The mighty Ottoman Empire, which existed for many centuries, disappeared with political maps world only in the 20th century. It once controlled vast territories of Asia, Europe and the East, seizing new lands and gaining a foothold on them. However, world history made its own adjustments, and now only numerous cultural and historical monuments, of which a great many have been preserved in modern Turkey, remind of those times.

Facts about the Ottoman Empire

It existed for more than 600 centuries - a huge period, considering that many large states, assembled from a variety of lands, like a patchwork quilt, usually fell apart much faster.
At its peak, at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, the area of the Ottoman Empire was only slightly short of 20 million square kilometers. This is approximately 2.5 million sq. km. larger than the area of modern Russia.
The northern borders of the Ottoman Empire extended to the territories now occupied by Austria, Poland and Lithuania ().
In its open spaces they spoke different languages, since the rulers conquered many different nations. The main language was considered to be Ottoman, partly close to modern Turkish.
For 8 years, the Ottoman Empire was officially called the Ottoman Caliphate.
If it still existed, Russia would have a common border with it.
Fearing competition from blood relatives, in the Ottoman Empire, rulers usually executed all siblings who could lay claim to the throne. The law was applied for about two hundred years, but was later softened, and death was replaced by life imprisonment.
The First World War led to the final collapse of the Ottoman Empire, of which Turkey became the legal successor. Its former possessions are now independent states - Algeria, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Egypt and many other countries ().
It was from this country that the tulips for which the Netherlands are now so famous came to Europe.
The crescent, now a symbol of Islam in Muslim countries, became so in the Ottoman Empire.
For citizens of the empire who were not Muslims, additional taxes were created that they had to pay.
All Ottoman sultans had large harems. Some of them had up to 2,000 women.
The Ottoman Sultan Selim the Terrible entered history, under whom many great viziers changed. This position was very honorable, the Grand Vizier - right hand Sultan. However, Selim the Terrible executed viziers even for minor offenses, so no one wanted to occupy this position voluntarily under him. And those who had to, carried a will with them. Yes, just in case.
The role of the capital of the Ottoman Empire in different eras performed in different cities. For the longest time, more than 450 years, it was Istanbul ().
A person sentenced to death had the right to demand trial instead of execution. If he managed to get to the city gates ahead of the executioner pursuing him, he was released.
The personal power of rulers in the Ottoman Empire was seriously limited from the end of the 19th century.
Throughout its entire long history Russia fought with the Ottoman Empire as many as 12 times.
In this state, Christians and Jews did not have the right to ride horses or bear arms. This was allowed only to Muslims.
Poetry was extremely popular in the Ottoman Empire, but the first novels and stories appeared only at the beginning of the 19th century.
Istanbul became the Ottoman capital after the Ottoman Turks stormed Constantinople, the ancient capital of Byzantium. They did not plunder the city, but settled in it, renamed it and even moved the Sultan’s residence here.

In the TV program Genç Bakış, historian Erhan Afyoncu answered students' questions about the Ottoman Empire. He drew attention to both misconceptions that we know about and some details that are completely unknown to us.

Below we present its main theses.

Ottoman Empire - Russia

— In the last periods of its existence, the Ottoman Empire suffered a lot from Tsarist Russia. It is Russia that is one of the countries that played an important role in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire; another such country is Great Britain. But Britain is more diplomatic. Russia is rude and tough. Now we are again witnessing this rudeness of Tsarist Russia.

— The Russians have chosen their range of action. The main goal is access to warm seas. Russia appeared as the protector of the Orthodox. Its expansion was unfavorable for the Ottoman Empire.

Context

Patriarch Kirill: a lesson for Pope Francis

Milli Gazete 01/27/2016

The world is falling into chaos

Cicero 08/06/2015

The collapse of the Ottoman Empire: the process continues

InoSMI 05/12/2015

Fratricide in the Ottoman Empire

Bugün 01/23/2014 - In the last two centuries of the Ottoman Empire, it faced a serious demographic problem. At the time of joining the First world war The population of Russia was 175 million, the Ottoman Empire - just over 20 million. Russia is calling up 12 million troops, we are calling up two million 750 thousand. In historical literature, this fact is rarely paid attention to.

— The Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 is one of the largest disasters in Turkish history. As a result, the backbone of the Ottoman Empire was broken. The Russians could easily take Istanbul!

— If not for the revolution of 1917 and the destruction of the tsarist regime in Russia, we would not be able to exist within our current borders. Russia occupied large parts of Eastern Anatolia. We returned it thanks to Kazim Karabekir (Ottoman military and political figure who commanded Eastern Front at the end of the First World War, - approx. translation).

