Khurrem Sultan - "The Funny Lady", as they called Roksalana in the harem. Her sweet smiling face, gentle voice and ineradicable thirst for life were her main weapon, her most powerful trump card all her life.
Someone considers her a cruel and insidious careerist, someone - a national pride, but, of course, one thing: a woman who in the Muslim world was destined to be a concubine; a woman who managed to win and forced the Sultan and the entire Ottoman Empire to bow at her feet, one cannot help but admire as well as be horrified by the depth of her sophisticated cruelty.
Anastasia Gavrilovna Lisovskaya was born approx. 1506 in the family of the priest Gavrila Lisovsky. Chemerivtsy of the Khmelnytsky region and Rohatyn of Ivanovo-Frankivsk are still arguing for the city where she was born. In the 16th century, this territory of Ukraine belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and was constantly raided by the Crimean Tatars. During one of them in the summer of 1520, the girl was caught by a detachment of ludolphs.
The Road of Tears - Crimea is the usual way for all slaves, and further - the slave market in Istanbul. There she was seen by the vizier of the young Sultan Suleiman I Rustem Pasha. A beautiful, cheerful girl caught his attention. He decided to buy a Slav woman as a gift to the Sultan. However (lucky fate for Anastasia, then you will understand why) the merchant did not sell, but presented the courtier with a girl, counting on reciprocal favor in the future. The prisoner was carefully examined by experienced healers and gave the conclusion: she is a virgin and absolutely healthy, otherwise Anastasia would never see Top-Kapa, as the Sultan's harem was called in the Port. To become a Sultan's concubine, while not having a noble birth, this was considered one of the most important requirements.
Rustem Pasha ordered to comprehensively prepare it as a gift to the Sultan. The girls destined for the padishah's harem were taught the Turkish language, music, dance, Muslim poetry and, of course, the art of love. Of course, the course in love sciences was theoretical, it was taught by experienced women, sophisticated in all the intricacies of sex. The priest’s daughter, apparently, immediately adopted the Muslim faith, and God alone knew what was in her soul. Or to Allah? Judging by the further actions of Roksolana, she did not suffer too much.
To be precise, Roksolana is not a name at all. All Slavs were called "Roksolans" in those days in Latin. The nickname "Roxolana" stuck to the girl due to the fact that the ambassadors of the Western powers at the Sultan's court called her so in their reports. Roxalans or Roxans in ancient times were called Sarmatian tribes in the II-IV centuries AD, roaming in the steppes between the Dnieper and Don. Since the 6th century, there is no historical information about them, but in the Middle Ages, many considered the Roxalans to be the ancestors of the Slavs. Let's call it that.
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So, Roksolana was trained and ready for the harem. What was the Sultan's harem or "House of Joy" in the 15th century? According to the laws of faith, the Sultan, like any Muslim, could have four legal wives. The eldest son of the first of them became the heir to the throne, the fate of the rest was often sad: all possible contenders for supreme power were subject to destruction.
In addition to wives, the ruler of the faithful had any number of concubines that his soul desires and requires temperament. At different times, under different sultans, from several hundred to a thousand or more women lived in the harem, each of whom was certainly a beauty. In addition to women, the harem consisted of a whole staff of eunuchs, maids, midwives, masseuses, doctors, cooks, musicians and the like, but no one except the padishah himself could encroach on the beauties belonging to him purely physically. The harem lived by its own laws. It was a whole state within a state and very cruel, besides. A real serpentarium of intrigue and deceit.
The new concubine did not immediately attract the attention of the padishah. There were hundreds of wonderful beauties in the Sultan's harem, trained in all the secrets of love and seduction. It was not worth dreaming about returning home, and since fate prepared a harem for Roksolana, why not become the first. Rustem Pasha, thanks to whom she got to the padishah's palace, received it as a gift, and did not buy it. In turn, he did not sell it to the harem, but presented it to Suleiman. This means that Roksalana remained virtually free and could claim the role of the padishah's wife. According to the laws of the Ottoman Empire, a slave woman could never become the wife of the Sultan.
