Roksolana(Hyurrem, according to literary tradition, birth name Anastasia or Alexandra Gavrilovna Lisovskaya; d. April 18, 1558) - concubine, and then the wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, mother of Sultan Selim II.
Origin
Information about the origin Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska quite contradictory. There are no documentary sources and even any reliable written evidence that speaks about the life of Hürrem before entering the harem. At the same time, its origin is known from legends and literary works, mainly of Western origin. Early literary sources do not contain information about her childhood, limiting themselves to mentioning her Russian origin. The first details about the life of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska before entering the harem appear in literature in the 19th century. According to Polish literary tradition, her real name was Alexandra and she was the daughter of a priest Gavrila Lisovsky from Rogatin (Ivano-Frankivsk region). In Ukrainian literature of the 19th century, she is called Anastasia. According to Mikhail Orlovsky, set out in the historical story "Roksolana or Anastasia Lisovskaya", she was not from Rohatyn, but from Chemerovets (Khmelnitsky region). In those days, both cities were located on the territory of the Kingdom of Poland. In Europe, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was known as Roksolana. This name was invented by the Hamburg ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Ogyer Giselin de Busbeck, author of the Latin-language Turkish Notes. In this essay, based on the fact that Hürrem came from present-day Western Ukraine, he called her Roksolana, referring to the popular name of these lands in the Commonwealth at the end of the 16th century - Roksolania.
Sultana Enlightener
The wedding of Suleiman and Roksolana was celebrated in 1530. In the history of the Ottomans, this was an unprecedented event - the Sultan officially married a woman from the harem. Roksolana became for him the embodiment of everything that he loved in women: she appreciated art and understood politics, was a polyglot and an excellent dancer, knew how to love and accept love.
Here is what one foreigner (British diplomat) wrote about the wedding of Suleiman with his concubine Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska: “ This week, an unprecedented event took place in Istanbul: Sultan Suleiman declared his Ukrainian concubine Roksolana sultana, as a result of which a great celebration took place in Istanbul.It is impossible to convey in words the splendor of the wedding ceremony held in the palace. There was a general procession. At night, all the streets were illuminated. Amusements were arranged everywhere, on which musicians played. The houses were decorated. The people were delighted. A large tribune was built on Sultanahmet Square, in front of which the competition took place.Roksolana and other concubines came to the festival. Muslim and Christian knights participated in the competition. Then a performance took place with the participation of tightrope walkers, magicians, wild animals. There were various rumors about the wedding in Istanbul. However, no one knew exactly what happened. ».
Suleiman and Hurrem could talk for hours about love, politics, art ... They often communicated in poetry. Roksolana, like a real woman, knew when to remain silent, when to feel sad, and when to laugh. Not surprisingly, during her reign, the dull harem turned into a center of beauty and enlightenment, and the rulers of other states began to recognize her herself. The sultana appears in public with an open face, but despite this, she is respected by prominent figures of Islam, as an exemplary orthodox Muslim woman. When Suleiman II, leaving his wife to rule the empire, went to pacify the rebellious peoples of Persia, he literally scraped out the treasury. This did not bother the economic wife. She ordered the opening of wine shops in the European quarter and in the port areas of Istanbul, after 
which a voiced coin flowed into the treasury of the Ottoman rulers. This seemed not enough, and Roksolana ordered to deepen the Golden Horn Bay and reconstruct the berths in Galata, where not only light or medium, but also large-tonnage ships with goods from all over the world soon began to approach. The shopping malls of the capital grew like mushrooms after the rain. The treasury also filled up. Now Hurrem Sultan had enough money to build new mosques, minarets, nursing homes, hospitals - a lot of things. The Sultan, who returned from another victorious campaign, did not even recognize the Topkapi Palace, which was rebuilt with funds raised by an enterprising and deified wife. Suleiman fought, expanding the borders of the Ottoman Empire. And Roksolana wrote tender letters to him.
”My Sultan she wrote, what a boundless and burning pain of parting. Save me, unfortunate one, and do not delay your beautiful letters. May my soul receive at least a drop of joy from your messages. When they are read to us, your servant and son Mehmed and your slave and daughter Migrim weep, yearning for you. Their tears drive me crazy”.
”My dear goddess, my amazing beauty he replied, mistress of my heart, my brightest month, my deepest desires companion, my only one, you are dearer to me than all the beauties of the world!”
The bloody sacrifices of Roksolana
Carrying out evil plans. Sultan Suleiman was a stern, reserved person. He loved books, composed poetry, paid much attention to the war, but was indifferent to depravity. As it was supposed "by position", he married the daughter of the Circassian Khan Gulbeher, but did not love her. And when he met his Hurrem, he found in her his only chosen one. Hurrem named her first child Selim - in honor of her husband's predecessor, Sultan Selim I, nicknamed the Terrible. Roksolana really wanted her little golden-haired Selim to become the same as his older namesake. But Mustafa, the eldest son of the first wife of the padishah, the beautiful Circassian Gulbeher, was still officially considered the heir to the throne.
Lisovskaya understood that until her son became the heir to the throne or sat on the throne of the padishahs, her own position was constantly under threat. At any moment, Suleiman could be carried away by a new beautiful concubine and make her his legal wife, and order some of the old wives to be executed. In the harem, an objectionable wife or concubine was put alive in a leather bag, an angry cat and a poisonous snake were thrown into the same place, the bag was tied up and lowered into the waters of the Bosphorus along a special stone chute with a tied stone. The guilty were considered lucky if they were simply quickly strangled with a silk cord. Therefore, Roksolana prepared for a very long time and began to act actively and cruelly only after almost fifteen years. 
Victims of Roksolana. The first victim of Roksolana was the outstanding sovereign figure of Turkey, the vizier-philanthropist Ibrahim, who in 1536 was accused of excessive sympathy for France and strangled by order of the Sultan. Ibrahim's place was immediately taken by Rustem Pasha, whom Roksolana sympathized with. She married her 12-year-old daughter to him. Later, Rustem also could not avoid the court intrigues of his mother-in-law: using her own daughter as a scout, Roksolana exposed her son-in-law of betraying the Sultan and, as a result, Rustem Pasha was beheaded. But before that, Rustem Pasha fulfilled his mission, for the sake of which he was nominated by the insidious mistress. Hurrem and his son-in-law were able to convince the Sultan that Mustafa, the heir to the throne, had established close relations with the Serbs and was plotting against his father. The intriguer knew 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. The Prophet forbade shedding the blood of the padishahs and their heirs, therefore, by order of Suleiman, Mustafa, his brothers and grandchildren of the Sultan were strangled with a silk cord. Their mother Gulbecher went mad with grief and soon died.
Once Valide Hamse, Suleiman's mother, who had influence on him, told him everything she thought about the "conspiracy", the execution and his beloved wife Roksolana. After that, she lived less than a month. It is believed that a few drops of poison "helped" her in this ... For forty years of marriage, Roksolana managed the almost impossible. She was proclaimed the first wife, and her son Selim became the heir. But the victims didn't stop there. Two younger sons of Roksolana were strangled. Some sources accuse her of involvement in these murders - allegedly this was done in order to strengthen the position of her beloved son Selim. However, reliable data on this tragedy has not been found. But there is evidence that about forty sons of the Sultan, born of other wives and concubines, were sought out and killed. Roksolana never saw her dream come true - she died before her beloved son Selim ascended the throne. He reigned for eight years. And contrary to the Koran, he loved to “take on his chest,” which is why he remained in history under the name Selim the Drunkard. Academician Krymsky described him as "a degenerate alcoholic and a cruel despot." Selim's rule did not benefit Turkey. It is with him that the decline of the Ottoman Empire begins. Beloved Suleiman II died of a cold in 1558 and was buried with all due honors. Suleiman I - in 1566. He managed to complete the majestic Suleymaniye mosque - one of the largest architectural monuments of the Ottoman Empire - near which the ashes of Roksolana rest in an octahedral stone tomb, next to the octahedral tomb of the Sultan. This tomb has been standing for more than four hundred years. Inside, under a high dome, Suleiman ordered to carve alabaster rosettes and decorate each of them with a priceless emerald, Roksolana's favorite gem.
