Gyufem Hatun. For what they executed Gyufem Hatun

Thanks to the Turkish TV series "Magnificent Century", a wide audience became aware of the details of the personal life of one of the most formidable and great rulers of the Ottoman Empire - Sultan Suleiman. Peripetias of the life of this extraordinary personality, especially the machinations and intrigues that occurred in his harem, are very interesting for modern viewers. The fate of one of the concubines of the great sultan - Gyulfem - will be discussed in this article.

Biography

Gyufem Hatun (1497-1562) is a real historical figure, a woman who lived in the 16th century in the harem of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman. She was the second concubine of the ruler and bore him a son - Shehzadeh Murad. Information about its origin is very contradictory. According to one version, she has Sicilian or Polish roots, and her real name is Rosalina (Rosalina). In Ottoman sources, her father is called Abdurrahana or Abdullah, which, according to the customs of those times, could mean a Christian converted to Islam. According to other sources, Gyulfem was the daughter of the Albanian bey and had the name Aysha. There is also a version about the Turkish origin of this woman. It is only known for certain that in 1562 she was suddenly killed by order of Suleiman, but then rehabilitated and buried with honor.

Sultan's entourage

The death of Gyufem Hatun raises numerous questions so far. It is known that she became the beloved concubine of the Sultan after the death of the famous Hürrem. Only Gyulfem Suleiman trusted his worries and doubts in the declining years, he liked to talk with her about the past days, to remember the past youth. The fact that the second concubine of the Sultan enjoyed his exclusive confidence and often spent time with him is evidenced by historical sources. Venetians wrote that they often saw Suleiman in the garden with a woman whose face was closed, but the guard told them that she was Gyufem Hatun. Why did they execute this extraordinary and probably very influential woman at court?

Charity

Gyulfem was very devout, had a friendly and easy-going character, for which she was very much loved in the harem. She was actively engaged in charity, at the end of her life she decided to build in Uskudar a luxurious mosque with adjoining establishments (madrasah, hamam, etc.). This required a lot of money. Gyulfem Khatun was a secured woman - in addition to the funds that were allocated to each concubine in the harem for personal needs, she constantly received expensive gifts from Suleiman. Therefore, the construction of the mosque was moving very quickly. However, soon the erection of this grandiose structure had to be stopped - the money was over. It is difficult to say why Gyulfam did not tell the sultan about her project. Perhaps she wanted to surprise him. Anyway, but the concubine began to look for a source of income secretly from Suleiman. And soon he found it.

"Exit" to the Sultan

Gyufem Hatun (photo of the actress who played her in the series "The Magnificent Age," you can see in this article) was a woman of smart, determined and, one might say, desperate. How else to describe her action? In order to receive money for the further construction of the mosque, she decided to sell her "way out" to the Sultan. Girls who wanted to go on a date to the ruler out of turn, in the harem was enough. One of them, a concubine of Kinat, offered Gyulfam money in exchange for the opportunity to meet with the sultan face to face. When Suleiman again invited his beloved concubine to his quarters, she was ill and sent another slave instead. Apparently, this turn of events of the Sultan was not at all suited, therefore, when Gyulf Khatun did not come again, he became enraged and forced Kinat to tell the whole truth. The slave decided to blacken Gyulfam and said that she simply preferred a large sum of money to Suleiman's society. The Padishah's indignation had no boundaries.

Dilsis

The example of a quick and speedy reprisal against unwanted courtiers is the sudden death of Gyufem Hatun. Why did they execute her without trial and investigation, without understanding the situation, without giving the unhappy woman even express herself in her defense? Historical sources testify that under the Sultan in service there were "dumb", hangmen-dilsies, ready at the behest of the master at any moment to destroy everyone who dared to provoke his indignation. For each execution they received a special reward, the amount of which was fixed in a special expenditure book. Therefore, the massacre of women who dared to make the subject of bargaining attention and love of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, was instantaneous. The fact that Suleiman then repented of the deed, is known from the same settlement book. Faithful to the order, the dilsies not only received no reward for the work done, but they were also deported from the palace.

Rehabilitation

Drowning in insane luxury, full of great events and sophisticated intrigues, we are faced with the time of Sultan Suleiman's reign under the version of the series "The Magnificent Age." Gyulfem Khatun is just one of many who conquered the heart of a suspicious and inconstant padishah, and then suddenly died at his command. However, it is known that Suleiman greatly regretted his hasty decision. Soon he became aware of the fact that his beloved concubine spent the money. The Sultan ordered the immediate completion of the mosque, which was carried out unquestioningly. Gyufem Hatun was buried in the city of Uskudar, in a mosque that became her name. According to the legend, the grave of the righteous man shone with his own light for several nights after the burial. The official order of the Sultan to finish the mosque in memory of Gyulfam was preserved in the archives of the Ottoman Empire.

Another version

According to other sources, Gyulfem Khatun was Suleiman's beloved concubine even before the advent of Hurrem in the harem. She even gave birth to the Sultan's heir, Shahzadeh Murad, who died in 1521 from smallpox. The Padishah never forgot Gyulf and always sent generous gifts to her, which offended the jealous Khurrem. It was this red-headed beast who persuaded the trusting concubine to exchange the queue with another slave to get money for the construction of the mosque. We know about the further development of events. Hurrem got rid of the rival: Gyulfem was strangled with a silk lace on the orders of the Sultan. The cruel and bloody "splendid" age was soon to be punished. Gyufem Hatun remained from the memory of contemporaries a victim of insidious intrigues at the court of the formidable Suleiman.