Magnificent century fate Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Biography and life story of Roksolana Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan (Roksalana) - “Merry”, so they called the beautiful, sweetly smiling and sincerely cheerful concubine of the harem. The red-haired and green-eyed Roxalana realized from childhood that she had in her female arsenal everything necessary to conquer life and not be conquered.

At that time, all representatives of the Slavs were called Roxalans. Anastasia - Khurem Sultan , a girl of Slavic origin Roxalana, was nicknamed by the ambassadors of the Western powers.

Many contemporaries of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, and researchers and historians write off her lifestyle and behavior to sophisticated cruelty, to painful lust for power, and, to excessive purposefulness. But no one will dispute that Roxalana is really a strong woman. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, that woman who, being one of the many concubines of the Muslim harem, managed to become the only one who was not afraid to break firmly established stereotypes and break written rules, allowing herself and others to live according to their “convenient” laws.

Hürrem's story

Anastasia Gavrilovna Lisovskaya was born in 1506, in the family of the famous and revered priest Gavrila Lisovsky. But regarding the city in which the future sole official wife of the Emperor of the Ottoman Empire was born, there are still disputes - either in Chemerovtsy, in the Khmelnitsky region, or in Rohatyn in Ivanovo-F
Rankovskoy. It is only known that once, the territory of Ukraine, belonging to the Commonwealth, suffered from the frequent invasion of the Crimean Tatars, ruthlessly breaking the fate and lives of people.

The Tatars, who captured a 14-year-old girl with fiery red hair, a snow-white face and huge green eyes, decided not only her fate, but, as it turned out later, the fate of the entire Ottoman state. So, the girl with other unfortunates was sent along the “Road of Tears”, which stretched first to the Crimea, and then to the Istanbul market, where human trafficking was going on briskly. Here, among many other slaves, the vizier of the Emperor of the Ottoman Empire, Ibrahim Pasha, noticed a life-hungry and sweetly smiling Slav. The vizier decides to buy a Slav and present it as a gift to his master Sultan Suleiman. The slave was carefully examined by intelligent doctors and positively assessed the quality of the gift for the Ruler, giving the conclusion that she is virgin and has no health problems. The fact is that only a virgin girl, distinguished by absolute health and not belonging to a noble family, could become a concubine of the famous Sultan's harem Top-Kapa. From that moment, a new story began not only for the girl, so ruthlessly torn from her parental home, but also for the history of all of Turkey.

By order of Ibrahim Pasha, Anastasia, as expected, according to the charter of the harem, began to prepare for a meeting with the master. All the girls intended for the Sultan's harem underwent thorough training in the Turkish language, music, dance, and poetry. great attention in training in the harem school of life was given to the art of love. The theory of love science and sexual subtleties, young students were taught by sophisticated and experienced women. In addition to the compulsory education of Roxalan, the daughter of a clergyman was forced to accept the Muslim faith. She became a Muslim, but what the girl felt when she abandoned her father's religion, one can only guess. It is only known that the cheerful, cheerful, life-loving woman was always tormented and worried for not very long.

In Suleiman's harem

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was trained and received the approval of teachers with a letter - “ready for life in the House of Joy” and for the box of the Sultan himself. According to the rules of the harem established by the time, the Sultan, as a Muslim, was allowed to be the legal spouse of four wives.

The first son born of one of the wives was declared heir to the throne. The rest of the children, boys, most often died as a result of a fierce rivalry for power to the depths. In addition to the main and legal four wives, the master had in his harem simple, but certainly beautiful concubines, moreover, exactly as many as his soul and body would like. At all times when the sultans ruled, there were up to a thousand or even more women in harems. The obligatory servants of the Sultan's harem were eunuchs, doctors, midwives, maids, cooks and others. But none of the subjects, under pain of death, could not touch the women of the Sultan. The harem was considered a kind of state, where everyone in strict order is obliged to comply with the rules established by law, not obeying which always ended very, very deplorably. A separate and relatively small world relative to the whole Empire, the world was simply seething with betrayal, intrigue and deceit reigning in it. Here, in addition to the statutory laws, their own, unwritten law was in full force - "If you do not eat, then be ready to be eaten."

Then Mahidevran, who once kept aloof from intrigues, feeling that the relationship between the Sultan and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska are far from being only sexual in nature, began to get nervous. The resentment accumulated over ten years in the soul of the Sultan's wife provoked her to sort things out with a representative of the harem. Mahidevran was pleased that she almost strangled her impudent rival, but not for long. Enraged by the deed, Mahidevran Sultan sends his wife, the mother of his heir into exile and her place is fully and with great joy and no longer regretting the long ten years spent to achieve the cherished goal, Hürrem takes. So, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan became the first and only woman, passed the way from a harem concubine to the official, legal wife of the Ruler of the Ottoman Empire.

Power Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan

Now Roxalana, well versed in politics, starts another, new game, in which the main chips on the way to power are ministers, viziers, and of course the spouse himself. Having received the status of the legal wife of the Sultan, she could not afford to relax and completely immersed herself in strengthening her own positions. She is well aware that her youth and beauty are passing away, and Sultan Suleiman may sooner or later be carried away by a younger person. Her goal is to become "valid", but how? The only obstacle is Mustafa and only he.

And if earlier Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska could wait, now behind her growing children and remain an observer and wait for the right moment, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska could not afford. Now or never, with such thoughts, Roxalana began her impetuous struggle for power. The first objectionable figure in this struggle was the noble figure of the Ottoman Empire, the vizier and best friend, colleague of Sultan Suleiman - Ibrahim Pasha. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska disliked Ibrahim for his devotion and closeness to the Sultan, for his supportive attitude towards the son of a Circassian - Mustafa. Now she decides to get rid of him in any way, even if it is as cruel as killing at the hands of a friend. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, having an invisible influence on the Sultan, sets him up against an inseparable friend. So, in 1536, Sultan Suleiman gave the order to strangle Ibrahim Pasha, accusing him of dubious ties with France. Everyone understood that it was Hürrem who gave the order, and that only she was to blame for the death of Ibrahim. The place of the murdered vizier was taken by Rustem Pasha.

When Mehrimah, the only daughter of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, turned 12 years old, despite the huge difference in age, she was married to Rustem. Stubbornly achieving her goal, Roxalana gives Rustem a daughter as a wife, only because he is on good terms with Crown Prince Mustafa. The courtier Rustem Pasha honored such a tempting and promising offer to intermarry with the Sultan himself. So, the young Mehrimah becomes the wife of Rustem Pasha, and completely unaware that she turned out to be a pawn in someone else's game, she dutifully lays out to the cunning mother all the information she is interested in about the events taking place in their house. Meanwhile, Roxalana thoroughly prepared the ground for bringing a new victim - Mustafa. She praised her father in every possible way for the valor and dignity of the heir to the throne and the future ruler. But one day, the well-prepared Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska informs the Sultan about the upcoming conspiracy, the participants of which are his own son, Mustafa, and his son-in-law, Rustem Pasha. The proof of the betrayal was a letter, the author of which, according to Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, was Mustafa himself. A letter asking for support in overthrowing his father, Sultan Suleiman, was addressed to the Iranian ruler.

In addition, Roxalana did not miss such an opportunity and attached to the main evidence - a letter, a retold conversation of the conspirators, recently heard and kindly transmitted by her daughter. An agonizing silence hung over palace life. Everyone was waiting for the Sultan's decision. Can Mustafa, a young man, raised with great care and love by Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska herself from the age of four, now, on the instructions of the nanny, can die, thereby clearing the way to the throne for her son? First, Rustem Pasha was taken under arrest. The torture and silence of the "conspirator" further confirmed the Sultan's suspicions of an impending rebellion. In relation to the daughter's husband, an order was given - to behead. So, the only daughter of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan remained a young widow, which was not actually considered great tragedy, for a woman cruelly clearing the way to power for her son.

And since the Muslim religion forbids killing Muslims, Suleiman, who at that moment considered Roxalana his only friend, gives the order to strangle Mustafa and people close to him - brothers and children - with a silk cord.

The painful and painful struggle of the former concubine Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska lasted 32 years and ended in 1553, when the father Sultan Suleiman, under the authority of his beloved wife, ordered the strangulation and silently watched the execution of his own son through a transparent cloth screen.

With the death of the heir to the throne and Rustem Pasha, for the first time during the reign of the Sultan the Magnificent, Turkey was swept by a wave of uprisings. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, who allowed the sale of wine, hoped, under the power of an intoxicating drink, to liberate the minds of the townspeople who were so accurate in words and actions. "Loose tongues" and casually thrown statements regarding the policy of the Empire cost the lives of everyone and everyone. Without trial or investigation, chatty heads were cruelly torn off their shoulders. As an intimidation of citizens, Roxalana used castration, according to which, everyone who in one way or another was under suspicion was subjected to the most severe deprivation of dignity. At the same time, "Bad Blood" was bound to come out and it was forbidden to bandage the bleeding wound. Of course, only a few were lucky enough to survive after such a mockery, but those who nevertheless remained alive managed to testify to the kind heart of the Sultan's wife, who so generously gave silver tubes to the sufferers for the reign of need.

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was terrifying. Those who had the opportunity tried to leave the city, and the new residents, worried for their own safety, did not even think of settling in the capital.

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan was pleased - she, the only woman and legal wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, eliminated all objectionable pawns that prevented the ascension to the throne of one of her sons, and her subjects pronounce her name with trepidation.

The serene self-satisfaction with her own insidious sophistication was violated by the mother of Sultan Suleiman. Hamse Sultan, having endured the cruel antics of his daughter-in-law for a long time, finally cannot stand it and asks the son of the Sultan to subdue his wife. But in response, she heard from Suleiman: “In Top-Kapy, orders are not canceled.” By the way, just like that, Hürrem liked to express herself. Hamse Sultan herself, a rather domineering and cruel woman, was worried about the bloody antics of her daughter-in-law and tried to influence her son, this was her fatal mistake. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, having learned about the dialogue between Hamse and Suleiman, eliminates her too, poisoning her husband's mother with a few drops of poison.

Its end. It remains only to determine which of the sons will cope with the rule of a huge Power. The mother's choice fell on Selim, who is distinguished by a calm and gentle disposition. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska hoped that someday Selim, due to his character, would spare the brothers.

Illness and death

But the cherished dream - to become a valid and fully enjoy the real power of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, did not come true. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska died in the arms of the grief-stricken husband of the Great Ruler. The sultana did not see how her sons with bloody hands walked against each other. She was not destined to live until the time when Selim and Bayazid began to share the right to inherit the throne. She did not witness how Sultana Suleiman killed them own son Bayezid.

tomb

The Great Ruler, in memory of his adored wife Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, built a majestic mosque - Sulemaniye. The mosque has become one of the largest architectural monuments in Turkey. Here, near the mosque in the octagonal tomb is the ashes of Roxalana. Under the high dome of the tomb, by order of the padishah, rosettes were carved from alabaster, decorated with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska's favorite stones - emeralds. Sultan the Magnificent himself died in 1566. His embalmed body rests next to his wife's tomb.

July 24th, 2017 admin

One of the most influential women of her era, wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent(1494 - 1566), received loud fame only after almost six centuries after her death. True, they talked a lot about her during her lifetime, and in different parts Sveta.

In the 19th century, she became the heroine of a number of stories, novels and even poems. Ukrainian authors especially tried to connect the name Hürrem with the history of their country. In the 90s of the last century, Ukrainian television even shot a series called "Roksolana", having collected all the fictions about Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and turning them into a story about the romantic love of a beautiful slave and an equally beautiful ruler. But all these attempts to glorify her went almost unnoticed ....

Portrait of Roksolana by an unknown author (1540-1550)

Suleiman the Magnificent. late glory

Only when the Turkish series “The Magnificent Century” started on television and the harem passions of the 16th century literally broke into every home, many were surprised to learn that it turns out that even in such a purely patriarchal state based on Islamic traditions as the Ottoman Empire, there was a woman who played a prominent role in history.

However, only the general outline of the historical events presented in the series can be recognized as reliable. As for the details of harem life, characters and even costumes, which are an interesting symbiosis of medieval European fashion, Renaissance and Empire - all this can be attributed rather to the creative imagination of scriptwriters and artists.

