Safiye

Safiye (* approx. 1550 ; † November 10, 1605 ) was the wife of the Ottoman Sultan Murad III. , Mother of Mehmed III. as well as by Fahriye Sultan and Ayşe Sultan and the grandmother of the Ottoman sultans Ahmed I and Mustafa I.

Life

Theories of origin

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There were different theses regarding their origin and descent. The first was that Safiye was born Sofia Bellicui Baffo and, like her future mother-in-law Nurbanu , was kidnapped by pirates. She is said to have been the daughter of the Venetian governor Leonardo Baffo of Corfu and thus a relative of her mother-in-law. She is also said to have been a relative of the Venetian poet Giorgio Baffo . She was captured by Ottoman pirates during a trip from Venice to Corfu in the Adriatic Sea. A year later it was in Istanbul, where it was bought by Nurbanu Sultan in the slave market. Then she was brought up in the harem for two years until she won Murad over.

Another thesis claims that she came from an Albanian mountain village, this thesis is supported by recent sources and it is also said that Safiye's theory of origin was confused with that of her mother-in-law.

According to another source, Stephan Gerlach , who was in Constantinople between 1573 and 1578, alleged that Safiye had Bosnian roots and was given to the prince by Ferhat Pascha .

Time as the main wife of the sultan

During Suleyman I's lifetime she became the favorite of Prince Murad, who later became Sultan Murad III. and on May 26, 1566 gave birth to Prince Mehmed, later Mehmed III. She is said to have been a tall woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, blue almond eyes and snow-white skin. During Murat's reign, Safiye played an important role in politics, as Murad, unlike his father, hardly cared about politics. Murad, according to the sources, left the affairs of state to the women. Murad's mother, Nurbanu, and later his favorite Safiye played an important role here. Safiye initiated the murder of Sokollu Mehmed Pasha on October 11, 1579 . She commissioned a janissary to disguise himself as a dervish and to stab the grand vizier because he was too powerful for her. After that, Safiye was able to make unreserved decisions.

Over time, Nurbanu saw the favorite's power as a threat, and she tried to disempower Safiye. In addition, Nurbanu weakened their influence, u. a. by reducing Safiye's income to 750 silver Akçe , while a favorite of the Sultan was usually entitled to an amount of 1,000 as a donation. When Murad Safiye wanted to get married, however, Nurbanu's intrigues were foiled for the time being.

After Safiye's son was circumcised in 1582 , he was appointed as Crown Prince to Sanjak - Bey of Manisa in 1583 . At Nurbanu's instigation, his mother had to accompany him there. In Safiye's absence, the sultan's mother continued to try to belittle her position. In addition, Nurbanu spent a fortune on the slave market to bring her son new women for his harem. Rivals for the sultan's favor and other descendants would have endangered the favorite and the succession of Safiye's son. She was able to keep her position, but only after the death of Nurbanu did she become the most influential and powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire.

Time as the sultan's mother

After Murad's death, her son became Prince Mehmed Sultan and she herself became Valide Sultan. Mehmed continued the war that his father had started two years earlier, and in 1596 conquered Eger . Through Safiye there was a lively change of grand viziers . She arranged for Hadim Hasan Pasha to be executed, who had complained about her interference in state affairs. Safiye's influence on the politics of the empire grew steadily. She managed to increase her income from 2000 to 3000.

In order to secure her power, she tried to weaken competitors, but especially the influence of her daughters-in-law.

Safiye himself was involved in corruption business, offices were awarded against payment. Safiye only had officials who were dependent on her or who had been bribed and increased her income through their bribes. In 1597 she arranged for the new mosque to be built, which was only completed years later by Turhan Sultan. A mosque in Cairo in 1610 was named after her: the Safiye Melike Sultan.

Esperanza Malchi , her partner in government affairs , was murdered in 1600 during a palace guard mutiny. Safiye was the driving force behind the intrigues that led to the 1603 execution of Crown Prince Mahmu, the murder of his mother Mahpeykar, and the execution of Yemsici Hasan Pasha.

Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Safiye's tomb

As a widow, she ruled in the course of the so-called “ women's rule ” until her grandson Ahmed I ascended the throne in 1603 and locked her in the harem, where she remained until her death. The date of her death is uncertain, but it is known that she saw the rule of her two grandchildren and had a mosque built in Cairo in 1610. According to more recent sources, he died on January 10, 1619, the cause of death is unknown. She was buried next to her late husband.

politics

Safiye is considered one of the most powerful women in Ottoman history. It interfered in both domestic and foreign policy. Safiye was a driving force in diplomatic relations with England , with Queen Elizabeth I she exchanged lively letters. Elisabeth and Safiye also sent each other diplomatic gifts. In 1593 Elisabeth sent her a portrait, in 1599 she gave Safiye a carriage and her son an organ. Safiye thanked them with a letter and many presents. Safiye's politics were Provenetian and she had good political and economic ties with the Serenissima . The Venetians also secured Safiye's favor with precious gifts.

Safiye's allies in the government included Serdar Ferhat Pascha († 1595), Koca Sinan Pascha and Damad Ibrahim Pascha . In the palace were her allies Canfeda Hatun and Gazanfer Agha, who both also had an influence on politics. Safiye's power and influence during the reign of Murad III. and Mehmed III. can hardly be overestimated in its dimensions.

children

• ( Mehmed III. ) (1566–1603)
  He was born in 1566 and became Crown Prince of the Ottoman Empire in 1574. His mother ensured a good upbringing and an elevated position towards his (half) brothers. In 1583, after circumcision in 1582, Prince Mehmed became Sanjakbey of Manisa at the age of 17. In 1595 he became sultan and in 1603 he died before his mother's death.
• Ayse Sultan (1570–1605)
  She was born in Manisa in 1570 and was the eldest daughter of Murad. She married Damat Ibrahim Pasha in 1586 . In 1601, after the death of her husband, she married twice more, most recently to Mahmud Pasha. From her second marriage to Yemisci Hasan Pascha came a boy. In 1605 she died before her mother.
• Prince Mahmud (1574–1588)
• Fatma Sultan (1577-1620)

literature

• Leslie P. Peirce : The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. Oxford University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-19-507673-7

Web links

• Harem women and rule in the Ottoman Empire in its heyday ( Memento from October 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive )