2021-04-15 Thu

Hurrem Sultan also known as Roxelana, was the chief consort and wife of the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. She became one of the most powerful and influential women in Ottoman history as well as a prominent and controversial figure during the era known as the Sultanate of Women.

Born in Ruthenia (then an eastern region of the Kingdom of Poland, now Ukraine), Hurrem was captured by Crimean Tatars during a slave raid and eventually taken to Istanbul, the Ottoman capital. She entered the Imperial Harem, rose through the ranks, and became the favorite of Sultan Suleiman. Breaking Ottoman tradition he married Hurrem, making her his legal wife. She was the first imperial consort to receive the title Haseki Sultan.

Hurrem eventually achieved power, influencing the politics of the Ottoman Empire. Through her husband, she played an active role in the affairs of the state. She probably acted as the sultan's advisor, wrote diplomatic letters to King Sigismund II Augustus of Poland, and patronized major public works. She died in 1558, in Istanbul and was buried in a mausoleum within the Suleymaniye Mosque complex.

Ukrainian Postal Department tribute her by issuing a stamp in 1997.

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Image Source: Wikipedia.org