Secrets of correspondence

Few documents survive that researchers can rely on. The Ottoman court was a closed structure. Only the sultan and his sons had access to the "holy of holies" - the harem. Eunuchs did not write memoirs. The concubines did not even think of it. So we learn about the intimate life of the head of the Ottoman Empire only from the correspondence of Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska - correspondence that was really very tender, which is reflected in the series.

Some echoes of the events in the harem are conveyed by the notes of foreign ambassadors who collected information bit by bit, including from gossip that went outside Sultan's Topkapi Palace. These gossip formed world " public opinion» About Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska as a witch who bewitched the Sultan, and about the villain who washes the path of her sons to the throne with someone else's blood.

State chambers of the Sultan's palace Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

Five names of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska

With the light hand of the author "Turkish Notes", Ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire in Istanbul, the powerful wife of Sultan Suleiman became known in Europe as Roksolana. Although it was only a nickname which the Turks gave Slavic slaves . On Ottoman maps of that time part of Eastern Europe designated as Roksolania.

In the harem, the sultana was called Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska (laughing) - by the name that was assigned to her after the adoption of Islam, - according to some reports, the sultan himself gave the name to his concubine, which was an incredible honor.

Hurrem's real name, given to her at baptism , remained unknown. Presumably her native name was Anastasia or Alexandra ,she was the daughter of a priest, originally from the south of Russia or from Poland. Her origin - "priest's daughter" - is confirmed in his notes by one of the historians of that time. But as for the name and surname, then most likely Anastasia (or Alexandra) Gavrilovna Lisovskaya along with most of the details of her biography invented by 19th-century novelists.

What is known for certain is that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was a Slav, kidnapped from her native places by the Crimean Tatars, who sold her at the slave market in resellers from the Ottoman Empire. Soon she got into the harem of Suleiman, who, perhaps, had not yet ascended the throne, but was sanjak-bey (ruler) of Manisa.

The future favorite at that time was a teenager, and several years passed between her appearance in the harem and rapprochement with the ruler. In a word, events did not develop as rapidly as shown in the series.

Dancing in the harem. Painting by artist Giulio Rosatti, 19th century.

Was Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska a "bloody sultana"?

The heroine of the "Magnificent Century" interferes in the affairs of the state only in order to survive and save the lives of his children. For the sake of this, by insidious whispering, she tries to bring one vizier closer to the Sultan, alienate another, "orders" the murders of dignitaries objectionable to her, weaves sometimes complex, sometimes primitive networks of intrigue.

The real Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in her letters demonstrates a state mind, education and broad views for that time. So it is not surprising that the ruler heeded her advice.

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowskareally influenced appointments in the council of viziers (sofa), interested in international politics and even hosted foreign ambassadors - "open face" as the authors of historical notes testify. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was engaged in charity work, shelters and mosques were built with her funds.

But rumors of political intrigue and the atrocities of the sultana, on which in the series "The Magnificent Century" built long storylines, perhaps somewhat exaggerated. In particular, the conspiracy organized by Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska to lead to the execution of the Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha, and then the heir to the throne Shahzade Mustafa - it's just a legend , not documented.

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was not loved at the court of the Sultan, she caused fear, envy and hatred, as she was the first woman in the history of Turkey who managed to turn love bonds into an instrument of full-fledged power that extended beyond the harem.

Real Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska set a "precedent" and thereby ushered in the era known as "Women's Sultanate" After her, the sultanas were no longer embarrassed, openly engaged in state affairs.

What sacred traditions did Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska violate

Some even write about with the reign of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska began the "decline" of the Ottoman Empire. collapse Ottoman Empire followed only a few centuries later, but this does not detract from the guilt of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in the eyes of conservatives.

What was the Sultana really guilty of?

First, at Hurrem's reign was destroyed a centuries-old tradition that rulers never married their concubines, although no law officially forbade it. Enamored Suleiman concluded nikah (marriage) with his slave (concubine), having previously freed her. All this caused a scandal in the high society of the Ottoman nobility.

Secondly, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska gave birth to the Sultan five sons - Mehmed, Abdullah, who is not mentioned in the series, because he died at the age of three and did not have time to play any role in history, and also Selim, Bayazet and Dzhihangir.

Although, according to the custom observed in the Ottoman Empire, the concubine could give birth to the Sultan only one male child. Thereafter she received the honorary status of sultana, but at the same time "resignation" from the bed of the ruler, and had to deal exclusively with her son. The honor of continuing the Ottoman family passed to other residents of the harem.

Thirdly, the sacred right of the Sultan to have children from many concubines the harem was under threat for a long time, due to the fact that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska by hook or by crook, using all her influence, prevented him. The custom in which the Sultan could have children from many concubines was due to high infant mortality and the risk of leaving the throne without an heir.

There are several cases when concubines, who could seriously compete with Sultana Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, were removed from the harem. Moreover, this was done by order of the Sultan and his mother is a valid Sultan, who allegedly even once apologized to her daughter-in-law for sending one of her slaves to her son.

Fourth, tradition required that upon reaching the age of majority of the prince (shahzade), his mother accompanied him to the sanjak - the province allocated to him, on which the heir "honed" his management skills.

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska did not go for any of her sons, but remained in Istanbul, with her husband, which again caused numerous rumors and gossip.

And the most important thing: Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska for many years have shown tender feelings and mutual affection, which did not fit into the customs of the Sultan's court of the Ottoman Empire at all. In the eyes of the high society of the empire, the ruler, subordinate to a woman, was not able to realize his main mission - to conquer new lands to strengthen the power of the empire.

The Sultan carried his affection through his whole life. When Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska died - according to conflicting rumors, either from poisoning, or from a long illness, the spouse gave her unprecedented honors: he buried her in the Suleymaniye mosque built on his orders, so that after a few years to lie forever next to his beloved wife.

Sultan's daughters We continue the story about the Sultan's daughters. Immediately after the birth of the princesses, they were allocated separate apartments in the harem, nannies, servants from concubines. It was they, together with the mother of the princess, who were engaged in her upbringing. The princesses walked and played with other children, but certainly under the supervision of a nanny. Moreover, castrated children were also allowed to play with the princesses - blacks, who in the future were to become eunuchs in the harem. When the princess reached the appropriate age, the Sultan issued a decree, according to which the girl was assigned teachers. The training began with a solemn ceremony, in which the Sultan himself often took part. The Sultan gave his daughter a primer and other school supplies. All of them were encrusted with diamonds, other precious stones, pearls. Nowadays, some of these magnificent school supplies of princesses can be seen in the Topkapi Palace Museum. In the Topkapi Palace, training was conducted in a special room allocated for the Sultan's children. Only after the Sultan's family moved from Topkapi to the Yildiz Palace, the princesses and princes began to study separately. The academic year always began with palace ceremonies. Here is what Ayse, the daughter of Sultan Abdulhamid II, who ruled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, writes about the beginning of the school year: “All the inhabitants of the harem stood at its door and escorted us to school, saying good parting words and reading prayers. In the same way, the courtiers who lived and served in the male part of the palace, the selyamlyk, saw us off. Due to the fact that the Ottoman Sultan was also the caliph, he paid close attention to ensuring that his children knew the Koran well. The Sultan was proud of his children's good knowledge of the Koran. In addition, children were taught literacy, arithmetic, history, and geography. In the 19th century, learning to play Western musical instruments, especially the piano, and French was added to this. The study of the epistolary heritage of princesses shows a high degree of their education. Upon reaching a certain age, the princesses began to cover their heads with a veil and wear long dresses. Harem - 17 Princesses were given in marriage at the age of 14-16. However, in the 17th century this threshold was lowered. This was done by the famous Kesem, the beloved concubine of Ahmet the First, the mother of three sultans. Giving princesses in marriage to famous nobles, she thereby tied them to the dynasty, made them personally faithful to herself. So the betrothal of princesses at Kesem began to take place in an incredibly early age. So, the granddaughters of Kesem, the daughters of her son Ibrahima Gevher and Beykhan were betrothed at the age of three and two years, respectively. This practice continued until the end of the 18th century, that is, until the beginning of the reign of Mahmud II. The latter again ordered the princesses to be married only when they reached the age of majority. On the other hand, history knows princesses who married at a fairly mature age. This was due to various reasons - the death of their fathers - the sultans, the hostility experienced by their fathers towards them, sickness, wars ... A princess who did not like her husband could divorce him upon receiving her father's consent. The Sultan himself could deprive his son-in-law of this status if he was angry with him. At the same time, the Sultan's son-in-law did not have the right to divorce the princess. Moreover, the Sultan's son-in-law did not have the right to acquire a harem. After marrying the princess, the Sultan's son-in-law had to part with his concubines, if he had any. Documents show that it was not uncommon for princesses to marry twice. This was due to the fact that the elderly husbands of young princesses were dying, leaving the latter as widows in enough young age. At the same time, in Ottoman history there were princesses who married much more often, even 12 times. So the princesses enjoyed marriage rights that no other woman who lived in the Ottoman state had. Moreover, they stood in a higher position than their husbands. In fact, the husbands of the princesses were slaves, only formally different from the slaves who served as wives to the sultans. Although, in fact, all subjects of the Sultan were considered his slaves, however, not quite in the Western sense of the word.

He became, if not the greatest, then one of the greatest monarchs of Turkey in its entire history. In Europe, he is known as the "Magnificent" conqueror, remembering large-scale military campaigns, conquests in the Balkans, in Hungary, the siege of Vienna. At home, he is still known as a wise legislator.

Family and children of Suleiman the Magnificent

As befits a Muslim ruler, the Sultan had many wives and concubines. Any Russian-speaking reader is familiar with the name of Roksolana, a slave concubine who became the beloved wife of the ruler and an important person in the management of state affairs. And thanks to the incredible popularity of the TV series "The Magnificent Century", the intrigues of the Sultan's harem and the long-term confrontation between the Slavic Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan (Roksolana) and the Circassian Mahidevran Sultan became widely known. Of course, over time, all the children of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent were drawn into this long-term feud. Their fates were different. Someone remained in the shadow of their blood relatives, while someone managed to vividly write their name into the pages of Turkish history. Below is the story of the children of Suleiman the Magnificent. Those of them who managed to leave any significant mark.

Children of Suleiman the Magnificent: Shehzade Mustafa and Selim II

These princes became rivals in a dispute started by their mothers. These are those of Suleiman the Magnificent who were drawn into the bitter feud between Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Mahidevran. Both were not the firstborn of their mothers and were not initially considered direct contenders for the throne. But the vicissitudes of fate made them so. However, it was largely resolved by those who started it. Roksolana managed to win the sultan's sympathy and become his beloved wife. Mahidevran was actually exiled to Manisa along with her son Mustafa. However, the tragic vicissitudes of Prince Mustafa's fate were just beginning. Soon, rumors begin to spread throughout the empire that Mustafa is plotting against his father. Suleiman believed these rumors and ordered the execution of his son when they were both on one of the military campaigns. Thus, Selim's competitor to the throne was eliminated. did not later become such a wise and decisive ruler as his father. On the contrary, it is with his reign that historians connect the beginning of the sunset of the majestic Ottoman port. And the reason for this was not only objective socio-economic prerequisites, but also the personal qualities of the heir: weak character, laziness, short-sightedness and, most importantly, unrestrained drunkenness. He was remembered as a drunkard by the Turkish people.

Children of Suleiman the Magnificent: Shehzade Mehmed and Shehzade Bayazid

Both of them were the sons of the Sultan from Roksolana. Mehmed was her first son, but he could not be considered an heir, since his son Mahidevran Mustafa was older than him. However, when the latter fell into disgrace, it was Mehmed who became the favorite of his father. He was appointed governor of the city of Manisa in 1541. However, he was never destined to become a great sultan, nor did he die of illness in 1543. Bayezid's successor early years grew up as a brave and reckless young man. Already at an early

age, he took part in military campaigns, proving himself a talented commander. After the death of Mustafa, he began to be considered the main contender for his father's legacy. For the throne in subsequent years, a real war broke out between the brothers Bayazid and Selim, in which the latter won.

