Roxelana's Dream

Roxelana’s Dream

Roxelana woke up with her father’s morning plea.  “Wake up Roxelana, we must go to Kaffa for our weekly ration of provisions!”

“But father, mother told me that Kaffa is a city I should avoid.”  Roxelana retorted. 
“You must not argue with me, I’m your father!  You are the only one who can help the family get. . .  Now you mustn’t waste time.”

Roxelana was puzzled by her father’s sudden need to take her to Kaffa.  She took her time getting ready, hoping that her father would go alone.  But when she finally came down the stairs, her father was waiting by the door.  No one else was in the house.

“Ready?”  Her father asked as he opened door and spilled out of the house.

Roxelana froze at the threshold.  Something was holding her back. The desolation of the streets turned her stomach. She couldn’t help but wonder where her mother had gone.

When Roxelana finally caught up to her father and held him tight, they walked two miles, turned the corner and disappeared into the chaos of Kaffa’s marketplace.  Crowds of men and boys were collecting provisions. 

Confused by the commotion, Roxelana had lost the grip of her father’s hand.
“Father, father,” Roxelana cried as she made her way to the outskirts of the crowd. 

Suddenly, she found herself surrounded by Crimean Tartars.  The Tartars took Roxelana to a slave market.  There, she was stripped of her clothing, examined and deemed a high priced beauty. 

Why Father? . . .Why?  Roxelana agonized.  She did not. . .she could not fight back. 

Roxelana’s beauty was mesmerizing; she was sold to the Ottoman Empire’s Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha for one thousand liras. After the purchase, Roxelana wore baggy peasant pants and top.  A white veil covered her face and hair.  Shoved into a cage-like holding pen and bound by her wrist and ankles, Roxelana set sail for a two-week journey to Anatolia, Istanbul with Ibrahim Pasha.

As the Grand Vizier’s vessel approached the bay of the Aegean, Roxelana could see lush green gardens surrounding her new home. Sitting high on top of the “seventh hill of Rome,” the splendor of the Old Palace became apparent with its lavish flower gardens of tulip and magnolia with water fountains surrounded by cypress and plane trees.

Before the ship hands pushed Roxelana off the ship, she took one last breath of freedom and was whisked away on a mule, driven by the Sultan’s eunuch. 
Roxelana, freed from the shackles, was brought to Ibrahim Pasha’s room for further inspection.  Roxelana had striking red hair and dark penetrating eyes and a figure that could please even a sultan.

“Quickly,” he said clapping his hands, “we must prepare this slave for her presentation to His Imperial Majesty Süleyman, ‘the Magnificent.’”

Suddenly, a group of six of the Pasha’s “ladies-in-waiting” took Roxelana to the hammam and gave her a Turkish bath.  She noticed there were eunuchs or guards everywhere; their presence made her quiver with fright.

“Why are those men here?” Roxelana asked.

“Don’t worry, no common man can ever harm us; they are here for our protection.”

“Our protection or our imprisonment?” Roxelana retorted.

The “lady-in-waiting” washing Roxelana’s hair replied, “Girl, life isn’t too bad here.  We do not have freedom to come and go as we please, but if we follow the commands of the Sultan and his Imperial Officers, they will give us many gifts.  And, if we give birth to a Sultan’s Prince, the odaisque could become a valide sultan.”

“What’s a valide sultan?”  Roxelana asked as she was dried off.

“A sultan’s mother, the most powerful woman in the harem, ” replied her attendant. 

Deep in thought, Roxelana calmed down as her entourage walked her to the harem’s quarters.  She put on a long dress and veil, ready to begin tutelage in the verses of the Koran.  Two weeks later, when her tutelage was over, she was given the Islamic name of Hürrem.
 
The day finally came for Hürrem to meet the Sultan.  She took extra care to get ready knowing the significance of the anticipated meeting.  Hürrem spent most of her day in the hammam.  She was given a beautiful selection of silk dresses in assorted colors.  Hürrem chose a crimson dress to setoff her flaming red hair and her rosy cheeks.
 
Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha escorted Hürrem to the Sultan’s receiving room.  There, she was instructed to bow down and kiss the Sultan’s feet.  Hürrem showed a slight look of disgust, but then remembered that her future depended on how she conducted herself with the Sultan.  Suddenly, her smile was as wide as the Mediterranean Sea.

Hürrem wasn’t the only one who anticipated this meeting.  Sultan Süleyman had walked in without announcement.  Hürrem was so surprised; she fumbled to the floor to kiss his feet. 

But, the Sultan picked her up and said, “Come my beauty, there is no need to kiss my feet.  Let me have a look at you!  Guards. .  .leave!  Ibrahim Pasha. . .leave!  I want to be alone with Hürrem.”

As the Pasha and the guards left, Hürrem met his gaze.  Suddenly, before him appeared a bright youthful smile, deep dark penetrating eyes, and a mane of silken red hair.  Incredibly, the Sultan was speechless at the sight of such beauty.

“Oh yes Hürrem, you must be mine,” the Sultan exclaimed, “I will treat you well!  Come to my bed tonight.  I will tell Gulbahar to spend the night in her own bed.”             

Hürrem made a gesture toward his feet, but the Sultan put his hands in hers so she could kiss his Imperial Ring – the turquoise crescent.  She left his presence bowing while walking backwards.

When Hürrem returned to her room, the other odalisques were waiting to give her instructions on how to please the Sultan.

“Who is Gulbahar?”  Hürrem asked.

“Oh, Gulbahar?  She is the Sultan’s first matron because she bore him a son he named Mustafa,” said her attendant.  ”She will be the next Valide Sultan.”

Hürrem’s expression changed from a curious to a smug look, as if to say, “we’ll see how Gulbahar fairs after tonight.”

Nightfall came quickly.  A eunuch escorted Hürrem to Sultan Süleyman’s bedroom.  The eunuch tapped on the door three times before it opened.

“Come in my beauty,” exclaimed the Sultan as the door shut tight behind them.         

When morning came Sultan Süleyman danced out of bed and began preparing for his day.  He then noticed Hürrem’s morning stir, and suddenly dropped everything to rejoin her in bed.

“Hürrem,” he said, “come back tonight and every night.  I have fallen in love with you!”

“Oh, Your Imperial Majesty,” Hürrem replied,  “of course, I’ll be here as you please.”
She kissed Sultan Süleyman, leaped out of bed, and got dressed. 

One year had passed.  Hürrem and Sultan Süleyman’s relationship became a beautiful love affair.  Everyday the Sultan and Hürrem took long walks in the garden and played hide-and-seek in an evergreen labyrinth.  Hürrem gave him a passionate embrace one day and said, “I am with child!”

Toward the end of the year, Hürrem gave birth to a son the Sultan named Mehmed and through the years four other children followed. 

No one could mistake the love the Sultan held for Mehmed, however, his hopes for the future of the Empire lie with his true firstborn, Mustafa.  This caused great concern for Hürrem because Mehmed could not be heir to the throne with Mustafa in the way.  So, Hürrem began plotting against Prince Mustafa.  It was her dream to become the next Valide Sultan.

One day, Hürrem accused Gulbahar of stealing.

“Gulbahar!”  Hürrem shouted, “What did you do with my red dress that His Imperial Majesty gave me?”

“What dress, Hürrem?”  Gulbahar asked.

“Don’t play innocent with me!  You know the exact dress I’m talking about!”  Hürrem said.

“No, I don’t know what dress you’re talking about!” Gulbahar retorted.

The instant Gulbahar denied possession of the dress, Hürrem charged to Gulbahar’s bed and threw over her mattress revealing it.

“Why you nasty girl,” exclaimed Gulbahar.  “You set me up!”

All of a sudden, the two women were pulling each other’s hair, scratching each other’s face, neck, and arms until a eunuch separated them.  Hürrem was so badly injured, she refused to see the Sultan until he finally agreed to marry her.

The first to marry a Sultan, Hürrem knew he would do anything she wanted.  So, she convinced him to send Prince Mustafa and Gulbahar away to govern a Turkish province called Manisa.     

