Who was Hürrem Sultan, the “most powerful” woman in Ottoman history

Portrait of Roxelana (Haseki Hurrem Sultan, 1506-1558), the end of the 16th and early seventeenth century. — Photo foot, It is believed that this portrait of Hürrem Sultan Data of the late 16th or early seventeenth century and was exhibited at the Sotheby's auction House in London in 2021

- Author, Hilken Dogac Boran
- Author's title, BBC Turkish Service
8 hours

It was possibly the most influential woman in the Ottoman Empire. It was also the beloved wife of one of the most powerful rulers in history, Solimán the Magnificent, and an enigmatic figure whose legacy continues to write, reinterpreting and claiming.

Hürrem sultate fascinate lovers of history more than four centuries after his death in 1558.

Also known as Roxelana, it was not simply a concubine or consort. He had an extraordinary trajectory that led it from slavery to the top of the imperial influence, becoming a transformative figure that remodeled the political landscape of the Ottoman Court of the 16th century.

The Ottoman Empire dominated southeastern Europe, western Asia and North Africa from the fourteenth century to the beginning of the 20th century. It is considered one of the greatest and most durable empires in history.

According to many historians, the “women's sultanate”, a period during which the women of royalty exerted an unprecedented influence on the Ottoman government, began with the rise of Hürrem. His stay in the Ottoman Harén, the private rooms of the Sultan Palace, where his wives, concubines, family and servants resided, and his passage through it, is well documented.

However, centuries later, the mystery of its origins continues to generate debate. Was it a captive of the current Ukraine, daughter of an orthodox priest or, as an unexpected theory suggests, an Italian nobleman kidnapped by pirates?

From captivity to court

Most historians believe that Hürrem Sultan was born in the early 16th century in Ruthenia, a historical region that covered parts of the current Ukraine, Poland and Belarus.

There is no definitive record of the birth name of Hürrem. While some Ukrainian sources refer to it such as Aleksandra Lisovska or Anastasia, others believe that it was known by names such as La Rossa (the redhead, the red one), Rozanna (elegant rose), Roksolan (Rutna Woman), Roksana or Roxelana in Western Europe.

However, OTOMAN OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS refer to it as Haseki Hürrem Sultan. “Hürrem” means cheerful in Persian, and “Haseki” is an honorary title reserved for the mother of a Sultan's son.

Promotional poster of the Magnificent Century series. — Photo foot, Hürrem Sultan became known in Türkiye after the broadcast of a popular television series about the reign of Solimán the Magnificent.

Some sources claim that Hürrem was the daughter of an orthodox priest; Others suggest that he was born in a peasant family.

There are records that indicate that it was captured by tartar invaders of Crimea in Rohatyn, a city that was then part of the Polish kingdom and is in the current Western Ukraine, according to Turkish professor Feridun Emecen.

Subsequently, she was sold as a slave, taken to the Ottoman Empire in her adolescence and given to Prince Solimán's mother, later known as Solimán the Magnificent, according to another Turkish professor, Zeynep Tarim.

La Actriz Meryem Uzerli Con Traje de Hürrem Sultan — Photo foot, The role of Hürrem Sultan was played by actress Meryem Uzerli in the popular Turkish television series Magnificent Century.

It is possible that Solimán's harem joined in 1520, says the historian, based on the first son of the couple, Prince Mehmed, who was born the following year.

Breaking centuries, Solimán later married her, an act that shocked the court and raised the position of unprecedented Hürrem. No other Ottoman Sultan had married a concubine until then.

An Italian touch?

Despite the generalized consensus on its rich roots, there are alternative theories about the origins of Hürrem that persist over time.

A particularly controversial statement comes from the researcher Rinaldo Marmara, who says he has discovered a manuscript in the Vatican archives that suggests that Hürrem was, in fact, an Italian nobleman named Margherita, from the Marsigli family of Siena.

The document in the Vatican archives that is believed to represent a family tree that includes Hürrem Sultan. — Photo foot, It is claimed that this manuscript questions the rusty identity of Hürrem Sultan, suggesting a hidden noble lineage.

According to this document, she and her brother were captured by pirates and sold as slaves in the Ottoman Court, he says.

Marmara goes further, ensuring that the manuscript reveals an alleged kinship between Sultan Mehmed IV, a descendant of Hürrem, and Pope Alexander VII, which doubts his rusty identity and suggests a hidden noble lineage.

However, historians are skeptical. Professor Tarim warns that the authenticity of this statement requires many more evidence.

It indicates the absence of any mention in the detailed records of the Venetian embassies, one of the most reliable sources of courtly gossip and diplomatic issues of the time.

“If such a thing had existed, the records would have told us, we would have known much before,” he says.

Professor Emecen echoes this skepticism, recognizing that, although Hürrem maintained correspondence with the Pole Royal Family, it was probably a formal diplomacy, rather than a proof of its noble origin.

The “Russian Witch”

Confusion is aggravated by how reference is made to Hürrem Sultan in different sources.

Documents and poetry of the Ottoman era sometimes described her as “Russian witch”, a derogatory nickname used by his critics, especially after the execution of Solimán's eldest son, Prince Mustafa, son of another woman and the first in succession to the Ottoman throne.

It was widely believed that Hürrem orchestrated his fall, paving the way for the throne of his own children.

Praise Hürrem Sultan — Photo foot, Western travelers and Venetian diplomats of the time referred to Hürrem Sultan as “Russian”, but scholars argue that this was more a reflection of their geographical origins than of their ethnicity.

Professor Emecen clarifies that the term “rus” in the Ottoman context was not exclusive to ethnic Russians. Rather, it was a geographical designation for anyone in the north, including the current Ukrainians and Belarus.

Western travelers and Venetian diplomats of the time also referred to Hürrem as Russian, but academics argue that this reflected their geographical origins more than their ethnicity.

“At that time, there was no Russia within the current borders.

“In the 16th century, the territories with Ukrainian population in Poland were called 'Ruske' province, and Rohatyn was part of it,” adds Vitalii chervonnko, of the Ukrainian service of the BBC.

“At that time, the Ukrainians were called 'Rusinos', but this had no connection with Russia,” he explains. In recent years, the identity of Hürrem Sultan has gained a renewed political relevance, especially in Ukraine, where it is celebrated as a national figure.

There are statues in his honor in his supposed hometown, Rohatyn, and a mosque in the city of Mariupol, now occupied by Russia, bears his name along with Solimán's.

In 2019, at the request of the Ukraine Embassy in Ankara, the reference to its “Russian origin” was eliminated from the registration of its grave in the Süleymaniye mosque complex in Istanbul.

Updated registration now highlights its Ukrainian inheritance, underlining how its legacy continues in the context of modern geopolitics.

Philanthropic work

Hürrem's influence extended far beyond the walls of the harem, but perhaps more lasting are his philanthropic works. He commissioned the construction of mosques, popular dining rooms and beneficial foundations in Istanbul and Jerusalem, then part of the Ottoman Empire. Haseki's district in Istanbul still is named.

Hurre Sultan’s Tbath — Photo foot, Hürrem Sultan was buried in the Süleymaniye mosque in Istanbul.

According to historical records, Hürrem Sultan died for natural causes in Istanbul on April 15, 1558. His body was buried in the Süleymaniye mosque in Istanbul.

Her death marked the end of an extraordinary life, but not the end of the questions that surrounded her.

Whether it was a rusty prisoner, an Italian aristocrat or a powerful and misunderstood woman, Hürrem Sultan remains one of the most captivating and controversial figures in Ottoman and world history.