-devleti ve’l-ikbâl müşeyyid-i erkâni’s-sa‘âdeti ve’l-iclâl el-muhtassu bi-mezîdi inâyeti’l-meliki’l-a‘lâ devletlü ve sa‘âdetlü Ömer Paşa -dâme birruhû ve feşâ- hazretlerinin sarây-ı âlîlerine varıp zeyl-i kitâbda muharrerü’l-esâmî udûl-ı müslimîn ve sikāt-ı muvahhidîn huzûrunda akd-i meclis-i şer‘-i mübîn eyledikde medîne-i Hazret-i Ebî Eyyüb el-Ensârî’de sâkin iken bundan akdem vefât eden merhûm Davud Paşazâde Süleyman Bey’in sulbiye sagīre kızları Afife ve Âişe ve Safiye’nin kıbel-i şer‘den mansûb vasîleri olan el-Hâc Mahmud b. Receb meclis-i ma‘kūd-ı mezbûrede vezîr-i müşârun-ileyh hazretleri mahzarlarında bi’l-vesâye ikrâr ve takrîr-i kelâm edip bundan akdem yedimde olan işbu hüccet nâtık olduğu üzere sefer-i hümâyûn mühimmâtı için istidâne lâzım gelmekle taraf-ı mîrîden sagīrât-ı mezbûrât mâllarından ben hacc-ı şerîfde iken nâzırları İbrahim Çelebi b. Mahmud yedinden dört kîse akçe olmak üzere iki bin guruş istidâne ve kabz olunup ve çuka bahâsından dahi iki yüz guruş ki cem‘an iki bin iki yüz guruş deyn-i mîrî mukābelesinde taraf-ı şehriyârîden işbu kırmızı minâkârî her yâfte ortasında on dokuz taşlı elmâs ve etrâfı sagīr elmâslar ile murassa‘ iki yâfte elmâslı murassa‘ olup ol vakitde iki bin iki yüz elli guruş kıymet ile tahmîn olunup ve hâlâ bin iki yüz elli guruş ile tahmîn olunan işbu ön cevâhir kuşak nâzır-ı mezbûra rehn vaz‘ ve teslîm olunup ba‘dehû ben hacc-ı şerîfden geldikde nâzır-ı mezbûr kuşak-ı merkūmu bana def‘ ve teslîm ve meblağ-ı mezbûru ahz u kabza tarafından beni ihâle ve tevkîl etmişdi. El-hâletü hâzihî zikr olunan kuşak deyn-i mezkûr için değer kıymetiyle temlîk olunmak bâbında hatt-ı hümâyûn-ı şevket-makrûn vârid olmağla verese-i müşârun-ileyh hazretleri bâ-hatt-ı hümâyûn deyn-i mezkûre mukābelesinde mârru’z-zikr kuşağı bi’l-vekâle temlîk, ben dahi vesâyetim hasebiyle ber-vech-i muharrer temellük ve kabûl ve tesellüm eyledim dedikde gıbbe’t-tasdîki’l-mu‘teberi’l-vicâhî vâki‘-i hâli mevlânâ-yı mezkûr mahallinde tahrîr ve ma‘an ba‘s olunan Mehmed Çelebi b. İdris’le meclis-i şer‘a gelip her biri alâ vukū‘ihî inhâ ve takrîr etmeğin mâ-vaka‘a bi’t-taleb ketb olundu.

This all is true. Additionally, there is one document written by granddaughter of Kara Davud Pasha, Afife Hanim, who was trustee of one foundation; there writes Kara Davud Paşa Torunu, Vakıf Mütevellisi Afife Hanım İmzalı:

Or, if you can't enter the link, just google as "Devletlü Saadetlü Sultanım Efendi Hazretleri Sağolsun" Hitaplı Talepname'' and you will find her letter.

Now, Kara Davud Pasha’s son Suleyman had three daughters, but very interestingly, one of them named Safiye. It was very unnormal to me that he would give such a name to his daughter, considering with happenings from June 1603, when Valide Safiye Sultan was the main mediator in the murder of his uncle Shehzade Mahmud and exile of his grandmother Halime Sultan.

But, very interesting, from 1638 Harem records J. Dumas provided, we see that beside own sisters of Murad IV and one own sister of late Murad III, who received the highest payments as being full-sisters to a Padishah, also there were two daughters of Murad III, Beyhan Sultan and Fahri Sultan, who also were granted highest payments according to positions their husbands (respectively Nigdeli Mustafa Pasha and Çerkes Mehmed Pasha) took under reign of Murad III, it seems that half-sisters of (late and current) sultan(s) received lesser stipend, as Ahmed I’s daughter Atike Sultan and Murad III’s daughter Hatice Sultan. But, there was also one Sultana, Safiye Sultan who received greater amount than Atike and Hatice, but lesser amount that abovementioned ones. We just see that she was wife of some Mehmed Pasha. I have some very strange feeling that this very easily could be former wife of Kara Davud Pasha. Ofc, there are sources lacking to additionally confirm this assumption, but it seems that her son named one of his daughters after her. Nevertheless, she lesser amount (350 aspers) was due to her actions in 1622 probably, she was obviously forgiven, but not forgotten about her doings in those horrible times. To name her son a sultan, she had to kill all remaining sons of Ahmed I, so she was possibly remarried to this Mehmed Pasha after second fall of Mustafa I and lived a quiet life. I hope I will found somehow source which would reaffirm my claims, but for now, it seems to me this might be right…

