Top 10 Facts about Hurrem Sultan

Istanbul Hurrem Sultan Hamam. Photo by: Damien- Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about Hurrem Sultan

Hurrem Sultan (Turkish pronunciation: [hyɾˈɾæm suɫˈtan], Ottoman Turkish:, romanized: خُرّم سلطان, Hurrem Suln, Modern Turkish: Hürrem Sultan; c. 1502 – 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana (Ukrainian: оксолaна; lit. ‘the Ruthenian one,’ was the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent’s chief consort.

She rose to become one of the most powerful and influential women in Ottoman history, as well as a notable and contentious figure during the Sultanate of Women.

Hurrem Sultan’s story is a unique aspect of the Ottoman Empire’s rich history. Hurrem, also known as Roxelana, led a life that astounded her peers and continues to fascinate today’s audience.

Hurrem Sultan was a feminist trendsetter, and her story is all the more intriguing because of her enigmatic and modest start.

What personal qualities did Hurrem Sultan possess that elevated her position from that of a foreign harem slave to that of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire’s ruler?

1. Sultan’s proxy through authority

Hürrem Sultan occupies an interesting place in Ottoman history, as Suleiman broke tradition by marrying a slave and is one of only two sultans to ever officially take a wife.

Since Suleiman was frequently away on campaign, Hürrem wielded considerable power, occasionally acting on his behalf, and she was the first woman to reside in the Topkap Palace.

2. Sultan: The Russian Maid

No known portraits of her exist. This painting was done by the Venetians based on information by their secret service based in Istanbul. Photo by: Rose- Wikimedia

A large part of Hurrem Sultan’s childhood is vague or undisclosed. Her given name could have been Anastasia, Alexandra, or Lisowska, and she could have been the daughter of an Orthodox Christian priest.

She is thought to have been born between 1502 and 1506.

What is clearer is where she came from. Hurrem was caught by Crimean Tatars during a slave raid in the Ruthenia region of what was then the Kingdom of Poland, but is now part of Ukraine.

3. Sultan’s life as a slave

The Tatars raided this area on a consistent basis, capturing people to be taken to Caffa on the Crimean Peninsula and sold as slaves. Hurrem Sultan was one of these individuals.

Caffa’s slave market was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. Hurrem would have been transferred from here to another slave market in Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire. By sea, the trip took about ten days.

Hurrem would have been an adolescent by this point, and that would have been her saving grace. At the slave market, the most valuable slaves were young and attractive female slaves. As a result, they would have been treated fairly well in order to maintain their beauty and value.

4. Who bought Hurrem as their slave?

Hurrem Sultan. Photo by John Kelly- Wikimedia

At this slave market, Pargali Ibrahim Pasha allegedly purchased Hurrem as a gift for his childhood friend, Suleiman, the Sultan’s son. Russian slaves were prized for their fair skin and attractive features, and Pasha may have known what Suleiman the Magnificent found attractive in a woman.

Hurrem is commonly described with red hair, which is a typical feature among Ukrainians and may have been considered exotic in the Ottoman Empire’s epicentre.

Another factor that favoured Hurrem was her Christian faith. It was common practice for the Sultan to have sons with Christian women in order to prevent royal conflicts that could arise if two powerful Islamic houses intermarried.

Hurrem’s good fortune up to this point is undeniable, given how things could have turned out for her as a slave. However, what occurred after that had less to do with chance and more to do with her natural intelligence, adaptability, and political skills.

5. Mistress in the Sultan court

When the young Ruthenian slave joined the royal household, she was given two new names. Some Venetian representatives bestowed upon her the name “Roxelana,” which means “maid from Ruthenia.”

Her other name is the one most people remember her by. In Persian, she was known as “Hurrem,” which means “joyful” or “the laughing one.” This name reveals a lot about her personality and why Suleiman the Magnificent found her company so appealing.

Many female slaves who entered the palace were assigned domestic work. Many female slaves who entered the palace were assigned domestic work. According to one story about Hurrem, her first job was as a laundress.

According to this romantic account of events, Suleiman walked past the part of the palace where Hurrem worked and was mesmerised by her beautiful voice as she sang an old Russian folk song.

6. How did Suleiman and Sultan get together?

He spent time talking to her and was swept by her upbeat personality and ability to communicate. We’ll never know whether or not this story is true. However, it does reveal something about her personality.

In other stories, Suleiman’s mother, Hafsa Sultan, chose Hurrem to spend the night wooing her son. The Sultan’s harem housed hundreds of women, and the chances of these women ever meeting the Sultan in person were slim.

Hurrem would have bathed, shaved, been anointed with fragrant oils, and dressed in fine clothing in preparation for this meeting.

7. Did Harrem and Suleiman’s relationship develop?

Hurrem Sultan. Photo  by: John Kelly- Wikimedia

Regardless of how their first meeting went, fate decreed that Hurrem spend the night with Suleiman. Diplomats from Venice characterized her as attractive but not beautiful, slim, and elegant.

Suleiman must have found her fine Russian features, unordinary red hair, elegance, as well as cheerful demeanour to be a compelling combination because he repeatedly summoned Hurrem to join him.

Suleiman already had a favourite, who also happened to be his wife. Mahidevran Sultan was her name, and she had given Suleiman a son. Now that Hurrem had established herself as the Sultan’s new favourite at court, Muhidevran took matters into her own hands and fought Hurrem, scratching her face.

When Suleiman summoned Hurrem that night, she refused to see him due to her presence. Suleiman called for her again, captivated, and saw the marks Muhidevran had left on her face.

Hurrem’s status as the Sultan’s favourite mistress was cemented even more as a result of this incident. These incidents reveal how astute Hurrem was, demonstrating that she naturally knew how to play the political game to her advantage.

8. Sultan’s marriage to Suleiman

Suleiman the Magnificent became Sultan in 1520, shortly after Hurrem became his mistress. The very next year, she gave birth to him a son, Mehmed. When Suleiman’s mother, Hafsa Sultan, died in 1534, she left a power vacuum in the harem she had ruled over.

Suleiman’s death also meant that he was now truly independent and thus capable of making a decision that would alter the course of history. Something truly remarkable occurred in 1533.

Suleiman the Magnificent released Hurrem from her concubinage so that she could marry him. As it was against Islamic law for a Sultan to marry a slave, he had to free Hurrem in order to make her his queen.

9. Sultan and Suleiman’s children

The empire was shook once more when Hurrem gave birth to another son for her husband. Previously, concubines were only allowed to bear the Sultan one son so that she could concentrate on her son’s upbringing and education. Nonetheless, Hurrem and Suleiman had six children in total, five sons and one daughter.

10. Hurrem was the only wife

Given the fact that Islamic law permitted the Sultan to have up to four wives and as many concubines as he wished, Suleiman the Magnificent stayed loyal to Hurrem and spent time with no other women.