What does a real hyurrem look like? The real causes of death of Hurrem Sultan have been revealed

Roksolana and Suleiman I the Magnificent.

The whole world knows Roksolana as a person who broke all stereotypes about women in Islamic society. And despite the fact that her image has been so popular for almost half a millennium, there is no single correct and indisputable thought about either her character or appearance. There are only one assumptions - how a simple captive could win the heart of one of the most powerful rulers of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman I the Magnificent

... There are a lot of dark spots hidden in her biography. Apparently this is why all her portraits painted by artists in those days are so contradictory.

Poems and poems were composed about this extraordinary woman, novels and plays were written; some remembered her reverently and with delight, others accused her of destroying the stereotypes of Islamic society and the Ottoman Empire itself. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that for almost five centuries the biography of Roksolana, fraught with many contradictions and mysteries, has become so overgrown with legends and fiction.

Roksolana. Unknown artist. Early 16th century.

Therefore, it is very difficult to speak objectively about this famous woman. Hurrem Haseki Sultan - that’s what she was called in the Ottoman Empire; in Europe she was known under the name Roksolana. The real name is not known for certain. But, based on literary traditions and the main version, she was born in the small town of Rohatyn, in Western Ukraine. And since in those days that territory was under the Poles, Roksolana was often called a Pole. However, according to official data, she was Ukrainian by nationality.

And she owes her name, which has gone down in history for centuries, to the ambassador of the Roman Empire De Busbeck, who called her “Roxolana” in his reports, referring to the common name at the end of the 16th century for the places where the Sultana was from - Roxolana. The name “Roksolana” sounded like “Ryussa”, “Rossa”, “Rossana”.

Roksolana - Hurrem Sultan.

As for the real name, there is still heated debate among researchers. After all, there is no reliable information about him in the primary sources of the 16th century. Only much later did some begin to call her Anastasia, the daughter of the clergyman Gavrila Lisovsky. And other historians believed that she was Alexandra and Polish by nationality. Now some researchers often mention the version about the Russian roots of the great Sultana, which has no good reason.

At the slave market.

And the most popular version says that around 1520, during another Tatar raid, 15-year-old Anastisiya Lisovskaya was captured, taken to Crimea, and from there transported to Istanbul. There the vizier Ibrahim Pasha noticed the beautiful girl, who presented her to Suleiman I.

Harem of the Turkish Sultan.

It was from that time that her majestic biography began. Anastasia’s name in the harem was “Hurrem”, which meant “cheerful”. And in a very short time, from an ordinary concubine, she will become the beloved wife of Suleiman I the Magnificent, who idolized her, initiated her into his state affairs and wrote his poems for her.

For the sake of his beloved, he will do what none of the sultans had ever done before him: he will tie the knot in an official marriage with his concubine. To do this, Roksolana will convert to Islam and, becoming the main wife, will be an influential person in the Ottoman Empire for about forty years.

Suleiman I the Magnificent. / Khurem Sultan. (1581) Auto r: Melchior Loris.

In fairness, it should be noted that no one has ever described Roksolana as some very beautiful woman, she had an attractive appearance - nothing more. Why then did the Slavic girl bewitch the Turkish Sultan? Suleiman the Magnificent loved strong-willed, intelligent, sensual and educated women. And she had plenty of intelligence and wisdom.

This explains the fact that Roksolana managed to fall in love with the young Sultan so easily and become the mistress of his heart. In addition, being a very educated woman, she was well versed in art and politics, so Suleiman, contrary to all the customs of Islam, allowed her to be present at the council of the divan and at the negotiations of diplomatic ambassadors. By the way, Suleiman the Magnificent was the greatest sultan of the Ottoman dynasty, and under his rule the empire reached the apogee of its development.

Roksolana and Suleiman I the Magnificent.

Especially for her, the Sultan introduced a new title at his court - Haseki. And from 1534 Roksolana would become the mistress of the palace and Suleiman’s main political adviser. She had to independently receive ambassadors, correspond with influential politicians of European states, engage in charity and construction, and patronize masters of art. And when the spouses had to be separated for a while, they corresponded with beautiful poems in Arabic and Persian.

Suleiman and Hurrem. (1780). on Hickel.

Roksolana and Suleiman had five children - four sons and a daughter. However, of the sons, only one survived Suleiman the Magnificent - Selim. Two died during the bloody struggle for the throne, the third died in infancy.

For forty years of marriage, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska managed to achieve the almost impossible. She was proclaimed the first wife, and her son Selim became the heir. At the same time, Roksolana’s two youngest sons were strangled. According to some sources, it is she who is accused of involvement in these murders - allegedly this was done in order to strengthen the position of her beloved son Selim. Although reliable data about this tragedy has never been found. But there is evidence that about forty sons of the Sultan, born to other wives and concubines, were found and killed on her orders.

La Sultana Rossa.

They say that even the Sultan’s mother was shocked by the harsh methods by which Roksolan gained power. The biography of this extraordinary woman shows that she was feared outside the palace. Hundreds of people she disliked quickly died in the hands of executioners.

Roksolana could be understood, living in constant fear that at any moment the Sultan could be carried away by a new beautiful concubine and make her his legal wife, and order his old wife to be executed. In the harem, it was customary to put an unwanted wife or concubine alive in a leather bag with a poisonous snake and an angry cat, and then, tying a stone, throw it into the waters of the Bosphorus. The guilty considered it lucky if they were simply quickly strangled with a silk cord.

Portrait of Hurrem, kept in the Topkapi Palace Museum.

Time passed, but Roksolana continued to remain the best for Suleiman: the further, the more he loved her. When she was already approaching 50, the ambassador from Venice wrote about her: “For His Majesty the Sultan, this is such a beloved wife that, they say, after he recognized her, he no longer wanted to know a single woman. And none of his predecessors had ever done this, since the Turks have a custom of changing women.”

Fortunately, it was not only deceit and cold calculation that made Hurrem Sultan famous. She managed to do a lot for the prosperity of Istanbul: she built several mosques, opened a school, organized a home for the mentally retarded, and also opened a free kitchen for the poor, and established contacts with many European countries.

Suleiman I.

At the age of 55, the biography of this most influential woman ends. Roksolana was buried with all the honors that no woman of Islam knew. After her death, the Sultan did not even think about other women until his last days. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska remained his only lover. After all, at one time he dissolved his harem for her sake.

Sultan Suleiman died in 1566, outliving his wife by only eight years. Their tombs still stand nearby to this day, near the Suleiman Mosque. It is worth noting that in the 1000-year history of the Ottoman state, only one woman was awarded such an honor - Roksolana.

For approximately 5 centuries, the couple has been resting in peace in neighboring turbes in Istanbul. On the right is Suleiman's turbe, on the left is Khyurrem Sultan.

After the death of the Sultan, the throne was taken by his beloved son, Hürrem Sultan Selim. During his eight-year reign, the decline of the empire began. Contrary to the Koran, he loved to “take it to his chest,” which is why he remained in history under the name Selim the Drunkard. Fortunately, Roksolana did not live to see this.

Hurrem.

The life and rise of Roksolana so excited her creative contemporaries that even the great painter Titian (1490–1576) painted a portrait of the famous sultana. Titian's painting, painted in the 1550s, is called La Sultana Rossa, that is, the Russian Sultana.

One of the probable images of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Unknown artist.

The German artist Melchior Loris was in Turkey precisely in those years when Suleiman the Magnificent reigned. He painted portraits of Suleiman himself and his courtiers. The likelihood that this portrait of Roksolana, made on a tablet, belongs to the brush of this master is quite likely.

There are many portraits of Roksolana in the world, but among researchers there is no consensus on which of these portraits is the most reliable.

Roksolana.

This mysterious woman still excites the imagination of artists who interpret her image in a new way.

Great courage and wisdom were in the character of Hurrem Sultan. The biography of this beautiful Ukrainian girl is full of both festive events and bitter suffering. Behind the mask of inaccessibility hid a soft and creative nature that could support a conversation on any topic. A conversation with such a woman brought enormous pleasure to men, which is what won over the Turkish Sultan in her.

This publication will discuss the most important moments in the life of Hurrem Sultan. The biography, photos and other materials presented in the article will help you get to know this outstanding personality better.

Unknown birth

The place of birth and the very origin of Roksolana is still a controversial issue in the historical context. The most common version is that the beauty was born in Ukraine in the Ivano-Frankivsk region and was the daughter of an Orthodox priest.

Her name at that time was truly Russian - Alexandra or Anastasia Lisovskaya, but after being captured by the Turks she acquired a new name - Khyurrem Sultan. The biography and the years of life that are written in it are also subject to doubt, but historians still identified the main dates: 1505 - 1558.

There is much debate about the girl's origins, but the main events in her life were recorded on parchments in Ukrainian and Polish chronicles. Thanks to them, it is possible to deduce the further life line of the eminent Turkish captive.

Fateful twist

The biography of Hurrem Haseki Sultan changed after one event.

When she was only 15 years old, the small town of Rohatyn, where she lived with her parents, was raided by the Crimean Tatars. The girl was captured, and some time later, after several resales, she found herself in the harem of the Turkish Sultan. There she found her new name - Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.

Relations between the other concubines were very tense and, one might even say, “bloody.” The culprit was one incident, which is openly described in various historical chronicles.

After arriving in the harem, Hurrem became the clear leader and earned great favor from the Sultan. Another concubine of Suleiman, Makhidevran, did not like this, and she attacked the beauty, scratching her face and body.

This incident became outrageous, the ruler was angry, but after this Roksolana became his main favorite.

Submission or love?

The favor of the Turkish gentleman charmed the beautiful Hurrem Sultan, whose biography amazes with its amazing facts.

Having received a special status and gained the trust of the master, she asked to go to his personal library, which greatly surprised Suleiman. After he returned from military campaigns, Roksolana already knew several languages ​​and could carry on a conversation on any topic, from culture to politics.