The greatest mystery for me is this Sultana, who is reported in 1600 to be the eldest child of Mehmed III. By citations that you’ve provided to me, it seems that this Sultana was daughter of Handan Sultan; as she was given to Mehmed in 1582 on his circumcision by his aunt Gevherhan Sultan, she could very easily bore her in following 1583. To remind you, before festivities in June 1582, earlier that year or previous one Mehmed impregnated one of Nurbanu Sultan’s slaves, whom she ordered to be thrown into cold Bosphorus. So, he was capable of bedding a woman, as he could had his own harem. Ofc, as the girl was born (and not a boy), it was not celebrated on high level, and we have no infos about that in regular sources. But, I will add some things

In report from 1600 (Girolamo Cappello), on page 414 he reports that governor of Cairo Iskender Pasha (Kender bassa) is fourth vizier and that he tries by all means to have king’s daughter as wife, but the ambassador considers it unlikely because Pasha was being in age disproportionate to king’s daughter. On the other side, on page 415, he reports that Mahmud Pasha, who was general and fighting against enemy in Micali, was said to be given king’s daughter by king himself if he would be succesfull in fights.

In source Relazioni degli stati Europei lette al senato dagli ambasciatori Veneti nel secolo XVII on page 37 is stated: Ha tre figliuoli maschi e una femmina: questa di eta di 18 anni: ed ha discorso di alcuni bascia che la pretendono per moglie, come Mahmud, e il bascia del Cairo, ma non si maritera se prima non si fa il ritaglio del primogenito, ne questo si fara se non si termina la querra di Ungheria…tutti questi sono di una madre, e l’ultimo che ha 3 o 4 anni ha nome Osmano./ He has three sons and a daughter: the latter is 18 years old: and he has spoken of some pashas who want her as a wife, like Mahmud, and the bascia of Cairo, but she will not marry unless the firstborn is cut off, nor will this be done unless the war in Hungary is ended…all them are from the same mother, and the last is 3 or 4 year old by name Osman.

It seems that before December of 1602, during reign of her father, this Sultana was eventually married off. In Safiye’s Household on page 29 (note 64) says:

                         14 Dec. 1602 – the baylo says that once paşas in disgrace were killed or sent away from Constatinople; now two former paşas, one the husband of the sultan’s sister and the other of the sultan’s daughter, create disorders but their wives freely enter the Imperial Palace

Reported in Osmanlı İmparatorluğu tarihi (1965) by Zuhuri Danışman (page 243) that beside Sultan Ahmed’s daughter Gevherhan who marries Mehmed Pasha, he has two sisters who were before married to Mustafa Pasha and Kanije defender Tiryaki Hasan Pasha (also said by Hammer). G. Borekci said that Handan Sultan was reported in February 1595 to have three sons and two daughters. Obviously, these were own sisters of Ahmed I. It seems that the eldest Sultana married secondly in 1604 to Hasan Pasha. In Oztuna’s work Devletler ve hanedanlar, she is reported by him to had a son and two daughters.

Also, one of Ahmed I’s sisters married in early 1610s governor of Buda Kadizâde Ali Pasha, also known as Ali Pasha of Buda. Ali Pasha died in December 1616 in Belgrade. Sakaolgy in his book reported that Ambassador Valier says that Ali Pasha’s his wife was Sultan Ahmed’s younger sister. If so, she was not his full-sister. Anyway, I would like personally to see that report about Ali Pasha, I wasn’t able to find it.

It seems that Mehmed III also had a daughter named Halime, who was a widow during 1622; she was surely Halime’s daughter. It seems it was popular back then to name daughter after their mother (case with Murad II’s daughter Hundi, Bayezid II’s daughter Ayşe, Selim I’s daughter Hafsa, Mehmed III’s daughter Halime, Ahmed I’s daughter Kösem, Murad IV’s daughter Ayşe and Mehmed IV’s daughter Emetullah).

I would suggest Halime was born in 1598; you shared with us once report from Leonardo Dona dated from August 1597: Et si dice che fin hora habbia conggresso con otto altre donne, tre o quattro delle quali siano già gravide// And it is said that until now he has had congress with other eight women [other than Handan], three or four of them being already pregnant

It was maybe Halime one of those four who got pregnant and bore a daughter in 1598, as she gave birth to Mustafa in 1600/01.

One source (https://nek.istanbul.edu.tr:4444/ekos/TEZ/49544.pdf) (page 54, note 337) claims that Sultan Mehmed III had one daughter named Hüma(şah) Sultan. Author namely cites Selaniki as source, but he says nothing about her. ________________________________________

Anyway, as by now, I would sum up Mehmed III’s daughters like this:

Fülane Sultan (1583 — after 1604); daughter of Handan. Married firstly in late reign of her father to some of the pashas. Married secondly in 1604 to Tiryaki Hasan Pasha, with whom she had three children.

Ayşe Sultan (1588? — after 1614); daughter of Halime. Married firstly in 1604 to Destari Mustafa Pasha, with who she had three children. She might remarried to Gazi Khusrev Pasha.

Şah Sultan (1589? — 1618?); daughter of Handan. Said to be full and favourite sister of her brother Ahmed I. Married firstly in 1605 to Mustafa Pasha, with whom she had a son. After his death, she remarried Mahmud Bey in 1612. She was still alive in 1617, but as her husband remarried in May 1620, she most likely died in 1618/19.

Hatice Sultan (?? — ??); daughter of Halime or another concubine. Married firstly to Mustafa Agha, remarried to Kayserili Halil Pasha, with whom she had two sons.

Safiye Sultan (1590? — after 1638); married in 1606 to Kara Davud Pasha with whom she had a son Suleiman. After her husband was executed, she remarried to some Mehmed Pasha.

