Perestu Kadın

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In this Ottoman Turkish style name, the given name is Perestu, the title is Valide Sultan, and there is no family name.
Perestu Kadın
Valide Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Tenure31 August 1876 – 1904
Queen Consort of the Ottoman Empire
Tenure1844-1861 (husband's death)
Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Tenure1844-1861 (husband's death)
BornRahime Gogen
c. 1826-1830
Circassia
Diedc.1904-1905
, Maçka, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
Burial
Mihrişah Sultan Mausoleum, Eyüp, Istanbul
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1844; died 1861)​
Names
Turkish: Perestu Kadın
Ottoman Turkish: پرستو قادین
FatherGok bey Gogen
MotherEsma Sultan (adoptive)
ReligionSunni Islam , previously Orthodox Christian at birth

Perestu Kadın[1] (Ottoman Turkish: پرستو قادین, from Persian پرستو parastū "swallow"; c. 1830 – c. 1904) was the Queen consort and legal wife of Sultan Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire. She was the last imperial woman to be legally married to an Ottoman Sultan. Although the title Haseki Sultan was abolished when Perestu married the Sultan , She was the only consort of Abdulmejid to be officially called Sultana and not Kadin or Hanim. She was given the title and position of Valide sultan (Queen mother) when Abdul Hamid II ascended the throne in 1876 making her the last valide sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Early life[]

Of Circassian origin, Perestu Sultan was born in around 1826 or 1830[2][3] in an Ubykh noble family.[4] She had one sister, Mihrifidan Hanım (died 1865),[5] who was the wife of Fazıl Bey, son of Yusuf Pasha.[6]

Esma Sultan, the daughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid I lived in luxury in her magnificent villa in Istanbul, but still her life passed in sadness because she could not have the one thing she wished for most; a child. At length she decided to adopt a child. After reaching satisfactory terms with the mother and father, she adopted the child, one year of age.[7][5]

She was particularly diminutive, delicate and graceful, so she renamed her Perestu, the Persian word for swallow.[5] All the kalfas in Esma Sultan's villa behaved toward this child as though she were a daughter of an Ottoman imperial princess, and indeed her disposition and manners were so lovely that they became devoted to her.[7]

Marriage[]

One spring day in 1844, Abdulmejid came to visit his aunt and was passing through the harem gardens when he saw Perestu, then fourteen years old. He asked his aunt to give her hand in marriage to him. Firstly, Esma Sultan refused to give Perestu's hand in marriage but later consented. One week after that, Perestu was sent off to the Topkapı Palace.[8]

She was given the title of "Senior Ikbal".[9] In 1845, she was elevated to "Sixth Kadın", in 1851, to "Fifth Kadın", and in 1852, to "Fourth Kadın".[4] Perestu was a free woman prior to her marriage to Abdulmejid. Abdulmejid legally married Perestu in order to include her in his harem. Perestu had a unique position in the imperial palace being the Sultan's legal wife. She was one of a very few women who were legally married to Ottoman Sultans. Hurrem Sultan , Nurbanu Sultan , Kösem Sultan and Gülnuş Sultan preceded her as legal wives to their respective spouses, the Ottoman Sultans. Perestu was the highest ranking consort of Abdulmejid , and she was called her imperial majesty Sultana Perestu making her an equal of the empresses of Europe at that time. Although she was Abdulmejid's legal wife , she was not his favorite. Abdulmejid's favorite consort was the concubine Serfiraz Hanım. Perestu despised Serfiraz and her relationship with her husband began to cool down , although she maintained her position as the Sultan's only legal wife and queen consort. It is widely believed that Perestu didn't really love Abdulmejid , but loved being the adoptive mother of Abdulhamid II. Perestu once said to Abdulmejid : "love whomever you love , I am still your queen and nothing can change that. She also requested a private pavilion to be built for her because she was not a slave and didn't want to live in the harem. Abdulmejid granted her wish and Perestu moved to her private pavilion with her adoptive children Abdulhamid II and Cemile Sultan. Perestu was widely respected by Abdulmejid for raising his orphaned children and her dignity as queen consort , and presented her with numerous decorations during his life time. When there was a formal meeting with a foreign king and queen , Abdulmejid always took Perestu with him being his official queen consort. Perestu also held the title of Haseki Sultan , which is literally translated to favored imperial queen consort. Although Perestu was a good woman , she had a powerful personality. She was Abdulmejid's only Haseki Sultan. As for her physical appearance , Perestu was strikingly beautiful. She had an amazingly beautiful face and rosy cheeks and blue turquoise eyes , and very long and flaxen strawberry blonde hair. Perestu was by far the most beautiful consort of Abdulmejid. Perestu was from both Ukrainian and Circassian descent.