When Suleiman died, his tomb was also decorated with emeralds, forgetting that ruby was his favorite stone. 
Children of Roksolana and Suleiman
Roksolana gave birth to six children to the Sultan - five sons and one daughter Miriam (Mihrimah):
Mehmed (1521 - 1543)
Mihrimah (1522 - 1578)
Abdallah (1523 - 1526)
Selim (May 28, 1524 - December 12, 1574)
Bayezid (1525 - 28 November 1563)
Jahangir (1532 - 1553)
Suleiman loved his only daughter Miriam the most. In 1539 she was given in marriage to Rustem Pasha, who later became Grand Vizier. Suleiman also built a mosque in honor of his daughter. Of his father's sons, only Selim survived. The rest died during the struggle for the throne. Including the son of Suleiman from the third wife of Gulbahar - Mustafa. They say that the good Jangir died of grief for his brother.
Mehmed (1521 - 1543). The eldest son Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Mehmet was Suleiman's favorite. It was Mehmet Suleiman who prepared for the throne. At 21, he died of a severe cold or smallpox. He had a beloved concubine who, after his death, gave birth to a daughter, Hyuma Shah Sultan. Mehmet's daughter lived for 38 years and had 4 sons and 5 daughters.
Miriam (1522 - 1578). Mihrimah Sultan was not only the only daughter of Sultan Suleiman and his wife, the "laughing" Slavic Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, but also one of the few Ottoman princesses who played an important role in the management of the Empire. Mihrimah was born in 1522 in the Top Kapi Palace, 2 years later her mother Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan will give birth to the future padishah Selim. The Sultan-Legislator adored his golden-haired daughter and fulfilled all her whims, Mihrimah received an excellent education and lived in the most luxurious conditions.
Abdullah(1523-1526). He died of plague at the age of 3. 
Selim(May 28, 1524 - December 12, 1574). Eleventh sultan of the Ottoman Empire, reigned 1566-1574. Selim gained the throne largely thanks to his mother Roksolana. During the reign of Selim II, the Sultan never appeared in military camps, did not participate in campaigns, but spent time in the harem, where he indulged in all sorts of vices. The Janissaries did not like him and called him a "drunkard" behind his back. Nevertheless, the aggressive campaigns of the Turks in the reign of Selim continued. Selim's wife - Nurbanu Sultan. When Selim became governor of the province, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, breaking the tradition, did not go with him, but remained in the Topkapi Palace. Nurbanu quickly wrapped Selim, who was left all alone. When Selim ascended the throne, she easily took over the harem, since at that time Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan had already died and Valide Sultan was not in the harem. In the harem, Selima was in charge of Nurban, who, being the mother of his eldest son and heir Murad, had the title of first wife. She was the favorite of the Sultan, and he dearly loved her.
Shehzade Bayezid(1525 - November 28, 1562). Bayazid was a disproportionately more worthy successor than Selim. Moreover, Bayazid was a favorite of the Janissaries, by whom he resembled his father and from whom he inherited the best qualities of his nature. But a few years later, a civil war began between Selim and Bayezid, in which each was supported by his own local military forces. Bayazid, after an unsuccessful attempt to kill Selim, hid in Persia with 12 thousand of his people, became considered a traitor in the Ottoman Empire, which at that time was at war with Persia. Selim, with the help of his father's troops, in 1559 defeated Bayezid near Konya, forcing him with four sons and a small but efficient army to seek refuge at the court of the Shah of Iran, Tahmasp. This was followed by a diplomatic exchange of letters between the ambassadors of the Sultan, who demanded the extradition or, at choice, the execution of his son, and the Shah, who resisted both, based on the laws of Muslim hospitality. At first, the shah hoped to use his hostage to bargain for the return of lands in Mesopotamia that the sultan had seized during the first campaign. But it was an empty hope. Bayezid was taken into custody. By agreement, the prince was to be executed on Persian soil, but by the people of the Sultan. Thus, in exchange for a large amount of gold, the Shah handed over Bayezid to an official executioner from Istanbul. When Bayazid asked to be given the opportunity to see and embrace his four sons before his death, he was advised to "pass on to the work ahead." After that, a string was thrown around the prince's neck, and he was strangled. After Bayezid, four of his sons were strangled. The fifth son, only three years old, met, on the orders of Suleiman, with the same fate in Bursa, being given into the hands of a trusted eunuch assigned to carry out this order.
Jahangir(1532 - 1553). The last son of Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Was born a sick child. He had a hump and other health problems. To drown out the constant pain, Jahangir became addicted to drugs. Despite his age and illness, he was married.
The terrible death of his brother Mustafa, provoked by Roksolana, shocked the impressionable Dzhihangir so much that he fell ill and soon died. Grieving for his unfortunate hunchbacked son, Suleiman instructed Sinan to erect a beautiful mosque in the quarter, which still bears the name of this prince. The Jihangir Mosque, built by the great architect, was destroyed as a result of a fire and nothing has survived from it to our time. 
Roksolana destroyed the Ottoman Empire
Roksolana (Anastasia Lisovskaya) was born in the city of Rogatin in 1505. Anastasia's father was a priest and a drunken alcoholic. Nastya's childhood usually passed for the children of the clergy of that time - reading the Holy Scriptures, prayers and akathists, as well as some secular literature. At the age of fifteen, she was kidnapped by the Crimean Tatars and sold into Turkish slavery, or rather in grief for the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. From this moment, the most incredible adventures of Roksolana in Turkey begin. Anastasia Lisovskaya was an exceptionally strong-willed and determined girl, naturally prone to intrigue, adventurism and nymphomania. While in the harem, she quickly learned to manipulate her husband and his closest relatives, as well as the highest dignitaries and courtiers of the Ottoman Empire. To understand the mechanisms of Roksolana's rise at the Sultan's court, one needs to know the manners and customs that then prevailed among the Turkish nobility and in the royal family. Under Sultan Selim the Terrible, who was the father of Roksolana's husband Suleiman, Turkey reached the highest peak of its imperial power. During his reign, Syria, Egypt and part of Persia were conquered by the Ottoman Porte, in the place of modern Ukraine, the lands controlled by Turkey extended almost to Kyiv. These territorial acquisitions doubled the size of the state. Selim was a strong ruler, but he had some vicious human weaknesses. He was a homosexual... It is the presence of an unhealthy sexual craving in his character that explains the fact that Selim had a whole harem of boys whom he castrated for some reason... When, during the next war, Selim captured all the wives of the Persian Shah, he did not rank them to his harem, and having ordered to undress, he drove out. He gave only the most beloved wife of Shah Ismail to his nobleman ... Selim's court consisted largely of noble Turks of non-traditional sexual orientation, as well as foreigners, primarily of Slavic origin. 
With the coming to power of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Turkish court in its, so to speak, qualitative composition has changed little. Although Suleiman himself paid attention exclusively to women, he democratically allowed people of non-traditional orientation into his retinue ... Here is how the German envoy to Turkey Buzbek wrote about Suleiman: “Even in his youth, he did not experience a vicious passion for boys, in which almost all Turks get bogged down” . Sultan Suleiman was a good poet. He, a melancholic and dreamy person, was characterized by frequent depressions and philosophical disappointments in life... Knowing the Ukrainian language perfectly, Suleiman sometimes liked to listen to blind kobza players. Wandering through the streets of the Turkish capital, they sang long songs about the exploits of the glorious Turkish lads, all the same Janissaries, who bravely cut down the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks on the battlefields and brought home rich military booty ...