She also dedicated poems to her master and danced graceful oriental dances.

If new girls were brought into the harem for selection, she could easily eliminate any competitor, putting her in a bad light.

The attraction between Roksolana and Sultan was visible to everyone who was at least somehow familiar with their society. But the established canons could not allow a marriage between two people in love.

Against everything and everyone

But still, the biography of Khyurrem Sultan was replenished with such a significant event as a wedding. Contrary to all the rules and condemnations, the celebration took place in 1530. This was an unprecedented incident in the history of the royal Turkish community. From time immemorial, the Sultan did not have the right to marry a woman from the harem.

The wedding ceremony was on an unprecedented scale. The streets were decorated with colorful decorations, musicians were playing everywhere, and the locals were incredibly delighted with what was happening.

There was also a festive performance, which included acts with wild animals, magicians and tightrope walkers.

Their love was limitless, and all thanks to Roksolana’s wisdom. She knew what she could talk about, what she couldn’t, where she needed to remain silent, and where she needed to express her opinion.

During the war period, when Suleiman expanded his territories, the beautiful Hurrem wrote touching letters that conveyed all the bitterness of parting with her beloved.

Continuation of the family line

After the Sultan lost three children from previous concubines, he persuaded Roksolana to have their own children. Hurrem Sultan, whose biography was already full of difficult events, agreed to such a decisive step, and soon they had their first child named Mehmed. His fate was quite difficult, and he lived only 22 years.

The second son, Abdullah, died at the age of three.

Then Shehzade Selim was born. He is the only heir who was able to outlive his parents and became the ruler of the Ottoman Empire.

The fourth son, Bayazid, ended his life tragically. After the death of his mother, he opposed his older brother Selim, who already ruled the empire at that time. This angered his father, and Bayazid and his wife and sons decided to flee, but he was soon found and executed along with his entire family.

The youngest heir, Dzhanhangir, was born with a congenital defect - he was hunchbacked. But despite his handicap, he developed well intellectually and was fond of poetry. Died at the age of approximately 17-22 years.

The only daughter of Roksolana and Suleiman was the Turkish beauty Mikhrimah. The girl’s parents adored her, and she had all the luxury of her father’s royal lands at her disposal.

Mikhrimah received an education and was involved in charity work. It was thanks to her activities that two mosques were built in Istanbul, the architect of which was Sian.

When Mihrimah died of natural causes, she was buried in the crypt along with her father. Of all the children, only she was awarded such an honor.

The role of Roksolana in culture

The biography of Hurrem Sultan was full of educational activities. She cared for her people, who were ruled by her beloved husband.

Unlike all other concubines, she received special powers and also had financial privileges. This led to the establishment of religious and charitable houses in Istanbul.

Throughout her activities outside the royal court, she opened her own foundation - Külliye Hasseki Hurrem. Its activities developed actively, and after some time a small district of Aksray appeared in the city, in which residents were provided with a whole range of housing and educational services.

Historical trace

Unsurpassed and indestructible Hurrem Sultan. The biography of this woman shows the world the spirit of the Slavic nation. She was helpless and weak immediately after her arrival at the harem, but life's troubles made her spirit stronger.

After being elevated to the “pedestal” in the royal community, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was still unable to maintain her status, even after the birth of her first son. Her duties included instilling the warrior spirit in the child, because he was to become the next ruler of the empire. Therefore, she went to the province in order to focus on raising her first child.

Many years later, when she and the Sultan had other sons and they reached adulthood, Hurrem returned to the throne and occasionally visited her children.

A great many negative rumors were spread around her, which created the image of a woman with a steely, tough character.

Pernicious sympathies

The beauty and life of Hurrem Sultan, whose biography hides many interesting facts, was always under the cruel sight of the local elites of society. Suleiman could not stand any sidelong glances towards his wife, and those who dared to sympathize with her were immediately sentenced to death.

There was also the other side of the coin. Roksolana took the most severe measures against anyone who sympathized with another country. In advance, in her eyes, this man became a traitor to the homeland. She caught plenty of such people. One of the victims was the state entrepreneur of the Ottoman Empire, Ibrahim. He was accused of excessive sympathy for France, and he was strangled by order of the ruler.

But still, Hurrem Sultan, whose biography became the most mysterious in the entire history of the Ottoman Empire, tried to adhere to the created image - a family woman and a good mother.

Hurrem Sultan: biography, cause of death

Her exploits and reforms for the state were significant, especially for women and their children, but sometimes cruel punishments spoiled her image of an exemplary and kind woman.

The difficult life of Hurrem Sultan, whose biography contains many secrets and a tape of joyless events, ended with the fact that at the end of the journey she had very difficult health conditions.

The children and husband did everything in their power, but the beautiful Roksolana was fading away before our eyes.