Halime Sultan (1598 — after 1622); daughter with Halime

Hümaşah Sultan; might name of eldest daughter

Fülane Sultan (after 1590 — after 1616); younger half-sister of Ahmed I, married to Ali Pasha of Buda.

Oh, I really like this topic. Mehmed III’s daughters fascinate me a lot.

Sorry for the wait, it took me a really long time to gather all the sources.

This is going to be so long it could kill the reader, I’m so sorry 😭

I don’t understand how you came up with the date of Ayşe’s marriage to Destari Mustafa Pasha. As far as I know, we don’t have it. Also, I have found (in Öztuna, Devletler ve Hanedanlar) that Destari Mustafa Pasha was governor of Anatolia for a year, only in 1603, so I wonder what happened: was he governor of Anatolia when he was given the hand of a princess or was he appointed governor because he was the husband of a princess? In 1604 the governorship was given to Kejdehân 'Alî Paşa.

Anyway, Destari Mustafa Pasha died in 1610 and was buried in his tomb in the Şehzade Mosque.

There is no source that says that Ayşe was married during Ahmed I’s reign, so she could be the princess described by Agostino Nani in 1600:

Ha tre figliuoli maschi e una femmina: questa di età di 18 anni: ed ha discorso con alcuni bascià che la pretendono per moglie, come Mahmud, e il bascià del Cairo, ma non si mariterà se prima non si fa il ritaglio del primogenito, né questo si farà se non si termina la guerra di Ungheria, e si resti liberi dai travagli dei sollevati in Asia.

To be honest, basically every princess who wasn’t Halime’s daughter could have been the one described by Agostino Nani.

Pietro della Valle wasn’t completely sure that Şah was Ahmed I’s own sister but it’s interesting that he mentioned that because foreigners usually didn’t. About the second quote you posted, the one about Nasuh’s execution: well, it seems this was a family affair because Pietro della Valle says that Şah and her husband spoke with Ahmed I before the Grand Vizier’s execution and told him about some misdeeds he had done. On the other hand, Ragusian diplomats said that Gevherhan Sultan binti Selim II was the reason behind Nasuh Pasha’s execution:

“Dicesi che la causa della morte di Nasupassa è stata sultana di Gevatmehmet la quale essendo li messi passati andata verso Mecha scrisse di la al Gran Signore piu cose contro detto Nasupassa, e particolarmente li disse, che non era suo Visiero, ma Capiciehaia del Persiano”

Both princesses said that it looked like Nasuh Pasha had ties with the Persians.

I have to disagree with you on the fact that Hatice Sultan can’t be Ahmed I’s sister based on that decision. While it’s true that I said the same about Ümmügülsüm binti Ahmed I and Murad IV, in the same 82 numarali muhimme defteri, Osman II calls Ayşe “hemşîrem” in decision 273. In 85 numarali muhimme defteri, Murad IV refers to Gevherhan as “hemşîrem” in decision 93 and 563.

I’m not entirely sure that Hatice went on to marry Kayserili Halil Pasha because in the first source you sent his wife is mentioned as “Hatice Sultan” only by the author. The original document says “Hadice Hanım” (p. 7, n. 14), which made me a little suspicious. In the second source you sent, his wife is mentioned as “Hatun” and never as a princess; the author says:

The name of Halil Pasha's wife is Hatice Hatun. Other relatives include Fatma Hatun, Emine Hatun, Melek Sima Hatun, Can Fida Hatun and Sakine Hatun, but there is no information about their degree of closeness.

It kind of makes me think that the author of the first source made a typing mistake when he referred to Halil Pasha’s wife as “Hatice Sultan”, because he doesn’t say anything else about it in the entire essay.

It is true, though, that Hatice Sultan was married to one Mustafa who had been the Janissaries commander. It’s also true that had this Mustafa been Mirahur Mustafa Pasha, he would have been referred to as a pasha and not as a janissaries commander. The decision is dated Zilhicce 1026, which went from November 30, 1617 to December 30, 1617, which means this man could have been the Mustafa Ağa who died in Baghdad in 1616 (Öztuna). The next Mustafa is “Hoca-zâde dâmâdı Mustafa Ağa” but he was commander from 1617 to 1618 (also, he was married to a woman from the Hocazade family, clearly).

About Safiye Sultan. Let’s go back to Dumas’ harem registry, which you mentioned:

The princesses are in order of amount of money except for Safiye Hanımsultan who most likely took her mother’s place in the harem register as a recipient. I don’t know why the princesses who receive 12900 per month are in that particular order but that’s not the point right now.

Now, to find out the identities of most of these princesses we cross-referenced them with other sources, especially the princesses mentioned by Ragusian diplomats in 1642 and 1648:

(can you tell I love tables?)

From this list I left “Safiyye Sultan merhum Mehmed Paşa” out because we don’t know who she is, also because Mehmed Pasha as a husband is truly too vague.

Now, let’s get to the decision in the Istanbul Court Registry you sent me. So, one of the issues I have with it is that Davud Pasha’s son is called “Davud Paşazâde Süleyman Bey”, which opens the possibility that he could have been Davud Pasha’s son from another marriage. If he had been called Sultanaze then we would have been safe.

I’m going to be honest with you: I couldn’t find where you said that Evliya Celebi confirmed that Davud Pasha’s son with the princess was called Süleyman. The only mention to Davud Pasha I found was this:

Hayat hikâyesi : Mere Hüseyin Paşa, Arnavut ırkından olup, evvelâ Satırcı Mehmed Paşa’nm aşçıbaşısı, sonra sırasıyle sipahi çavuşu, koyun emini, çavuşbaşı, kapıcıbaşı, kapıcılar kethüdası, büyük mirahur ve en sonra Mısır valisi, daha sonra da hain Davud Paşa’nın yerine Sadrâzam oldu.

which is just Evliya saying that Hüseyin Pasha succeeded Davud as Grand Vizier.