— Until the 90s of the 20th century, there were two main forces in the world. One of them is Russians. Now they are nostalgic for this time. The plane crisis in our relations with Russia dealt a blow to its reputation. Now they are trying to take revenge.

Woman in the Ottoman Empire

— Most Turkish historians, who have been mostly men since the Ottoman Empire, express concern about the interference of women in the affairs of the Ottoman state. This point of view persists during the republican period.

- However, examples of intervention by Valide Sultan, Kesem Sultan, Turhan Sultan in the affairs of the state show that it was mainly of a forced nature. How can an 11-year-old child rule the state?

— The participation of women bearing the title Valide Sultan in governing the country in the 17th century was prudent and beneficial for state development. They sacredly revered the state during the period of weakening ruling dynasty, brought the country out of the crisis.

Hurrem Sultan did not rule the state herself; her era was in the 16th century, and thanks to the series she gained popularity among her contemporaries.

Wives of the Padishah

“The strengthening of any family on the territory of the Ottoman lands was also undesirable. Giving your daughter to marry a padishah means becoming related to him and gaining influence. And when more than one center of power arises, the state wobbles.

— After the 18th century, the wives of the padishahs were mainly of Caucasian origin.

—Women were bought into the harem with the status of slaves.

— Conversion to Islam was not mandatory. Murad II's wife Mara was not a Muslim.

— According to the law of the Ottoman Empire, you could marry four women. But monogamy dominated 90-95%.

Prominent figures

— Murad II is the only padishah of the Ottoman Empire who voluntarily abdicated the throne before his death. Bayezid II, who abdicated the throne, was forced to do this.

— Fatih Sultan Mehmet stands apart in the list of Ottoman statesmen. This is a politician with an integral character who studied philosophy and art. He personally participated in 17 campaigns as commander-in-chief of his army. He read a lot, translations were carried out on his orders foreign literature.

— Yavuz Sultan Selim is also versatile statesman. When he was in Egypt, he became very interested in the Egyptian pyramids.

— Suleiman Qanuni sat on the throne for 46 years. His son Sultan Selim II is considered an incompetent ruler. However, this is not the case. Cyprus, Tunisia, and Yemen were taken under him.

— Evliya Celebi is another one significant person in the history of the Ottoman Empire. The name of this traveler should be given to the third airport currently under construction in Istanbul. The ten volumes of written sources that remained after him are an invaluable work related not only to our country, but also to the history of more than 20 states and peoples.

— The personality of Ibrahim Muteferrika (Muslim pioneer of printing, statesman of the Ottoman Empire, diplomat, translator - translator's note) should also be awarded, perhaps even more analysis in history textbooks than the Ottoman sultans.

— Architect Mimar Sinan was given importance, albeit not quite enough. This is a great genius and the author of almost 400 works.

“The name of Abdullah Efendi, who authorized the printing house, should also be mentioned here.

Sultans did not perform Hajj

— During the Ottoman Empire, the Hajj lasted nine months. They sent deputies to him. The sultans did not have such a tradition. The road to Hajj was unsafe. It was necessary to set off with a large escort in order to protect against nomadic robbers.

— With the advent of steamships in the 19th century, performing the Hajj became easier. Sultan Abdulaziz travels to London, Egypt. But not for Hajj!

— Sultan Cem was the only representative of the Ottoman dynasty who performed the Hajj. Vahdettin went on Hajj after he was dethroned. But he was unable to complete it due to security reasons.

— The Ottoman Empire was a Turkish state. The great-grandfathers of Osman Ghazi in all genealogies are associated with the legendary ancestor of the Turks - Oguz Khan. Recently, identities have been given special importance. Although during the Ottoman Empire, Muslim identity was sufficient.

— The enlightened intelligentsia that emerged in the Ottoman Empire began to think about how we could save ourselves from collapse. They suggested: let's say “we are Ottomans, not Turks.” They defended this thesis and did so quite sincerely. But nothing worked out. Then they said: “We are Muslims.” But then the Albanians and Greeks rebelled. These disputes also arose from time to time in Turkey. Namely, disputes about “Turkish” national identity. And this is the main skeleton of the people, the state. When you give it up, it disappears.

Education and religion

- Functioned everywhere primary schools. Elite education was to be the priority goal. The Ottoman Empire managed to do this. It ensured a fair hierarchical distribution. First of all, they accepted talented children.

— The Ottoman Empire was a state that tried to implement Islamic law. But in the last period of the empire, European law prevailed. Many litigation were not in Sharia courts, but in regular European-style courts. Westernization took place.

