#she's so hurrem sultan coded

[mistressbennet]

wondering if any other MCs will give me the same thrill she gave, i miss you so much renée de noailles

[skenosbisworld]

My discussion with @faintingheroine in the comment section of her poll on the opinions surrounding the subplot of the affair between Ibrahim Pasha and Nigar Kalfa in Magnificent Century have left me with some interesting ideas about how the plot and characters could have been better handled.

I'm pretty new to Tumblr, and I've never made a post before, but I didn't want to bog down her post with an essay worth of comments. So I'm making this post so I can add my entire two cents on this debate.

First off, I have some pretty big problems with this plot for three main reasons.

1. I cannot stand the use of affairs as a cheat code to adding drama. The trope is so overused, and rarely well done, especially in this show. I think I wouldn't mind the use of an affair for Ibrahim, especially because I do think it makes sense for his character, if the trope wasn't already overdone with Suleyman. Historical fiction shows often use this trope because of the modern view that historical men were never faithful, which is absolutely not true. There are many historical examples of men being loving and faithful husbands even in arranged marriages. One of these examples actually being Suleyman and Hurrem.

There are many reasons why a once happy marriage might deteriorate, and I just wish screenwriters would be more creative.

2. This plot, despite it being made into a big deal in season 2, ended up having little to no consequences in season 3 except for Nigar Kalfa, which will be discussed in the last point. Hatice ends up forgiving Ibrahim and Suleyman's decision to kill Ibrahim was not shown to be at all affected by his betrayal of his sister. The only lasting consequence was Hatice's developed hatred of Hurrem, which was both completely irrational and unnecessary as her hatred already could have been explained by her discovering Hurrem's role in Ibrahim's later execution.

3. The plot completely assassinated Nigar's character. I absolutely adored Nigar's character in season 1. She was the voice of reason among a sea of hysteria. She was smart and kind, but not completely loyal. She was ambitious, but she was still caring and dutiful. The affair with Ibrahim left her as a shell of her previous character that just made her look pathetic. Her friendship with Hurrem was already an interesting dynamic, and her place as an influential member of the harem already gave her a good starting point for her own personal arc.

However, I think this subplot could have had potential to be both interesting and rational.

My main key to improving the plot would be to remove Nigar Kalfa entirely out of it.

I think that Nigar's main arc should have been her rise as the new Daye Hatun of the harem.

This was already perfectly set up in season 1 with her already established position as an important member of the harem as well as her friendship with the future haseki sultan. Now I do think that alot could have still been done with Nigar even in this framework. I have two suggestions for what should have been done with her character.

1. I would have Nigar remain friends with Hurrem, but I would have made it a more complex dynamic. Leo's death was a perfect turning point for the two as it made Hurrem lose her unconditional trust in Nigar. This should storyline should have continued through s2 with Hurrem recognizing that even though Nigar is not completely loyal that the kalfa is still an intelligent and valuable ally to have. This would have them maintain an unstable alliance throughout s2 & s4 with them developing a more pure friendship in s4 with Hurrem recognizing that Nigar is the only one who could relate & remember all of her struggles. This would have made for some wonderful bittersweet moments especially around the time of Hurrem's or Nigar's death.

2. Something that could have been done to give Nigar a more personal subplot could have been a romance plot, but one done very differently from all the others. Nigar could have fallen for a man, someone like Nasuh Effendi, and they had a secret relationship for a while until later discovered. When discovered, Hurrem or the Valide Sultan could have offered Nigar a chance of marriage. A chance which Nigar declines in favor of keeping her position in the harem. This would have created a sharp contrast between Nigar and the other female characters as well as perfectly highlight Nigar's ambitions. Most of the women in the show are portrayed as a complete romantics who would do anything for the men they loved, but I don't think this common portrayal should carry over to Nigar. In s1, Nigar is shown as very level headed and rational. She criticizes Hurrem's extreme devotions to Suleiman, and does so without much sympathy unlike Hatice Sultan. This characterization should have remained consistent with Nigar not believing that love should not come at the cost of her own success.

Back to my proposed improvements on Ibrahim's affair subplot, I think this could have been done in two ways.

1. The affair could have been done with Gulnihal, and be a plot by Hurrem to destroy Ibrahim. This would have improved the subplot because it would have given a previously underused character a much more important role, and it would have justified Hatice's anger and hatred of Hurrem. This plot could have happened with Hurrem initially sending Gulnihal as a maid to Hatice in order to spy on Ibrahim. After realizing Ibrahim's interest in her, Hurrem would have ordered her friend to begin and continue an affair with the Pasha. This would have still left Ibrahim completely responsible for the affair, but it may also cast Hurrem into too much of a villain role. It's not a perfect rewrite, but I do think it would be an improvement.

My other suggestion is a much more radical rewrite.

2. The other option could have been that Ibrahim has an affair with some new character, which would not be Nigar or Gulnihal. The affair would have been done without any involvement from Hurrem. The point of conflict would be that Mahidevran finds out about the affair, and she would have helped cover it up out of fear that Hatice would divorce Ibrahim, who would lose his position, and Mahidevran would be left without her main ally. When Hatice inevitably finds out about it, her anger would instead be completely directed at Mahidevran and it would be their friendship that would deteriorate. This could also lead to a stronger friendship between Hurrem and Hatice. Hatice could have divorced Ibrahim, and she could have also been the one who suggested the removal of Mahidevran as head of the harem. This likely would have made Ibrahim's death come much swifter after he returns from the campaign, but I do think this would make for a very interesting shift in dynamics.

Anyway, those are all my thoughts. I may make another post about how I would have changed the relationship between Hurrem with Suleyman and Hurrem with the Valide Sultan. To me, Magnificent Century serves as the perfect playground for rewriting ideas, as both the show and the real history propose so many interesting plotlines, but I feel like the show rarely ever fufilly delivers on it.

If anyone has any disagreements or other opinions on this, I would love to hear. Thx:)

[echoesoftheeast]

Sulieman the New Justinian

One of the great historical phenomena we find is when major historical figures seek to identify themselves with other great historical figures from the past through various ways, such as through titles, symbolic gestures, and even through paintings. A fascinating example of this is found in the life of one of the Ottoman Empire's greatest sultans, Suleiman the Magnificent. When considering the most memorable points of Suleiman's reign as sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520-1566 we find four examples of actions and events which hearken back to the days of the Byzantine Empire and their, arguably, greatest emperor, Justinian the Great. Whether or not Suleiman deliberately sought to identify himself and his reign with Justinian's is a matter of speculation but the correlations are nonetheless intriguing.

The first point of interest lies in the marriages of both men. Both Justinian and Suleiman choose a bride for themselves that came from "less-than-royal" backgrounds. In 525 Justinian married a certain Theodora, who is described by historian John Julius Norwich as not being, "an ideal match. Her father had been a bear-keeper at the Hippodrome, her mother an acrobat - antecedents more than enough to debar her from polite society." Not only was Theodora's lineage considered vulgar but her own youth was considered "less-than-reputable", "while still a child Theodora had joined her elder sister on the stage, playing in farce and burlesque. Before long she had graduated to being Constantinople's most notorious courtesan." Due to her sensational past, Justinian was unable to marry her until his own mother, Empress Lupicina, had died since she considered Theodora origins and past too base. Suleiman's choice was likewise a controversial choice, not because of morally questionable past, such as in the case of Theodora, but due to her status of being a slave. In 1534 Suleiman married the Ruthenian slave-girl Hurrem Sultan (more popularly known as "Roxelana" in the West). This marriage was unprecedented, as in the evaluation of Caroline Finkel, "[Suleiman's] marriage to a freed slave was...a break with convention...[his] marriage to a concubine was shocking enough; his disregard for the one-mother-one-son norm still more so." Despite the popular evaluations of their wives both Justinian and Suleiman were deeply devoted husbands and both Theodora and Roxelana are known to have had considerable influence over their husbands, even in political affairs; Theodora is famous for her rousing speech to Justinian encouraging him not to flee Constantinople during the NIKA protests of January 13th 532 while Roxelana is notorious for her suspected involvement in convincing Suleiman that his oldest son Mustafa, born from another one of his concubines, was plotting against him; leading eventually to Mustafa's execution in 1553.

The next connection between Suleiman and Justinian lies in the scope of the Empires they ruled. Both men are associated with being the rulers of their respective empires at their geographical height. Both men are likewise associated with the expansion of their empires to their geographical height. Justinian's reign is marked by his program of "reconquest" in attempts made by him to retake former territories of the Roman Empire. During his reign, Justinian waged campaigns in Northern Africa, Italy, and Hispania (among others) which brought Justinian's empire beyond being an expression of an "eastern" Roman empire. Suleiman, following the precedence of his forefathers - such as Mehmet II and his father Selim I, likewise expanded his empire through a number of military campaigns. Some of Suleiman's greatest conquests included the taking of Belgrade from the Kingdom of Hungary, the conquest of Baghdad against the Muslim Safavids, as well as the annexation of huge Muslim territories in North Africa.

