Ayşe Hafsa, the first slave who became a sultana

Ayşe Hafsa represented a kind of transition between the old and new Ottoman worlds. This is no coincidence, as she stands out among her predecessors as the first (unofficial) Valide Sultan, though her influence cannot be compared to that of her successors. Why was she not an official Valide Sultan? Because she was the first concubine of slave origin who, upon her son's accession to the throne, could rise to the rank of sultana. The title of Valide Hatun was thus replaced by Valide Sultan, but in her case, the complete and registered title of Valide Sultan had not yet been established. With Hafsa, we can only speak of the merging of the Valide Hatun and sultana ranks. Additionally, she likely played a significant role in the emergence of the Sultanate of Women. In Hafsa's case, there are many legends and misunderstandings that this writing seeks to clarify.

Early years

Her exact date of birth and origins are unknown, but based on the assumed birth years of her children, a date between 1470 and 1475 can be estimated. A 1526 report is also known, in which the Venetian envoy writes that a harem slave (for a fee, of course) gave him a description of Sultana Hafsa. The slave described her as a beautiful 48-year-old woman who was greatly loved and respected by her son. If the harem slave was correct about the sultana's age, she was born in 1478. This would mean she was only 13 when her first child was born, which is unlikely, though not impossible.

The legends claiming she was a Crimean princess given in marriage to the future Selim I by the Crimean Khan Meñli I Giray are clearly untrue. The latest research and most historians reject this claim. Several counterarguments exist, some of which I will present. During the reign of Mehmed II, not only the sultans' but also the princes' marriage customs changed compared to earlier times. This essentially meant that although there was no law explicitly forbidding it, princes were not to marry either noblewomen or ordinary concubines. Selim was still only a prince when Hafsa became his favorite and bore him children. Furthermore, harem records clearly note her as a woman of slave origin who converted to Islam later; there is no mention of her as a member of the Crimean royal family. The harem books record her as "Hafsa binti Abdül-muin", a name given to women of slave origin who converted to Islam. While Crimean origin cannot be ruled out, noble lineage certainly can.

The favourite concubine

Although it is entirely clear that she was not Selim's wife, it is assumed she was his favorite concubine. This is suggested by the fact that she bore him several children – adhering to the "one concubine, one son" custom – which indicates that Selim was very fond of her. Moreover, Selim even wrote poems about Hafsa's beauty.

Hafsa gave birth to three daughters and one son. Her eldest daughter was Hatice, who was probably born around 1490–91. She was the first to marry, becoming the wife of Iskender Pasha in 1509, suggesting that she was the eldest. Some records also state she was Sultan Selim's favorite child. Hatice was likely followed by Fatma, who was married off during her father's reign and may have been born in 1492. Hafsa's youngest daughter was Beyhan, likely born in 1493, and she was married off much later by Suleiman to Ferhat Pasha. Her only son, Suleiman, was born in 1494, after which her sexual relationship with Selim probably ended, in line with the "one concubine, one son" rule.

In 1509, her son Suleiman was appointed governor of Caffa by his father, and Hafsa accompanied him according to custom. Her unmarried daughters also accompanied them. A few years later, they received the news that Sultan Bayezid II had named his son Ahmed as heir. In the event of Bayezid's death, this would have meant the execution of Selim and Suleiman. Selim rebelled against his father, defeated his brother Ahmed, and dethroned (and later executed) his father with the help of the Janissaries. Hatice's husband also played a key role in Selim's rise to power.

Suleiman spent his father's reign in Manisa after Caffa. During this time, he might have felt somewhat secure as the sole heir, but due to his father's violent nature and paranoia, he lived in fear. Hafsa, knowing Selim well, likely advised her son on how to behave to avoid attracting his father's attention and anger. In Manisa, Hafsa's salary even exceeded Suleiman's – she received 6000 aspers per month.