Suleiman the Magnificent, like many men inclined towards the arts, loved strong-willed, intelligent, sensual and educated women - women capable of commanding. This explains the fact that Roksolana managed to fall in love with the young sultan so easily.
Commanding the heart of the "ruler of half the world", Roksolana was not difficult to deal with all her competitors and rivals at the Turkish court. With the help of subtle and extremely insidious intrigues, she managed to become the virtual sovereign ruler of the Ottoman Empire. Among the highest Turkish aristocracy there were quite a few people of Slavic nationality, especially Ukrainians and Poles. Roksolana used the possibilities of the court Slavic "party", while she manipulated the Turkish viziers and ministers like pieces on a chessboard.
Having given birth to the son of Selim from Suleiman, our illustrious compatriot immediately set about eliminating competitors who could claim the Turkish throne. In addition to Roksolana, the Sultan had another beloved wife: a Circassian who gave birth to his first child, Mustafa. Father loved Mustafa very much. The people simply adored him. And Mustafa would become the real ruler of Turkey - ruthless and bloodthirsty, but, as they say, not destiny ... Having eliminated the Grand Vizier Ibrahim, a protege of the "Circassian party", Roksolana achieved the appointment of "her own man" to this position - Rustem Pasha, who was Serb. Soon the new grand vizier married the daughter of Roksolana and Suleiman, thus becoming related to the royal family and becoming a person personally interested in the success of the intrigues of his tireless mother-in-law. However, he himself participated in these intrigues ... Here is what the Venetian ambassador Navagero wrote about this in February 1553: “All the intentions of the mother, whom the great sovereign loves so much, and the plans of Rustem, who has such great power, are aimed at only one goal: make his relative Selim the heir.” 
When the Circassian wife of Suleiman realized that she would soon suffer the same fate as the Grand Vizier Ibrahim, she attacked Roksolana with her fists. There was a fight in which a native of the Caucasus took up. The whole story continued in the sultan's chambers: the guiltily humble Roksolana silently showed her master a tuft of hair torn from her by a ferocious Circassian woman, and she, in turn, screamed hysterically, proving that the Ukrainian steppe woman was intriguing the whole court and weaving treacherous conspiracies. To put an end to the strife in the harem, Suleiman, without hesitation, sent the Circassian together with his son Mustafa to a remote fortress, while Roksolana remained in the Sultan's palace. Upon learning of the death of Mustafa, Roksolana rejoiced: her plan was a success ... Now the road to the Turkish throne was open for her son Selim.
Selim II ruled Turkey for only eight years. He died early and devoted the last years of his life entirely to bloody terror against the rebellious and alcoholism. Under his reign, the Turkish Empire began an inglorious path to its end. Roksolana's grandson - Murad the Third - started drinking from childhood. From his father, he adopted not only a hereditary disease, but also the methods of government: to chop off the heads of his subjects for the slightest offense. In those days, the Turkish rulers had a "fashion" for powerful and strong-willed wives. Selim, Murad, and the subsequent rulers of Turkey acquired their own "Roksolans". Each new sultana, with her intrigues and adventures, ruined the statehood as best she could. This period of Turkish history is called "the era of privileged women". From then until the time of the Turkish Revolution, most of the rulers of the Ottoman Porte were drunkards. Thanks to the gene of alcoholism, transferred by Roksolana to the Turkish ruling dynasty, Turkey suffered major defeats in military campaigns and on the world diplomatic stage throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. The Turkish Empire, decomposed and morally undermined from within by Anastasia Lisovskaya, ceased at that time to pose any serious threat to the world's superpowers, including the Russian Empire. The annexation of the Novorossiysk Territory and the Crimea to Russia is not only the result of the outstanding victories of Russian commanders, but also the result of the pernicious influence of Roksolana on the ruling circles of the Ottoman port of the 16th century.
As you know, all births, deaths, and even more so when it concerned the ruling dynasty, were subject to clear accounting and control both in harem books and in other documents. Everything was described - starting with how much flour it took to make a dessert for shehzade and ending with the main expenses for their maintenance. Moreover, all the descendants of the ruling dynasty necessarily lived at the court, in case it was he who had to inherit the throne, because one should not forget about the high infant mortality that took place in those days. Also, since the Ottoman dynasty and its possible heirs were in the zone of close attention not only of the Muslim East, but also of Christian Europe, their ambassadors informed the European kings about the birth of a child from one or another shah, on the occasion of which it was supposed to send congratulations and a gift. These letters have been preserved in the archives, thanks to which it is possible to restore the number of heirs from the same Suleiman. Therefore, each descendant, and even more so shehzade, was known, the name of each was preserved in history.
So, Suleiman had 8 sons shehzade, which is recorded in the family tree of the Ottoman family:
1) Mahmud (1512 - October 29, 1521 in Istanbul) Proclaimed the heir of Vali Ahad on September 22, 1520. Son of Fülane.
2) Mustafa (1515 - November 6, 1553 at Eregli in Karaman Iran) Proclaimed heir of Vali Ahad on October 29, 1521. Viceroy of Karaman province 1529-1533, Manisa 1533-1541, and Amasya 1541-1553. Son of Mahidevran.
4) Mehmet (1521 - November 6, 1543 in Manisa) Proclaimed the heir of Vali Ahad on October 29, 1521. Viceroy of Kutahya 1541-1543. Son of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.
6) Selim II (1524-1574) the eleventh sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Son of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.
7) Bayezid (1525 - July 23, 1562) in Iran, the city of Qazvin. Proclaimed the 3rd successor of Vali Ahad on November 6, 1553. Governor of Karaman 1546, governor of the provinces of Kutahya and Amasya 1558-1559. Son of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.
8) Dzhihangir (1531 - November 27, 1553 in Aleppo (in Arabic Aleppo) Syria) Governor in Aleppo 1553. Son of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.
It is also worth remembering that it was Suleiman, and not Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, who executed his two sons, namely Mustafa and Bayazid. Mustafa was executed along with his son (the remaining of the two, since one of them died a year before the death of Mustafa himself), and five of his little sons were killed along with Bayezid, but this happened already in 1562, 4 years after the death of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska .
If we talk about the chronology and causes of death of all the descendants of Kanuni, then it looked like this:
Şehzade Mahmud died of smallpox on 11/29/1521,
Şehzade Murad died of smallpox before his brother on 11/10/1521.
Şehzade Mustafa ruler of the province of Manisa since 1533. and the heir to the throne was executed along with his children on the orders of his father on suspicion of conspiring against his father in alliance with the Serbs.
Şehzade Bayezid "Şahi" was executed along with his five sons by order of his father for mutiny against him
Accordingly, what kind of mythical forty descendants from Sultan Suleiman, who were killed by Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, are we talking about remains a mystery not only for skeptics, but also for history itself. Or rather, a tale. One of the 1001 tales of the Ottoman Empire.
The second legend. “About the marriage of twelve-year-old Mihrimah Sultan and fifty-year-old Rustem Pasha”
The legend says: “As soon as the daughter was twelve years old, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska offered Mihrimah as a wife to Rustem Pasha, who took the place of Ibrahim, who at that time was already fifty. The difference between the bride and groom of almost forty years did not bother Roksolana.
Historical facts: Rustem Pasha is also Rustem Pasha Mekri (Ottoman رستم پاشا, Croatian Rustem-paša Opuković; 1500 - 1561) - Grand Vizier of Sultan Suleiman I, a Croatian by nationality.