Mihrimah Sultan

She became the only daughter of the magnificent Sultan. Her mother was Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Mihrimah received an excellent education, thanks to which she later became an important assistant to her mother in managing state affairs (at a time when Suleiman was on his countless campaigns).

The only queen in the Ottoman Dynasty, the legitimate wife of Kanuni Sultan Suleiman, mother of Sultan Selim II (1566-1574). Some sources indicate the date of her birth as 1504.

Since Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska died before her son Selim ascended the throne, she did not bear the title of "Mehd-i Ulya-i Saltanat". But during the reign of her husband, at first she was called Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Haseki, after she acquired the status of Sultana (Queen), she was called Haseki Sultan and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Shah. He is the most famous among all Haseki - this is an honorary title given in the 16-18 centuries to those concubines who gave birth to shehzade.

The new name given to her according to harem laws means "joyful, perky, happy." The Venetian ambassador Pietro Bragadino emphasizes that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was not so much beautiful as sweet and young. Her portraits, which are in Topkapi and in foreign museums, also do not give the impression of a beauty. There are even those who say that she is completely ugly. In these paintings, she mainly shows a thin snub nose, well-chosen clothes and bearing, befitting a queen. She knew Russian and Aromanian, her letters confirm that she studied palace Turkish and sofa literature, and judging by her experience, she was an expert in fashion, clothing, fabrics and patterns.

Shemseddin Sami is one of the writers who, in his work "Kamusul-Alam" in Turkish, gave a short biography of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. He wrote this encyclopedic dictionary in 1891 during the reign of Abdulhamid II and described Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in this way: “Hürrem is one of the wives of Sultan Suleiman, the mother of Sultan Selim II, shehzade Baezida and Mihryumah Sultan. She is Russian by origin. Thanks to her beauty and sharp mind, she achieved considerable honor and power. But her authority and power did not always work for the good, she contributed to the execution of two Grand Viziers - Ibrahim Pasha and Ahmed Pasha. Rumor has it that it was her intrigues that forced Padishah to execute her son Shehzade Mustafa. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska died in 965 (1558) and was buried in a personal turba in the courtyard of the Suleymaniye mosque. In Europe, she is known under the name of Roksolana. Apparently, the author does not hide the fact that the great-great-grandmother of Padishah Abdulhamid was a Russian slave.

In the palace, it was not allowed to mention in vain the roots of foreign concubines, and especially Valide Sultan, to whom the descendants of the Ottomans were married, so only rumors and legends circulated about their families, nationalities and faith. What is told about Hürrem is just from this category. Alderson says: “Hürrem was definitely a Slav”, but after that he adds: “Apart from the legends about her mother, father and family, nothing is known” and that her previous name Roksolana was invented from the phrase La Rossa, i.e. Russian.

The historian I. Kh. Danishmend, who considers the origin of the Padishah wives, writes: “Hyurrem, the founder of the Women’s Sultanate in the Ottoman Palace, known as Roksolana, is referred to by Western sources as La Rousse or La Rossa because of the legends that she was Russian dönme, i.e. converted to Islam. Despite this, there is a high probability that she is Polish.” The same author in another place of his "Chronology" indicates: "There are versions that she was Russian, Polish, French or even Circassian." Some Venetian and Austrian ambassadors who came to Istanbul during the life of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska also write that she is Russian. The Venetian ambassador Pietro Bragadino, who arrived in 1526 and Daniello Ludovichi in 1534, claimed that “shekhzade’s mother is Russian by origin,” and Menavino, who served for some time in the palace as an ichoglan, writes that European scientists used the name Rokzelan for her, which means “Russian” .

The fact that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was considered either Russian or Polish can be explained by the fact that her homeland was Ukraine, which at that time was on the border with Poland. After the girl, whose real name was Alexandra Lisovskaya, became the “Haseki Sultan” of the Magnificent Suleiman, she became known in Europe as “Rose, Rossa, Rossan, Ruziak, La Rossa”, which meant “rose” or “Russian”, or - more often - under the name "Roksolana", which in Polish meant "Ukrainian virgin". These are the names by which she was referred to during her lifetime. After death, only "Haseki Sultan" was used in relation to her. The Avret-Pazary district in Aksaray (Istanbul) began to be called Haseki because of the küllie built in her honor.

The life story of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, who was not only the main beauty in the Ottoman palace, but was also known for her strong character, is usually retold as follows: her family is from Galicia, from Rogatyn. Her father Marsigli Slavic languages does not exist, most likely this is a misreading of the name Gavrilo) was a poor Orthodox priest or bishop. Alexandra (Hürrem) was one of the converted captives, who was captured in one of the renewed raids on the banks of the Dniester by the Crimean Tatars. According to the tradition of those times, the captives were divided by gender and other features, young, healthy and beautiful serdars (military leaders) and Pashas were given to the palaces of khans, shekhzade and padishahs. For such a chance, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska paid with her life, lived far from her father's house and homeland. Miller writes that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska at the age of 14-18 was presented to Sultan Suleiman by his hasodabashi (guardian of the Sultan's chambers, head of the Sultan's personal servant) by Ibrahim (in the future, the Grand Vizier of Pargala Ibrahim Pasha). In some letters, Ibrahim Pasha does not forget to convey "greetings to his daughter-in-law." Considering that Ibrahim Pasha himself was married to the sister of Sultan Suleiman, it is obvious that this “daughter-in-law” is Hurrem.

It is difficult to talk about any similarities in the fate of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and other countless girls with the same share, except for a similar beginning - captivity and the status of a concubine. To be honest, her fate is different from all the ladies of the court, because she is the only one who managed to rise from the position of an ordinary captive to a free woman and the lawful wife of the Padishah. It is impossible not to notice the respectful image that she has created for herself in the international arena. If the fact that she was the initiator of court murders in order for the throne to go to one of her sons is true, then this should be assessed within the historical reality of that period. And I think that from the point of view of the historical role of a woman, it is worth reviewing and approaching the role of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in domestic and foreign policy, Padishah’s love for her for 40 years, her love for fine arts and charity, literary talent and contribution to harem life. It is difficult to deny that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was a bright, unusual and extraordinary person.

There is no document or reliable information confirming that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska came to the palace in Manisa while Suleiman was still shehzade and governor in Manisa. Since she gave birth to the eldest son Mehmed in 1521, that is, in the second year of the reign of Sultan Suleiman, most likely she went straight to the harem of the Istanbul Palace. The proof that she could get into the palace in Manisa is the fact that, no matter how beautiful the girls were, they spent several years studying, and only then they were introduced to the Sultan or Shehzade. The period of training Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska falls on the 1510s, but she could spend them in the Crimea in the Khan's Palace, in the palace in Manisa, in the Istanbul Palace, or under the supervision of the guardian of the Sultan's chambers, Ibrahim Pasha.

Ambassador Busbek writes: “The eldest son of Suleiman, Mustafa, was born by a Crimean concubine. From Roksolana, he has four sons. This woman is legally married to the Sultan. The names of their sons are Mehmed, Selim, Bayezid and Cihangir. If the recorded dates are correct, then in 1521 Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska gave birth to Shehzade Mehmed, in 1522 - the only daughter of Mihrumah, in 1523 - Shehzade Abdullah, in 1524 - Shehzade Selim, in 1525 - Shehzade Bayezid. The future Padishah Selim was born in 1524 in May during a wedding celebration in the palace. Court interpreters interpreted this as good luck for Selim, but also predicted that, most likely, he would be a lover of drinking and entertainment. In the history of the Ottomans, there is no more Haseki equal to Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in fertility, not a single Haseki gave birth to five children in five years. Alderson gives 1522 as the year of birth of both Mikhryumah and Abdullah, but this is impossible because they were not twins. Obviously, this record, on which she put her beauty and youth, was set thanks to the love of the Sultan.

In those years when Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska were harvesting the generous fruits of their love, the Venetian ambassador in Istanbul, Pietro Bragadino, recorded in his report sent to Venice a rumor that, despite the thick palace walls, reached his ears. The diplomat emphasizes that the Sultan completely forgot about the mother of his elder Shehzade Mehmet Gulbahar (Mahidevran) and pays attention only to the mother of his other three shehzade. The fact that this love was mutual is proved by the letters of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, preserved in the palace. For example, a letter with the following love words: “My Sultan, my Shah, beloved with all my heart and soul, the delight of my soul,” written in 1526 to the Padishah, who went on a campaign, is a document certifying her love for Suleiman.

On the other hand, another Venetian ambassador, Navagero, described Hürrem's grueling struggle with the rest of the Haseki - Gulfem and Mustafa's mother, Gulbahar Mahidevran, in an attempt to expel them from the harem. If you trust what was written by this ambassador, then Mahidevran scratched Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska's face and dragged her by the hair. But as a result of this frantic fight, the influence of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska on Suleiman increased, and Mahidevran was exiled to her son in Manisa, where he was governor.

Another interesting event was witnessed by the Englishman Sir George Young 4 years later, in 1530. This diplomat describes a magnificent wedding and marriage ceremony, arranged both in the palace and on Atmeydany, and, on this occasion, bestowing the title of Haseki Sultan on this occasion. Young writes that during the festivities that lasted for several days, acrobats and conjurers performed at Atmeydany, there were performances of wild animals: shooting competitions were organized, primarily in javelin throwing, military battles were played out. Sultan Suleiman watched all these performances, surrounded by a numerous harem in golden embroidered clothes, which only the Padishah can wear. Why all this? Is it necessary to arrange wedding celebrations for the 35-year-old smart and powerful Padishah and the 25-year-old mother of five children Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska as if they were just getting married? The "marriage" described by Yang in 1530 is the Sur-y Humayun, the circumcision festivities of the shehzade. Accordingly, there is nothing strange that the mother of Suleiman Hafsa Sultan, his Haseki Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and other high-ranking women of the harem watched the festivities. The fact that Suleiman gave Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska freedom, according to Sharia, he obliged him to marry her. Since Sur-y Humayun (palace festivities) was a very costly and difficult undertaking to organize, several weddings and circumcisions were usually held at this time at the same time. The wedding of Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was also celebrated during Sur-y Humayun. The date and month of the marriage are not exactly known, but Mustafa Ali in his work "Kunhu'l-Akhbar" writes "taht-ı nikah-ı padişahide" (under the marriage of the Padishah), which confirms the fact of the wedding.

In the “History” of Solakzade, under the heading “The Ceremony of the Circumcision of Their Highnesses the Great Shehzade,” a ceremony is described in great detail, which began on Shevval 21, 936 Hijri (June 19, 1530 according to the Gregorian calendar) and lasted several days, the author even talks about the bowls in which the viziers served Padishah sherbet, but at the same time does not hint at a wedding with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. In addition, Solakzade retells a well-known story about how Ibrahim Pasha compared his wedding (1524) with the shekhzade circumcision ceremony (1530): “ Sutan Suleiman asked Makbul (pleasant) Ibrahim Pasha: “Tell me, whose ceremony was more luxurious: yours or mine?” Ibrahim said in response: “There has never been a ceremony more luxurious than my wedding. Because the Padishah of Buda, Egypt and Damascus himself, the Great Sultan of his time Suleiman, came to me as a guest. Thus, he veiledly compares two weddings.

Busbek in his "Turkish Letters", based on what he heard, tells interesting things about this nikah (marriage in Islam), about the love of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Suleiman, and why other Sultans did not conclude nikah with their concubines. For example, walking one day in Istanbul, he saw two hyenas, about which "the Turks, like people of more ancient centuries, believe that they are very noble in matters of the heart." The owners did not want to sell these hyenas to him, referring to the fact that they had prepared them for the Sultan's wife. Moreover, according to rumors, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska bewitched the Sultan to prolong his love! In those days, the topic of love spell was one of the most common topics of rumors. People could not believe that the Sultan fell madly in love with a slave woman, and therefore they believed that Hürrem was a “witch” and bewitched Suleiman.

Busbeck describes Hürrem's obtaining the right to a legal marriage: Odalisques received the right to freedom after they gave birth to children. Suleiman's wife Roksolana took advantage of this law. She gave birth to Suleiman's child while still a slave. Therefore, as soon as she received the right to freedom, she stopped any connection with Suleiman. Suleiman loved her very much. For the resumption of relations, she set the condition for legal marriage. This was behavior contrary to Ottoman law. The only thing that distinguished the legal spouse from the odalisque was the dowry. None of the slaves had a dowry.»