But whatever, let’s move on. This Süleyman Bey had three daughters: Afife, Ayşe, and Safiye.

Your theory is that Safiye was also the name of his mother, considering that Mehmed III was very close to his mother and that there is a Safiye Sultan listed in a harem register in 1638-39. Now, this is kind of a risk because a) it cannot be confirmed in any way and b) we have to suppose that Davud Pasha’s wife married a Mehmed Pasha after his execution. I mean, it could be but it’s just a conjecture at the moment. For example, Afife could have been named after her grandmother and she could have died before 1639, when the harem register was compiled.

As I said above, any daughter of Handan could be the one described by the ambassadors.

It is true, though, that Francesco Contarini says this (unfortunately we don’t have his relazione)

14 Dec. 1602 – the baylo says that once paşas in disgrace were killed or sent away from Constatinople; now two former paşas, one the husband of the sultan’s sister and the other of the sultan’s daughter, create disorders but their wives freely enter the Imperial Palace

therefore prompting that, in the end, Mehmed III married off at least one of his daughters towards the end of his reign. It is interesting that at this point Şehzade Mahmud was still alive so marrying a princess off could have changed the balance in the harem since both Halime and Handan had daughters.

Let’s move onto Tiryaki Hasan Pasha. You mentioned Hammer, and I was able to find out the where he talked about him:

A Constantinople, Mahmoud, fils de Cicala, obtint en mariage une sœur du Sultan défunt, Mohammed III; le kapitan-pascha, Mohammed le' Boeuf, épousa la sœur aînée du Sultan régnant, et le grand-vizir, Nassouh, fut fiancé, en présence de tous les vizirs et du moufti, à la sœur cadette du souverain ( février 1611- silhidjé 1020 ). Deux des sœurs d'Ahmed avaient été mariées antérieurement à Moustafa-Pascha et à Hasan Teryaki, le brave défenseur de Kanischa, et sa fille, Ghewherkhan, avait été fiancée au gouverneur d'Egypte, Mohammed Koulkiran. Le 13 juin 1612, noces du kapitan-pascha et de la sœur aînée d'Ahmed furent célébrées avec une pompe inouïe.

Now, this excerpt is interesting because there’s so much confusion lmao:

Cigalazade Mahmud (Bey?) “had married a sister of the deceased sultan, Mehmed III”: now, Cigalazade Mahmud Bey married a daughter of Mehmed III. On the other hand, Cigalazade Mehmed Bey married a daughter of Murad III. Who is he referring to? Who knows.

Öküz Mehmed Pasha “had married the eldest sister of the reigning sultan”: Kara “Öküz” Mehmed Pasha, though, was Gevherhan binti Ahmed I’s first husband.

“Nasuh, the Grand Vizier, was betrothed, in the presence of all the viziers and the mufti, to the younger sister of the sovereign (February 1611)”: Nasuh Pasha, though, married Ayşe binti Ahmed I. Maybe Nasuh Pasha was supposed to marry one of Ahmed I’s sisters but she died? According to Tezcan, the marriage took place in December 1612; if Hammer is right then maybe he was first betrothed to another princess.

“Two of Ahmed's sisters had been previously married to Mustafa Pasha and Hasan Teryaki, the brave defender of Kanischa”: Mustafa Pasha could be Destari Mustafa Pasha.

I don’t understand where you found that in Devletler ve hanedanlar a princess had three children with Hasan Pasha.

I don’t see anyone married to Hasan Pasha.

We can’t say that these princesses were Ahmed’s own sisters because Hammer mentioned at least 4.

About the princess who married Ali Pasha. I checked what Sakaoglu said and he referred to Alderson so I checked him too. So, Alderson’s source says this:

On dit aussi que ce fut en cette année que Cigale, duquel il a esté fait souvent mention, fut fait General de la mer, au lieu d'Haly Bassa beau-frere du grand Seigneur. (Chalcondyle, Histoire des Turcs, p. 851)

So, the Grand Seigneur mentioned here is Mehmed III, not Ahmed I, so Ali Pasha was married to a daughter of Murad III, not of Mehmed III. This being Alderson’s source for saying that a daughter of Mehmed III was married to Ali Pasha confuses me a lot because “beau-frère” means — clearly — brother-in-law.

His other source is Hammer:

Les Turcs ne pouvaient songer sérieusement à la paix avant que Bocskai eût conclu la sienne avec l'Autriche; lorsqu'un traité entre Bocskai et l'empereur eut été signé à Vienne, le Sultan donna à son gendre Ali-Pascha, gouverneur d'Ofen, au vizir Mourad-Pascha et à Habil-Efendi, juge d'Ofen, des pleins pouvoirs pour agir en son nom.

According to Uzunçarşılı, though, the governor of Buda Ali Pasha was the son-in-law of Kuyucu Murad Pasha, not of the sultan:

Ali Pasha, the governor of Budin, the son-in-law of the vizier Murad Pasha, and Habil Efendi, the qadi of Budin, and Kadim Ahmed Efendi, the kethuda of Murad Pasha, and Nasrüddin zade Mustafa Efendi, one of the notables of Budin, became the executive director of peace.