Rustem Pasha married one of the daughters of Sultan Suleiman I - Princess Mihrimah Sultan
In 1539, at the age of seventeen, Mihrimah Sultan (March 21, 1522-1578) married the Beylerbey of the province of Diyarbakir - Rustem Pasha. At that time, Rustem was 39 years old.
To whom simple arithmetic operations for adding and subtracting dates seem unconvincing, we can only advise you to use a calculator to instill more confidence.
The third legend. "About castration and silver tubes"
The legend says: “Instead of a cute and cheerful laughing enchantress, our eyes appear to be a ferocious, cunning and ruthless survival machine. With the execution of the heir and his friend, a wave of repressions, unprecedented in Istanbul, began. For an extra word about the bloody affairs of the palace, one could easily pay with his head. They chopped off their heads, not even bothering to bury the body ...
An effective and frightening method of Roksolana was castration, performed in the most cruel way. Everything suspected of sedition was cut to the root. And after the "operation" the unfortunate were not supposed to bandage the wound - it was believed that the "bad blood" should come out. Those who still survived could experience the mercy of the sultana: she gave the unfortunate silver tubes that were 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 trepidation, which was mixed with reverence.
Historical facts: The history of mass repressions organized by Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan has not been preserved in any way, either in historical records or in the description of contemporaries. But on the other hand, it should be noted that historical information has been preserved that a number of contemporaries (in particular, Sehname-i Al-i Osman (1593) and Sehname-i Humayun (1596), Taliki-zade el-Fenari presented a very flattering portrait of Hürrem, as a woman revered "for her numerous charitable donations, for her patronage of students and respect for pundits, connoisseurs of religion, as well as for her acquisition of rare and beautiful things." If we talk about the historical facts that took place in the life of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, then she entered not as a repressive politician, but as a person involved in charity, she became known for her large-scale projects.Thus, with the donations of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska (Külliye Hasseki Hurrem) in Istanbul, the Aksaray district, the so-called Avret Pazari (or women's bazaar, later named after Haseki) was built containing a mosque, a madrasah, an imaret, a primary school, hospitals and a fountain, it was the first complex built in Istanbul by the architect Sinan in his new position as the chief architect of the ruling family. And the fact that it was the third largest building in the capital, after the complexes of Mehmet II (Fatih) and Suleymaniye (Süleymanie), testifies to the high status of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. She also built complexes in Adrianople and Ankara. Other charitable projects include the construction of a project in Jerusalem (later named after Haseki Sultan), hospices and a canteen for pilgrims and the homeless; a canteen in Mecca (under the Haseki Hürrem imaret), a public canteen in Istanbul (at Avret Pazari), and two large public baths in Istanbul (in the Jewish and Aya Sôfya quarters, respectively). With the filing of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, slave markets were closed and a number of social projects were implemented.
Legend four. "About the origin of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska."
The legend says: “Deceived by the consonance of names - proper and common noun, some historians see Russian in Roksolana, others, mostly French, based on Favard's comedy "Three Sultans", claim that Roksolana was a Frenchwoman. Both are completely unfair: Roksolana, a natural Turkish woman, was bought for a harem as a girl at a slave market for servants to odalists, under whom she held the position of a simple slave.
There is also a legend that the pirates of the Ottoman Empire in the suburbs of Siena attacked the castle belonging to the noble and wealthy family of Marsigli. The castle was plundered and burned to the ground, and the daughter of the owner of the castle, a beautiful girl with red-gold hair and green eyes, was brought to the Sultan's palace. The Marsigli Family Tree lists: Mother Hannah Marsigli. Hannah Marsigli - Margarita Marsigli (La Rosa), nicknamed so for the fiery red hair color. From her marriage to Sultan Suleiman, she had sons - Selim, Ibrahim, Mehmed.
Historical Facts: European observers and historians referred to Sultana as "Roksolana", "Roksa", or "Ross", as it was assumed that she was of Russian origin. Mikhail Litvin (Mikhalon Lituan), the Lithuanian ambassador to the Crimea in the middle of the sixteenth century, wrote in his chronicle of 1550 "... the beloved wife of the Turkish emperor, the mother of his eldest son and heir, was once abducted from our lands." Navaguerro wrote of her as "[Donna]... di Rossa" and Trevisano called her "Sultana di Russia". Samuel Tvardovsky, a member of the Polish embassy to the Court of the Ottoman Empire in 1621-1622, also indicated in his notes that the Turks told him that Roksolana was the daughter of an Orthodox priest from Rohatyn, a small town in Podolia near Lvov. The belief that Roksolana was of Russian rather than Ukrainian origin likely arose from a possible misinterpretation of the words "Roksolana" and "Rossa". At the beginning of the 16th century in Europe, the word "Roksolania" was used to refer to the province of Ruthenia in Western Ukraine, which was at various times known as Krasnaya Rus', Halychyna, or Podolia (that is, located in Eastern Podolia, which was under Polish control at that time). time), in turn, modern Russia at that time was called the Muscovite State, Muscovite Russia or Muscovy. In ancient times, the word Roxolani denoted nomadic Sarmatian tribes and settlements on the Dniester River (now in the Odessa region in Ukraine).
Fifth legend. "About the Witch at Court"
The legend says: “Hyurrem Sultan was an unremarkable outwardly and very quarrelsome woman by nature. She became famous for her cruelty and cunning for centuries. And, naturally, the only way in which she kept the Sultan for more than forty years by her side was the use of conspiracies and love spells. It’s not for nothing that she was called a witch among the common people. ”
Historical Facts: Venice reports state that Roksolana was not so much beautiful as sweet, graceful, and elegant. But at the same time, her radiant smile and playful temperament made her irresistibly charming, for which she was named "Hürrem" ("giving joy" or "laughing"). Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was known for her singing and musical abilities, the ability to make elegant embroidery, she knew five European languages, as well as Farsi and was an extremely erudite person. But the most important thing was that Roksolana was a woman of great intelligence and willpower, which gave her advantage over other women in the harem. Like everyone else, European observers testify that the Sultan was completely smitten with his new concubine. He was in love with his Haseki for many years of marriage. Hence, evil tongues accused her of witchcraft (and if in medieval Europe and in the East the existence of such a legend in those days can be understood and explained, in our time belief in such conjectures is difficult to explain).
And logically, you can go to the next, directly related legend
Legend six. "About the infidelity of Sultan Suleiman."
The legend says: “Despite the fact that the Sultan was attached to the intriguing Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, nothing human was alien to him. So, as you know, a harem was kept at the Sultan's court, which could not help but interest Suleiman. It is also known that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska ordered to find in the harem and throughout the country the other sons of Suleiman, who were born by wives and concubines. As it turned out, the Sultan had about forty sons, which confirms the fact that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was not the only love of his life.