Describing the death of Şehzade Mustafa, Busbek also touches on the theme of love and marriage between Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Suleiman: “ Suleiman had a son from one of the concubines (Makhidevran). And from Roksolana other children appeared. He loved this woman so much that he made her his lawful wife and gave her a dowry. Among the Turks, dowry is a sign of legal marriage. Thus, Suleiman committed an act contrary to the tradition of all previous sultans, because not one of them had married since the time of Bayezid I. Bayezid, who lost in the battle, was captured by Tamerlane with his wife, he had to endure a huge amount of terrible torture. But the most unbearable torture for him was the violence committed against his wife. The sultans ruling after Baezid remembered this event and avoided marriage. Whatever fate had in store for them, they no longer wanted to experience such suffering. Children were born to them by women in the status of concubines. In their opinion, the suffering that may fall on their lot is comparatively easier than that which a lawful wife would have experienced.»

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska lived with Suleiman for almost 40 years, of which the first 10 as a Haseki concubine, and the next 28 years after 1530 until her death as Haseki Sultan (free legal wife). At this time, she was actually queen under Suleiman the Magnificent. A year after Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska received this honorary title, in gratitude for freedom and marriage, she gave birth to her last child, Cihangir. This Shekhzadeh, already born of a free woman, unlike his older brothers, had a physical ailment - he was humpbacked and very sensitive. He spent all his childhood in the palace with his mother Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and older sister Mikhryumakh, getting an education - studying rhetoric, religion, history and art.

The death of Hürrem's mother-in-law Hafsa Sultan in 1534 allowed Haseki to strengthen his position in the harem. It is believed that some chambers of the personal Sultan's harem, which at that time was located in the Old Palace in Bayezid, were transferred to the New Palace in the 1540s. But for sure the order in the harem at that time is unknown.

Of course, there are many fictional stories about the life of the harem. But there is no doubt that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska spent all the time with her beloved Padishah while he was in Istanbul and Edirne during short breaks between campaigns. Some historians argue that after the death of Hafsa Sultan, who, thanks to her authority, ensured a balance of power in the harem, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska began to use her influence on Suleiman in palace intrigues. These historians believe that her first political assassination was the execution of the Grand Vizier Makbul Ibrahim Pasha two years after the death of Hafsa Sultan. Although it is rumored that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska played a role in the murder of Ibrahim Pasha and his transformation from Makbul (pleasant) to Maktul (murdered) on one of the nights of Ramadan 1536, when he was visiting the Sultan's Palace, but the real reason for the execution is actually not enough clear. I. H. Uzuncharshila in "Ottoman History", referring to allusions in the text Künhü'l-Ahbar Ali, writes: " The main danger for Ibrahim Pasha was the beloved wife of Sultan Suleiman Hürrem Sultan. This woman, thanks to her beauty and the presence of several shehzades, won the unprecedented love of the Padishah. Sultan Suleiman, in the event of his death, would prefer to see Shehzade Bayezid on the throne. But at that time, the eldest son was Shehzade Mustafa. Ibrahim Pasha, by age, was a supporter of Mustafa's rule. Therefore, the primary task of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan was to remove Ibrahim Pasha from his path. However, Ali speaks of a completely different reason: At times, being in a good mood, he called Alexander the Great a Turk, but sometimes he laughed at him, forgetting that the great ancestor came from Turkestan.»

I. Kh. Danishmend exaggerates the role of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan in the aforementioned event so much that it is just right to call it slander. He's writing: " Until the death of Valide (Hafsa), Sultan Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska did not play a prominent role in the harem and did not particularly interfere in political processes. But the death of Hafsa Khatun gave rise to many new ambitions in the Sultan's harem. And the main actor on this closed stage was Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. Hurrem's undercover games began with a confrontation with Shehzade Mustafa. This son of Kanuni from Gulbahar Khatun, who, in addition to being the direct heir to the throne, had remarkable talents. He began to win the love of the people and, in particular, the army. And shekhzade Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska at the same time remained in the shadows. It is also said that Mustafa and Makbul Ibrahim Pasha supported. That is why Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan saw the enemy in the person of the Grand Vizier and constantly set Kanuni against Ibrahim Pasha. As a result, she managed to convince Sultan Suleiman that Pargaly Ibrahim himself laid eyes on the Ottoman throne. Rumor has it that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan was an opponent of the last campaign against Iran because of the intrigues that French Ambassador Jean de la Foret wove.» All of this information is based on some embassy reports and unconfirmed historical data.

M. Tayyib Gökbilgin in the Islamic Encyclopedia in the article “Hyurrem Sultan” writes: “ Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan acted against Ibrahim Pasha and was at one with his enemies. During the campaign against both Iraqs, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska wrote a letter to Sultan Suleiman in which she talked about the children, she mentioned in particular detail the state of Dzhihangir and his hump, and Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha conveyed good news from the Danube campaign. Despite the fact that in this letter Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska conveyed her respects to the Grand Vizier, it is obvious that she significantly influenced the Padishah regarding the execution of Ibrahim after returning from the campaign.» By interpreting events in this way, the author refers to von Hammer's History of the Ottoman Empire.

Some local and foreign writers who created novels based on unconfirmed historical data describe dramatic scenes with the participation of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, Mahidevran, Gulfem, Hafsa Sultan, etc., but this has no historical basis. After all, Mahidevran left Istanbul in 1530 with her son, who went to the sanjak. After the strangulation of her son in 1533, she lived a reclusive life in Bursa and died there. Any information about another rival Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Gulfem and information about a fight between the Haseki is very doubtful. On the contrary, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in one of their letters written to Padishah conveys greetings from "Your concubine Gulfem." Also, the personal interpretation of the authors is the statement that “after the departure of Mahidevran from Istanbul and the death of Hafsa, Sultan Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska received unlimited power over the harem.” Ahmet Refik even claims that the hundred-year period called the "Women's Sultanate", when the ladies of the palace had an unprecedented influence on the Padishah, began precisely with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.

Suleiman's correspondence with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and the lines of his ghazals, full of love, indicates that their spirit, even in old age, has not lost its ardor. At that time, there was a tradition according to which mothers had to accompany their sons to sanjaks, and at that time the Padishah acquired a new haseki. But Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska did not follow this tradition. Moreover, judging by some lines of her letters, she remained in the palace to monitor the political situation and give advice to Kanuni in this regard. For example, during the Turkish-Venetian war in 1537, in a letter that Hurrem wrote from Istanbul, she mentions the plague that threatened the capital, and that the lack of constant and reliable news from the campaign causes city rumors to arise. According to the suggestion from the letter “if the envoy does not appear for one or two weeks, the people begin to worry, various rumors begin to spread,” it becomes clear that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska is monitoring the situation in the capital.

The only daughter of Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in 1539 marries the Croat Rustem Pasha, the Beylerbey of Diyarbekir, popularly known as the “Louse of Fortune” (whose greatness is from the louse). Naturally, when it came to this marriage and the circumcision of Bayezid and Dzhihangir, another magnificent ceremony was held in the palace. The marriage of Mihryumakh with Rustem Pasha was the first stage of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska's plan, according to which the throne was to go to one of her own sons. Busback, who followed the development of events, writes the following: The stepmother (Mustafa Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska) did everything to ensure that the throne went to one of her sons. Having the status of a wife, she wanted to deprive Mustafa of his legal right and the privileges bestowed by his position. To achieve her goal, she took advantage of the help and support of Rustem Pasha. Having given the Sultan's daughter to Rustem, she obliged the latter to work for the benefit of her own plan. Their benefit from this was mutual.»

To begin with, Rustem Pasha was appointed vizier in the Divan and moved to Istanbul; the next step was the transfer of the elder Shehzade Mustafa, son of Mahidevran, from Manisa to Amasya in 1541. To Manisa, where the heir-apparent shezhades were sent, send the eldest son of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska - Mehmed, the middle Selim - to Karaman, and Shehzade Bayezid - to Kutahya.

Since the time of Fatih, the Padishahs used the Old Palace as a palace for a harem, and Topkapi - for state affairs. If it is true that at that time part of the harem was moved to Topkapi, this can be explained not by the desire of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska to be near Kanuni, but by her desire to be aware of the political situation. The most reliable information on this topic is shared by Nikola Nikole, who visited Istanbul in 1551: “ The Sultana (Hyurrem), the wife of the Great Turk, has a palace here and this palace is surrounded by magnificent hamams. Then come the chambers of shehzade.» Since 1530, the Venetian ambassadors also indicated in their reports that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska lives in the New Palace (Topkapi). From Bassano: The palace (harem) of the Sultana (Hyurrem) is located in the palace of the Great Turk and, using secret passages, she can freely move from one palace to another. Here she has personal prayer places, hamams and gardens. There is everything here not only for her own comfort, but also for the comfort of about 100 people in her retinue.»

Similar information is also given by Contarini, Lello and Menavino in their reports or memoirs. This is also confirmed by Evliya Celebi, who mentions the transfer of harem chambers from the Old Palace to the New after a fire in 1541. The fire could be just a reason for the transfer. In the harem rooms that have survived to this day, there is no place that could be considered the common chambers of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Kanuni, but everyone who walks around the harem can feel that it was Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska who created the magical atmosphere here and the first celebrity. Evliya Celebi wrote in 1540 that the Padishahs usually work and spend the night in the New Palace, sometimes visiting their wives and children who live in the Old Palace.

Both in the Old and in the New Palace there were many events that overshadowed Hürrem's happiness, despite the untold wealth that Kanuni bestowed on her. In 1526 at the age of three years Shehzade Abdullah died, and 17 years later, in 1543, the eldest son, Shehzade Mehmed, died at the age of 22. According to Ali, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska loved this son to a frenzy and after his death, "happy Valide" plunged into grief. Even after the death of Mehmed, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska left the orphaned three-five-month-old granddaughter Hyumashah. Selim was sent to Sajak Saruhan, who was freed after Mehmed, and Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska spent a long time in Bursa in the summer of 1544, most likely, they were in mourning for their son and sought healing in hot springs. In addition, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska needed time to convince the Padishah to appoint her husband Mihryumakh Rustem Pasha as the Grand Vizier.

Shortly after returning from Bursa to Istanbul, the Padishah appointed Rustem Pasha as Grand Vizier. All historians agree that the main role in this appointment was played by his wife Mihryumakh and mother-in-law Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. One of the historians of that time, Lutfi Pasha, in his work Tevarih-i Âl-i Osmân, writes that Suleiman Pasha and Husrev Pasha were removed from their vizier positions for shameless behavior (!) in the presence of the Padishah. The vizier-i sleigh (second Vizier) Rustem Pasha was appointed to the post of Grand Vizier, who in the future will be the first violin in the undercover intrigues of Mihryumakh and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was a powerful and unique "Haseki Sultan", who was a help to her husband in state affairs, we can see this in the events of 1547. This year, two “mirzas” (princes) arrive in Istanbul in search of refuge, one is from the Shirvanshah Bukhran-i Ali clan, the second is the son of Shah Ismail, the younger brother of Shah Tahmasp Elkas Mirza. Both of them had the same goal - to get the military support of the Ottomans and to get in their countries the crown and throne, which they were deprived of. The solemn parade arranged in honor of the return of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Suleiman from Edirne, where they spent 1546-1547, amazed the Mirzas. After that, a solemn reception was held in the palace. And in those days, as befits a real queen, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska takes care of young mirzes and, in particular, gives expensive gifts to Elkas. While the ruler of the sea and land, Sultan Suleiman, gave "bags of gold and silver coins, gold and silver jewelry, souvenirs that have no equal, a myriad of dresses embroidered with gold, fabrics, rare furs, saddles inlaid with precious stones, swords, young slaves , beautiful concubines, horses and mules…”, as Ali and Pechevi put it, “Respected Wife” Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska made more important gifts: shirts sewn by her own hand, clothes embroidered with silver, bed covers, embroidered blankets and pillowcases. Of course, these gifts look modest compared to the husband's expensive gifts, but in order to instill a sense of security in the mirza, these items were undoubtedly more valuable.