İşbilir too says that Kadızâde Ali Pasha was the son-in-law of Kuyucu Murad Pasha:

the Treaty of Zitvatorok was signed as a result of the negotiations conducted between 17 Cemaziyelâhir - 10 Rajab 1015 (20 October - 11 November 1606) by his son-in-law Kadızâde Ali Pasha and the judge of Budapest Hâbil Efendi.

I’m sorry but I could not find Sakaoglu’s mention of Cristoforo Valier; he mentioned the secretary to the Austrian ambassador, Werner, instead:

Her name, birth and death dates are unknown. It could be determined that she married Ali Pasha, who died in 1617. In his footnote regarding this princess of Mehmed III’s and Ali Pasha, Alderson mentions Chalcocondyles; Hammer reports that he was married to a daughter of Ahmed I. Austrian ambassador Werner, while describing his meetings with Ali Pasha in Budin, which he stopped by on his way to Istanbul in 1616, said, "He is a liberal and close to Christians, he is about 50 years old. He is married to the sister of the Turkish ruler." It appears that she was the sister of Ahmed I.

Werner, that is Adam Werner von Crailsheim, was not the Austrian Ambassador but the secretary to the Austrian ambassador, Hermann Czernin von Chudenitz. Unfortunately I could not read his diary but it’s been published in Turkish as “Padişahın Huzurunda”.

In conclusion I would be very cautious in saying that Kadızâde Ali Pasha was a damad because I don’t think he was.

I personally don’t agree that if a princess is younger than Ahmed then she’s not his own sister because Mehmed III had discarded harem rules: both Handan and Halime kept having children after the births of their sons so it can be entirely possible that Ahmed I had a younger full sister.

I don’t know how popular it was to name daughters after their mothers because Ayşe, Hafsa, and Emetullah are Muslim names. Kösem and Halime are certainly unusual names (but I’m not sure a princess called Kösem really existed).

Honestly, this princess could have been born basically anytime. Also, I made a typo in that ask because I don’t think Leonardo Donà was in Istanbul in 1597. His last dispatch from Istanbul is dated 14 December 1595. Moreover, Lorenzo Bernardo in 1587 (though his relazione is dated 1590 for some reason) stated that Mehmed (then prince) had two sons “and many daughters”:

Ha finalmente due figlioli maschi, sultan Selim e sultan [***] e molte femine, di molte schiave, che tiene al suo servizio.

Of course some of these princesses could have died before Ahmed I’s accession.

I’m sorry I can’t open your last source, the link doesn’t work for me.

Anyway, what I wanted to highlight is that I don't think we can put Mehmed III's daughters in order because we have no idea who the eldest Venetian ambassadors kept talking about is.

[magnificentlyreused]

This brown and golden kaftan was first worn by Şehzade Mehmed in the twenty-seventh episode of the second season of Magnificent Century. It then appeared twice in the third season, first on Şehzade Bayezid in the twenty-second episode and then on a guest in the thirty-sixth episode. The kaftan was also worn by Şehzade Murad (later Sultan Murad III) in the eighteenth episode of the fourth season.

Magnificent Century: Kösem used the kaftan on Şehzade Murad (later Sultan Murad IV) in the twenty-second episode of the first season.

[ahalal-uralma]

I love history...it's...so...SO...

Father: I know you want to be powerful. Here you go son.

His son: On second hand baba, I am scared and this power stuff is too difficult. I'll take over when the coast is clear. Tamam?

Father: Tamam, son. *DIES*

His son: Better him than me. *DIES*

[haber-euro-turk]

III. Mehmed (1595 – 1603)

Sultan Üçüncü Mehmed, 26 Mayıs 1566’da, Manisa’da doğdu. Babası Sultan Üçüncü Murad, annesi Safiye Sultan’dır. İsmini, Fatih Sultan Mehmed’e benzemesi için, büyük dedesi Kanûnî Sultan Süleyman koydu. Orta boylu, kumral saçlı ve güzel yüzlüydü. İyi bir ilim tahsili yaptı ve Tâcü’t-Tevârih yazarı Hoca Sadeddin Efendi’den dersler aldı. Sultan Üçüncü Mehmed, 1583’te Manisa sancak beyliğine tayin…

[haitianempress]

Dracula a Love Story characters and their historical counterparts

Vlad - Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler and Vlad Dracula (Vlad Țepeș), was a 15th-century ruler of Wallachia, notorious for his brutal punishment methods, particularly impaling his enemies. He defended his realm from the Ottoman Empire and became a national hero in Romania.

Mehmed - Mehmed II, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror (Mehmed bin Murad), was the Ottoman Sultan who famously captured Constantinople in 1453. Historically, Mehmed II clashed with Vlad Dracula during campaigns in Wallachia, adding political depth to their enmity.

Radu - Radu III, also known as Radu the Handsome, was the younger brother of Vlad the Impaler and historically served as a ruler of Wallachia under Ottoman control. His rivalry with Vlad is well-documented, as Radu supported the Ottomans while Vlad opposed them.

Sultan Murad - Murad II was a formidable ruler who expanded Ottoman control in the Balkans and fought against various European coalitions. His campaigns laid the groundwork for the later conquests of his son, Mehmed II.

Gjerg Skanderberg - Gjergj (Gjergj Kastrioti), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanian feudal lord and military commander who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire. Skanderbeg's legacy as a defender of Christian Europe against the Ottomans is similar to how Vlad Dracula is viewed by some in Romania. Both are celebrated as national heroes who fought for independence and freedom in their respective lands.

Erzsebet (Erzsi) - Erzsébet Báthory (Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed), also known as The Blood Countess or Countess Dracula, was a Hungarian noblewoman from the late 16th and early 17th centuries, infamous for allegedly torturing and killing young girls. She is considered one of the most prolific female serial killers in history.