Everyone hoped for a speedy recovery for Hurrem Sultan. The cause of death actually remains a controversial issue. Officially it is said that Roksolana was poisoned. All available medicine was powerless at that time, and on April 15 or 18, 1558, she died. A year later, the ruler’s body was transferred to a domed mausoleum, the architect of which was Mimara Sinana. The tomb was decorated with ceramic tiles with drawings of the Garden of Eden, as well as the texts of poems carved on them, written in honor of Roksolana’s charming smile.

The image of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in the series The Magnificent Century is very vivid. Crazy and ready to do anything for her love. Alone with herself, Hurrem often cries, yearning for her murdered relatives. Burns with love for the Sultan. But she doesn't show her weaknesses to anyone. Cunning, smart, impudent - she knows how to get her way.

In the series Magnificent Century, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska gains many enemies. In this struggle for power, she becomes cruel and does not spare any of her enemies.

Whether she really was like that, we will never know. But these days there is a lot of information about it.

The real origin still remains a mystery. Disputes on this matter continue to this day. And her name is not known for certain. According to legends, her name is Anastasia or Alexandra Gavrilovna Lisovskaya. Only one thing is known for sure, that Hurrem Haseki Sultan was of Slavic origin.

She is also called by the beautiful name Roksolana. It is under this name that she is known in Europe. For the first time, the ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire called her by this name. In his writings, he mentioned that the girl was from the territory of what is now Western Ukraine. At the end of the 16th century, these lands were called Roxolania (from the Roxolans tribe). That is why they began to call her Roksolana.

Captured Roksolana (Alexandra)

The Crimean Tatars often carried out their raids. And in one of them the girl was captured by them. After captivity, Alexandra was resold several times. As a result, it was presented to Suleiman, who at that time was the crown prince and managed important state affairs in Manisa. They also say that Alexandra was given to 26-year-old Suleiman in honor of his accession to the throne.

The girl received the name Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska when she entered Suleiman’s harem. She received it thanks to her cheerful character. There is an assumption that Hurrem appeared in Suleiman's harem in the period from 1517 to 1520. She was about 15 years old then.

The young, beautiful and smart girl quickly captured Suleiman’s attention. But the Sultan at that time already had another favorite, Mahidevran, mother of Shehzade Mus

tafas. She could not calmly accept her new rival and jealousy got the better of her. Makhidevran and Khyurrem had a big quarrel. There was even a fight between them. Mahidevran beat Hurrem. She mutilated her face, tore out chunks of her hair and tore her entire dress.

Sultan Suleiman, who did not know what happened between his concubines, invited Hurrem to his chambers. The girl refused him because she could not appear in front of him in this form. But, nevertheless, the Sultan called her to him and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska had to tell him everything.

Then he called Mahidevran to his place to find out if Khyurrem told him the truth. To which he received an answer from Makhidevran that the main woman of the Sultan was only she and that other concubines should obey her. And that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska still got little from her. Sultan Suleiman became furious at these words. Makhidevran's trick played into the hands of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and the Sultan made her his only favorite concubine.

Children of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska

There was a high mortality rate in those days. Death did not spare the Sultan’s family either. And in 1521, two of Suleiman's three sons died. Shehzade Mustafa remained the only heir to the throne. And in conditions of such high mortality, this was a threat to the Ottoman dynasty. There was a risk of interruption of the Sultan's line.

Due to the fact that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska had every chance of becoming the mother of the future heir, the girl received the necessary support in the palace. And in 1521, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska gave birth to her first child from Sultan Suleiman, who was given the name Mehmed. Then, in 1522, Hurrem gave birth to Mehrimah, the only daughter of Suleiman who survived infancy. Then Shehzade Abdallah was born, who died at the age of only three years. In 1524, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska gave birth to Shehzade Selim, and in 1525 Shehzade Bayazid was born to her. Hurrem gave birth to her last son, Cihangir, in 1531.

From slave to lawful wife

In 1534, the mother of Sultan Suleiman leaves this world. But before that, in 1533, Shehzade Mustafa, having reached his majority, went to rule in Manisa. His mother Mahidevran also goes with him. Two years after the death of Valide Sultan, left without the support of Hafsa, on the orders of Sultan Suleiman, the Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha was executed. After all these events, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska strengthened her power.

After Hafsa Valide Sultan died, Suleiman officially made Hurrem his legal wife. By all accounts, their wedding was very lavish. But for some reason there is no mention of it in Ottoman sources. Presumably the wedding of the Sultan and Hurrem took place in the summer, in June 1534. Hurrem's special position was marked by the title Haseki, which was introduced by Suleiman especially for her. He was so much in love with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska that he decided to award her the second most important title after Valide. So a new title appeared in the harem.

Haseki, who had no blood connection with the Sultan, was more important than the Sultan's sisters and aunts. Because she could become the mother of the heir to the throne. Even her salary was much higher than that of her sisters.

Ruler Hurrem

Sultan Suleiman spent a lot of time on campaigns. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska conducted an active correspondence with him. She wrote to him about affairs in the palace and in the harem. Their letters have survived to this day, containing not only the state of affairs in the palace, but also love messages. In them you can see the great love and painful longing of the Sultan for Hurrem.