Historical facts: When the ambassadors, Navaguerro and Trevisano wrote their reports to Venice in 1553 and 1554, indicating that "she is very beloved by her master" ("tanto amata da sua maestà"), Roksolana was already about fifty and she was next to Suleiman for a long time. After her death in April 1558, Suleiman remained inconsolable for a long time. She was the greatest love of his life, his soul mate and lawful wife. This great love of Suleiman for Roksolana was confirmed by a number of decisions and actions on the part of the Sultan for his Haseka. For her sake, the Sultan violated a number of very important traditions of the imperial harem. In 1533 or 1534 (the exact date is unknown), Suleiman married Hürrem in an official marriage ceremony, thus violating a century and a half custom of the Ottoman house, according to which sultans were not allowed to marry their concubines. Never before had a former slave been elevated to the rank of the legitimate wife of the Sultan. In addition, the marriage of Haseka Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and the Sultan became almost monogamous, which was simply unheard of in the history of the Ottoman Empire. Trevisano wrote in 1554 that once meeting Roxolana, Suleiman "not only wants to have her as a lawful wife, always keep her close to him and see her as a ruler in a harem, but he also does not want to know any other women: he did what was not done by any of his predecessors, because the Turks are accustomed to accept several women in order to have as many children as possible and satisfy their carnal pleasures. For the sake of love for this woman, Suleiman violated a number of traditions and prohibitions. In particular, it was after his marriage to Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska that Sultan dissolved the harem, leaving only attendants at court. The marriage of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Suleiman was monogamous, which surprised contemporaries a lot. Also, the real love between the Sultan and his Haseki is confirmed by love letters sent by them to each other and preserved to this day. Thus, one of the many farewell dedications of Kanuni to his wife after her death can be considered one of the indicative messages:
“The heavens are covered with black clouds, for there is no rest for me, no air, no thought and no hope. My love, the trembling feeling of this, strong, so compresses my heart, destroys my flesh. To live, what to believe in, my love... how to meet a new day. I am killed, my mind is killed, my heart has ceased to believe, there is no more your warmth in it, there is no more your hands, your light on my body. I am defeated, I am erased from this world, erased by spiritual sadness for you, my love. Strength, there is no more that strength that you betrayed me, there is only faith, the faith of your feelings, not in the flesh, but in my heart, I cry, cry for you my love, there is no ocean greater than the ocean of my tears for you, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska ..."
Seventh legend. "About the conspiracy against Shehzade Mustafa and the whole Universe"
The legend says: “But the day came when Roxalana “opened her eyes” to the Sultan on the allegedly treacherous behavior of Mustafa and his friend. She said that the prince had developed close relations with the Serbs and was plotting against his father. The intriguer knew 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. 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 hung in the palace. What will the Sultan decide? Roxalana's melodious voice, similar to the chime of a crystal bell, murmured carefully: "Think, O Lord of my heart, about your state, about its tranquility and prosperity, and not about vain feelings ..." Mustafa, whom Roxalana knew from the age of 4, having become adult, had to die at the request of his stepmother.
The Prophet forbade shedding the blood of the padishahs and their heirs, therefore, by order of Suleiman, but by the will of Roxalana, Mustafa, his brothers and children, the grandsons of the Sultan, were strangled with a silk cord.
Historical facts: In 1553, the eldest son of Suleiman, Prince Mustafa, was executed, at that time he was already under forty years old. The first sultan to execute his adult son was Murad I, who ruled at the end of the 14th century, who ensured that the recalcitrant Savji was put to death. The reason for Mustafa's execution was that he planned to usurp the throne, but, as in the case of the execution of the Sultan's favorite, Ibrahim Pasha, the blame was placed on Hurrem Sultan, who was a foreigner who was near the Sultan. In the history of the Ottoman Empire, there was already a case when a son tried to help his father leave the throne - this was done by Suleiman's father, Selim I, with Suleiman's grandfather, Bayezid II. After the death of Prince Mehmed a few years earlier, the regular army really considered it necessary to remove Suleiman from business and isolate him in the residence of Di-dimothikhon, located south of Edirne, in direct analogy with how it happened with Bayezid II. Moreover, the letters of shehzadeh have been preserved, on which the personal seal of shehzade Mustafa, addressed to the Safavid Shah, was clearly visible, which Sultan Suleiman later learned about (this seal is also preserved and Mustafa's signature is inscribed on it: Sultan Mustafa see photo). The last straw for Suleiman was the visit of the Austrian ambassador, who, instead of visiting the Sultan, first of all went to Mustafa. After the visit, the ambassador informed everyone that Shehzade Mustafa would be a wonderful Padishah. After Suleiman found out about this, he immediately summoned Mustafa to him and ordered him to be strangled. Shehzade Mustafa was strangled by order of his father in 1553 during a Persian military campaign.
Legend eight. "About the Origin of Valide"
The legend says: “Valide Sultan was the daughter of the captain of an English ship that was wrecked in the Adriatic Sea. Then this unfortunate ship was captured by Turkish pirates. The part of the manuscript that has been preserved ends with the message that the girl was sent to the Sultan's harem. This is an Englishwoman who ruled Turkey for 10 years and only later, not finding a common language with her son's wife, the notorious Roksolana, returned to England.
Historical facts: Aishe Sultan Hafsa or Hafsa Sultan (from Ottoman Turkish: عایشه حفصه سلطان) was born around 1479. - 1534) and became the first Valide Sultan (Queen Mother) in the Ottoman Empire, being the wife of Selim I and the mother of Suleiman the Magnificent. Although the year of birth of Ayşe Sultan is known, historians still cannot determine the date of birth definitively. She was the daughter of the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray.
She lived in Manisa with her son from 1513 to 1520, in the province, which was the traditional residence of the Ottoman shehzade, future rulers, who studied there the basics of government.
Aishe Hafsa Sultan died in March 1534 and was buried next to her husband in the mausoleum.
Legend nine. "About soldering Shekhzade Selim"
The legend says: “Selim acquired the nickname “Drunkard” due to excessive consumption of wine. Initially, this love for alcohol was due to the fact that at one time Selim's mother herself, Roksolana, periodically gave him wine, the rack of the son was much more manageable.
Historical facts: Sultan Selim was nicknamed the Drunkard, he was so cheerful and did not shy away from human weaknesses - wine and a harem. Well, the prophet Muhammad himself admitted: "More than anything on earth, I loved women and fragrances, but I always found complete pleasure only in prayer." Do not forget that alcohol was in honor at the Ottoman court, and the life of some sultans turned out to be shorter precisely because of the passion for alcohol. Selim II, being drunk, fell in the bath and then died from the consequences of the fall. Mahmud II died of delirium tremens. Murad II, who defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of Varna, died of apoplexy caused by drinking. Mahmud II loved French wines and left behind a huge collection of them. Murad IV from morning till night frolicked with his courtiers, eunuchs and jesters, and sometimes forced the main muftis and judges to drink with him. Falling into binges, he committed such cruel acts that those around him seriously thought that he had lost his mind. For example, he liked to shoot arrows at people who sailed on boats past the Topkapı Palace or run at night in underwear through the streets of Istanbul, killing anyone who got in their way. It was Murad IV who issued a seditious decree from the point of view of Islam, according to which alcohol was allowed to be sold even to Muslims. In many ways, Sultan Selim's addiction to alcohol was influenced by a person close to him, in whose hands were the main threads of control, namely the vizier Sokolu.
But it should be noted that Selim was not the first and not the last sultan who worshiped alcohol, and this did not prevent him from participating in a number of military campaigns, as well as in the political life of the Ottoman Empire. So from Suleiman he inherited 14.892.000 km2, and after him this territory was already 15.162.000 km2. Selim, reigned prosperously and left his son a state that not only did not decrease territorially, but even increased; this, in many respects, he owed to the mind and energy of the vizier Mehmed Sokollu. Sokollu completed the conquest of Arabia, which was previously only weakly dependent on the Porte.
Legend ten. "About thirty trips to Ukraine"
The legend says: “Hyurrem, of course, had influence on the Sultan, but not enough to save fellow countrymen from suffering. During his reign, Suleiman undertook more than 30 trips to Ukraine.
Historical facts: Restoring the chronology of the conquests of Sultan Suleiman
1521 - a campaign in Hungary, the siege of Belgrade.
1522 - siege of the fortress of Rhodes
1526 - a campaign in Hungary, the siege of the Petervaradin fortress.
1526 - battle near the city of Mohacs.