Contemporaries wrote that after meeting Roksolana, the Sultan "did not enter" any more women. At the same time, many noted that the Ukrainian woman was "rather sweet than beautiful" and did not at all correspond to the eastern ideal of a woman - burning eyes, a magnificent figure. Roksolana was the owner of a graceful, "elegantly small" figure. Red-haired (which among the Ottomans, by the way, was not very welcomed among the Ukrainians of that time), with an upturned nose (this famous nose of Roksolana was sung by Italian poets, and the Turks only shrugged their shoulders in embarrassment). So what attracted the attention and heart of the padishah to her?
Everyone's chances of making a career in a harem were different. The girl had to stand out from the thousands of other concubines. To stand out and defeat rivals, and beauty alone was clearly not enough. Languages, dances, strict adherence to the rules of the "old-timers" of the harem, and most importantly, be always cheerful and meek, helpful, smile and never say out loud what you really think and feel, hide until the time, study and wait … and accumulate strength …
If Roxalan had taken one wrong step, the disappearance of the concubine among several thousand others would hardly have been noticed. The finest needle in the heart or a few drops of tincture that did not change the taste of either food or drink; a leather bag and waters of the Bosphorus and the daring concubine will go to the forefathers Indeed, the survival school was brutal.
At first, Roksolana was assigned to look after the little prince Mustafa, but somehow the Sultan, visiting his son, noticed her. The girl became "here" - noticed. She was transferred from the dormitory to a separate room. Bath attendants, masseuses, hairdressers, tailors were assigned. Roksolana fell to the taste of Suleiman the Magnificent. She was not only trained in harem science, but also already spoke several languages: Turkish, Arabic, Persian, dedicated poetry to her sultan and even wrote books. It was unprecedented in those days. Now she has become ikbal - the favorite. She was provided with a salary, a servant, eunuchs, not bad, but not enough, so little, and she needed the sovereign to need her mind and advice no less than her arms. It was more difficult.
The sultan had a wife, a Circassian woman named Bosphorin, who gave him three sons. Not young, but still dazzling, the Sultana vigilantly watched that the Sultan's attitude to his odalisques did not go beyond the scope of ordinary sexual services, and Roksolana craved power.
In the first five years, Roksolana gave birth to four sons from Suleiman (Mohammed, Bayazet, Selim, Dzhangir) and a daughter, Khamerie. The appearance of children strengthened the position of the favorite, but she dreamed of becoming a "valid", that is, the mother of the Sultan, but in principle she could not become her, because the heir was Mustafa, born to him by his Circassian wife, but she knew how to wait.
The years passed. Roksolana still possessed a persistent, not very fading appearance, while the oriental beauties faded rather quickly and ceased to enjoy the attention of men. Roksolana became for the Sultan the embodiment of everything that he loved in women: she was smart, appreciated art and understood politics, was a polyglot and a wonderful dancer, knew how to maintain a conversation, but she also knew how to listen carefully, knew how to love and accept love Add a trick here - and you will receive an explosive mixture, the victims of which have killed many people.
The Venetian Navajero wrote: “His Majesty the Sultan loves Roxolana so much that there has never been a woman in the Ottoman dynasty who enjoyed such respect. They say that she has a sweet, modest appearance, and she knows very well the nature of the Great Ruler. Yes, she knew and knew how to manage it.
The first could not stand the Circassian wife, who was not so experienced in palace intrigues, who continued to formally remain a sultana, while Roksolana was simply a harem wife. Offended by her husband's inattention, which lasted more than 10 years, she attacked the Ukrainian woman. The victory in hand-to-hand combat should be awarded by points to the Circassian woman - she almost strangled Roksolana and pretty much ruined that appearance. Confident in her innocence, the Circassian woman proudly stood before the furious Suleiman and told him everything she thought about him and his love. The Circassian woman got excited. The sultana instantly turned into a former sultana and went into exile. Roksolana took her place.
The wedding of Suleiman and Roksolana took place in 1530. In the history of the Ottomans, this was the first time that a sultan officially married a woman from a harem. Roksolana went to her goal for 10 long years.