Perestu had no children of her own. In 1845, when Cemile Sultan's mother Düzdidil Kadın died leaving her motherless at the age of two. Abdulmejid took her to Perestu, and entrusted her into her care.[10] She also became the adoptive mother of Abdul Hamid II after the death of his own mother, Tirimüjgan Kadın in 1852. Thus, the two siblings grew up together in the same household and spent their childhoods with one another.[11]

After Abdulmejid's death in 1861, she settled in her villa in Maçka, Nişantaşı, which had been a gift presented to her by Sultan Abdulaziz.[12]

As Valide Sultan[]

After Abdul Hamid II ascended the throne in 1876, she was given the position of Valide Sultan by him, and headed the harem. Abdul Hamid told her categorically not to involve herself in politics.[13] Thus, unlike many of her predecessors, she was not active in politics.[14]

Three days before Abdul Hamid became Sultan, he went to Perestu's villa and kissed her hand, acknowledging her as his Valide Sultan, and it was from there that he proceeded to Topkapı Palace for the ceremony of homage at his accession. Perestu loved this house. Now and again she would want to go there, but because Abdul Hamid absolutely wanted her present in the palace he would withhold permission.[15]

In 1885, during the visit of King Oscar II and Queen Sophia of Sweden to the Ottoman Empire, she received the Swedish queen, who was allowed to visit the Imperial harem.[16]

The internal matters of the palace were in her charge. But she did not want to hurt anyone's feelings in the least, did not interfere in the matters, sought justice and equity, and because she was firmly religious she passed a good deal of time in prayers. She possessed good, high moral standards, which led her to help the poor and needy.[17]

Abdul Hamid particularly wanted Perestu to attend the Royal Mosque Procession every Friday. Sometimes after the ceremony she would secretly slip out to her villa, but when Abdul Hamid learned of it, he immediately aided set off from the palace with a carriage and brought her back.[7]

In 1891, Perestu commissioned a fountain (sebil) in Bala Tekkesi, Silivrikapı and another fountain (çeşme) in the same place in 1895.[18]

Death[]

Perestu died in 1904 at the age of approximately seventy-four[2][3] in her villa located at Ma��ka, Istanbul. The traditional service at which the Prophet's Nativity Poem is recited was held in her memory at the Shaziliya Dervish Convent and at the Yıldız Hamidiye Mosque.[7] She lies at rest in the mausoleum of Mihrişah Valide Sultan in Eyüp, Istanbul.[19]

Honours[]

In literature and popular culture[]

  • Perestu Kadın is a character in Hıfzı Topuz's historical novel Abdülmecit: İmparatorluk Çökerken Sarayda 22 Yıl: Roman (2009).[20]
  • Perestu Kadın is a character in Tim Symonds' historical novel Sherlock Holmes and The Sword of Osman (2015).[21]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Uluçay 2011, p. 206.
  2. ^ a b Brookes 2010, p. 287.
  3. ^ a b Sakaoğlu 2008, p. 585.
  4. ^ a b Uluçay 2011, p. 207.
  5. ^ a b c Sakaoğlu 2008, p. 586.
  6. ^ Mehmet Nermi Haskan (2001). Yüzyıllar boyunca Üsküdar. Üsküdar Belediyesi. p. 764. ISBN 978-975-97606-2-5.
  7. ^ a b c d Brookes 2010, p. 130.
  8. ^ Brookes 2010, p. 131-2.
  9. ^ Öztuna, Yılmaz (January 5, 2017). II. Abdülhamid: Zamanı ve Şahsiyeti. Ötüken Neşriyat A.Ş. ISBN 978-6-051-55537-9.
  10. ^ Brookes 2010, p. 134.
  11. ^ Brookes 2010, p. 134-5.
  12. ^ Topuz, Hıfzı (2009). Nişantaşı anıları. Heyamola Yayınları. p. 24. ISBN 978-6-054-30721-0.
  13. ^ Karpat, Kemal H. (May 3, 2001). The Politicization of Islam: Reconstructing Identity, State, Faith, and Community in the Late Ottoman State. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-190-28576-0.
  14. ^ Fanny Davis (1986). The Ottoman Lady: A Social History from 1718 to 1918. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-313-24811-5.
  15. ^ Brookes 2010, p. 129-30.
  16. ^ Anne-Marie Riiber (1959). Drottning Sophia. (Queen Sophia) Uppsala: J. A. Lindblads Förlag. ISBN page 219
  17. ^ a b c d Brookes 2010, p. 129.
  18. ^ Uluçay 2011, p. 208.
  19. ^ Bahdıroğlu, Yavuz (May 1, 2014). Osmanlı'da Şehzade Katli. Nesil Basım Yayın Gıda Ticaret ve Sanayi A.Ş. ISBN 978-6-051-62218-7.
  20. ^ Hıfzı Topuz (2009). Abdülmecit: İmparatorluk Çökerken Sarayda 22 Yıl: Roman. Remzi Kitabevi. p. 64. ISBN 978-975-14-1357-4.
  21. ^ Symonds, Tim (October 14, 2015). Sherlock Holmes and The Sword of Osman. Andrews UK Limited. ISBN 978-1-780-92756-5.
  22. ^ Payitaht Abdülhamid - Rahime Perestu Valide Sultan - Şefika Ümit Tolun Kimdir (Gerçek İsmi, Rolü, Öldü mü, Ayrıldı mı), retrieved 2018-12-30

Sources[]

  • Brookes, Douglas Scott (2010). The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher: Voices from the Ottoman Harem. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-78335-5.
  • Sakaoğlu, Necdet (2008). Bu mülkün kadın sultanları: Vâlide sultanlar, hâtunlar, hasekiler, kadınefendiler, sultanefendiler. Oğlak Yayıncılık. ISBN 978-9-753-29623-6.
  • Uluçay, Mustafa Çağatay (2011). Padişahların kadınları ve kızları. Ankara: Ötüken. ISBN 978-9-754-37840-5.

Further reading[]

  • Osmanoğlu, Ayşe (2000). Babam Sultan Abdülhamid. Mona Kitap Yayinlari. ISBN 978-6-050-81202-2.

External links[]

Ottoman royalty
Preceded by Valide Sultan
31 August 1876 – 1904 		Vacant
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