— Drinking wine was the personal sin of the padishah.

- IN public life sale alcoholic drinks Muslims have never been free. But in the Galata region this rule did not apply.

— The system of devshirme (forced recruitment of boys from Christian families, - approx. translation.) was not universal. Much more often the palace chose its people. The bureaucracy and the class of ulema (Muslim theologians and lawyers - approx. trans.) were controlled by the Turks. There weren't even Arabs. All Sheikh-ul-Islams (the title of the highest official on Islamic issues - approx. translation.) - Turks.

There are so many lessons to be learned from history!

All the sultans of the Ottoman Empire and the years of their reign are divided into several stages in history: from the period of creation to the formation of the republic. These time periods have almost exact boundaries in Ottoman history.

Formation of the Ottoman Empire

It is believed that the founders of the Ottoman state arrived in Asia Minor (Anatolia) from Central Asia (Turkmenistan) in the 20s of the 13th century. Sultan of the Seljuk Turks Keykubad II provided them with areas near the cities of Ankara and Segut for their residence.

The Seljuk Sultanate perished in 1243 under the attacks of the Mongols. Since 1281, Osman came to power in the possession allocated to the Turkmen (beylik), who pursued a policy of expanding his beylik: he captured small towns, proclaimed ghazawat - a holy war with the infidels (Byzantines and others). Osman partially subjugates the territory Western Anatolia, in 1326 he took the city of Bursa and made it the capital of the empire.

In 1324, Osman I Gazi dies. He was buried in Bursa. The inscription on the grave became a prayer said by the Ottoman sultans upon ascending the throne.

Successors of the Ottoman dynasty:

Expansion of the empire's borders

In the middle of the 15th century. The period of the most active expansion of the Ottoman Empire began. At this time, the empire was headed by:

Mehmed II the Conqueror - reigned 1444 - 1446. and in 1451 - 1481. At the end of May 1453, he captured and plundered Constantinople. He moved the capital to the plundered city. St. Sophia Cathedral was converted into the main temple of Islam. At the request of the Sultan, the residences of the Orthodox Greek and Armenian patriarchs, as well as the chief Jewish rabbi, were located in Istanbul. Under Mehmed II, the autonomy of Serbia was terminated, Bosnia was subordinated, and Crimea was annexed. The death of the Sultan prevented the capture of Rome. The Sultan did not appreciate it at all human life, but wrote poetry and created the first poetic duvan.
Bayezid II the Holy (Dervish) - reigned from 1481 to 1512. Almost never fought. Stopped the tradition of the Sultan's personal leadership of troops. He patronized culture and wrote poetry. He died, transferring power to his son.
Selim I the Terrible (Merciless) - reigned from 1512 to 1520. He began his reign by destroying his closest competitors. Brutally suppressed the Shiite uprising. Captured Kurdistan, western Armenia, Syria, Palestine, Arabia and Egypt. A poet whose poems were subsequently published by the German Emperor Wilhelm II.
Suleiman I Kanuni (Lawgiver) - reigned from 1520 to 1566. Expanded the borders to Budapest, the upper Nile and the Strait of Gibraltar, the Tigris and Euphrates, Baghdad and Georgia. Conducted many government reforms. The last 20 years have passed under the influence of the concubine and then the wife of Roksolana. He is the most prolific among the sultans in poetic creativity. He died during a campaign in Hungary.
Selim II the Drunkard - reigned from 1566 to 1574. There was an addiction to alcohol. A talented poet. During this reign, the first conflict between the Ottoman Empire and the Principality of Moscow and the first major defeat at sea occurred. The only expansion of the empire was the capture of Fr. Cyprus. Died from hitting his head on stone slabs in the bath.
Murad III - on the throne from 1574 to 1595. A “lover” of numerous concubines and a corrupt official who was practically not involved in managing the empire. During his reign, Tiflis was captured, and imperial troops reached Dagestan and Azerbaijan.
Mehmed III - reigned from 1595 to 1603. Record holder for the destruction of competitors for the throne - on his orders, 19 brothers, their pregnant women and son were killed.
Ahmed I - reigned from 1603 to 1617. The reign is characterized by a leapfrog of senior officials, who were often replaced at the request of the harem. The Empire lost Transcaucasia and Baghdad.
Mustafa I - reigned from 1617 to 1618. and from 1622 to 1623. He was considered a saint for his dementia and sleepwalking. I spent 14 years in prison.
Osman II - reigned from 1618 to 1622. Enthroned at the age of 14 by the Janissaries. He was pathologically cruel. After the defeat near Khotin from the Zaporozhye Cossacks, he was killed by the Janissaries for attempting to escape with the treasury.
Murad IV - reigned from 1622 to 1640. At the cost of great blood, he brought order to the corps of the Janissaries, destroyed the dictatorship of the viziers, and cleared the courts and government apparatus of corrupt officials. Returned Erivan and Baghdad to the empire. Before his death, he ordered the death of his brother Ibrahim, the last of the Ottomanids. Died of wine and fever.
Ibrahim ruled from 1640 to 1648. Weak and weak-willed, cruel and wasteful, greedy for female caresses. Deposed and strangled by the Janissaries with the support of the clergy.
Mehmed IV the Hunter - reigned from 1648 to 1687. Proclaimed Sultan at age 6. The true administration of the state was carried out by the grand viziers, especially in the early years. During the first period of reign, the empire strengthened its military power, conquered about. Crete. The second period was not so successful - the Battle of St. Gotthard was lost, Vienna was not taken, the Janissaries revolt and the overthrow of the Sultan.
Suleiman II - reigned from 1687 to 1691. Enthroned by the Janissaries.
Ahmed II - reigned from 1691 to 1695. Enthroned by the Janissaries.
Mustafa II - reigned from 1695 to 1703. Enthroned by the Janissaries. The first partition of the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699 and the Treaty of Constantinople with Russia in 1700.
Ahmed III - reigned from 1703 to 1730. He sheltered Hetman Mazepa and Charles XII after the Battle of Poltava. During his reign, the war with Venice and Austria was lost, part of the possessions in Eastern Europe, as well as Algeria and Tunisia.