Among the highest Turkish aristocracy there were quite a few persons of Slavic nationality, especially Ukrainians and Poles. The Polish intelligence officer Mikhail Litvin wrote the following about this: “All the ministers of these tyrants, eunuchs, secretaries and knowledgeable people and their special army - janissaries, who are trained in military knowledge and discipline from childhood, those who choose military leaders and barons - they all come from from our blood. " Roksolana actively used the capabilities of the court Slavic "party", while she manipulated the Turkish viziers and ministers like figures on a chessboard, and, becoming a sultana and gaining power, she had to take care of strengthening her position, beauty is not eternal and her husband could well be carried away by someone - be younger, and the title "valid" is still oh, how far away. The time has come to act more decisively, especiallythat the children grew up and the figure of Mustafa, the heir of Suleiman, became more and more menacing. Roksolana decided to turn her father against her son.
The first victim of Roksolana was the prominent figure of Turkey, the vizier Ibrahim, an inseparable friend and companion of Suleiman, who lived and slept with the Sultan in the same tent during all military campaigns. Ibrahim previously served as a falconer under the Sultan, then was appointed ruler of Rumelia and finally became the chief vizier. He became the fiancé of the Sultan's sister Hatice, the Sultan showered him with riches and honors. Roksolana did not like the fact that Ibrahim had such an influence on Suleiman, and most importantly, he belonged to the "Circassian party" and supported the heir Mustafa. She planned to kill her rival and set the Sultan against Ibrahim. In 1536, he was accused of excessive sympathy for France and was strangled by order of the Sultan. The order came from Roksolana, and many blamed her for the death of Ibrahim, but there was no evidence. Ibrahim's place was immediately taken by Rustem Pasha,who once gave it to the Sultan herself. It is worth mentioning that Rustem Pasha was a Serb and, accordingly, belonged to the political party of Roksolana.
As soon as the daughter of Roksolana was twelve years old, she proposed her as a wife to Rustem Pasha. The difference between the groom and the bride at forty did not bother Roxalana, the most valuable thing for her in the “old acquaintance” was his friendship with Bosphorina's eldest son, Prince Mustafa, the heir to the throne. Rustem Pasha became related with the Sultan with great pleasure - this is a very high honor for a courtier. His young wife, having inherited the pleasant appearance of her mother, did not inherit her mind, however, she completely obeyed the will of the cunning and insidious mother: women were not forbidden to see each other, and the sultana deftly inquired from her daughter about everything that was happening in Rustem Pasha's house, for a whole year collecting the information she needs.
At the same time, she in every possible way praised Suleiman Mustafa's mind, his courage, told how the people and, most importantly, the army love their future ruler. The governors of the conquered provinces were ordered to report more often about the military exploits of the young man. But the day came when Roxalana "opened the eyes" of the Sultan to the treacherous behavior of Mustafa and his friend. Oh, she knew very well where and how to strike - the mythical "conspiracy" was quite plausible: in the East, during the time of the sultans, bloody palace coups were the most common thing. A letter went into action, which was allegedly written by Mustafa to the Iranian Shah asking for support in his intention to overthrow his father. In addition, Roksolana cited as an irrefutable argument the true words of Rustem Pasha, Mustafa and other "conspirators" that her daughter allegedly heard. A painful silence fell in the palace. What will the sultan decide? Mustafa,whom Roxalana raised from the age of 4, had to die at the request of his former nanny and make way for her son.
Rustem Pasha was immediately taken into custody, and an investigation began: Pasha was 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 the "conspiracy." After the torture, Rustem Pasha was beheaded. Roxalana's daughter became the widow of a state criminal, but what a trifle it was for a mother, who was clearing the way to the throne for her son. Down with another pawn.
The letter turned father against son and led them to battle on the plain of Eregli. The Prophet forbade the shedding of the blood of the padishahs and their heirs, therefore, by order of Suleiman, but by the will of Roksalana, Mustafa, his brothers and children, grandchildren of the Sultan, were strangled with a silk cord.
Wanting to avoid tragedy, Mustafa entered his father's tent alone without a weapon and rushed, as usual, to kiss his father's hand. But Suleiman angrily rejected these expressions of devotion and gave the agreed sign. The "dumb" (as the Padishah's closest guards were called) immediately pounced on Mustafa and strangled him with a noose. “All this happened right in front of the sultan-father,” the French ambassador de Silves reported. The representative of the German emperor Buzbek threw in details: "Suleiman, separated by a cloth wall of the tent from the place where this tragedy was played out, stuck his head out from behind it and cast terrible and menacing glances at the" dumb ", reproaching them for their awkwardness with angry gestures."
