Kösem Sultan
Her name was Mahpeyker. She shone with innocence and an unadulterated beauty that stood out in the harem. A native intelligence sparkled in her pure-black eyes as she walked in the palace garden, her waist-length, jet-black hair reflecting the sunlight back towards the sky. But, she knew that beauty alone would not suffice to elevate her status in the harem. She needed to prove that she was worthy of more than serving simply as a concubine.
She dedicated herself to her lessons, until she had memorized everything she was taught, making it her own, and at only fifteen years-old she was deemed ready to meet the Emperor. She conquered the heart of Sultan Ahmet immediately. He embraced this extraordinary girl and dignified her with a preferred status, treated her like the precious jewel that she was, and married her without further ado. The influence of the young bride grew as the Sultan’s infatuation turned to undying love. By the second year of her marriage she had already become the most famous woman in the household.
The Sultan’s nickname for her was “Kösem”, and this soon became her official name. And like other successful concubines before her, she attained great wealth. Her understanding of human nature and her grasp of politics made her a favourite with Western ambassadors in Istanbul. They called her “Sultana Kösem” and deferred to her on matters of State. She became the talk of the Courts of Europe before she was twenty, she had the world in her palm, but her happiness was not to last.
She was widowed at the age of twenty-eight. She was devastated at first, filled with terror and a tremendous sense of loss. But she overcame her weaknesses for the sake of her son, the Crown Prince Murat, who was only twelve at the time. As his mother, she had the right to rule until he came of age. But the palace was fraught with intrigue, and holding onto power required much strength and skill and perseverance.
Kösem proved her mettle, she chose her allies well, she used her immense power compassionately, and has come down in history as one of the most influential Sultanas of the Ottoman Empire. She also attained property across the Bosphorus in Üsküdar, where she commissioned mosques and schools and fountains and blue-tiled baths to be built for the glory of her son, Sultan Murat.
