The Strength of Kosem Sultan - The Last Influential Female Ruler of the Ottoman Empire

Kosem Sultan was a woman who did not accept her position as just a widow on the Ottoman court, and instead became a real ruler of the Empire. She had such an effect, that after her death noblemen in her country decided to never allow a woman to become so powerful again.

At the beginning of the 17th century, sultans ruled the Ottoman Empire. They were still trying to maintain traditions from the Golden Age which began with Suleiman the Magnificent. After Suleiman died in 1566, his son Selim II, grandson Murad III, and great grandson Mehmet III took their turns on the throne.
Following Mehmet, his son Ahmed sat on the throne. With the support of his mother, Handan Sultan, he became the ruler when most of the possible successors were murdered. Historical records describe the funeral of 19 of the dynasty’s ancestors. Only two boys survived. One of them was Ahmed’s brother and future sultan, Mustafa I. The second one was a son of Murad III and Safiye Sultan, who decided to send her son out of the palace to save him. Officially, he was buried with his other brothers, but in fact his coffin was empty. As Ahmed grew up, he was aware of his roots and power, and he hoped to one day become as great a sultan as his great grandfather.
The Woman with a Moon-like Face
Life in Topkapi palace was full of danger, but as almost everyone does, Ahmed sought out love. He wanted to have a person beside him whom he could trust and would make him feel safe. He found this person in a woman who was a slave from Bosnia or perhaps Morea in the Peloponnese.

According to legend, she was born as Anastasia, but she received the Turkish name Mahpeyker, meaning ''moon-like face'' in Persian. She was very beautiful and intelligent and some historians believed that she was also highly manipulative. Ahmed called her Kösem, meaning ''sheep leading the herd'' (or shepherd).
Kösem was kidnapped from her family home but became one of sultan Ahmed I’s favorites. With time, she advanced to become more influential than Safiye Sultan, Ahmed’s powerful grandmother whose history started on the court of Suleiman the Magnificent, and Handan Sultan. In the future, her incredibly bright mind, political skills, and charisma allowed Kösem to take the role as regent and ruler of the impressive empire.
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Death of a Sultan
Ahmed died from typhus in November 1617, however some historians believe that he was poisoned. It is possible that the one who killed the sultan was very close to him - it could even haven been his beloved wife. Before he died, Kösem bore him at least five sons. However, another of the sultan’s favorites, Mahfiruz, was the mother of the oldest of his son’s– Osman. After years of peace in the court, the fight for the throne began.

When she became a widow, Kösem was only 28 years old. Sources say that following her husband’s death she focused on her and her sons’ wellbeing. It’s unknown if she wanted to become a ruler of the Ottoman Empire, or her aim was just the protection of her children and to support them in their succession. However, during the six years following Ahmed’s death, she lived in the so-called Old Palace, far away from Topkapi Palace. The throne was in hands of Mustafa I (who lost power, but survived) and Osman II. A few years later, fate smiled on her.

A Regent for Two Sultans
Kösem returned to the political game in 1623. When she took her power back, she was stronger than ever before. It seems that due to her plotting with the support of Mustafa I’s mother, Halime Sultan, Osman was killed by the Janissaries. Due to their actions, Kösem was back in Topkapi as Valide Sultan and a regent (naib-i-sultanat) with her son - sultan Murad IV. At the same time, Halime and her son Mustafa, who struggled with a mental illness, lived through the power change.
As a Valide Sultan (mother of the sultan, who rules the harem) and a regent, Kösem showed a different face. She became a powerful ruler, easily as strong as a sultan. Murad IV was unable to rule the empire throughout his reign.

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