Turhan Hatice

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Turhan Hatice (Sultan) or Turhan Hadice (Sultan) (1627–1682), was concubine to Ottoman sultan Ibrahim I and the mother of his successor, Mehmed IV. She was of Russian origin.

Turhan Hadice was known as a beautiful redheaded Russian girl who could speak 4 languages. She had a hard life, but was recognized as a kadin ("wife") to Ibrahim. She had several children by him, and she personally sent the eunuchs to strangle her meddling Greek mother-in-law Kösem.

When Mehmet became sultan at the age of six-and-a-half in 1648 upon the death of his father, Turhan ordinarily would have become regent, but because she was only 21 at the time (23, by another account^[1]), she was deemed too young and inexperienced for the position. Ibrahim's mother Kösem, who soundly commanded the role already, was appointed in her place instead.

In 1651, Kösem planned to overthrow her grandson Mehmet as ruler, but it failed when Turhan realised the plot, and Mehmet had her executed by strangulation on September 3 of that year. After this, Turhan became regent, and ruled between 1651 and 1658. She was the second of two women who ruled the Ottoman Empire officially and alone.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Freely, John - Inside the Seraglio, published 1999, Chapter 10: The Hunter Caged