1526 - the suppression of the uprising in Cilicia
1529 - capture of Buda
1529 Storming of Vienna
1532-1533 - fourth trip to Hungary
1533 - the capture of Tabriz.
1534 - Seizure of Baghdad.
1538 - the ruin of Moldova.
1538 - capture of Aden, naval expedition to the shores of India.
1537-1539 - The Turkish fleet under the command of Hayreddin Barbarossa ruined and imposed tribute on more than 20 islands in the Adriatic Sea that belonged to the Venetians. Capture of cities and villages in Dalmatia.
1540-1547 - fighting in Hungary.
1541 - the capture of Buda.
1541 - capture of Algiers
1543 - the capture of the fortress by Esztergom. A Janissary garrison was stationed in Buda, and the Turkish administration began to function throughout Hungary, occupied by the Turks.
1548 - passage through the lands of South Azerbaijan and the capture of Tabriz.
1548 - the siege of the fortress of Van and the capture of the basin of Lake Van in southern Armenia. The Turks also invaded Eastern Armenia and Southern Georgia. In Iran, the Turkish units reached Kashan and Qom, captured Isfahan.
1552 - the capture of Temeswar
1552 - Turkish squadron headed from Suez to the shores of Oman.
1552 - In 1552, the Turks took the city of Te-meshvar and the fortress of Veszprem
1553 - capture of Eger.
1547-1554 - the capture of Muscat (a large Portuguese fortress).
1551 - 1562 another Austro-Turkish war took place
1554 - naval battles with Portugal.
In 1560, the Sultan's fleet won another great naval victory. Off the coast of North Africa, near the island of Djerba, the Turkish armada entered the battle with the combined squadrons of Malta, Venice, Genoa and Florence
1566-1568 - Austro-Turkish war for the possession of the Principality of Transylvania
1566 - the capture of Szigetvar.
During his long, almost half-century reign (1520-1566), Suleiman the Magnificent never sent his conquerors to Ukraine.
It was at that time that the construction of notches, castles, fortresses of the Zaporizhzhya Sich, the organizational and political activities of Prince Dmitry Vishnevetsky arose. In Suleiman's letters to the Polish King Artykul August II, there are not only threats to punish "Demetrash" (Prince Vyshnevetsky), but also a demand for a quiet life for the inhabitants of Ukraine. At the same time, in many ways, it was Roksolana who contributed to the establishment of friendly relations with Poland, which at that time controlled the lands of Western Ukraine, the native lands of the Sultana. The signing of the Polish-Ottoman truce in 1525 and 1528, as well as the "perpetual peace" treaties of 1533 and 1553 are often attributed to her influence. So Piotr Opalinsky, the Polish ambassador to Suleiman's court in 1533, confirmed that "Roksolana begged the Sultan to forbid the Crimean Khan to disturb the Polish lands." As a result, close diplomatic and friendly contacts established by Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan with King Sigismund II, which is confirmed by the surviving correspondence, allowed not only to prevent new raids on the territory of Ukraine, but also contributed to interrupting the flow of the slave trade from those lands
In the 16th century, Rus' was subjected to constant raids by the Tatars - cities burned, widows and orphans sobbed over fresh burial mounds, and Slavic beauties chained in chains went along the Road of Tears to distant Istanbul. A sad fate awaited them all - to be sold in the slave market.
Slavic star in the Ottoman sky
Anastasia Lisovskaya was only 14 years old when she was taken away to full. The young daughter of a priest from the city of Rohatyn could not even imagine that from now on her life would never be the same again. Life, position in society, environment and faith itself will change. That she will have to go a long and hard way, leaving a million legends and gossip as a memory to her descendants, and a building Mosque Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan- one of the best decorations of Istanbul, named after her.
By Turkish standards, she was not very pretty - thin and red, with green eyes and a perky upturned nose. But, apparently, there was some special charm in her, which not the last person in the state could see - Grand Vizier Rustem Pasha. It was he who bought the frail Slav.
It is difficult to say what plans the courtier had initially, but the vizier did not want to personally “engage” in the new slave. About a year later, it was presented to the heir to the throne, the future Sultan Suleiman, who was known as an enlightened and educated person who knew how to appreciate sophistication and beauty.
It is not known exactly how Anastasia Lisovskaya, who received the nickname Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska (laughing) for her cheerful, cheerful disposition, was able to attract the attention of the ruler for the first time. But the fact is obvious - the girl managed not to get lost in the harem among several hundred concubines. Even ill-wishers are forced to recognize the greatest role of this woman in the history of the empire, from the first days of meeting Suleiman until the death of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, the reason for which is still fanned by rumors and legends.
Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan - biography of a slave and mistress
In the harem, life obeyed its own laws. The most influential "ladies" were Hafsa Khatun, Suleiman's mother, and his Valide Mahidevran, mother of Mustafa, the heir to the throne. For the rest of the concubines and slaves, these women were queens and goddesses, holding in their hands the threads of life and death.
Young Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska quickly ceased to be sad about what could not be corrected. Being a smart and capable girl, she spent her time not on gossip and scandals, like many other inhabitants of the harem, but on her education.
She studied languages, spent a lot of time in the library, learned the art of dance. Therefore, at the first meeting, she was able not only to conquer Suleiman with sophistication in love pleasures (where would she come from with a young virgin?), but to surprise and intrigue with her vast knowledge.
And a miracle happened! A real Ottoman man, warrior and ruler fell under the amazing charm of a woman, almost a girl, with whom he was simply interested in communicating. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska dedicated poems to her Sultan, discussed the writings of European philosophers, and even had the audacity to express her own opinion on political issues. In fact, biography Hürrem Sultan- another confirmation that happiness is given only to the brave!
The concubine of the ruler also did not forget about her “female” duties; over the next ten years, she gave birth to Suleiman five sons and a daughter. The fact that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska remained in the palace at the same time seemed incredible in itself, usually a slave, having given birth to a child, was absent from the master's bed. But the Sultan could no longer do without his "Slavic star".
In 1533, Hürrem ensured that her only rival, Valide Mahidevran, with her son Mustafa, was exiled to a remote province. A year later, the Sultan's mother died. And the girl, whom the European ambassadors called Roksolana, emphasizing her Slavic origin, did the impossible. A concubine bought at a slave market has become the official wife of Sultan Suleiman!
Of course, on the way to the top, she intrigued a lot, eliminating obvious and secret enemies by proxy. But in parallel, Roksolana built baths and shelters, distributed alms and helped the destitute. One of the first acts of the new valide was the destruction of the slave market, which used to sell women.
On this site, the Hurrem Sultan Mosque was erected, the first religious complex built in Istanbul by a woman. However, she did not break such stereotypes, because Suleiman consulted with his "Haseki" on any issues and even allowed her to receive foreign ambassadors on his behalf. Moreover - to appear in front of them with an open face!
Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan - the cause of death and its consequences
Roksolana died far from young, she was already 53 years old. But Suleiman did not even want to think about other women until the last days, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska remained his only lover. In order not to upset his wife, the Sultan even dissolved the harem.
Of course, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska interfered with a lot of people, including some foreign rulers, because her influence on her husband was truly enormous. It is known that she “burned out” from the disease literally overnight. Could this be due to some malicious intent? Not excluded. But no one will ever know the truth.
According to the official version, the Haseki accidentally caught a cold, the doctors were powerless, the fever drank all her strength in a matter of hours. The inconsolable Suleiman ordered to build a luxurious tomb for his wife. Saying goodbye to his beloved, he confirmed for the last time how much she meant in his life: “Your hands are not with me - your light is not in me, only an ocean of tears for my Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska remained.”