Hafsa was responsible for managing Suleiman's harem and selecting his concubines. One of her daughters may have assisted her in this, as records mention a daughter living with them, though she is not named. This daughter was likely Beyhan, since she married the latest. Hafsa became a grandmother for the first time in 1512; Mahmud was born either in Caffa or already in Manisa. He was followed by Raziye Sultana in 1513, Prince Mustafa in 1515, and Murat in 1518. Most likely, each child was born from a different mother (as four concubines – Yasemin, Server, Hubeh, and Mahidevran – are named in Suleiman's Manisa harem registers), though some sources say Raziye and Murat were full siblings.

The first unofficial Valide Sultan

Although the sultana title was introduced by Bayezid II and his daughters already held it, his mother did not live to see it. Selim I's mother, Gülbahar, also did not live to see her son's reign. Thus, Hafsa was the first woman ever to simultaneously bear the titles of Valide Hatun and sultana. The official, registered, and independently held title of Valide Sultan was created by Sultan Murad III for his mother, Nurbanu. In Hafsa's case, this title was merely the merging of the earlier Valide Hatun and sultana ranks.

In September 1520, Selim I died during a campaign from illness, and the throne was taken by his son Suleiman. On December 18, the Venetian envoy reported that Sultana Hafsa had also arrived in the capital as a free woman. Upon her arrival in Istanbul, her first task was to take over the management of the Old Palace and prepare everything for the reception of Suleiman's harem, which presumably arrived in January.

Hafsa enjoyed extraordinary popularity among the people, as she showed care not only toward her family but also, in many cases, toward her subjects. One known case involved a widow of a former pasha and governor of Egypt, who wrote to Hafsa expressing her loneliness in Egypt. Hafsa brought the woman to Istanbul at her own expense and cared for her afterward.

Her calm nature is reflected in her ability to maintain order in her son's harem and prevent the escalating tension between Hürrem and Mahidevran from erupting. According to accounts, she was devoted to her son and always acted in his best interests, so in reality, she was not opposed to her son's love, Hürrem. In fact, sources say the two women liked each other. Regarding Hürrem, it is worth noting that when her first child was born, Suleiman was not in the capital, so it was probably Hafsa who named the child, as well as Hürrem's second child, Mihrimah.

During her tenure as Valide, especially in her son's absence, Hafsa had to undertake serious responsibilities. She tried to support her son on the battlefield by sending him many encouraging letters. The only exception was when she tried to influence Suleiman in favor of her family rather than the empire. Beyhan's husband, Ferhat Pasha, made several mistakes that Suleiman wanted to punish. Hafsa opposed her son and persuaded him to give the pasha another chance. Suleiman reluctantly agreed to his mother's request. However, Ferhat did not change his ways, and by 1524, not even Hafsa could save him from execution.

The writings detailing the execution reveal the image of a caring mother in Hafsa. Undoubtedly, she would have liked – according to custom – to take Beyhan and her grandchildren with her, but Beyhan voluntarily withdrew into exile with her children.

Suleiman also sought to express his affection by renovating the Topkapi Palace harem almost immediately after his accession and creating a lavish apartment for his mother. After the renovations, Suleiman's immediate family (wives, children, and their servants) moved from the Old Palace to Topkapi.

Death and legacy

The Topkapi Palace harem was completed in 1534, but Hafsa did not live to move into the suite created for her. It is not known whether she ever saw the new harem at all, as she fell ill in the spring of 1534 and died on March 19. The cause of her death is unknown, though it was probably not an epidemic, but rather an age-related illness.

To show his respect, Suleiman laid her to rest not in the traditional way, but in a separate türbe within his father's complex after the imperial funeral. According to Celalzade Mustafa, who described the funeral, she was sent off with long prayers, in which she was compared to the most revered Muslim women, such as Prophet Muhammad's first wife Khadijah, his daughter Fatimah, and his third and favorite wife, Aisha:
"She was a very devout woman, a woman of righteous deeds, the queen of purity, the Khadijah of her time; the founder of charitable institutions, the Fatimah and Aisha of her time."

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