Ali in Künhü'l-Ahbar writes that " Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, the wife of Padishah, the incomparable mother of shekhzdade, created by Mary, honest like Asieh, respected like Hatice, pure like Fatima, by order of Padishah, gave the mirzas things so skillfully embroidered with gold that they could be called works of art, it was underwear , shirts, scarves and hamam sets, the cost of these clothes exceeded 10 thousand gold.»

The shelter of the mirz was the reason for the campaign in support of Elkas in 1548. During this campaign, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Suleiman did not see each other for 20 months. According to von Hammer, the Padishah went on this campaign at the exhortation of his Haseka. The goals of Hürrem were as follows: for the first time to send Rustem Pasha on a campaign of such magnitude that he, having shown his military talents, won the trust of the Padishah; to transport Selim from Manisa to the second capital of Edirne as the "viceroy of the Sultan" so that he gains experience in government; and the governor of Amasya, Mustafa, who was not invited to join the campaign, faded into the background. So says von Hammer and some other historians. But they don't explain why the couple didn't look for other ways not to be separated for such a long time.

I. Kh. Danishmend writes in the Chronology of Ottoman History: One of the main reasons for this Iranian campaign was Kanuni's beloved Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. It is said that with age, the influence of this woman on Sultan Suleiman only intensified, especially during this period, the influence of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska on Kanuni was unprecedented. The main reason for this campaign was the desire of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan to dispose of the legacy of the Ottoman Empire at his own discretion. The issue of heritage became especially acute about five years ago after the death of Şehzade Mehmed. Sultan Suleiman left four sons: Mustafa, Selim, Bayezid and Cihangir. Rumor has it that Kanuni was inclined to the candidacy of his eldest son, the governor of Amasya, Mustafa. But Shehzade Mustafa was not the son of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, so Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska tried to do everything so that her own son Baezid became the heir to the throne, her daughter Mihryumah Sultan helped her in this. Rustem Pasha was also on the side of his wife and mother-in-law, supporting the governor in Karaman Shehzade Bayezid. Also, according to legend, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan supported her other son Selim. And even petitioned for Selim to be the governor of the Sultan during the Iranian campaign.»

Danishmand uses the expressions "they say", "they say", "according to the legend" all the time, referring to unidentified sources. Mentioning that, returning from the Iranian campaign, Kanuni summoned Shehzade Bayezid to the camp in Aleppo, Danishmend writes: “ There are numerous rumors that while Qanuni favored Mustafa's Şehzade, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and the courtiers in the harem she ruled sided with Şehzade Bayezid.» I.e. the author himself admits that this challenge cannot be explained by political reasons, and his guesses do not have any reliable basis.

N. Nikole in The Navigations writes that in 1551 Haseki Sultan Suleiman lived in the New Palace. Of course, it cannot be denied that the couple wanted to be together after a long separation, but do not discount the fact that Hürrem wanted to convince the Sultan to go on another trip to the East and pave the way for the actions that they planned together with Mihryumah Sultan and Rustem Pasha . However, the Eastern campaign, in which Sultan Suleiman went out in 1553, 4 years after the Iranian one, caused events that overshadowed the happiness of Hürrem and Suleiman. The events that happened in the first months of the campaign deeply wounded them both. In the Eregli-Akyuyuk camp on October 6, 1553, the Padishah ordered Shehzade Mustafa to be strangled, believing in the report of Rustem Pasha, which indicated that Shehzade wanted to raise an uprising against his father. However, due to guilt after the murder and unrest in the army, Padishah removed Rustem Pasha from the post of Grand Vizier. When the army reached the camp in Aleppo, Jihangir, who accompanied his father, fell ill due to longing for the murdered named brother and died exactly 51 days after the murder of Mustafa - on November 27. His body was sent from Aleppo to Istanbul.

The padishah lost his eldest and youngest son in this ill-fated campaign of 1553, moreover, he constantly felt remorse because he himself became the murderer of his son. In order to relieve pain and prepare for the offensive, he spent the winter in Aleppo. While the body of the younger son of Cihangir was on the way to Istanbul, Kanuni received a letter from Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, who did not yet know about her son's death. Haseki Sultan in a letter tells about her love for the Shah, how she suffers for him, is waiting for news of an imminent victory in the campaign and does not want to go to Edirne. She then writes: I pray to the Great Allah to show me your holy face and kiss our Jihangir Khan tightly.»

Sultan Suleiman, after a letter from Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, delays the process of war and peace with Iran and is delayed for two years in Anatolia, he spends the second winter in Amasya. Both the feelings of Suleiman, who recognizes himself as the murderer of his own child, and the suffering, fear and regret that Hürrem felt when the body of her beloved youngest son was brought to Istanbul became destructive. That Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska who organized the murder in order to clear the way to the throne for one of her own sons. Due to these misfortunes, the approaching old age, imperfect health and the rumors that Istanbul was full of, the passion of Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska began to fade. An eyewitness of those years, Ambassador Busback, writes the following: According to popular belief, Suleiman - partly because of the love spell of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, because he perceived what was happening in almost the same way as this fortuneteller - became so cold towards Mustafa that he began to consult on his murder. According to rumors, Mustafa learned about the insidious plans of Rustem and his stepmother, so he captured his father and tried to seize the throne by force." Another historian in Sahayifü'l-ahbâr (News Pages) states the following: " The heart of the Padishah leaned towards Shehzade Mustafa, he wanted to appoint him as heir to the throne. But Native sisterŞehzade Bayezida Mikhryumakh Sultan was the wife of Rustem Pasha. She, along with her mother Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, wanted Shehzade Bayezid to become the heir to the throne. They attracted Rustem Pasha to their side and successfully coped with the task, sowing discord.»

If we assume that these judgments are correct, then it turns out that the main organizer was Mihryumakh, the ideological inspirer was Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, and the planner and implementer was Rustem Pasha. From this point of view, it is significant that Mustafa Ali in Künhü'l-Ahbar writes about the significant role of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Mihryumah in the execution of the innocent Shehzade. Munnedjimbashi in Sahayifü'lahbar suggests that Mihryumah Sultan and his mother decided at all costs to clear the way to the throne for Shehzade Bayezid, so they plotted against Shehzade Mustafa, and Selim, who was older than Bayezid, did not know anything about these plans and with they were not connected in any way. Ch. Improve in his work “The Palace in Manisa”, unlike other historians who believe that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska supported Baezid, indicates that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska very often visited Selim in Karaman, in Manisa, that she loved the blond Selim more the rest of her sons and wished that Suleiman should be his successor. In support of this, an entry from 950 AH (1543) is very important, where the following is indicated: “ The supreme ruler, together with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, who will go to the aforementioned fortress, visited Sultan Selim in Konya, from there he will move to Bozdag, and from there to Manisa.»

Pechevi’s History emphasizes that a year before Sultan Suleiman’s departure for the second Iranian campaign, the Grand Vizier Rustem Pasha, in the reports he wrote to the Padishah during the winter near Konya Aksaray in 1552, provided false information that Shehzade Mustafa “ put up his own tugs and flags”, “that information has been received about his correspondence with Iran, that he is gathering an uprising, and by marrying the daughter of Shah Tahmasp, he will receive the support of Iran.” Robertson, in Histoire de l'empereur Charles-Quint, writes that Rustem attached to the reports and letters that he managed to get.

As a result, Sultan Suleiman ordered the silent executioners to strangle Mustafa, who arrived from the sanjak of Amasya to the camp in Konya, Eregli for an audience with his father, where he met his son with accusations: “How dare you appear before my eyes, puppy!”. Yahya Bey, a writer of that time in a merciy (weeping) for Mustafa, wrote that the reason for Mustafa's murder was forged letters: "Several people sowing lies, the result of which is a sword / A few false lines, the result of which is execution."

The uprising of False Mustafa, which had lasted for a year at the time of the return of Kanuni from the Iranian campaign in the summer of 1555, is also interesting. It was rumored that it was set up by the youngest of the living sons of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska - the governor in Karaman Shehzade Bayezid. Mother and son staged this theater in order to save Sultan Suleiman from the stigma of a son-killer. Mustafa allegedly suspected that his father wanted to execute him, so he did not go to the camp in Akuyuk, but sent a double instead of himself. When the substitution was figured out, the double was executed. Mustafa secretly moved to Rumelia and started a rebellion. This production was supposed to save the Padishah-father from remorse and legalize the murder, because in the end the rebellious False Mustafa, thoughtful and deceived by Shehzade Bayezid, would be caught and executed.

Busbek tells what he heard about False Mustafa and the efforts of Shehzade Bayezid and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska as follows: “ When False Mustafa crossed into Rumelia, he turned to those gathered around him: “Look, I am the victim of my insidious stepmother! Support me in adversity just as you supported me in joy! This unfortunate old man (Kanuni) is the victim of my stepmother’s love spell!” The padishah, who learned about the intrigues, became angry with Bayezid and thought about how to punish him. At this time, the cunning and clever Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska realized what Suleiman was up to. She waited a couple of days for the fury of the Sultan to subside, and then began a conversation on this topic. She said that it was from hot blood and inexperience that you can’t run away from fate, and gave examples from the history of Turkey. A man is capable of anything for his own ego and his family. Therefore, to forgive the first offense is an indicator of generosity. She asked to take pity, if not on her own son, then at least on her mother, who was praying for forgiveness: “How can I endure the pain of losing one of the sons whom Allah gave me and whom you will punish because of your own anger?” Therefore, the wife urged Suleiman to suppress her rage and not to execute her son. “What can be more worthy than showing mercy to your own child? From now on, Bayezid, of course, will not dare to disobey and disobey. To these words, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska added tears and hugs, this melted the heart of Suleiman. His wife was again able to regain her influence over Suleiman. Satisfied with the result of the conversation with the Sultan, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska wrote a letter to Bayezid and told him not to be afraid to come(adult shekhzade could not appear at the gates of Istanbul due to the fact that they could raise a kapikulu uprising) if she invites him. As Bayezid dismounted, his father's servants ran up to him to retrieve his sword and blades. His mother watched her son from the window and gave him confidence with her look.»

Historian Danishmend writes that the Grand Vizier Ryustem Pasha turned all the intrigues at the direction of the mother-in-law Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and his wife Mihryumakh. Regarding the strangulation of Shehzade Mustafa, he writes: “ All responsibility for this crime lies with the Pole or Ruthenian Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan and her son-in-law and at the same time the political weapon of the Croat Ryusteme. Kanuni acted, deceived by the reports and substantive slanders provided to him by these unscrupulous creatures. These devshirme and dönme, who were tired of the Ottoman palace and tired of Ottoman rule, pitted an innocent father and son and watched this terrible picture with a deep sense of their own benefit.» About how in 1555, after the execution of Kara Ahmed, Rustem Pasha became the Grand Vizier for the second time, Danishmend writes the following: Rustem Pasha was the instrument of revenge, intrigue and murder of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, known for the fact that she founded the Women's Sultanate in the palace. Neither mother-in-law Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska nor wife Mihryumakh wanted this bloody Croat to remain out of work. At this time, the sixty-year-old Kanuni Sultan Suleiman, whose life was filled with mourning, sadness and fatigue from long campaigns,turned into a toy in the hands of his wife and daughter. This was due to the secret policy pursued by Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan.»