Hurrem was not only his beloved wife, but also Suleiman’s political partner. She had a strong influence on both the Sultan and his mother when she was alive. The Venetian ambassador Pietro Bragadin wrote about this. He wrote that one of the sanjak beys gave the Sultan and his Valida a gift. He gave them one Russian beauty each. Valide decided to hand over her slave to the Sultan. But Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was very unhappy with such a gift. And Havsy Valide Sultan was forced to take the concubine back and even apologized to Hurrem. Later, the Sultan also sent away the girl given to him, marrying her to another sanjak bey. Because the presence of at least one concubine in the palace made Hurrem very sad.

Hurrem Haseki Sultan was a very educated woman. She led meetings with foreign ambassadors. She responded to letters from the rulers of other states. She built several mosques, a bathhouse and a madrasah in Istanbul.

She could not accept slavery and achieved a very high position in the palace, while occupying a special place in the heart of Sultan Suleiman. She was the first woman to be both a mistress and the mother of children

Sultan. But in those days, a woman in the palace could play only one role, either the favorite or the role of the heir’s mother.

It was impossible to be both a favorite and a mother at the same time, since according to the rules of the palace, the favorite did not have the right to give birth to more than one heir. The favorite who gave birth to the heir was exclusively concerned with the child.

Hurrem, having given birth to six children to the Sultan, violated all these established rules, which irritated the entire Ottoman court. In addition, when her adult shehzades each went to their own sanjak, she did not leave with them, but remained in the capital. Which was also a violation of the rules, since Shehzade’s mother had to go with her son.

Unable to explain how Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska managed to break all the rules with impunity and achieve such a high position, they began to credit her with simply bewitching Sultan Suleiman. Thanks to this, she was credited with the image of an insidious and power-hungry villain.

Death of Hurrem

Hurrem's life was cut short shortly after her trip to Edirne, April 15-18, 1558. Some write that she was very ill for a long time, and others that she was poisoned. A year after her death, Hurrem’s body was transferred to the Mausoleum of Hurrem Haseki Sultan, specially built for her. It is clear that Suleiman loved his Hurrem very much. He ordered the mausoleum to be decorated with exquisite ceramic tiles, which depicted the Gardens of Eden, and also included poems that were written by Suleiman himself in honor of her beautiful smile.

Anastasia Lisovskaya was the name of the beloved ruler Sultan Suleiman. As a fifteen-year-old girl, Anastasia was kidnapped and forcibly transported to Crimea, from where all the concubines were brought to the Ottoman Empire across the sea. At that time, girls were transported with extreme caution: neither their skin, nor their hair, much less their face, had to be damaged, otherwise the “live goods” had no value. Anastasia was brought to the market, where the vizier saw her. He noticed the girl's extraordinary beauty, and he bought her to give to the ruler, giving him an unusual gift.

However, after the seller found out who they were going to buy Anastasia for, he did not take a penny from the vizier, and in the future this fact played a key role. If the girl had been bought for money, she would not have been able to become the wife of Sultan Suleiman.

Anastasia was not like other concubines. The girl was able to become the Sultan's favorite, dispersing all the girls and dancing for the ruler. Sultan Suleiman was surprised by such courage. He allowed Anastasia to visit the library, into which other concubines were simply not allowed, and when he returned from another campaign lasting several years, his favorite already knew several languages ​​perfectly, and also accepted his faith - Islam. In the palace, Roksolana was called a “witch” behind her back, because no woman before her appearance had managed to get so close to Sultan Suleiman and win his trust. The ruler was a very cautious and distrustful person, but he trusted Roksolana.

Was Roksolana really a beauty?

In the series “The Magnificent Century,” Roksolana is depicted as an incredibly beautiful girl who captivated the Sultan, first of all, with her attractive appearance. But was Roksolana really beautiful? As they describe her in historical records, Roksolana was not a standard of beauty, and it was difficult to call her a beauty. She was charismatic and had a special charm, which won the heart of the Sultan. And if in the series Roksolana really stood out from the rest of the women, then in life she was completely unremarkable.

Roksolana had a firm and tough character

Both in the series and in real life, Roksolana really had a tough and even steely character, which is not at all characteristic of a representative of the fairer sex. She did not look like a typical woman of that time: Roksolana very quickly adapted to new conditions after she was kidnapped and taken to the palace. Another girl would have broken down long ago, and her morale would have been crushed. But Roksolana was different. She knew how to quickly make decisions, think logically ahead, the girl very quickly grasped information, learned languages, and was observant in everything.

Because of this, bad rumors spread around the palace that the girl was practicing witchcraft. Of course, it’s hard to say whether Roksolana was a witch or not, but the series conveys her character very well, and she is similar to a real historical character.

The clothes in the series are slightly different from what the outfits were in reality.

Despite the fact that many historians recognize the fact that there are still more similarities in the series than differences, some still insist that the clothes of that time were seriously different from the outfits that are presented on the heroes of the series “The Magnificent Century”. What were these differences? The thing is that in the series the clothes are more focused on the European style than on the style that was preferred in the Ottoman Empire.