The Ottoman Empire arose in 1299 in the north-west of Asia Minor and existed for 624 years, managing to conquer many peoples and become one of the greatest powers in human history.

From place to quarry

The position of the Turks at the end of the 13th century looked hopeless, if only because of the presence of Byzantium and Persia in the neighborhood. Plus the sultans of Konya (the capital of Lycaonia - a region in Asia Minor), depending on whom, albeit formally, the Turks were.

However, all this did not prevent Osman (1288-1326) from territorially expanding and strengthening his young state. By the way, the Turks began to be called Ottomans after the name of their first sultan.
Osman was actively involved in the development of internal culture and treated others with care. Therefore, many Greek cities located in Asia Minor preferred to voluntarily recognize his supremacy. In this way they “killed two birds with one stone”: they received protection and preserved their traditions.
Osman's son, Orhan I (1326-1359), brilliantly continued his father's work. Having announced that he was going to unite all the faithful under his rule, the Sultan set out to conquer not the countries of the east, which would be logical, but the western lands. And Byzantium was the first to stand in his way.

By this time, the empire was in decline, which the Turkish Sultan took advantage of. Like a cold-blooded butcher, he "chopped off" area after area from the Byzantine "body". Soon the entire northwestern part of Asia Minor came under Turkish rule. They also established themselves on the European coast of the Aegean and Marmara Seas, as well as the Dardanelles. And the territory of Byzantium was reduced to Constantinople and its environs.
Subsequent sultans continued the expansion of Eastern Europe, where they successfully fought against Serbia and Macedonia. And Bayazet (1389 -1402) was “noted” by the defeat of the Christian army, which in Crusade King Sigismund of Hungary led against the Turks.

From defeat to triumph

Under the same Bayazet, one of the most severe defeats of the Ottoman army occurred. The Sultan personally opposed Timur's army and in the Battle of Ankara (1402) he was defeated, and he himself was captured, where he died.
The heirs tried by hook or by crook to ascend to the throne. The state was on the verge of collapse due to internal unrest. It was only under Murad II (1421-1451) that the situation stabilized and the Turks were able to regain control of the lost Greek cities and conquer part of Albania. The Sultan dreamed of finally dealing with Byzantium, but did not have time. His son, Mehmed II (1451-1481), was destined to become the killer of the Orthodox empire.

On May 29, 1453, the hour of X came for Byzantium. The Turks besieged Constantinople for two months. Such a short time was enough to break the city's inhabitants. Instead of everyone taking up arms, the townspeople simply prayed to God for help, without leaving their churches for days. The last emperor, Constantine Palaiologos, asked the Pope for help, but he demanded in return the unification of churches. Konstantin refused.

Perhaps the city would have held out longer if not for the betrayal. One of the officials agreed to the bribe and opened the gate. He didn't take one thing into account important fact- In addition to the female harem, the Turkish Sultan also had a male harem. That's where the pretty son of the traitor ended up.
The city fell. The civilized world froze. Now all the states of both Europe and Asia realized that the time had come for a new superpower - the Ottoman Empire.