Undoubtedly, these accusations aroused the interest of novelists and screenwriters, estimates presented under the guise of "historical data" were inflated, and portraits of historical figures were created from the interweaving of reality and fiction. For example, M. Turhan Tan in his historical novel “Hyurrem Sultan” describes the return of Kanuni, whom he calls “a prisoner of passion”, to Istanbul after a two-year absence: “ Hünkär left the capital on August 28, 1553 and on August 1, 1555 he returned to Saraiburnu, that is, their separation from Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska lasted exactly two years. He did not stop thinking about his wife either in Karabakh, or in Yerevan, or in Erzurum, he called her “love of the whole heart” and “beloved”, adored her and upon his return found her as beautiful, as charming as before. To forget the pain of a two-year separation, he threw himself into the arms of his unfading moon-faced beloved. Maybe he did not remember the murdered son and grandson (Mustafa's son) and thought that the whole world was his moon-faced beloved, on whose chest the snake of discord lurked.» It is doubtful that the historian Ahmet Refik, who wrote The Women's Sultanate, or other authors who chose Hürrem as the heroine of their novel, managed to reflect historical reality by referring to such passages. But there is no doubt that any described detail of the image of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska fueled interest in history among lovers of historical prose. This approach has become part of our historical culture. For example, Ahmet Refik, who was not flattering but excitingly described by Hürrem, managed to weave into the narrative the detail about the distribution of “shoe money” to the adjemioglans working at the construction site of Küllie Haseki in Aksaray, which happened some time after the execution of Kara Ahmet Pasha, as if it were somehow related to the main events: Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, after the murders, builds mosques and hospitals, Sultan Suleiman spent a fortune on the construction of a charitable institution in Avretpazari.» Thus, the author speaks negatively even about the good deeds of Hürrem.

An experienced writer, if he gives references to sources, they do not relate to the activities of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, but to political events. At Turhan Tan, sixty-year-old Padishah, who is in mourning for his youngest son, fighting age-related diseases and returning to Istanbul tired and broken, meets with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, who is already over fifty, as if they are young lovers full of crazy passion!

And the truth is that Suleiman's family seems to have had a penchant for getting rid of their children in the same way that some animals eat their own young. Alderson in The Structure of the Ottoman Dynasty (The Structure of the Ottoman Dynasty) in the table "Suleiman and his family" names the eight shehzade: Mustafa, Mehmed, Abdullah, Selim, Bayezid, Cihangir, Murad and Mahmud (five of them are the sons of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska), Mikhryumakh and two more Sultans, whose names are unknown. Until 1550, only two sons survived - Selim and Baezid, and of the daughters, Sultan Mikhryumakh and another, whose name is unknown, married to Muezzinzade Ali Pasha. Busback in 1554 tells of the structure of the family: " Now only two sons of Suleiman survived. Selim, due to being the eldest, was appointed successor by his father. Bayezid was more loved by his mother and won her support. She supported him because she either felt sorry for him because of the tragedy that awaited him in the future, or because of his obedience to his mother, or for other reasons. Everyone was sure: if she had chosen the future Sultan, she would have preferred Baezid Selim and put him on the throne.» Busbek hints that, having ascended the throne, Selim, according to tradition, would have executed his younger brother, so Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska showed more affection for the younger. Bayezid was not lucky - his mother, who could help him ascend the throne, or at least save him from a destructive tradition in the event of his brother's ascension, died before Kanuni. Left without maternal support, he rebelled against his father in the hope of taking the throne. As a result of this adventure, he paid for the rebellion in the dungeons of Iran, where he was strangled along with his sons.

The results are usually summed up on the verge of death, and Sultan Suleiman, who wrote poetry under the pseudonym Muhibbi, understood that this time was steadily approaching: “No one can take earthly possessions with them, the end is unpleasant / Hey, Muhibbi! Imagine that we have become Suleiman!” Both Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska were at the end of their lives and at the peak of their fame: one was called “The Magnificent Suleiman”, “The Great Turk” and “Suleiman the Legislator”, and the second - “Hürrem Shah (Queen)” and “Roksolana”. The ambassadors who arrived from three continents bowed their heads to Suleiman and handed over valuable gifts and letters in which their rulers reported respect and their loyalty to the Sultan, moreover, they included in the diplomatic protocol of written negotiations and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, who was considered queen. For example, the Polish King Sigismund in his letters called Haseki Sultan his “sister”, lavished compliments and was proud that they were relatives (!).

The ambassador, who was sent by Shah Tahmasp on the occasion of the completion of Suleymaniye, also brought many gifts and a letter for Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan from the Shah's wife, who bears the dignity of "Khatun-y harem" (harem woman). Haseki Sultan wrote a letter of thanks in response to this letter. An example of documents that in the 16th century between these two women from different dynasties appeared semi-official, one might even say friendly relations, Feridun Beg placed in his work "Münşeatü's-Selatin" (Journal about the Sultans). Interestingly, in a letter sent by the Shah's wife, she compares Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska with the characters of Shahnameh and refers to her as “Noble, like Firengis (daughter of Afrasiyab), powerful, like Belkys (Solomon's wife), honest, like Zuleikha (Pharaoh's wife), immaculate , as the Virgin Mary, the pride of all women, who owns all the virtues, Her Highness Haseki Sultan.

33 months from July 1555 to April 1558 is the last period when Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska did not part for a day. Padishah, in addition to deep sadness after the loss of many children, also suffered from gout, and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska also had others in addition to early aging and diseases in the female part, the cause of which was the conditions in the harem, perhaps even tuberculosis. In these last three years, towards the end of the summer, they moved to Edirne and there, in the palace of Kavak or in Sarayichi, being alone, they tried to ease their pain, and maybe even talked about death.

In the last winter, Hürrem's health must have deteriorated, because closer to spring, she was brought to Istanbul in a closed carriage. On April 17, 1558, she died at the palace in Bayezid, before reaching the age of 60. Padishah, statesmen, religious figures, scientists and military aghas participated in her funeral procession. Namaz for the dead was performed by Ebusuud Efendi in the Bayezid Mosque. Here is such an irony of fate: this beautiful and intelligent woman was born in Ukraine in the family of an ordinary priest and was baptized, but after her death, prayer was performed on her by one of the greatest religious ranks of the Ottoman Empire - sheikhulislam. Her coffin was brought to the burial place on her shoulders. She was buried at the Suleymaniye mosque, which was not yet completed at that time, from the side of the qibla. The chief architect Sinan, on the orders of Padishah, built a tomb of fine work at the burial site, with the architecture of which he tried to express the unique personality of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. This is an octagonal turbe, in which both sides of the arched entrance are decorated with tiles, and verses of the Koran are read at the base of the vault. The inside of the turbet is completely covered with tiles with floral motifs, reminiscent of the Garden of Eden. In addition to the entrance, on the other 7 facades there are windows, the arches of which are decorated with verses, and between them there are niches. Now, in front of the middle tomb, there is a tablet that reads: "Here lies Haseki Hürrem Sultan, the source of purity of the late Gazi Sultan Suleiman Khan Khazretleri, 981." This tablet must have been placed here much later, because the year of death is incorrect, according to the Hijri, the date should be 965.

Aivarsarayi in Hadîkatü’l-cevamî writes that her grandson (son of Selim II) Shehzade Mehmed and one of the daughters of Ahmed II are also buried in the turba of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Next to this tomb, built in the concept of "Paradise Mansion", which depicted the personality of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in stone, there is a more magnificent tomb of Sultan Suleiman, who died 8 years after his wife. Both tombs are the unique work of the architect Sinan for these crowned lovers. Nakkash Osman in a miniature depicting Suleymaniye also painted the tuber of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Suleiman. In Bursa and Istanbul, among other turbes belonging to the Ottoman family, there is no other example of such magnificent turbes of fine workmanship built for the Padishah and his wife.

One Arab arrived in Istanbul from Mecca to complain and accidentally witnessed the funeral ceremony of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. He recorded what he saw in Arabic and thus left important historical information about the Ottomans. This document, which is now kept in the archives of the Topkapı Palace, was published in Turkish in an article by Khairullah Ors:

The viziers carried the coffin to the Baezid mosque on their shoulders. After performing prayers under the guidance of the Grand Mufti, she was interred. All Istanbul mourned for her.

Ors, who at one time was the director of the Topkapi Museum, writes, based on the popular belief that the harem, at the insistence of Hürrem, was transferred from the Old Palace to the New (Topykapi): “ There was no point in the fact that the viziers carried Haseki Sultan, who lived in the Topkapi Palace, on their shoulders, right up to the Baezid Mosque and prayed there. Namaz had to be performed in Ayasofya, but if there were any obstacles for this, then directly in Suleymaniye, on the territory of which Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was buried.» However, as indicated above, the seriously ill Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was brought from Edirne and placed in the Old Palace, where she died, so the prayer was performed in the Baezida mosque, which was located directly opposite the palace.

The subjectivity of Christian von Hammer's assessment of the priest's daughter Roksolana, who died as a Muslim in the status of Queen of the Great Turk, is interesting. He recalls not so much her good deeds as her intrigues in power:

Thanks to her beauty and intelligence, she rose from an ordinary slave to the Empress and was able to maintain her authority even at an advanced age, when she had already lost her feminine attractiveness. Just like Suleiman had absolute power in the state, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, thanks to bright ideas, had absolute power over the Padishah. History should denounce harshly her abuse of power through insidious intrigue, which led to the death of two Grand Viziers, the execution of Shehzade Mustafa, and laid the foundation for the jealousy between the two brothers that became the cause of the fatal confrontation after her death. Turbe Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, located on one of the seven hills of Istanbul next to the turbe of Sultan Suleiman, can be considered an instructive page of an exciting story. The year of her death (1558) brought many deaths to the ruling dynasties. In the same year, Queen Isabella of Poland died, who was the same charming intriguer as Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, Queen Mary of England and Emperor Charles of Germany.

Ahmet Refik did not take pity even when he spoke about the loneliness of the elderly Padishah after the death of his beloved Haseka:

Finally, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan - the insidious daughter of a Russian monk (yes, the author writes a monk, apparently, Ahmet Refik did not understand church ranks - approx. per.), which satisfied its needs through political assassinations, was dying in the arms of Sultan Suleiman. This death greatly upset Sultan Suleiman. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, who stained his brilliant Sultanate with blood, left a sharp pain in his weak heart. Suleiman accompanied her to the very grave with tears in his eyes and ordered to bury his beautiful Roksolana, who kindled an unquenchable flame of passion in his heart, near the Suleymaniye mosque as a symbol of his eternal love.

Ch. Uluchaj in Love Letters to the Ottoman Sultan confirms the common idea that women, even if they are as smart as Hürrem, should not interfere in state affairs with the following statement:

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska is dead. However, women's attempts to interfere in public affairs did not stop; on the contrary, they took root and took root. The Female Sultanate, which began with the light hand of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and lasted for about a century, undermined and destroyed the Empire, like a natural disaster, and therefore the Turks suffered for years and were forced to shed tears.

The general opinion of both historians should be limited only to the 16-17 centuries!

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska wore the most special outfits among the harem ladies and was one of those who modeled and sewed their own robes with her own hands. Ahmet Refik in the "Women's Sultanate" describes the headscarves belonging to Hürrem, which he saw in the Museum of Islamic Vakifs. One handkerchief was blue with green and red flowers embroidered on it and embroidered edges, the other was made of white silk with carnations embroidered from an interweaving of paper and gold threads, another handkerchief, written on Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, was decorated with small pearls on a gold background and needle lace. Articles were even written appreciating their artistic value. Also in the Topkapi Palace there are various headbands and a scarf embroidered with shiny silver thread and silk. Experts suggest that among all the things in the palace that belong to the ruling family, some capes, vests, shirts and other clothes, original in their cut and materials, may belong to Hürrem. Since it is known that she sewed a shirt and a shaving cape for Elkas Mirza with her own hands, it is obvious that she created her outfits with the scrupulousness of a professional dressmaker.