In the serial Hurrem one could often see a deep neckline on dresses, as well as corsets that emphasized not only the waist, but also the chest. In fact, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska never wore dresses that openly showed off her body parts. Basically, women in the harem wore dresses that covered their legs from neck to toe, since open clothing was not allowed.

Scandals and intrigues in the palace associated with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska

In order to achieve what she wanted, the real Hurrem often resorted to intrigue and collusion with her subjects. In the series, the girl has a softer character, but in life Roksolana was somewhat different. Mustafa, the son of Makhidevran, and the first heir to the throne, could come to power and deal with his brothers (this is another difference between the series and real historical events: in the series “The Magnificent Century” Mustafa loved his younger brothers and he always had friendly relations with them relationship, but in real life Mustafa would have killed his brothers, since in those days there was a fierce struggle for the throne). If Hurrem had allowed Mustafa to take the place of Sultan Suleiman, it would have been certain death for her sons, which means that Mustafa had to die. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska gave the order that Mahidevran's son Mustafa be killed.

Inaccuracies that historians disagree with

Another outrageous fact for historians was that the concubines, including Roksolana, could move freely around the castle. In fact, not all girls ended up in the Sultan’s mansion. Many of them simply lived in their chambers, read, studied, but were never close to the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. They were not supposed to walk around the castle, but in the series the girls felt a certain freedom of movement.

Historical facts indicate that Roksolana ended up in the Sultan’s harem when he was still very young. In the series, Sultan Suleiman appeared before the audience as a rather adult man. Concubines could not get into his chambers as quickly as shown in The Magnificent Century. In the case of Roksolana, the girl needed only one day to get into the ruler’s chambers. But it is known that the concubines were prepared for a very long time in order to send them to Sultan Suleiman. Such a discrepancy immediately catches the eye of those people who were interested in Roksolana’s personality.

“Serial” Hurrem was forced to constantly confront the rivals who surrounded her beloved Sultan Suleiman. In the series, the ruler, in addition to Roksolana, also had other women, although some facts prove the opposite - Sultan Suleiman, after meeting Hurrem, never again paid his attention to his concubines, and he no longer had other women until the end of his life. But the writers of the series preferred to make Suleiman a ladies' man who, with all his love and affection for Hurrem, feels a desire to be alone with other women.

Also in the series, Roksolana is depicted as a real intriguer who plotted behind her lover’s back and guided his decisions. There is no evidence of this. It is believed that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was not the same as she was presented in the series “The Magnificent Century”. Suleiman's real wife could not influence his decisions, and certainly did not rule the empire.

Children of Sultan Suleiman and Hurrem Sultan

Hurrem and Sultan Suleiman had many more children than is shown in the series “The Magnificent Century”. At that time there were no means of contraception, and it is not surprising that one woman could have many children. Babies died after birth for a variety of reasons, mostly, of course, diseases or pathologies. The scriptwriters ignored this fact and decided not to focus on it. The exact number of children of Roksolana and Suleiman is unknown.

Secrets of Hurrem's life

For a long time, the life of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska remained a real mystery to historians. And although her personality had been studied before, this historical character gained wide popularity only after the premiere of the series “The Magnificent Century.” Many fans of this series became seriously interested in the personality of Roksolana, who she was, and what influence she had on Sultan Suleiman. Perhaps if Hurrem had not existed, the Ottoman Empire would have faced a completely different fate. It is alleged that Roksolana was Ukrainian, but according to other sources, she was Polish. In the series, the girl has Ukrainian roots, since that is what is commonly believed.

How the relationship developed between the Ukrainian concubine Anastasia Lisovskaya (aka Roksolana and Hurrem) and Sultan Suleiman can only be learned from their personal correspondence. The Sultan spent many years on campaigns, so he had to visit the palace rarely and not for long. Chronicles that could shed light on their relationship have not survived. Historians draw their conclusions only on the basis of personal correspondence. In fact, Roksolana loved the ruler very much and was faithful to him until the end of her life. Sultan Suleiman was very worried after the death of his beloved. For him, this sad news became a real tragedy, which he could not accept. The plot of the series “The Magnificent Century” perfectly conveys the events that took place in the Ottoman Empire after the death of Hurrem.

Hurrem ruled the Ottoman Empire?

There is such a version that in fact Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska ruled the Ottoman Empire, having a very serious influence on her husband Sultan Suleiman. Rumor has it that the woman knew how to manipulate Sultan Suleiman and made decisions for him. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, played by actress Meryem Uzerli, in reality did not have such rights, although she was a person close to Suleiman. The letters she wrote to him only show that she was an incredibly educated, intelligent and diplomatic woman who was not at all interested in making any important decisions that would affect the life of the Ottoman Empire. The character Hurrem in the series had much more power than she had in life. The girl could deftly manipulate the decisions of Sultan Suleiman, and the loving ruler always listened to her opinion.