European campaigns and confrontations with Russia

The Turks did not even think of stopping there. After the death of Byzantium, no one blocked their path to rich and unfaithful Europe, even conditionally.
Soon, Serbia (except for Belgrade, but the Turks would capture it in the 16th century), the Duchy of Athens (and, accordingly, most of all of Greece), the island of Lesbos, Wallachia, and Bosnia were annexed to the empire.

In Eastern Europe, the territorial appetites of the Turks intersected with the interests of Venice. The ruler of the latter quickly gained the support of Naples, the Pope and Karaman (Khanate in Asia Minor). The confrontation lasted 16 years and ended in complete victory for the Ottomans. After that, no one stopped them from “getting” the remaining Greek cities and islands, as well as annexing Albania and Herzegovina. The Turks were so keen on expanding their borders that they even successfully attacked the Crimean Khanate.
Panic began in Europe. Pope Sixtus IV began to make plans for the evacuation of Rome, and at the same time hastened to declare a Crusade against the Ottoman Empire. Only Hungary responded to the call. In 1481 Mehmed II died and the era of great conquests came to a temporary end.
In the 16th century, when internal unrest in the empire subsided, the Turks again turned their weapons on their neighbors. First there was a war with Persia. Although the Turks won it, their territorial gains were insignificant.
After success in North African Tripoli and Algeria, Sultan Suleiman invaded Austria and Hungary in 1527 and besieged Vienna two years later. It was not possible to take it - bad weather and widespread illness prevented it.
As for relations with Russia, the interests of states collided for the first time in Crimea.

The first war took place in 1568 and ended in 1570 with the victory of Russia. The empires fought with each other for 350 years (1568 - 1918) - one war occurred on average every quarter of a century.
During this time there were 12 wars (including the Azov War, the Prut Campaign, the Crimean and Caucasian Fronts during the First World War). And in most cases, victory remained with Russia.

Dawn and sunset of the Janissaries

When talking about the Ottoman Empire, one cannot fail to mention its regular troops - the Janissaries.
In 1365, by personal order of Sultan Murad I, the Janissary infantry was formed. It was staffed by Christians (Bulgarians, Greeks, Serbs, and so on) aged from eight to sixteen years. This is how the devshirme—the blood tax—worked, which was imposed on the non-believing peoples of the empire. It is interesting that at first life for the Janissaries was quite difficult. They lived in monasteries-barracks, they were forbidden to start a family or any kind of household.
But gradually the Janissaries from an elite branch of the army began to turn into a highly paid burden for the state. In addition, these troops took part in hostilities less and less often.

The decomposition began in 1683, when Muslim children began to be taken into the Janissaries along with Christian children. Rich Turks sent their children there, thereby solving the issue of their successful future - they could make a good career. It was the Muslim Janissaries who began to start families and engage in crafts, as well as trade. Gradually they turned into a greedy, arrogant political force that interfered in state affairs and participated in the overthrow of unwanted sultans.
The agony continued until 1826, when Sultan Mahmud II abolished the Janissaries.

Death of the Ottoman Empire

Frequent unrest, inflated ambitions, cruelty and constant participation in any wars could not but affect the fate of the Ottoman Empire. The 20th century turned out to be especially critical, in which Turkey was increasingly torn apart by internal contradictions and the separatist spirit of the population. Because of this, the country fell far behind the West technically, and therefore began to lose the territories it had once conquered.

The fateful decision for the empire was its participation in the First World War. The Allies defeated the Turkish troops and organized a division of its territory. On October 29, 1923, a new state emerged - the Turkish Republic. Its first president was Mustafa Kemal (later, he changed his surname to Ataturk - “father of the Turks”). Thus ended the history of the once great Ottoman Empire.

Any Hollywood script pales in comparison with the life path of Roksolana, who became the most influential woman in the history of the great empire. Her powers, contrary to Turkish laws and Islamic canons, could only be compared with the capabilities of the Sultan himself. Roksolana became not just a wife, she was a co-ruler; They didn’t listen to her opinion; it was the only one that was correct and legal.
Anastasia Gavrilovna Lisovskaya (born c. 1506 - d. c. 1562) was the daughter of the priest Gavrila Lisovsky from Rohatyn, a small town in Western Ukraine, located southwest of Ternopil. In the 16th century, this territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and was constantly subject to devastating raids by the Crimean Tatars. During one of them, in the summer of 1522, the young daughter of a clergyman was caught by a detachment of robbers. Legend has it that the misfortune happened just before Anastasia's wedding.
First, the captive ended up in Crimea - this is the usual route for all slaves. The Tatars did not drive valuable “live goods” on foot across the steppe, but carried them on horseback under vigilant guard, without even tying their hands, so as not to spoil the delicate girl’s skin with ropes. Most sources say that the Crimeans, struck by the beauty of Polonyanka, decided to send the girl to Istanbul, hoping to sell her profitably at one of the largest slave markets in the Muslim East.