[medievalandfantasymelee]

Congratulations to today's champions!!

Be it known that these Competitors have triumphed on the Seventh and Last Day of Contest of Round One!

Faramir, Son of Denethor [David Wenham], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Defeats Uther Pendragon [Gabriel Byrne], Excalibur (1981) with 92.7% of the Vote

Thorin Oakenshield [Richard Armitage], The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Defeats King Edward IV Plantagenet [Max Irons], The White Queen (2013) with 82.9% of the Vote

Ètienne de Navarre [Rutger Hauer], Ladyhawke (1985)

Defeats Sultan Mehmed II [Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu], Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020-2022) with 69% of the Vote

Vlad III Dracula [Luke Evans], Dracula Untold (2014)

Defeats Nicodemus Ravens, The Shamer’s Daughter {Skammerens Datter} (2015) with 69.4% of the Vote

Turgut Alp [Cengiz Coşkun], Resurrection: Ertuğrul {Diriliş: Ertuğrul} (2014-2019)

Defeats King Edmund the Just [Mark Wells], The Chronicles of Narnia (2005-2010) with 76.2% of the Vote

Rodrigo Borgia [Jeremy Irons], The Borgias (2011-2013)

Defeats Lord Tywin Lannister [Charles Dance], Game of Thrones (2011-2019) with 50.4% of the Vote

Prince Charmont [Hugh Dancy], Ella Enchanted (2004)

Defeats “One-Eye” [Mads Mikkelsen], Valhalla Rising (2009) with 61% of the Vote

Adhemar, Count of Anjou [Rufus Sewell], A Knight's Tale (2001)

Defeats Robin Hood [Errol Flynn], The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) with 65.3% of the Vote

King Arthur Pendragon [Bradley James], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Defeats Prince Henry [Dougray Scott], Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998) with 60.8% of the Vote

Boromir, Son of Denethor [Sean Bean], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Defeats Alessandro Farnese [Diarmuid Noyes], Borgia (2011-2014) with 90% of the Vote

Sir Lancelot [Santiago Cabrera], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Defeats Chu Hun [Peter Ho], Double World (2020) with 60.8% of the Vote

Westley [Cary Elwes], The Princess Bride (1987)

Defeats Sir Lancelot [Luc Simon], Lancelot du Lac (1974) with 78% of the Vote

[aphroditelovesu]

❝𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀 𝙇𝙀𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝙄𝙄 𝙈𝘼𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏❞

Historical Characters

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💕 Yan!Alexander the Great, Yan!Julius Caesar, Yan!Napoleon Bonaparte and Yan!Henry VII w/Cheating!Wife (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Napoleon Bonaparte and Yandere Marquis de Lafayette w/Wife!Reader (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Alexander the Great and Yandere Mehmed the Conqueror (Romantic)

💕 Reader Love Letter for Julius Caesar (Romantic)

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💕 Yandere Mehmed the Conqueror (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Pompey the Great (Romantic)

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A Court of Thorns and Roses

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Greek Mythology

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💕 Yandere!Cheating Hermes

💕 Yandere Hephaestus w/Pregnant!Reader (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Achilles (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Eros w/Soulmate!Reader (Romantic)

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💕 Yandere Persephone (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Athena

Bridgerton

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Percy Jackson

💕 Yandere Percy Jackson | Prompts 3, 4, 12, 26

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💕 Yandere Percy Jackson w/Daughter of Aphrodite!Reader (Romantic)

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💕 Yandere Nico di Angelo (Romantic)

Marvel

💕 Yandere Gamora (Romantic)

The Originals/The Vampire Diaries

💕 Yandere Elijah Mikaelson (Romantic)

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Wednesday

💕 Yandere Wednesday Addams (Romantic)

Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

💕 Yandere Cat Blanc (Romantic)

Heartstopper

💕 Yandere Nick Nelson (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson (Romantic)

A Song of Ice and Fire

💕 Yandere Cersei Lannister w/Male!Reader Lannister

💕 Yandere Laenor Velaryon (Platonic)

💕 Yandere Maegor the Cruel (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Jaehaerys I Targaryen (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Rhaena Targaryen/Black Bride (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Maegor the Cruel w/Pregnant!Reader (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Alicent Hightower to bby!Reader

Harry Potter

💕 Yandere Tom Riddle (Romantic)

BTS

💕 Yandere Jimin (Romantic)

Egyptian Mythology

💕 Yandere Seth and Yandere Horus (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Horus w/Princess of Egypt!Reader (Romantic)

The Hunger Games

💕 Yandere Peeta Mellark (Romantic)

K-Dramas

💕 Yandere Jeong Gu-Won (Romantic) || My Demon

Castlevania

💕 Yandere Vlad Dracula Tepes, Yandere Trevor Belmont and Yandere Alucard (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Vlad Dracula Tepes (Romantic)

Disney

💕 Yandere Prince Charming/Kit (Romantic)

💕 Yandere Prince Charming/Kit after Midnight (Romantic)

One Piece

💕 Vinsmoke Sanji (Romantic)

Attack on Titan

💕 Yandere Levi Ackerman (Romantic)

Hannibal

💕 Yandere Hannibal Lecter w/Wife!Reader (Romantic)

Maze Runner

💕 Yandere Thomas (Romantic)

[haticesultanas]

