Valide Sultan
Encyclopedia
Valide Sultan was the title held by the mother of a ruling Sultan
in the Ottoman Empire
. The Turkish
pronunciation of the word Valide is valiˈde. The title is sometimes translated as Queen Mother
, although the position of Valide Sultan was quite different.
The position was perhaps the most important position in the Ottoman Empire
after the Sultan himself. As the mother to the Sultan, by Islam
ic tradition ("A mother's right is God's right"), the Valide Sultan would have a significant influence on the affairs of the Empire. In particular during the seventeenth century, in a period known as the Sultanate of Women
, a series of incompetent or child sultans raised the role of the Valide Sultan to new heights.
Nurbanu Sultan was the Venetian
-born wife of Selim II
, and the mother of Sultan Murad III
of the Ottoman Empire and the de facto co-regent as the Valide Sultan in 1574-1583. Nurbanu managed the government together with the Grand Vizier
Sokollu Mehmed Pasha and became the first Valide Sultan who acted as co-regent with the sultan during the Sultanate of Women. The most powerful of all Valide Sultans in the history of the Ottoman Empire was Kösem Sultan.
It is worth mentioning that since the harem ladies were almost always slaves they were never formally married to the sultans. Nevertheless, their children were considered fully legitimate under Islamic law
if recognized by the father. During the empire's early years
, the Ottomans often used dynastic intermarriage
to consolidate or extend their power. The last known case of an Ottoman ruler marrying into another dynasty was that of fifteenth-century sultan Bayezid II
, who married Gülbahar Sultan
, the daughter of the ruler of the Dulkadir dynasty.
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. The Turkish
Turkish phonology
The phonology of the Turkish language describes the set of sounds and their relationships with one another in spoken Turkish. One characteristic feature of Turkish is a system of vowel harmony that distinguishes between front and back vowels. The majority of words in Turkish adhere to a system of...
pronunciation of the word Valide is valiˈde. The title is sometimes translated as Queen Mother
Queen mother
Queen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
, although the position of Valide Sultan was quite different.
The position was perhaps the most important position in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
after the Sultan himself. As the mother to the Sultan, by Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic tradition ("A mother's right is God's right"), the Valide Sultan would have a significant influence on the affairs of the Empire. In particular during the seventeenth century, in a period known as the Sultanate of Women
Sultanate of Women
The Sultanate of Women was the near 130-year period during the 16th and 17th centuries when the women of the Imperial Harem of the Ottoman Empire exerted extraordinary political influence. Many of the Sultans during this time were minors and it was their mothers, leaders of the Harem, who...
, a series of incompetent or child sultans raised the role of the Valide Sultan to new heights.
Nurbanu Sultan was the Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
-born wife of Selim II
Selim II
Selim II Sarkhosh Hashoink , also known as "Selim the Sot " or "Selim the Drunkard"; and as "Sarı Selim" or "Selim the Blond", was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 until his death in 1574.-Early years:He was born in Constantinople a son of Suleiman the...
, and the mother of Sultan Murad III
Murad III
Murad III was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death.-Biography:...
of the Ottoman Empire and the de facto co-regent as the Valide Sultan in 1574-1583. Nurbanu managed the government together with the Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
Sokollu Mehmed Pasha and became the first Valide Sultan who acted as co-regent with the sultan during the Sultanate of Women. The most powerful of all Valide Sultans in the history of the Ottoman Empire was Kösem Sultan.
It is worth mentioning that since the harem ladies were almost always slaves they were never formally married to the sultans. Nevertheless, their children were considered fully legitimate under Islamic law
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
if recognized by the father. During the empire's early years
Rise of the Ottoman Empire
The Foundation and Rise of the Ottoman Empire refers to the period which started with the weakening of the Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm in the very early 14th century and ended with the Byzantine Empire decline and the Fall of Constantinople on May 29, 1453.The rise of the Ottomans correlates with the...
, the Ottomans often used dynastic intermarriage
Royal intermarriage
Royal intermarriage is the practice of members of ruling dynasties marrying into other reigning families. It was more commonly done in the past as part of strategic diplomacy for reasons of state...
to consolidate or extend their power. The last known case of an Ottoman ruler marrying into another dynasty was that of fifteenth-century sultan Bayezid II
Bayezid II
Bayezid II or Sultân Bayezid-î Velî was the oldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512...
, who married Gülbahar Sultan
Gülbahar Sultan
Kül-Bahār Sultan , was the wife of Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II and the mother of Selim I. Little is known of her family background, apart from the fact that an Ottoman inscription describes her as Khātun binti Abd-us-Samed , which implied that her father had possibly converted to Islam Kül-Bahār...
, the daughter of the ruler of the Dulkadir dynasty.