This artistic side of her nature reflects the elegance of the images in the portraits. She is one of the few Ottoman Sultanas for whom oil portraits were created during her lifetime or more. late period. On the most beautiful of them, she is depicted in the robes of "Hyurrem Sultan" with a high crown adorned with precious stones, which was worn only by the Sultan's wives, and with a "mengyush" in her ear - an earring in the form of a crescent, which from time immemorial has been a symbol of power. This portrait, whose author is unknown, is located in the Topkapı Palace. Historical evidence suggests that Hürrem was interested in clothing and accessories so much that it is fitting to call her a model designer. The artist Tintoretto in the portrait, which was kept in the collection of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, depicted Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska a little in a half-turn, on her head she has a more massive high crown, but a simpler dress with an open collar and elbow-length sleeves. Her thick hair is braided and pulled back, but curly curls remain on her forehead and temples. In this painting, which by the rules of covering women, is quite open, and other portraits, in addition to her beauty, also show her lively intelligence and elegance. In both portraits and in two other portraits kept in Topkapi, the facial features of Sultan Suleiman's beloved Haseka are very similar, which proves that the artists worked from nature. In these portraits, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska looks rather long-faced with fine features, large brown eyes, a thin nose and a neat mouth. The attractiveness of her facial expression tells us that Padishah was not mistaken in his feelings, who lived for 40 years. On one of the portraits from Topkapi signed Vixor (?) and the inscription at the top of the painting "Rosa Salimani Turc imp." (Rose (?) Suleiman, Turkish Emperor), she seems to be pregnant. The yashmak, which was given the appearance of a headdress with a visor, is tied under the chin. The collar of the dress is turned away so wide that it exposes part of the back. The artist Melchior Lorch, who visited Istanbul during the time of Sultan Suleiman, painted Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in profile, with flowers in her hands, a headdress decorated with pearls on her head, and pear-shaped earrings in her ears.
The love between Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Suleiman lived for at least 38 years. But they spent quite a significant part of this rather long period of time apart, because Padishah went on a series of campaigns: 5 months from May to September 1521 during a campaign against Belgrade, 6 months from June to January 1522 during a campaign against Rhodes, 8 months from April to November 1526 during a campaign against Hungary (Mohacs), 7 months during a campaign against Austria (Vienna) in 1529, 8 months from April to November during a campaign against Germany, 6 months from June to January during campaign against both Iraqs in 1534, 6 months during the campaign against Italy in 1537, 5 months during the campaign against Bugdan in 1538, 6 months from June to November in 1541 during the second campaign against Hungary (Istabur), 8 months from April to November in 1543 during a campaign against Estergon, 9 months in 1548-49 (March 1548-December 1549) during a campaign against Iran, 2 years during a campaign against Nakhjivan from August 1553 to July 1555. In general, they spent 9 years apart from each other, during which they wrote love letters to each other, and when they met, they usually left for Edirne and spent time in the romantic atmosphere of this second capital, and several times they went to Bursa for healing hot springs.

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, her husband Suleiman, daughter Mihryumakh and son-in-law Ryustem ordered numerous kullies from the architect Sinana and carried out the largest building campaign in Istanbul history. None of the Ottoman Sultana left behind so many buildings built for the people. But in history, these buildings remained not under the name Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, but under the name of her status in the harem - Haseki, for example, Haseki Daryushshifasy (Haseki Hospital) or Haseki Sultan Hamam. Located in Istanbul, in Aksaray, the Haseki district (the older name is Avretpazari) received this name from the küllie Haseki (1539-1550), which includes a hospital, a mosque, a madrasah, a school, food and water distribution for the needy, a fountain and a shadirvan (fountain for ablutions ). The hospital, which today operates under the name "Haseki Hospital", was founded by "Her Majesty the late Haseki Sultan's Charitable Organization." The madrasah was built in 946 Hijri (1539), the hospital - 957 (1550). Küllie Haseki was built during the lifetime of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in 11 years. Also, on her orders, a double hammam was built opposite Hagia Sophia, a madrasah on Egrikapi, a mosque, a kitchen for the needy, a bridge, aqueducts and fountains in Edirne, a mosque, a kitchen for the needy, a caravanserai in Jisrimustafapasa, a mosque in Ankara, Haseki kitchens for needy in Jerusalem, Mecca and Medina. For spending and investing in these good deeds, Kanuni Sultan Suleiman granted Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska villages, arable land and farming with a high tithe, she, in turn, handed it over to charitable foundation. A. Refik in "Turkish Architecture" writes that the aqueducts, which were built by the architect Sinan on the orders of Hürrem in 1539, were used until the 20th century.

A copy of the property right indicating that the tithe and kharacha collected in the areas of Ahyolu and Aydos of the sanjak of Silistra belongs to Haseki Sultan can be found in Feridun Begin in the Sultan's Documents. Another document of ownership was signed in Edirne by senior government officials as witnesses, including Rustem Pasha, a year before the death of Hürrem (in 1557), it dealt with land plots in the village of Pinarhisar in the sanjak of Vize. These and other documents on the ownership, management of vaqifs (funds) and their assets are stored in large numbers in the Topkapı Palace archives. After the death of his wife, Kanuni sent an order to the governor of Egypt, which spoke of the annual allocation of money from the Egyptian treasury to be distributed to the poor and destitute in Mecca and Medina in memory of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. This document is stored in the Ottoman archive:

In memory of the soul of the mother of my son Selim (send) to the poor of Mecca and Medina three thousand gold coins.

Letter from Sultan Suleiman Hürrem Sultan, 1535

Hürrem's letters and the ghazals written by Suleiman for his beloved under the pseudonym "Muhibbi" and some love couplets are undoubtedly skillful and sincere pages of Ottoman literature. But mainly the letters of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska for Kanuni, stored in the Topkapi archive, are of interest. Because they talk not only about love and feelings, but also political topics, family problems, epidemics threatening Istanbul and security news.

Since Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was a Russian slave who converted to Islam, her language was rough, which can be understood from the choice of words in the letters, but along with this, it is clear from the letters that she spoke and wrote well. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska's letters were colorful, attractive, with a good style. Thus Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska brought a new style to the harem. Her daughter Mihryumah, the daughter of her son Mehmed Hyumashah and daughter Mihryumah Ayse Sultan used the style and syllable Hürrem in their letters. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan was as sensual as her husband, in the letters written to him, in addition to a pleasant style and attractive phrases, she also added poems, thanks to which her husband exaggerated her features, and in his eyes she became almost the second Ottoman Emperor.

And about these letters, Uluchai says that "They are of exceptional importance for understanding some historical events." Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in letters pitifully writes about himself “ugly” and “Your weak, poor concubine”, but Padishah is addressed by “My Padishah, the star of my prosperity”, “My Sultan, my dear man, the light of my eyes, my hope on earth and on heaven", "My sun of the empire, the source of prosperity, my Sultan", "My Padishah, Shah, Sultan", "The light of my both eyes, the source of light".

Suleiman in most of the poems written under the pseudonym "Muhibbi" refers to his beloved, obviously, the addressee of these appeals is Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska also wrote love poetry in some letters. For example, Muhibbi's quatrain:

Don't ask about Majnun's love, he's insane
Do not reveal the secret of love to Ferhad, which is only a legend,
Last night I went to my beloved, poured out my sorrows to her,
And she listened to them with sleepy eyes, like a legend.

And the couplet of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska:

Hey, morning wind, tell my Sultan that she is unhappy and inconsolable,
Tell him that he is crying like a nightingale because he does not see his face like a rose.

And here is the most famous ghazal written by Suleiman for Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska:

You are my strength like steel, my solitude, the meaning of my existence, my beloved, my moon, my support,
My intimate friend, the meaning of my existence, my most beautiful sultana,
My life, you are like green ears of wheat, my beauty, you are like wine - my heavenly drink, my name,
My spring, my beauty, my triumph, my favorite picture, my stream of joy,
My mood, my holiday, my remedy for the weariness of life, my happiness, my sun, my bright star,
My orange citrus fruit, hearth of my bedroom
My green plant, my sugar, my youth, my whole world is inside you, my pain,
My dear, mistress of my heart and line of poetry,
My Istanbul, my caravan, my Greek land,
My evidence, my Kipchag (this was the name of the population that lived in the Xl-XV centuries in the steppes from the Caspian to the Black Seas, currently live in Egypt and Syria), my Baghdad, my Khorasan (the name of the province of Erzurum),
My hair, expressive eyebrows, the madness of clear eyes, my disease,
I will die on your neck, you are my Muslim help,
I am at your door because you are my favorite storyteller, I will always praise you,
The musical scales of my pure heart, pure moisture will spill from my eyes, you are my beautiful Mukhhibi!

© Translation from the book “The fate of Roksolana and her children. Queen of the World" by Sophia Benois

The Topkapi archive contains 7 letters from Hürrem, which she occasionally decorated with poems. Although the ghazal, written for Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska under the pseudonym Muhibbi, describing the feelings of the Sultan with its sincerity and taking a place in the Divan, his answers to the letters written by his Haseki did not reach us. This cannot be interpreted in such a way that the Padishah did not answer them. Because Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska writes about his grief when the response of the Padishah is late or the messenger does not arrive. Kanuni from everywhere he went sent jewelry, rare gifts, even hairs torn from his beard to his beloved Haseki. But at the same time, he did not leave her letters unanswered. But these answers, like most of Hürrem's letter, have not survived to this day. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska could write letters on her own or with the help of a harem concubine clerk, but the errors in the letters are obvious. One of them contained a quote from Suleiman's letter, where he wrote: "If you knew Turkish well, I would write you so many things!", which confirms that she did not speak Turkish well enough.

Translations of letters published by C. Uluchaem are quite long texts. Most of it is occupied by words of love, wishes and prayers in a mixture of Arabic and Farsi, even verses are mentioned. How could Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska possess Islamic culture enough to write verses? Apparently she had advisors. The letters also contain Turkish words and couplets. Significant are the last lines and marginal notes in some letters, confirming that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska is interfering in state affairs. Two of the surviving letters were written before the death of Shehzade Abdullah and before the birth of Bayezid and Jihangir, i.e. in 1525-26, the rest - in the 1530s.

Here are some quotes from those letters.

From the first letter:

[…] My Sultan, there is no end to this fire of separation. Save this suffering one, and do not delay your letter. May it at least calm my heart. My Sultan, you said: “If you read my letters, you would write even more about your anguish.” But this is enough, my Sultan, and so my heart can not stand it. We have read your letter. Your obedient servant, Shehzade Mehmed and your daughter Mikhryumakh yearn and shed tears for you. Their tears drive me crazy. It's like we're in mourning for someone. My Sultan, your humble servant, Shehzade Mehmed, daughter of Mikhryumakh, Selim Khan and Abdullah send you greetings and bow at your feet. In addition, you wanted me to explain to Pasha (obviously Makbul Ibrahim Pasha) about my offense. God willing, we can meet face to face, then we will explain. And now we send greetings to Pasha, they will accept it.

From the second letter:

(After Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska wrote that one holy man who came from Mecca brought a shirt painted with prayers, which the Prophet Muhammad sent him in a dream, and this shirt brings victory to the one who wears it during the war, she writes)

For the sake of Allah and respect for the Almighty, do not neglect wearing this shirt. Your obedient servant Mustafa (Shehzade?), Your servants Shehzade Mehmed and Mikhryumakh and obedient servants Selim Khan and Abdullah praise you and bow at your feet. Your slave Gulfem sends you a thousand greetings and prayers and bows at your feet.

And then you sent your slave Gulfem a box of cologne and 60 filori, I didn’t know what I was doing, I ate (drank?) This cologne in an instant, would you highlight what happened to me! We also had guests, I didn’t even know what to say to them. I was half asleep for a long time, someone gave me clicks on the nose, someone joked. You have made me a laughingstock, God forbid, we will see each other and explain ourselves. You also talked about making a woman swear an oath and asked about her means for daily expenses. I now took an oath from her, but she did not say anything. Then I asked Envar, he said that there were only 500 filori left. […] I convey my greetings to my brother Pasha Khazretleri.

From the third letter:

(Hürrem, in a very simple Turkish language, tells her husband on the campaign how she burns with longing for him, how she cried for him day and night, how she was waiting for his return and how happy the news of the victory was, and also prays for him with wishes to conquer the whole world and to force to obey him not only people, but also genies.)

My Sultan, live while earth and sky exist, my Padishah. You breathed life into me again, sent me a letter and 5 thousand filori. But for me, even a hair from your beard is more valuable than 5 thousand filori, but a hundred thousand. You were also interested in the situation in the city. The disease has not yet receded, but at least it does not rage like before. Our sages say that it will completely pass as the autumn leaves fall. May Allah, when Soi Sultan returns, she will retreat by the will of Allah. My Sultan, I pray all the time that you often send me your blessed letters. Because Allah is my witness, if the messenger does not come for a couple of weeks, everyone starts to panic. What they just do not say. To my elder Mehmed Khan and my Selim Khan (both of these shehzades were on the campaign with their father) I convey all greetings and prayers and kiss their eyes. Your obedient servant Baezid, Jihangir and slave Mikhryumah bow at your feet and kiss your hands. Your slave Gulfem and slave Daye also bow their faces to your majestic feet.