As the years passed, Hürrem became increasingly obsessed with the desire to become a Valide Sultan.  She also demanded the Sultan’s attention.  When the Sultan took care of the affairs of the State with the Grand Vizier, Hürrem would be right there to advise Sultan Süleyman.  The time the Sultan spent with the Pasha concerned Hürrem because the Pasha wanted Prince Mustafa to be the next Sultan.

One night Hürrem asked the Sultan, “Your Imperial Majesty, why must you see Ibrahim Pasha so much?  I’m perfectly capable of giving you strategic advice!”

“My Love,” returned the Sultan, “the Pasha and I have a rapport going back to our boyhood.  How could I not consult him?”

What Sultan Süleyman didn’t know was that Hürrem secretly despised Ibrahim Pasha because he had brought her to the harem.  Now, he stood in Mehmed’s path to the throne.

Consequently, one cold and dark morning, the Sultan’s chief eunuch was sent to summon the Grand Vizier, but discovered his lifeless body instead.  Ibrahim Pasha had been strangled in his sleep.

Sultan Süleyman sent for the return of his first matron and firstborn. Although the throne seemed within Hürrem’s reach, the renewed presence of Gulbahar and Mustafa complicated Hürrem’s plans.  More and more, Prince Mustafa was alongside his Father while conquering various lands.

Hürrem became frantic at the thought of losing everything she had worked so hard for.  This time she had to permanently remove the obstacles on her path to become the most powerful women in the harem. 

Days later, Sultan Süleyman found a letter among his treatises and charters written to the Shah of Persia in, what appeared to be, Mustafa’s own handwriting.  It had yet to be sealed, but the message was clear, Mustafa was planning to commit treason.  The letter read:

“Your Royal Highness,

         I am sending you this dispatch in hope to employ your assistance with overthrowing Süleyman, the Magnificent.
         If you’ve heard the rumors that my father is no longer taking care of his Empire, I will confirm that these rumors are indeed true.  The population growth of the Empire has caused rampant unemployment.  Our people have not enough to eat, while their taxes have risen.  There is unrest in Anatolia.   
         You and I will share the riches of the land.

Prince Mustafa, the Ottoman Prince of Anatolia.”

Thunderous roars of agony could be heard from end-to-end of the palace walls. 

“Get me Mustafa this instant!” the Sultan yelled to his chief eunuch.

In the meantime, when Hürrem heard the mutterings of the Sultan she ran to see what was matter.

“What’s wrong, Your Imperial Majesty?” Hürrem asked.

“My firstborn conspires against me!” Sultan Süleyman roared.

“No, not Mehmed!”  Hürrem exclaimed.

“Not Mehmed,” echoed the Sultan, “ It’s Mustafa, he wants to take over the Empire while I live!”

Hürrem had a slight smile on her face as she listened to the Sultan’s fury.  Before she could appease him, the Prince and Gulbahar walked into the room.

The Sultan immediately walked over to Mustafa, waving the note in his face and shouted, “What is the meaning of this?  I have no alternative; you’ve committed treason.  We must joust to the death at the Battle of Ereli.  Now, you will remain under house arrest until that horrid day!” 

Before the Sultan finished his sentence, tears started streaming down his face. 

“Guards,” he yelled, “take him and lock him up in his chambers!”

“Please, Your Imperial Majesty,” prostrated Gulbahar, “I implore you, he did not write that note!” 

Mustafa was escorted to his room by two eunuchs.

Meanwhile, in the heat of the moment, Hürrem’s slight smile was now a victorious grin, but it quickly disappeared when Gulbahar caught sight of it.  Gulbahar furiously charged Hürrem.

“Why you little. . .!” Gulbahar protested.

Almost instantly, the two women were at each other’s throat.  But, before injury, the Sultan’s two eunuchs held each woman.

“Leave now!”  Sultan Süleyman exclaimed,  “I do not want to see either of you!”

Two weeks later, the Battle of Ereli was over and the Palace was mourning the loss of Prince Mustafa.  It seemed as though Hürrem’s plans to become Valide Sultan were working.  Mehmed and his brother Selim were now learning the intricacies of  the Sultanate.

However, five years past and Mehmed died of fever, and Selim became the next Sultan of the Ottoman Empire after Hürrem died in 1558.  The fates would not allow her to become Valide Sultan.