Sultanate of Women – Wikipedia

The Sultanate of Women (Turkish: Kad1nlar saltanat1) was a period of extraordinary political influence exerted by wives and mothers of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire.

This phenomenon took place approximately between the years 1533 and 1656, beginning during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, with his marriage to Hürrem Sultan (also known as Roxelana).^[1] These sultanas were either the wives of the sultan, referred to as haseki sultans, or the mothers of the Sultan, known as valide sultans. Many of these women were of slave origins, as was expected of the sultanate, since traditional marriage roles were considered too large a risk for the sultan, who was expected to have no personal allegiances outside his title.^[1] During this time, haseki and valide sultans held political and social power, which allowed them to influence the daily running of the empire, as well as requesting the construction of buildings, and philanthropic works, such as the Valide Sultan Mosque.^[1]

via en.wikipedia.org

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