The bloody and victorious struggle of the harem intriguer lasted 32 years, until, finally, in 1553, Suleiman, convinced by his beloved wife of Mustafa's villainous plans, ordered him to be strangled with a black silk cord, silently then watching the execution.
With the execution of the heir and his friend, a wave of repression unseen in Istanbul began. For an extra word about bloody palace affairs, one could easily pay with his head. The sultana, surprisingly to everyone, allowed the wine trade. And not without reason - it untied the tongues of the most careful citizens so well. They cut off their heads, without even bothering to bury the body …
An effective and frightening method of Roksolana was castration, performed in the most cruel way. The suspects in sedition were cut out at the root. And after the "operation" the unfortunates were not supposed to bandage the wound - it was believed that "bad blood" should come out. Anyone who nevertheless survived could experience the mercy of the Sultana: she gave the unfortunate silver tubes inserted into the opening of the bladder.
Fear settled in the capital, people began to be afraid of their own shadow, not feeling safe even near the hearth. The name of the sultana was pronounced with awe, mixed with reverence.
In the end, the cruelty and boundless influence of the daughter-in-law worried the mother of Suleiman the Magnificent, Khamsa Sultan. She came from the family of the Crimean khans Gireev and herself was distinguished by an indomitable disposition. Her reprisal against the guilty slaves was known - a blow with a stiletto, which she deftly wielded, quickly resolved the matter. But even her, who did not put human life into a penny, was frightened by the blood so abundantly shed by the chosen one of her son. "Stop Hurrem!" - she turned to him. He answered his mother with a phrase that Roxalana liked to repeat: "In Top-Kanakh, orders are not canceled."
Roksolana, who was informed about the essence of the conversation between the Hamsa Sultan and her son, released her a term of life of one month. A few drops of poison helped the sultana mother die quickly …
It remained to decide who would become the heir to the Sultan. Roksolana had four sons: Mehmed died in infancy, Chihangir had a brilliant mind, but was lame and suffered from epilepsy, Bayazed was very cruel. She stopped her choice on Selim, the softest in character, which, according to Roksolana, should have been a guarantee that he would spare his brothers, but no matter how hard Roksolana tried, she could not change what was prescribed by fate.
She didn’t have a chance to become valid and taste real power. She did not live to see that fateful moment when the brother went to the brother, and the father to the son.
She did not witness the struggle between Selim and Bayazed for the throne, and as a result of which the latter was forced to seek refuge at the court of the Iranian shah. She did not see how Suleiman forced the Shah to give him his son, how he killed him, and then killed the Shah himself and all his sons.
Roksolana's son Selim became the heir to the throne, which he took in 1566 after the death of his father. He reigned in the Sublime Port for only eight years - from 1566 to 1574 - and, although the Qur'an forbids drinking wine, he was an inveterate alcoholic. His heart once simply could not stand the constant excessive libation. Historians characterize this sultan in short - "an alcoholic geek and a fierce despot." Selim II Drunk (or Selim Lygan) was the first of the sultans to try to break into Russia, but failed at Astrakhan. Under him, the Turkish fleet was defeated in the grandiose battle of Lepanto, and therefore the years of the reign of Selim II (1566-1574) are considered the beginning of the decline of the empire.
Roksolana herself, under the sobbing of her husband, died on March 15, 1558. She retained her influence on him until the very last minute. Suleiman I died in 1566. He managed to complete the construction of the majestic Suleymaniye Mosque - one of the largest architectural monuments of the Ottoman Empire - near which the remains of Roksolana rest in an octahedral stone tomb, next to the also octahedral tomb of the Sultan. Inside, under a high dome, Suleiman ordered to carve alabaster rosettes and decorate each of them with an emerald - Roksolana's favorite gem.
And to this day, disputes about the nationality of this woman do not cease: she is Ukrainian, Russian, Turkish, French, Venetian … but whatever nationality she is, it is no longer so important. Roxolana played its role in history flawlessly - the power of the Sublime Port was hopelessly undermined. The decline of the Ottoman Empire began with her.