“Giovane, ma non bella” (“young, but ugly”), Venetian nobles said about her in 1526, but “graceful and short in stature.” None of her contemporaries, contrary to legend, called Roksolana a beauty.
The captive was sent to the capital of the sultans on a large felucca, and the owner himself took her to sell her - history has not preserved his name. On the very first day, when the Horde took the captive to the market, she accidentally caught the eye of the all-powerful vizier of the young Sultan Suleiman I, the noble Rustem, who happened to be there - Pasha. Again, the legend says that the Turk was struck by the dazzling beauty of the girl, and he decided to buy her to give a gift to the Sultan.
As can be seen from the portraits and confirmations of contemporaries, beauty clearly has nothing to do with it - I can call this coincidence of circumstances with only one word - Fate.
During this era, the sultan was Suleiman I the Magnificent (Luxurious), who ruled from 1520 to 1566, considered the greatest sultan of the Ottoman dynasty. During the years of his rule, the empire reached the apogee of its development, including all of Serbia with Belgrade, most of Hungary, the island of Rhodes, significant territories in North Africa to the borders of Morocco and the Middle East. Europe gave the Sultan the nickname Magnificent, while in the Muslim world he is more often called Kanuni, which translated from Turkish means Lawgiver. “Such greatness and nobility,” the report of the 16th-century Venetian ambassador Marini Sanuto wrote about Suleiman, “was also adorned by the fact that he, unlike his father and many other sultans, had no inclination towards pederasty.” An honest ruler and uncompromising fighter against bribery, he encouraged the development of the arts and philosophy, and was also considered a skilled poet and blacksmith - few European monarchs could compete with Suleiman I.
According to the laws of faith, the padishah could have four legal wives. The children of the first of them became heirs to the throne. Or rather, one firstborn inherited the throne, and the rest often faced a sad fate: all possible contenders for supreme power were subject to destruction.
In addition to wives, the Commander of the Faithful had any number of concubines that his soul desired and his flesh required. At different times, under different sultans, from several hundred to a thousand or more women lived in the harem, each of whom was certainly an amazing beauty. In addition to women, the harem consisted of a whole staff of castrati eunuchs and maids of different ages, chiropractors, midwives, masseuses, doctors and the like. But no one except the padishah himself could encroach on the beauties belonging to him. All this complex and hectic economy was supervised by the “chief of the girls” - the eunuch of Kyzlyaragassy.
However, amazing beauty alone was not enough: the girls destined for the padishah’s harem were required to be taught music, dancing, Muslim poetry and, of course, the art of love. Naturally, the course of love sciences was theoretical, and the practice was taught by experienced old women and women experienced in all the intricacies of sex.
Now let’s return to Roksolana, so Rustem Pasha decided to buy the Slavic beauty. But her Krymchak owner refused to sell Anastasia and presented her as a gift to the all-powerful courtier, rightly expecting to receive for this not only an expensive return gift, as is customary in the East, but also considerable benefits.
Rustem Pasha ordered it to be fully prepared as a gift to the Sultan, in turn hoping to achieve even greater favor with him. The padishah was young; he ascended the throne only in 1520 and greatly appreciated female beauty, and not just as a contemplator.
In the harem, Anastasia receives the name Khurrem (laughing). And for the Sultan, she always remained only Khurrem. Roksolana, the name under which she went down in history, is just the name of the Sarmatian tribes in the 2nd-4th centuries AD, who roamed the steppes between the Dnieper and Don, translated from Latin as “Russian”. Roksolana will often be called, both during her life and after her death, nothing more than “Rusynka” - a native of Rus' or Roxolanii, as Ukraine was previously called.