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46-year (1520 - 1566) reign Suleiman the Magnificent (aka Kanuni - Lawgiver) is often called the golden age of the Ottoman Empire. And this is quite justified, since it was at this time that the Magnificent Porte reached its maximum power and prosperity, becoming the most powerful empire in the whole world.

But no less magnificent was the Sultan’s beloved wife, who became widely known under the name Roksolana (largely thanks to the popular Turkish TV series "The Magnificent Century", the content of which, however, does not really correspond to the real story of this extraordinary woman, who from a slave-concubine became the actual co-ruler of the powerful Suleiman.

However, despite the fantastic circumstances of her biography, which are hard to believe, Roksolana is a completely historical person.

Suleiman and Roksolana.
Painting by A. Hikel (1780):

Her real name is probably Anastasia Lisovskaya . She was born around 1506 in the family of a priest from near Lvov. During one of the numerous raids of the Crimean Tatars on the lands of the Lithuanian-Polish state, which suffered from such raids in the 16th - 17th centuries no less, if not more, than the Moscow state, she was captured and as a result ended up on the slave market Constantinople (yes, I didn’t make a reservation, even after the capture of the “Second Rome” by Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror in 1453, the great city retained its name; officially it became Istanbul only by the decision of Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Atatürk), who proclaimed Turkey a republic in 1923 and deprived Constantinople of both its historical name and the status of the capital. By the way, this is still not recognized by everyone. I myself have seen modern Greek maps on which there is no Istanbul, but still Constantinople).

However, let's return to our heroine.
At the slave market, among the many Polonyankas, the beautiful Anastasia was noticed by the chief vizier of Suleiman and his close friend Rüstem Pasha , who decided to give an elegant gift to his young master. So she, a 15-year-old slave, ended up in a harem.

ABOUT THE HAREM

Here we need to make a big digression, because contrary to popular belief, the source of which is most likely the fashion for Orientalism (both in literature and especially in the visual arts), the harem in Ottoman Turkey was not at all an earthly branch of a sort of Islamic Eden, where the Sultan had a pleasant time in the arms of hundreds of odalisque houris.

Jean Auguste Domainein Engr.
"Odalisque with a Slave":

In fact, the harem was a big viper, in which the main thing was intrigues and conspiracies that were woven by everyone and against everyone. At the same time, there was a completely clear chain of command in the harem. And each of the women who found themselves there sought to take the highest possible place in the harem, eliminating competitors by any means necessary.

Giulio Rosati.
"Dancing in the Harem":

Notorious odalisques (“Odalyk”) occupied the lowest level in the harem. They were nothing more than maids who, more often than not, never even laid eyes on the Sultan, let alone shared his bed.

Paul Trulbert.
"Servant in the Harem":

Girls who, for some reason (most often - beauty, the ability to carry on a conversation, entertain the Sultan with a dance, etc.) were more fortunate, became concubines ("iqbal"). Many of the iqbals had the opportunity to be alone with the Sultan only once (the ruler of the households has quite a large choice), but if the Sultan liked one of them, and he called her a second time, then from that moment her life literally hung in the balance. The Haseki began to jealously watch her.

Giulio Rosati. "Choosing a Favorite":

Haseki - the wives of the Sultan who bore him a son. None of them needed another competitor at all, so there were cases when the Haseks united against the Iqbal whom the Sultan liked, trying in every possible way to discredit her, and best of all, to expel her from the harem altogether (murder did not stop anyone).
But each of the Haseki fought for her son to ascend the throne, so they were not friends of each other, but mortal, in the literal sense of the word, enemies (or would it be more correct to say “enemies”? In general, “demons in the female guise"). Everything was used: from denunciation to a dagger or poison.

The losers ended up in a leather bag at the bottom of the Bosphorus. And the successful Haseki, whose son nevertheless became the sultan (it was considered quite normal to poison her own husband in order to clear the way for her son to the throne), became "valide sultan" (the mother of the Sultan) and turned not only into the main person of the entire harem, but also into the co-ruler of her son. And sometimes even as a sovereign ruler: for example, in the second half of the 16th century, it was the Valides who ruled the empire instead of their worthless sons - drunkards or madmen.

A special word needs to be said about blacks eunuchs , who were a kind of security service for the harem (they were recruited mainly in Egypt, although, of course, there were exceptions).
The chief of the eunuchs was kyzlyar-aga , who occupied a fairly significant place in the hierarchy of officials of the Ottoman Empire, since he served as a kind of confidant of the Sultan.
It was he who every evening chose a girl for the sutlan from among the Iqbal or Haseki (and, of course, he was a completely unimaginable bribe-taker).

Jean Leon Gerome.
"Pool in a harem":

Kyzlyar-aga carried out other “delicate” assignments, in charge of the very leather bags in which the losers from the harem were drowned in the Bosphorus.

