164 | A Princess Constructs Ottoman Dynastic Identity
Mihrimah appears to have been a favorite child, with her brother Mehmed,
of both her parents from her childhood. These two children had signaled Süley-
man’s permanent attachment to Hurrem and secured her place at his side for
the remainder of her life. Mihrimah’s marriage to a favorite, Rüstem, led to the
creation of the most powerful faction of her father’s reign. Mihrimah’s influence
and power increased with the death of her mother in 1558 when she inherited
Hurrem’s role as the sultan’s advisor. It did not diminish with the death of her
husband, and she used her wealth to commission pious foundations during the
final years of her father’s reign. When Selim II (r. 1566–1574) became sultan her
influence decreased but did not disappear thanks to her wealth, which was even
greater than the sultan’s. Mihrimah outlived her brother Selim, and when Mih-
rimah died in 1578 she was the only one of Süleyman’s children to be buried with
him in his türbe (tomb), highlighting that in death as in life her status eclipsed
that of her brothers.
Her descendants through her daughter Humashah held prominent positions
into the seventeenth century. For example, her great-grandson Mehmed became
grand vizier, later dying while leading Ottoman forces during the campaign to
conquer Crete in 1646. He was known as sultanzade, son of the sultan, because he
was Mihrimah’s descendent. Thus, Mihrimah’s descendants were acknowledged
members of the dynasty, and their accomplishments contributed to the dynasty’s
glory.
Suggestions for Further Reading
Isom-Verhaaren, Christine. “Süleyman and Mihrimah: The Favorite’s Daughter.”
Journal of Persianate Studies 4 (2011): 64–85. This article focuses on Mihrimah’s
relationship with Süleyman.
Necipoğlu, Gülru. The Age of Sinan: Architectural Culture in the Ottoman Empire.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005. This book is essential for un-
derstanding architectural patronage during the career of the greatest Ottoman
architect, Sinan.
Peirce, Leslie. The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1993. Peirce’s study provides the best scholarly his-
tory of the Ottoman harem and is based on archival sources.
Notes
. Isom-Verhaaren, “Süleyman and Mihrimah.”
. Peirce, Imperial Harem, 28–56.
. Dates following the abbreviation “H.” are Hijri, or Islamic calendar, dates.
. Mihrimah, “Letter to Süleyman,” ca. 1558–1561, E. 5859, Topkapı Sarayı Museum Ar-
chives, Istanbul; Uluçay, Osmanlı Sultanlarına Aşk Mektupları, 31; Peirce, Imperial Harem, 64.