The mystery of the birth of love between the Sultan and a fifteen-year-old unknown captive will remain unsolved. After all, there was a strict hierarchy in the harem, and anyone who violated it would face severe punishment. Often - death. The female recruits - adzhemi, step by step, first became jariye, then shagird, gedikli and usta. No one except the mouth had the right to be in the Sultan's chambers. Only the mother of the ruling sultan, the valide sultan, had absolute power within the harem, and decided who and when to share a bed with the sultan from her mouth. How Roksolana managed to occupy the Sultan’s monastery almost immediately will forever remain a mystery.
There is a legend about how Hurrem came to the attention of the Sultan. When new slaves (more beautiful and expensive than she) were introduced to the Sultan, a small figure suddenly flew into the circle of dancing odalisques and, pushing away the “soloist,” laughed. And then she sang her song. The harem lived according to cruel laws. And the eunuchs were waiting for only one sign - what to prepare for the girl - clothes for the Sultan’s bedroom or a cord used to strangle the slaves. The Sultan was intrigued and surprised. And that same evening, Khurrem received the Sultan’s scarf - a sign that in the evening he was waiting for her in his bedroom. Having interested the Sultan with her silence, she asked for only one thing - the right to visit the Sultan’s library. The Sultan was shocked, but allowed it. When he returned from a military campaign some time later, Khurrem already spoke several languages. She dedicated poems to her Sultan and even wrote books. This was unprecedented at that time, and instead of respect it aroused fear. Her learning, plus the fact that the Sultan spent all his nights with her, created Khurrem's lasting fame as a witch. They said about Roksolana that she bewitched the Sultan with the help of evil spirits. And in fact he was bewitched.
“Finally, let us unite with soul, thoughts, imagination, will, heart, everything that I left mine in you and took with me yours, oh my only love!”, the Sultan wrote in a letter to Roksolana. “My lord, your absence has kindled a fire in me that does not go out. Have pity on this suffering soul and hurry up your letter so that I can find at least a little consolation in it,” answered Khurrem.
Roksolana greedily absorbed everything that she was taught in the palace, took everything that life gave her. Historians testify that after some time she actually mastered the Turkish, Arabic and Persian languages, learned to dance perfectly, recite her contemporaries, and also play according to the rules of the foreign, cruel country in which she lived. Following the rules of her new homeland, Roksolana converted to Islam.
Her main trump card was that Rustem Pasha, thanks to whom she got into the palace of the padishah, received her as a gift, and did not buy her. In turn, he did not sell it to the kyzlyaragassa, who replenished the harem, but gave it to Suleiman. So Roxalana stayed free woman and could lay claim to the role of the padishah’s wife. According to the laws of the Ottoman Empire, a slave could never, under any circumstances, become the wife of the Commander of the Faithful.
A few years later, Suleiman enters into an official marriage with her according to Muslim rites, elevates her to the rank of bash-kadyna - the main (and in fact, the only) wife and addresses her “Haseki,” which means “dear to the heart.”
Roksolana’s incredible position at the Sultan’s court amazed both Asia and Europe. Her education made scientists bow down, she received foreign ambassadors, responded to messages from foreign sovereigns, influential nobles and artists. She not only came to terms with the new faith, but also gained fame as a zealous orthodox Muslim, which earned her considerable respect at court.
One day, the Florentines placed a ceremonial portrait of Hurrem, for which she posed for a Venetian artist, in an art gallery. It was the only female portrait among the images of hook-nosed, bearded sultans in huge turbans. “There was never another woman in the Ottoman palace who had such power” - Venetian ambassador Navajero, 1533.
Lisovskaya gives birth to the Sultan four sons (Mohammed, Bayazet, Selim, Jehangir) and a daughter, Khamerie. But Mustafa, the eldest son of the padishah’s first wife, Circassian Gulbekhar, was still officially considered the heir to the throne. She and her children became mortal enemies of the power-hungry and treacherous Roxalana.