By the way, castration of eunuchs did not always make sex impossible (unlike the possibility of conception), so eunuchs periodically abused their official position. Do you know the joke about how the harem cried because the Sultan had betrayed him with another harem?
So, this anecdote is quite true. Now I don’t remember the name of Sutlan, who was tired of his full harem (I think it was Murad III , known for his sexuality and for several years spent every night with at least three concubines at the same time. otherwise, one by one), and he ordered his faithful eunuchs to drown all the Iqbals and Hasekis in the Bosphorus in order to recruit new ones without interference.

But in any case, when the Sultan died (especially if not by his own death), his heir acquired his own harem. And the wives and concubines of the predecessor faced different fates. Some were given in marriage, some were left in the harem as nannies, and most were sent to the Palace of Tears at the Beyazit Mosque, where they lived out their days in complete oblivion, although they should have been glad that they had escaped the leather bag.

Such a lengthy narrative about the Sultan’s harem was needed primarily to make clearer the absolutely fantastic career that Anastasia (Roksolana) managed to make.

ROXOLANA'S CAREER

How the daughter of a priest from near Lvov very quickly understood what the Sultan’s harem was like is difficult, if not impossible, to understand. But she felt like a fish out of water there.
She did not stay too long among the odalisques, apparently due to the fact that she was presented to the Sultan as a gift by his closest adviser Rüstem Pasha. As an iqbal, she quickly fell in love with the young Suleiman, which was not so easy, since he had about 600 concubines at his disposal.
They whispered in the palace that the Slav was a witch and had drugged the Sultan with something. Suleiman, who was not at all distinguished by gullibility, otherwise he would not have become the greatest ruler of the Ottoman Empire, at the sight of Roksolana’s radiant smile, he became a complete rag and believed everything that she whispered to him.
And these were not always words of love.

Under her ever-present smile, thanks to which Roksolana received her court name Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, i.e. “Cheerful”, “Laughing”, hid a monster, compared to which some Lady Macbeth would not hold a candle!

This is how Titian portrayed her:

First of all, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska (let’s call her that) got rid of the Sultan’s previous favorite, the Circassian Mahidervan. This formerly beloved Haseki of Suleiman, and so after the appearance of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, was completely out of favor, but continued to pose a danger, because she managed to give birth to the Sultan two sons. And Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska decided at all costs to elevate her own son Selim to the throne. Mahidervan was exiled and died in exile.
Then, as a result of masterly intrigue, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska managed to convince the Sultan that the eldest son Mahidervan, the heir to the throne Mustafa, popular among the people and most importantly among the Janissaries, was plotting a coup against him. Mustafa was strangled, and his younger brother Dzhikhargir died, as they announced, of grief.
Then the “cheerful” Haseki successively exterminated everyone who could stand between her and Suleiman. One by one, the Sultan executed all his closest friends, including the same Rüstam Pasha, who once brought a Slavic slave to the Sultan’s palace as a gift.
The Sultan's mother, Aishe-Hafsa (Valide Sultan), who had the imprudence to tell her son everything she thought about his beloved Hurrem, soon died suddenly from a strange illness (most likely, she was simply poisoned).
For insurance, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska also sent assassins to various provincial palaces: did the Sultan have any other sons on his side? There were more than 40 of them, and all of them were killed.
And finally, to be sure, Selim’s two younger brothers, her own sons, were killed, because they could compete with her adored Selim after the death of Suleiman, since there were no rules for succession to the throne in the Ottoman Empire of the 16th century (including the rules of primogeniture ), and the animal law was in effect: whoever of the heirs kills his brothers first becomes the sultan.

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska never reached the peak she so strived for. She never became Valide Sultan, not outliving her husband, dying 6 years before him, in 1560 (it’s surprising that she didn’t poison him or get rid of him in some other way!).
But after the death of Suleiman, in 1566, the beloved son of Hurrem-Roksonana-Anastasia nevertheless ascended the throne.
Named after Selim I the Terrible, Selim II remained in the history of the Ottoman Empire as one of its most insignificant rulers. His nickname was “The Drunkard,” which he justified even by his death: he broke his head while drunk and slipped in a bathhouse.

Selim II:

After this, is it any wonder that after the era of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire began to gradually degrade and turn into “the sick man of Europe,” in the apt expression of Nicholas I.
Of course, a lot of time passed from the time of Suleiman and his beloved Hurrem to the complete decline of the Magnificent Porte; back in the late 17th century, the Turks stormed Vienna. But, as they say, “a drop wears away a stone”!

Therefore, I propose: let’s consider the Slav Anastasia Lisovskaya (aka Roksolana, aka Hurrem) a special agent sent to Turkey during the times of its maximum power, with the goal of undermining it from the inside! And Putin himself sent her there with the help of a time machine on behalf of Grand Duke Vasily III. And all her behavior was, of course, supervised by Ivan the Terrible! In this case, she simply needs to be awarded the honorary title of the Tsar’s steward, and, of course, Hero of the Russian Federation. Or maybe not the Russian Federation, but Ukraine?

If anyone doesn't understand, it's a joke.
But, as you know, in every joke there is only a grain of joke...

Thank you for attention.
Sergey Vorobiev.