The Ukrainian girl Roksolana took her place in the history of the Ottoman Empire thanks to a difficult path. The girl was captured, then to the harem, gained respect, removed competitors from the path and achieved the favor of the ruler. Roksolana converted to Islam and received a new name Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.
Childhood and youth
About the childhood of Roksolana, the future wife of the Sultan, reliable information has not been preserved. There are many rumors around the origin of the girl, but it is not known which of them are close to the truth. For example, the ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire seriously said during a visit to the Ottoman Empire that Roksolana was born in the Commonwealth. Thanks to this, the girl received such an unusual name. In those years, among the Polish lands was the city of Roksolania.
This was opposed by another ambassador, who arrived from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. According to his history, it is said that Roksolana comes from the village of Rogatin, which is located in the Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine. The ambassador put forward the version that the girl's father was a local priest.
This version proved popular in fiction. According to the writers, the Sultan's wife bore the name Alexander or Anastasia, she was indeed born in the family of the clergyman Gavrila Lisovsky.
Captivity and harem of the Sultan
The raids of the Crimean Tatars were made regularly. The criminals seized gold, food and even local girls. So Roksolana was captured. Later, the future wife of the Sultan was resold, after which the girl ended up in a harem. In those years, the man was in the public service in Manisa. The sultan has not yet ascended the throne of the Ottoman Empire.
According to some reports, Roksolana was presented to Suleiman in honor of his accession to the throne. After getting into the harem, the girl changed her name to Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, which was translated from Persian as "cheerful." Historians have calculated that Roksolana was at that time no more than 15 years old.
The attention of the Sultan was riveted to the new concubine, but the other girl from the harem, Mahidevran, did not like it. The woman gave birth to Suleiman's son Mustafa. The concubine showed jealousy in many ways. One day the girls got into a fight. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska had wounds on her face, shreds of hair were torn out, and her dress was torn.
Despite this, Roksolana was invited to the chambers of the Sultan. The girl refused to visit, but Suleiman could not stand such an attitude, so the beaten Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska appeared before the ruler. The man listened to the story and made the injured girl his favorite concubine.
Favorite
Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska sought not just to have children from the Sultan. Roksolana was important recognition in the palace. The first step in this direction was the fight against her rival Mahidevran. Suleiman's mother, Hafisa, helped the girl. The woman held back the anger of the concubine, not allowing her to attack the young favorite of her son.
All sons, except Mustafa, die at a young age. In conditions of high infant mortality, this became a real problem, since in the end Suleiman would have no one to transfer the throne to. For Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was a matter of honor the birth of sons to the ruler. The girl believed that this would help to gain support in the palace. And I was not mistaken. Roksolana was named the favorite of the Sultan.
Valide Sultan Hafisa is dying, so there was no one to restrain the anger of the concubine. Suleiman had no other choice but to send Mahidevran with the adult Mustafa to Manisa. The Russian girl achieved the strengthening of power in the palace.
Sultan's wife
Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska became the first concubine that the Sultan took as his wife. Previously, such a development of events was impossible. From that day on, the girl is not just a favorite in the harem, but the wife of Suleiman. Interestingly, the traditions in the Ottoman Empire did not imply such an outcome. The wedding was played in accordance with local traditions. Especially for Roksolana, the Sultan introduced a new title into use - Haseki. The concept emphasized the uniqueness of the girl and her position. Previously, the wife of the ruler was called Khatun.
Suleiman spent a lot of time outside the palace, but remained up to date with all the affairs thanks to letters from Hürrem. Notes that lovers wrote to each other have survived to this day. They preserved an unearthly love that settled in the hearts of the Sultan and Roksolana. But the spouses did not bypass political issues. At first, the messages were written by the court clerk for Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska because of her poor knowledge of the language, but later the girl learned to read and write.
In the palace, the power of Roksolana was respected by everyone, even Suleiman's mother. Once, two Russian slaves were given from the sanjak-beys as a gift to the sultan - one to the mother, and the second to the ruler. Valide wanted to give her gift to her son, but then she saw Hurrem's displeasure, apologized to the girl and took the gift back. As a result, the slave remained with Hafisa, and the second was transferred to another sanjak-bey. Haseki categorically did not want to see slaves in the palace.
The crown on her head obliged Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska to meet with ambassadors, to respond to letters from foreign rulers. A smart girl gave birth to children to the Sultan, but did not forget about personal growth and development, so she communicated with influential nobles and artists. Thanks to Roksolana, the number of baths, mosques and madrasahs increased in Istanbul.
Personal life
In the family of the Sultan and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, six children were born: 5 sons and a daughter. Fortunately, among them was someone to inherit the Ottoman Empire. It's about Selim. Mehmed died in 1543 after a long illness. It was smallpox. Dzhihangir did not have good health, so the young man died at a young age. The guy could get sick because of longing for his brother Mustafa, who was executed.
There were a lot of rumors around this situation. Many in the palace claimed that Hürrem had a hand in the execution of Suleiman's eldest son. The Sultan gave the order to kill Mustafa.
Bayazid, the fourth son of the ruler from Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, fiercely hated his brother Selim. The guy gathered a 12,000th army and tried to kill a relative. The attempt failed, and Bayezid was forced to flee to Persia. Suleiman's son was dubbed a traitor to the Ottoman Empire. In those years, the countries were at enmity, but after the conclusion of peace and the payment of 400,000 gold coins to the supporters, Bayezid was killed. The young man and his four sons were handed over to the Sultan. In 1561, Suleiman's death sentence was carried out.
Death
There are many white spots in the biography of Hürrem, but the description of death has survived to our time. For a long time Roksolana was in Edirne. After returning to the palace, the woman dies in the arms of the Sultan. According to some reports, death occurred as a result of poisoning with a potent poison, but there is no medical confirmation of this.
A year later, a special mausoleum was created, on which the architect Mimar Sinan worked. The object was named after the Sultan's wife. The mausoleum was decorated with Iznik ceramic tiles depicting the Gardens of Eden and poems. The tomb of Roksolana is located in close proximity to the mausoleum of Suleiman, on the left side of the mosque.
The Suleymaniye complex includes not only the tomb of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Sultan, but also the grave of Khanym - Sultan, the daughter of Hatice Sultan, Suleiman's sister.
Image in culture
The image of Roksolana is actively used in literature, theater, music and cinema. In 1835, Nestor Kukolnik created the poem "Roksolana, a drama in five acts in verse." Later, the story "Roksolana, or Anastasia Lisovskaya" was published. The author of the work was Mikhail Orlovsky. The writers tried to tell their version of the origin, life and death of the wife of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Until now, this topic haunts writers and historians.
Several times on the stages of Ukrainian and even French theaters, performances were staged on the theme of the life and reign of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. In 1761, the actors performed the play "Les Trois Sultanes ou Soliman Second", later the play "Roksolana" was shown twice in Ukraine.
According to some estimates, about 20 musical works have been written about Suleiman's wife, including "63 Symphony", Alexander Kostin's opera "Suleiman and Roksolana, or Love in the Harem", the rock opera "I am Roksolana" produced by Arnold Svyatogorov and Stepan Galyabard.
Numerous TV series filmed about the life of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan pale in front of the work of Turkish directors. It's about the TV series "The Magnificent Century". The role of Roksolana was played by a beautiful actress. The specialists working on the painting compared the photos of the artist and the images with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and came to the conclusion that the girls are similar.
The screenwriter brought together sources that contained information about life in the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman, Roksolan, reworked and created an incredible series that won the hearts of millions of viewers. Luxurious outfits, expensive jewelry, the wealth of the palace - this attracts spectators from all over the world. Interesting cuts of videos from the television series scattered across the Internet.