Lisovskaya understood perfectly well: until her son became the heir to the throne or sat on the throne of the padishahs, her own position was constantly under threat. At any moment, Suleiman could become carried away by a new beautiful concubine and make her his legal wife, and order the execution of one of the old wives: in the harem, an unwanted wife or concubine was put alive in a leather bag, an angry cat and a poisonous snake were thrown in there, the bag was tied and a special stone chute was used to lower him with a tied stone into the waters of the Bosphorus. The guilty considered it lucky if they were simply quickly strangled with a silk cord.
Therefore, Roxalana prepared for a very long time and began to act actively and cruelly only after almost fifteen years!
Her daughter turned twelve years old, and she decided to marry her to... Rustem Pasha, who was already over fifty. But he was in great favor at court, close to the throne of the padishah and, most importantly, was something of a mentor and “ godfather"The heir to the throne, Mustafa, is the son of the Circassian woman Gulbehar, Suleiman’s first wife.
Roxalana's daughter grew up with a similar face and chiseled figure to her beautiful mother, and Rustem Pasha with great pleasure became related to the Sultan - this is a very high honor for a courtier. Women were not forbidden to see each other, and the sultana deftly found out from her daughter about everything that was happening in the house of Rustem Pasha, literally collecting the information she needed bit by bit. Finally, Lisovskaya decided it was time to strike the fatal blow!
During a meeting with her husband, Roxalana secretly informed the Commander of the Faithful about the “terrible conspiracy.” Merciful Allah granted her time to learn about the secret plans of the conspirators and allowed her to warn her adored husband about the danger that threatened him: Rustem Pasha and the sons of Gulbehar planned to take the life of the padishah and take possession of the throne, placing Mustafa on it!
The intriguer knew well where and how to strike - the mythical “conspiracy” was quite plausible: in the East, during the times of the sultans, bloody palace coups were the most common thing. In addition, Roxalana cited as an irrefutable argument the true words of Rustem Pasha, Mustafa and other “conspirators” that the daughter of Anastasia and the Sultan heard. Therefore, the seeds of evil fell on fertile soil!
Rustem Pasha was immediately taken into custody, and an investigation began: Pasha was terribly tortured. Perhaps he incriminated himself and others under torture. But even if he was silent, this only confirmed the padishah in the actual existence of a “conspiracy.” After torture, Rustem Pasha was beheaded.
Only Mustafa and his brothers were spared - they were an obstacle to the throne of Roxalana’s first-born, red-haired Selim, and for this reason they simply had to die! Constantly instigated by his wife, Suleiman agreed and gave the order to kill his children! The Prophet forbade the shedding of the blood of the padishahs and their heirs, so Mustafa and his brothers were strangled with a green silk twisted cord. Gulbehar went crazy with grief and soon died.
The cruelty and injustice of her son struck Valide Khamse, the mother of Padishah Suleiman, who came from the family of the Crimean khans Giray. At the meeting, she told her son everything she thought about the “conspiracy,” the execution, and her son’s beloved wife Roxalana. It is not surprising that after this Valide Khamse, the Sultan’s mother, lived for less than a month: the East knows a lot about poisons!
The Sultana went even further: she ordered to find in the harem and throughout the country other sons of Suleiman, whom wives and concubines gave birth to, and to take the lives of all of them! As it turned out, the Sultan had about forty sons - all of them, some secretly, some openly, were killed by order of Lisovskaya.
Thus, over forty years of marriage, Roksolana managed the almost impossible. She was proclaimed the first wife, and her son Selim became the heir. But the sacrifices did not stop there. Roksolana's two youngest sons were strangled. Some sources accuse her of involvement in these murders - allegedly this was done in order to strengthen the position of her beloved son Selim. However, reliable data about this tragedy has never been found.
She was no longer able to see her son ascend the throne, becoming Sultan Selim II. He reigned after the death of his father for only eight years - from 1566 to 1574 - and, although the Koran forbids drinking wine, he was a terrible alcoholic! His heart once simply could not withstand the constant excessive libations, and in the memory of the people he remained as Sultan Selim the drunkard!
No one will ever know what the true feelings of the famous Roksolana were. What is it like for a young girl to find herself in slavery, in a foreign country, with a foreign faith imposed on her. Not only not to break, but also to grow into the mistress of the empire, gaining glory throughout Asia and Europe. Trying to erase shame and humiliation from her memory, Roksolana ordered the slave market to be hidden and a mosque, madrasah and almshouse to be erected in its place. That mosque and hospital in the almshouse building still bear the name of Haseki, as well as the surrounding area of the city.
Her name, shrouded in myths and legends, sung by her contemporaries and covered in black glory, remains forever in history. Nastasia Lisovskaya, whose fate could be similar to hundreds of thousands of the same Nastya, Khristin, Oles, Mari. But life decreed otherwise. No one knows how much grief, tears and misfortunes Nastasya endured on the way to Roksolana. However, for the Muslim world she will remain Hurrem - LAUGHING.
Roksolana died either in 1558 or 1561. Suleiman I - in 1566. He managed to complete the construction of the majestic Suleymaniye Mosque - one of the largest architectural monuments The Ottoman Empire, - near which Roksolana’s ashes rest in an octagonal stone tomb, next to the also octagonal tomb of the Sultan. This tomb has stood for more than four hundred years. Inside, under the high dome, Suleiman ordered to carve alabaster rosettes and decorate each of them with a priceless emerald, Roksolana’s favorite gem.
When Suleiman died, his tomb was also decorated with emeralds, forgetting that his favorite stone was ruby.