haseki sultan

Haseki Sultan (, Ḫāṣekī Sulṭān; ) was the title used for the chief consort of an Ottoman Sultan. In later years, the meaning of the title changed to "imperial consort". Hurrem Sultan, principal consort and legal wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, was the first holder of this title. The title lost its exclusivity under Ibrahim I, who bestowed it upon eight women simultaneously. The title haseki sultan was used until the 17th century. After that, kadınefendi became the highest ranking title for imperial consorts, although this title was not as prestigious as haseki sultan. Term The word haseki (خاصکي-خاصگی) comes from the Arabic word Khassa (خاصه) which is suffixed with the Persian gi (گی) and means "to attribute something exclusively to". Haseki is, therefore, one who belongs exclusively to the sultan. Sultan (سلطان) is an Arabic word, that indicates "authority" or "dominion". starting from the 16th century, this title was carried by both men and women of the Ottoman dynasty. Thus, replacing other titles by which prominent members of the imperial family had been known (notably hatun for women and bey for men). This usage underlines the Ottoman conception of sovereign power as family prerogative. The Ottoman title Haseki Sultan was an equivalent european title of Queen consort. Before Hürrem Sultan , the Ottoman empire never had a titled queen. However , Suleiman the Magnificent broke tradition and freed his former concubine Hürrem from slavery , and legally married her elevating her position from favorite consort to Queen consort. A handful of Ottoman Sultanas held the same title after Hürrem , but not necessarily resulting from legal marriage like the case of Hürrem. Nurbanu Sultan , Kösem Sultan and Gülnuş Sultan were legally married by their respective spouses , the Ottoman Sultans. After the death of Gülnuş Sultan , no Ottoman Sultan legally married his consort. After nearly 130 years , Sultan Abdulmejid I legally married Rahime Perestu Sultan. Although the title of Haseki Sultan was abolished then , Perestu again was given the official title of legal wife and "Queen consort" , though Perestu was not active in politics like her predecessors neither in the reign of her husband nor the reign of her step-son Abdulhamid II , who , out of gratitude that Perestu raised him as her own child after his own mother died while he was still young , gave her the title of Valide Sultan meaning "Queen mother".