Another fascinating echo of Justinian in the life of Suleiman is his Ottoman title "the Lawgiver" (rather than his Western title "the Magnificent"). Suleiman is known especially for his work in updating the law-code of the Ottoman Empire as well as formulating new law-codes for the newly acquired territories of his empire. Suleiman's grand legislative work, carried out by Sheikhulislam Ebussuud, was, "a revision and amplification of those [law-codes] of Mehmed II and Bayezid II, containing legislative principles for the empire as a whole on matters such as the regulation of the provincial cavalry forces, taxation...and the affairs of the minority population." This work of updating Ottoman law-codes was not only a revision of laws previously promulgated by the sultans of the past but was also a harmonization between the secular laws and the Islamic religious laws. This dual work of updating imperial law and its harmonization of religious law was also a staple of Justinian's reign. Just as Suleiman carried out his project through Ebussuud so too had Justinian carried out his juridical project through a jurist named Tribonian. In Tribonian, "Justinian found the one man capable of bringing a long-cherished dream to fruition. This was a complete recodification of the Roman law, removing all repetitions and contradictions, ensuring that there was nothing incompatible with Christian teaching."

A final similarity between the two men is found in their ambitious building projects. Justinian is arguably most known for the construction of the church of Hagia Sophia when considering his architectural achievements. During the NIKA revolts, the original church was burned down and Justinian took it upon himself to rebuild the church in greater grandeur than the predecessor. Upon its completion, the cathedral of Hagia Sophia was considered to be the largest building of its time and a marvel of engineering with its enormous central dome, 107 feet across and 160 above the pavement. Tradition has it that when Justinian entered the church for the first time, "[he] stood for a long time in silence before being heard to murmur: 'Solomon, I have surpassed thee.'" Alongside Justinian Suleiman too is known for his construction of religious buildings. While Justinian, as a Christian, was known for his magnificent churches Suleiman, as a Muslim, became known for his mosques. Perhaps the most well known of Suleiman's mosques is the one that bears his name, the Suleymaniye in Constantinople. Just as Hagia Sophia was the most ambitious building project of Justinian's architects so too was the Suleymaniye the largest design of Suleiman's chief architect. The design and size of the Suleymaniye are likewise similar and reminiscent of Hagia Sophia; in fact, it's considered to be the second-largest Mosque in Istanbul right behind Hagia Sophia (which had been converted into a Mosque after Mehmet II's conquering of Constantinople in 1453). Upon its completion, there are whispers that Suleiman uttered the very same words that Justinian had said, marveling and the glory of Hagia Sophia when he entered the mosque for the very first time.

Between these historical circumstances, we can see hints of Suleiman being presented by history as a new Justinian. This would be in fact be quite fitting since the Ottomans considered themselves the inheritors of the Byzantine Empire since their conquest of Constantinople. If an Ottoman sultan wanted to portray himself as being the greatest sultan of the empire it's perfectly reasonable that he may want to draw upon the legacy and image of Justinian to give his own reign an image of greatness. While the lives of Justinian and Suleiman aren't completely identical nonetheless the similarities in marriage, conquest, law, and architecture are intriguing and from these correlations, we can see Suleiman as a new, Islamic, Justinian in a sense. While one's preference for Justinian or Suleiman will largely depend on one's religious convictions (as an Orthodox Christian I make no denial that my own religious convictions place my own personal bias towards Justinian or St. Justinian, as he is remembered in the Orthodox Church) at the very least these similarities can be recognized between them. In calling Suleiman a new Justinian we need not insinuate that Suleiman was greater than Justinian, though no doubt those who hold the Muslim faith would believe so, but rather that since Suleiman's reign bears a certain resemblance to Justinian's, and since Suleiman's reign comes later historically - 1000 years later, in fact, he can be stylized as a new Justinian.

(All quotations regarding Justinian taken from John Julius Norwich's "A Short History of Byzantium" while all quotations regarding Suleiman are taken from Caroline Finkel's "Osman's Dream")