From the fourth letter:

After Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska talks about his love for a long time and talks about the happiness caused by receiving a letter from his beloved:

My precious beloved, the meaning of my existence, my statesman, we have received in a letter the news that you are in good health. If you ask your weak hopeless slave, but for me, my dear, night is not night and day is not day. How else should I feel, having lost conversations with such a Padishah as you? I swear to you, the fire of longing for you burns for me day and night.

Obviously, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska asked to write trivial love lines of concubines with a poetic gift and added them to the letter. She wrote that the expenses for the kitchen amounted to 50 thousand akce, and conveyed her gratitude to the "oglans" who worked there, after which she informed Padishah that a poultice was applied to the unhealed wound on Jihangir's back and an abscess was opened, and "Imam-y Sultani", whom she calls "Imam Khoja" lies "neither dead nor alive" in a coma.

From the fifth letter:

Most likely, it was written when Padishah was on the Iranian campaign (Elkas Mirza's Campaign) in 1548, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska forwarded it with the help of pilgrims returning from Mecca. She writes again, how she burns with longing, and conveys greetings from Dzhihangir, Mikhryumakh and Gulfem.

From the sixth letter:

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska writes many prayers to Padishah and says that he is burning on the fire of longing, and “from the bitterness of sadness, the heart of your slave turned into a kebab, and the stream of tears into a flood because of the pain of separation.” After greetings from Cihangir, Humashah Ayse, daughter of the deceased Shehzade Mehmed, and a woman messenger, she continues: “My great husband, if you ask about the urban population, then thank Allah, everything is calm.” Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska writes that there are no security problems in the city, people are not waiting tomorrow for a messenger with the news of victory and victorious salutes from the sea, and reports that she herself did not go to Baezid in Edirne, but decided to wait for her beloved Padishah. On one of the margins of the letter, where Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska speaks about a person who needs to be punished, she writes:

May death overtake this accursed one as soon as possible, may Allah drag him through the earth and destroy him like Harun. Our glorious sage sent a message that it would be better if the Padishah did not perform this year. Because he spoke, such was the order of the Almighty, nothing became an obstacle to him. […] Do not take your eyes off your humble servant Rustem Pasha. My Sultan, do not judge Pasha by someone else's words. Especially for your daughter Mihrumah.

Thus, she asked the Padishah to protect her son-in-law Rustem Pasha, who was with him on the campaign.

From the seventh letter:

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska writes: “In your letter, you wrote that your legs hurt for a couple of days,” that she was very upset that the Sultan could not walk. From this it can be understood that in severe weather conditions Suleiman developed gout.

The ambassadors of that time and writers who claim that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska bewitched Sultan Suleiman are in some way right. Because each of her letters is filled with bewitching words of love and confessions of her feelings. The padishah probably knew that the harem scribes put their pen to these exaggerated descriptions of longing. But at the same time, he was sure that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska's love for him had the same intensity as letters.

None of the Ottoman Padishahs had such strong love like the love of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Suleiman. Also, none of them had such a long marriage. The daughter of the Ukrainian priest Marsigli (? - approx. per.) Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska experienced happiness and love, misfortune and grief in this life precisely because she was the wife of the Great Turk. Although she won the war for one of her sons to inherit the throne, she did not find the reign of Selim and did not receive the title of "Mehd-i Ulya-i Saltanat" (Valide Sultan).

Many novels and studies have been written about Hürrem's life path in Turkish and other languages. I think that the most interesting, but forgotten work is "Tragedy" for one act. This performance, entitled “The Tragedy of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan,” was written by M. Fevzi from Corlu in 1337 (1921) in Silivri, and if it was staged, all the net profit was donated to the cultural and educational association of the Turkish Hearth in Kirkkilis (Kirklareli). AT recent times in the wake of interest in the Ottoman dynasty, serials are also being filmed. For example, in the game series Magnificent Age, Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska love is described.

Mahidevran

A concubine who came from the Crimea. Her name before captivity was Bosporus (?). In the palace, the names of newly arrived concubines were changed, and in the personal information in the column “father” they wrote “slave of Allah”. Suleiman accepted her into his harem while still being Shehzade and named her Mahidevran. Her father's name occurs as Abdullah, Abdurrahman or Abdulmennan (the meaning of all these names is “slave of Allah” - approx. per). I. Kh. Danishmend in the "Chronology" says that her name was Gulbahar, but Ch. Uluchay in "Women and Daughters of Padishahs" claims that this information is incorrect. Busbek writes in Turkish Letters: “Suleiman has a son from one concubine. If I'm not mistaken, this concubine came from the Crimea. The child's name was Mustafa." In another letter, he repeats this information: “Suleiman has 5 sons. The eldest of them is Mustafa. He was born from a Crimean concubine.” In both letters, the name of the Crimean concubine - Mustafa's mother - is not indicated. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska also in one of the letters to Kanuni, reporting on the health of his own sons and (non-native) Shehzade Mustafa, does not mention the mother of Shehzade Mahidevran (Gulbahar). The interpretation of this fact in favor of the fact that relations between them were strained is just a guess. On a tablet in the turba of Shehzade Mustafa in Bursa, it is written “Makhidevran, daughter of Abdullah”, in documents from the palace archive - “Makhidevran, daughter of Abdurrahman” and “Makhidevran, daughter of Abdulmennan”. In this case, she came from a non-Muslim family and got into Suleiman's harem before Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, since she gave birth to Mustafa in 1515, then at the latest she could enter Suleiman's harem in 1514. Suleiman at that time was Shehzade and, as the governor of Sarukhan, lived in the palace in Manisa. In the "Register of the Ottomans" it is written "The turba of the mother of Sultan Mustafa-i Dzhedid Mahidevran Khatun, located in Bursa." The expression "Mustafa-i Djedid" (New Mustafa) is used in order not to confuse the son of Fatih Shehzade Mustafa, who was also the governor in Karaman, with Mustafa, the son of Kanuni.

The Venetian ambassadors who were in Istanbul did not hesitate to write various rumors about the Ottoman palace in their reports, so the story of Suleiman and Mekhidevran, the level of reliability of which is a mystery, was told to Europe in one of such reports. In the story, Suleiman and the concubine Mahidevran were happy, but everything changed when Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska entered the harem. Quarrels and jealousy began. One day Mahidevran got into a fight with Hürrem, dragged her by the hair and scratched her face. It seemed that the tension between them reached a peak in 1520, when Suleiman came to Istanbul and ascended the throne, but the mother of Padishah Hafse Sultan managed to keep calm in the harem until her death in 1534. After that, quarrels became more frequent, and the Padishah expelled Mahidevran from the palace, sending her to Manisa, to Shehzade Mehmed, who was appointed governor of the sanjak by Sarukhan. This rumor is one of the opening themes for Hürrem novels. However, escorting Shekhzade to the sanjak by her mothers was a tradition. Therefore, it is impossible to connect the departure of Mahidevran to Manisa and the quarrel with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.

Mahidevran did not return to Istanbul anymore and was next to Shehzade Mustafa during his governorship in Amasya and Karaman. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, in order to open the way to the throne for her own sons, ordered Rustem Pasha to organize a conspiracy against Shehzade Mustafa, as a result of which, in the fall of 1553, on the way to the Eastern campaign in Konya-Egreli, Sultan Suleiman strangled his 38-year-old son, who arrived at the military camp. Most of all, this terrible murder struck his mother, Mahidevran. His body was sent to Bursa, and Mahidevran and his concubines were exiled with him. This unfortunate and poor mother had no profit for years and was doomed to poverty in a house, the rent of which she could not even pay, moreover, information about her was deleted from the palace notebooks and left without a penny. Kamil Kepecioglu found a document among the rulings of the Sharia of Bursa, confirming that " it was reported that the owners of the house in which the relative of the late Shehzade Mustafa lived complained about the non-payment of 10 years of rent, and the court decided to pay starting from the month of Recep 960 to Zilhijesi 970 for 9 years and 6 months at 10 gold per day, total 34 thousand 200 acce". In another decree addressed to the qadi of Bursa, it was said that Makhidevran lives in Bursa in difficult conditions: “ When people living in Bursa Mahidevran, the mother of the late Sultan Mustafa, try to buy meat, bread, honey, butter, etc. at the market. for gold, sellers serve other customers first, and sometimes some people in Bursa are even disrespectful. When you receive my order, issue a stern warning to the butchers, grocers and other sellers in the market, from now on they must serve the above people out of turn and give out the best goods at the specified price. Whoever doesn't like it - punish.»

A few years after the death of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, Kanuni received a letter from Mahidevran in which she complained about the cruelty of the sellers in Bursa, the accumulated debts and the rent that she could not pay. Kanuni repaid the debts of Makhidervan through the qadi of Bursa, issued her a salary, and the next year he bought Leiszade's house in the Imaret-i Isa region in the fortress of Bursa to live in Makhidevran. (Today, the street where this house once stood is called Mahidevran.)

Mahidevran, who lived a long life, found the Sultanate of Selim II and his son Murad III. Thanks to the salary she was given, she was able not only to make ends meet, but also to save money, for which she built the turbe of Mustafa-i Dzhedid over his grave in Muradiya. To care for the turbe and pay salaries to employees and servants, she bequeathed to the vaqif a mansion, two mills and 100 silver dirhams. She died 28 years after the death of her son and was buried in the same turba. Most of the documents stored in the Topkapi archive are related to the payment paid to the imam, muezzin, caretaker of the turba, reader of the Koran, duty officer and clerk at the turba, as well as about slaughtering sacrificial animals, distributing ashura or reading the Quran at the turba. In most of these documents, she remains nameless and is referred to as "the mother of the late Sultan Mustafa". Mahidevran's life, which lasted more than 80 years, is reminiscent of the long-suffering fate of Cem Sultan's mother, Chichek Khatun.

Gulfem Khatun

(died after 1561)

The life of this Haseki Kanuni is the least known. There are sources indicating her name as Gulbahar. "Gyulbahar" may not be the second name of Mahidevran, but a different pronunciation of Gulfem. In the ferman, written by the qadiy of Yenishehir and fixed by the tughra of Sultan Suleiman, it is written in Arabic: “the ruler of women, the crown covering herself Gulfem Khatun.” The document refers to a spring that was built on the orders of Gulfem and brought water to the village of Karahisar, which belongs to Yenishehir. Perhaps her family was from this village. Ch. Uluchay wrote in the “History of Manisa” that in 1524 a spring named after Gulfem Khatun was built here by her order, and in the work “The Palace in Manisa” he cites documents of the lease paid “to the fund manager Gulfem Khatun for water for the New Palace” from the books of expenses and income of the palace for 1237 AH (1822) and 1242 (1827).

The genealogical trees do not indicate that Gulfem had children from Suleiman. On the other hand, the mother of Mahmud and Murad, who died as children in 1521-22, remains unknown. Perhaps their mother was Gulfem. A. Refik in the “Women's Sultanate” says that Gulfem did not have enough money not to build a mosque that she built in Uskudar, so she sold another Haseki for nights with Padishah, called “duty”. Sultan Suleiman took this as an insult and ordered to strangle Gulfem. Ch. Uluchay in "Women and Daughters of Padishahs" established that this story, as if descended from the pages of a novel, has no documentary basis, and the Gulfem Khatun mosque, which includes a school and a turbe, 34 rooms, 11 houses, a garden, 6 shops and a bakery , was completed in 1561 and converted into a waqif, records of this are kept in the archives of the Topkapı Palace. As for the part about the strangulation of Gulfem on the orders of Kanuni, this version could appear because of the word “shakhide”, i.e. "died for a just cause" on her tombstone. However, in order to be considered a "martyr" it is not necessary to be killed. There are many examples when on the graves of people who were engaged in charity, but died during epidemics, accidents or natural death, they wrote “shehit / shekhide”. I. Kh. Konyaly tells in more detail about the Gulfem Khanut mosque and the turba in which she was buried in the work “The History of Uskudar”.