In The Magnificent Century, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska appears as a powerful young woman who has set a goal for herself, achieving what she wants, not paying attention to obstacles. Roksolana immediately understood what she wanted. There was only one desire - to become the wife of the Sultan, and not just to be the favorite, the concubine of the ruler.
The girl removed her rivals, achieved the respect of Suleiman's mother and the local government. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska did the impossible - from a concubine she turned into the wife and assistant of the Sultan, gave birth to the heirs of the Ottoman Empire, won the love of Suleiman.
The Turkish TV series was remembered by the viewers, according to the biography of the Sultan's wife, the film "Roksolana: a bloody path to the throne" was shot. Historians dubbed the tape pseudo-documentary, as too many facts presented as truth did not correspond to reality.
Great courage and wisdom were in the character of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. The biography of this beautiful Ukrainian girl is full of both festive events and bitter suffering. Behind the mask of inaccessibility was a soft and creative nature, which could support a conversation on any topic. A conversation with such a woman brought tremendous pleasure to men, which bribed the Turkish Sultan in her.
This publication will discuss the most important moments in the life of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. The biography, photos and other materials presented in the article will help you get to know this outstanding personality better.
unknown birth
The place of birth and the very origin of Roksolana is still a controversial issue in the historical context. The most common version is that the beauty was born in Ukraine in the Ivano-Frankivsk region and was the daughter of an Orthodox priest.
Her name at that time was truly in Russian - Alexandra or Anastasia Lisovskaya, but after being captured by the Turks, she acquired a new name - Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. The biography, the years of life that are written in it, are also in doubt, but historians still identified the main dates: 1505 - 1558.
There are many disputes about the origin of the girl, but the main events in her fate were captured on parchments in Ukrainian and Polish annals. Thanks to them, it is possible to deduce the further life line of the eminent Turkish captive.
fateful turn
The biography of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Haseki Sultan has changed after one event.
When she was only 15 years old, the Crimean Tatars raided the small town of Rogatin, where she lived with her parents. The girl was captured, and some time later, after several resales, she found herself in the harem of the Turkish Sultan. There she acquired her new name - Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.
Relations between other concubines were very strained and, one might even say, "bloody". The fault was one case, which is openly described in various historical annals.
After arriving in the harem, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska became the clear leader and earned the Sultan's great favor. Another concubine of Suleiman, Mahidevran, did not like it, and she attacked the beauty, scratching her face and body.
This case became egregious, the ruler was angry, but after that Roksolana became his main favorite.
Submission or love?
The benevolence of the Turkish master enchanted the beautiful Hürrem Sultan, whose biography amazes with its amazing facts.
Having received a special status and having secured the trust of the master, she asked for his personal library, which surprised Suleiman very much. After he returned from military campaigns, Roksolana already knew several languages and could keep up a conversation on any topic, from culture to politics.
She also dedicated poems to her master and danced graceful oriental dances.
If they brought new girls to the harem for selection, she could easily eliminate any competitor, putting her in a bad light.
The attraction of Roksolana and the Sultan was visible to everyone who was somehow familiar with their society directly. But the established canons could not allow marriage between two people in love.
Against everything and everyone
But still, the biography of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan was replenished with such a significant event as a wedding. Contrary to all the rules and condemnations, the celebration took place in 1530. This was an unprecedented event in the history of the royal Turkish community. From time immemorial, the Sultan had no right to marry a woman from the harem.
The wedding ceremony had an unprecedented scope. The streets were decorated with bright decorations, musicians played everywhere, and the locals were incredibly delighted with what was happening.
There was also a festive performance, which included numbers with wild animals, magicians and tightrope walkers.
Their love was boundless, and all thanks to the wisdom of Roksolana. She knew what to talk about, what not, where to remain silent, and where to express her opinion.
During the war period, when Suleiman expanded his territories, the beautiful Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska wrote touching letters that conveyed all the bitterness of parting with her beloved.
procreation
After the Sultan lost three children from previous concubines, he persuaded Roksolana that they should have their own children. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, whose biography was already full of difficult events, agreed to such a decisive step, and soon they had their first child named Mehmed. His fate was rather difficult, and he lived only 22 years.
The second son, Abdullah, died at the age of three.
Then Shehzade Selim was born. He is the only heir who survived his parents and became the ruler of the Ottoman Empire.
The fourth son, Bayezid, ended his life tragically. After the death of his mother, he opposed his older brother Selim, who already ruled the empire at that time. This angered his father, and Bayezid and his wife and sons decided to flee, but he was soon found and executed along with his entire family.
The youngest heir, Janhangir, was born with a congenital defect - he was a hunchback. But despite his shortcomings, he developed intellectually well and was fond of poetry. He died at the age of approximately 17-22 years.
The only daughter of Roksolana and Suleiman was the Turkish beauty Mihrimah. The girl's parents adored her, and she had all the luxury of her father's royal estates at her disposal.
Mihrimah received an education and was engaged in charity work. It was thanks to her activities that two mosques were built in Istanbul, the architect of which was Sian.
When Mihrimah died of natural causes, she was buried in a crypt along with her father. Of all the children, only she was awarded such an honor.
The role of Roksolana in culture
The biography of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan was full of educational activities. She took care of her people, who were commanded by her beloved husband.
Unlike all other concubines, she received special powers, and also had financial privileges. This led to the fact that religious and charitable houses appeared in Istanbul.
Throughout her activities outside the royal court, she opened her own foundation - Külliye Hasseki Hurrem. Its activities developed actively, and after some time a small Aksrai district appeared in the city, in which residents were provided with a whole range of housing and educational services.
historical footprint
Unsurpassed and indestructible Hürrem Sultan. The biography of this woman shows the world the spirit of the Slavic nation. She was helpless and weak right after her arrival in the harem, but life's troubles made her spirit stronger.
After rising to the "pedestal" in the royal community, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was still unable to maintain her status, even after the birth of her first son. Her duties included the birth of a military spirit in the child, because he was to become the next ruler of the empire. Therefore, she went to the provinces in order to focus on raising her first child.
Many years later, when she and the Sultan had other sons, and they came of age, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska returned to the throne and occasionally visited her children.
A great many negative rumors were spread around her, which created the image of a woman with a steely, tough character.
pernicious sympathies
The beauty and life of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, whose biography hides many interesting facts, has always been under the cruel sight of the local elites of society. Suleiman could not stand any sidelong glances towards his wife, and those who dared to sympathize with her were immediately sentenced to death.
There was also a reverse side of the medal. Roksolana took the most severe measures to those who sympathize with another country. In advance, in her eyes, this man became a traitor to his homeland. She caught a lot of those people. One of the victims was the state entrepreneur of the Ottoman Empire, Ibrahim. He was accused of excessive sympathy for France, and he was strangled by order of the ruler.
But still, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, whose biography became the most mysterious in the history of the Ottoman Empire, tried to adhere to the created image - a family woman and a good mother.
Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan: biography, cause of death
Her exploits and reforms for the state were significant, especially for women and their children, but sometimes cruel punishments spoiled her image of an exemplary and kind woman.
The difficult life of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, whose biography contains many secrets and a tape of bleak events, ended with the fact that at the end of the journey she had a very difficult health.
The children and husband did everything in their power, but the beautiful Roksolana was fading before our eyes.
Everyone hoped for a speedy recovery Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. The cause of death actually remains a controversial issue. It is officially said that Roksolana was poisoned. All available medicine was powerless at that time, and on April 15 or 18 in 1558 she died. A year later, the body of the ruler was transferred to a domed mausoleum, the architect of which was Mimar Sinana. The tomb was decorated with ceramic tiles with drawings of the Garden of Eden, as well as texts of poems carved on them, written in honor of Roksolana's charming smile.