Sorry to bother you in this account, I would have a question about Ümmügülsüm Sultan, the possible daughter of Ahmed I. The relazione of Angelo Alessandri from 1637, Page 649 says: "Ha il Gran Signore di congionti per sangue quatro sorelle ancora, ma fuori di seraglio, essendo tutte maritate in visiri." And since I am not really speaking italian, I am not sure if "per sangue quatro sorelle" means full-sister or just a way to say sister (and so can mean half sister too). One of my followers - who says he speaks italian - says it means full-sister and confirms that beside Ayse, Fatma and Hanzade there was another full-sister of Murad IV. I mean while I have my doubts, Alderson also lists one Ümmügülsüm (wife of Halil Pasha) based on harem registers, who had the same amount of salary in 1639 as Ayse, Fatma and Hanzade, the daughters of Kösem (and some other women - possible daughters of Murad III had the same amount, while Atike and one Hatice possibly daughters of Ahmed I had less salary). Also, there is the known other register that you also mentioned on ottomanladies page, based on Tezcan: “A privy purse register from 1622 gives the names of five unmarried princesses, who may be daughters of Ahmed, Osman II, and even Mehmed III: Umm-i Külsum, Hanzade, Halime, Fatma, and Akile.” The fact that there was one Ümmügülsüm in 1622 who was still unmarried, and then in 1639 she had the same amount of stipend as Ayse, Fatma, Hanzade and the relazione mentioning that 4 (full)sister thing, maybe suggests that Kösem and Ahmed MAY had another daughter together, Ümmügülsüm? What do you think?

Hello! I guess my askbox on ottomanladies is still closed.

So, your follower is right; what Angelo Alessandri says in his relazione is that Murad IV has four full-blooded sisters who all live outside the palace because they are married. When I read this part, I simply assumed that the fourth princess was Gevherhan but we don’t have any information about her after Recep Pasha’s death in 1632. Then, I assumed he was wrong because it wouldn’t be the first time a European ambassador mistook half-siblings for full-blooded siblings.

About Ümmügülsüm, I have always assumed he was a daughter of Mehmed III’s or Murad III’s. I have never paid attention to her, as I’m sure you know from my posts on ottomanladies.

But you made me curious so I spent some time looking into this.

First, I think you meant Dumas when you mentioned that list based on harem registers because I have found it in Les Perles de Nacre du Sultanate. Alderson doesn’t list an Ümmügülsüm Sultan among Ahmed I’s daughters (unless I somehow missed it).

Secondly, I think there is a problem with this source: on page 62, the register is from February 1649 to February 1650. In Annex A, though, (page 461), she says that the same register is dated February 1639. So what is the truth? February 1639, because the register keeps saying “Şevval 1048”, and that’s February-March 1639 (you can google it). The mistake on page 62 is… weird, though.

Moreover, the list above is somewhat different from the transliteration she put in Annexe A. For example, on page 463 she says that the register says “Hümaşah Sultan merhum Nakkaş Hasan Pasha”, but on the list she put on page 62, the same Hümaşah Sultan is married to one Hüseyin Pasha. I don’t understand why she changed the source without addressing it— or is it just a typing mistake? I hope it is because I think Hümaşah Sultan was truly married to Nakkaş Hasan Pasha: Nakkaş Hasan Pasha was identified as married to one of Ahmed I’s aunts by the Baron de Selignac, and a letter dated 6 October 1642 by a Ragusian diplomat lists among Ibrahim’s aunts one “Humascie sultana moglie di Hasan Pascia [Hümaşah sultan wife of Hasan Pasha]”. In another letter, this one dated 7 July 1648, Hümaşah is identified as “moglie di Nachasc Hasanpascia Humasce sultan vedova [Hümaşah sultan, widow of Nakkaş Hasan Pasha]”.

If Dumas voluntarily changed Hasan Pasha into Hüseyin Pasha then I don’t know why she did it because contemporary evidence suggests that this princess called Hümaşah was Ahmed I’s aunt and therefore Ibrahim’s great-aunt (I won’t fault the Ragusian diplomat for not stating the difference because it wasn’t done often at the time), and was married to Nakkaş Hasan Pasha, who is called “merhum” in the harem register because he was deceased at the time.

Similarly, on page 462, it is listed one “Kameri Sultan merhum Sofi Bayram Pasha”, but on the list on page 62, she is called Fahri. Again, what prompted Dumas to change the wife’s name? Is it because Öztuna says that Fahri/Fahriye Sultan (daughter of Murad III) was married to Sofu Bayram Pasha? Then again, why was she called Kameri in the register? Is it a mistake from the clerk or did she have multiple names? Or did Dumas transliterate her name wrong? Or did she change the princess’ name into Fahri because that’s what Öztuna says? Interestingly, in the family trees in Annex B, she’s called Fahri again. The same Ragusian diplomat above also lists the wife of Bayram Pasha: “Vanni sultana moglie di Soffi Bariam Pascia”; unfortunately I cannot say what Vanni should be because it doesn’t sound like Kameri at all. It could sound like Fahri but… it’s a stretch.

Beyhan Sultan, Safiye Sultan, and Mihrimah Sultan are widows too but it’s difficult to identify them because their husbands are one “Mustafa Pasha”, one “Mehmed Pasha”, and a “Mehmed Pasha from Kefe”. I tried to google this Mehmed Pasha from Kefe and everyone says he was married to Mihrimah Sultan, daughter of Murad III. The problem is the sources of this claim (on those websites) do not say this. The Ragusian letter talks about a Beyhan Sultan married to a “Mustai Pascia” which could be Mustafa Pasha, but this is all I have to say.

I also would like to highlight that the princesses listed in the Ragusian letter are those who received gifts from the Ragusian diplomat so there could have been more, especially aunts.

As for “Atike Sultan Kenan Pasha” (who receives 9,900 aspers per month): she seems to be Ahmed I’s daughter Atike (also confirmed by the Ragusian letter, who lists her among Ibrahim's sister).

Now, about “Ümmügülsüm Sultan Halil Pasha” (who receives 12,900 aspers per month): I still personally maintain that she was an aunt and not a sister. I could not identify her, nor her husband Halil Pasha, but we have to keep in mind that we don’t have all the names of Mehmed III’s daughters. In the Ragusian letter dated 1648, there’s one “moglie di Hersechli Ahmet Pascia Iumi sultan [wife of Hersekli (? it could mean that he comes from Herzegovina) Ahmed Pasha, Iumi Sultan” (Iumi kind of sounds like Ümmi). It’s basically ten years later Dumas' list so she could have changed husband in the meantime but unfortunately, I couldn’t identify “Hersechli Ahmet Pascia”— if someone else has information about him, please do not hesitate to share (with sources, please).

I’m sorry this was so long and unhelpful, I was carried away :(((

EDIT: I have found the Ragusian letters in V. Miović - Per favore della Soltana: Powerful Ottoman Women and Ragusan Diplomats

[baebeylik]

Handshake between Sultan Mehmed V and King Victor Emmanuel III. Peace between Italy and the Ottoman Empire at the end of the Italo-Turkish War. 1912.

Credit to Mary Evans/Grenville Collins Postcard Collection.

[reallifesultanas]

Lets talk about Ümmügülsüm Sultan

There is a chance, that Kösem and Ahmed had another daughter together: Ümmügülsüm.

I am so glad, that with Anonymous sender and Ottomanladies, the truth came to light. Ottomanladies answered very long and very detailed about Ümmügülsüm, she shared her thoughts about the topic, now, here, you can find a conclusion from me:

What we know:

A privy purse register from 1622 gives the names of five unmarried princesses, who may be daughters of Ahmed, Osman II, and even Mehmed III: Umm-i Külsum(=Ümmügülsüm), Hanzade, Halime, Fatma, and Akile. Hanzade and Fatma were Kösem's daughters; Akile is possibly mistaken for Atike or Abide; Halime might be Mehmed III's daughter, named after her mother, Halime. But Ümmügülsüm was less clear.

The relazione of Angelo Alessandri from 1637 says that Murad IV had four FULL-sisters. We know three of them: Ayse, Fatma, and Hanzade. But who could be the fourth? Gevherhan was already dead, Atike was well-knownly not a full-sister and also not Abide. Maybe Ümmügülsüm?

There are some decisions and letters of Murad IV, where he mentions Ümmügülsüm as a sister of his. He uses the same wording that he used for Ayse, who undoubtedly was his full-sister, suggesting Ümmügülsüm was also a full-sister of his.

The 1638/39 harem registers mention one Ümmügülsüm Sultan who received the highest payments besides the three already known daughters of Kösem (Ayse, Fatma, Hanzade) and two daughters of Murad III. This means she could be either the daughter of Murad III or Ahmed I. But since Ahmed I's other daughter, Atike - who was not Kösem's - got a lesser stipend, if Ümmügülsüm is Ahmed I's daughter, she had to be Kösem's daughter too and so she is the fourth full-sister of Sultan Murad IV.

In 1648 the Raguzan envoy also mentions her (possibly her as they use the name Iumi), as the wife of Ahmed Pasha, governor of Herzegovina. They probably married ~1642 until the pasha's death in 1648. This was her second marriage, her first husband was one Halil Pasha, with whom she married before 1638.

In book ''Whisper of the cities'' one Ümmühan Sultan is mentioned as she met with the English ambassador's wife. Based on her, Ümmühan was said to be the aunt of deposed Mehmed IV and sister of Ibrahim I. This happened in 1690, so she still was alive then.

There are still questions:

Why no historian ever discovered this information as none of the evidence is new?

Why Ümmi is not mentioned among Ahmed I's children?

Where is she buried? *

When was she born? *

Why Ibrahim did not force her to serve Telli Hümasah (his wife) when he did it to all of the other daughters of Kösem?

To be honest the burial place of Ahmed I is quite a mess. For example there are two sarcofagies for 'Zeynep' daughters of Ahmed I. One of the sarcofagies stands for an adult woman. There was no daughter of Ahmed, called Zeynep who reached adulthood. So maybe the name is mistaken and that Ümmügülsüm. Maybe she was buried somewhere else as she lived a quite long life, survivin everyone around her and her grave is not idetified yet.

Considering the known children of Kösem and their birth date, the most possible for Ümmügülsüm is that she was born during the late reign of Ahmed I. In 1605 Kösem gave birth to Mehmed; in 1606 or 1607 to Ayse; then in 1607 or 1608 to Fatma; in 1609 to Hanzade. While I see that there is a gap here for one more child (if Kösem got pregnant extremely rapidly), she cannot be older than Fatma, as she was also not married off in 1622 yet, and also since we know quite precisely the sequence of these daughters, I do not think another one was born here but no one knows about her. It would be strange. Then in 1612, she gave birth to Murad, but between him and Hanzade there was time for another child - let it be Selim who was born in 1611 or Ümmügülsüm. Then Kasim followed Murad quite quickly, he was born in 1614, and then Ibrahim came in 1615, so there was no time for anyone else between Murad and Ibrahim. After 1615 there is another chance for the birth of Ümmügülsüm. So she either was born after Hanzade (~1611), or after Ibrahim (~1616). Either way - considering she was not just still alive in 1690, but was surely not suffering, dying since she was involved in the diplomacy meeting - she possibly died in the 1690s, she very probably reached 80 maybe even more in the end.

[elizabeth-halime]

Vlad Dracula