Gülbahar Hatun (mother of Bayezid II)

Valide Hatun of the Ottoman Empire 1481-1492

This article is about the concubine of Mehmed II and mother of Bayezid II. For the concubine of Bayezid II and mother of Selim I, see Gülbahar Hatun (mother of Selim I).

For other uses, see Gülbahar.

In this Ottoman Turkish style name, the given name is  Emine Gülbahar Mükrime, the title is Hatun, and there is no family name.

Gülbahar Hatun

Valide-i macide
Meliketü'l-Melikât
Tâcü'l-mükerremât
Fahrü'l-muazzamat
Fatihetü'l-maeyâmin ve'l hayrat[1]

Ideal portrait of Gülbahar Hatun, Italian school; 1480

Valide Hatun of the Ottoman Empire
Tenure| 3 May 1481 – 1492
Predecessor| Mara Hatun
Successor| Hafsa Sultan (as Valide Sultan)

Born| Albania
Died| c. 1492
Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (present day Istanbul, Turkey)
Burial|

Fatih Mosque, Istanbul

Consort of| Mehmed II
Issue| Gevherhan Hatun
Bayezid II
House| Ottoman
Religion| Sunni Islam (converted)

Emine Gülbahar Mükrime Hatun (Ottoman Turkish: گل بھار مکرمه خاتون; "benign", "spring rose" and "hospitable"; died c. 1492)[2] was a concubine of Sultan Mehmed II, and mother of Sultan Bayezid II.[3][4][5][6]

## Early life

[edit]

The Ottoman inscription (vakfiye) describes her as Hātun binti Abdullah (daughter of Abdullah), which means that she was a Christian slave converted to Islam. She was either of Albanian[7][8][9][10][11] or Greek[12][7][13][14] origin. Ambassadors' reports, for example the Venetian Iacopo de Promontorio-de Campis' notes in 1475 report that Bayezid's mother was an Albanian slave. It is likely that the attribution of a Greek origin arose from the confusion with the homonymous Gülbahar Hatun mother of Selim I, who is believed to have been a Greek slave originally from Pontus.[15][16] According to Shuteriqi, the mother of Sultan Bayezid II may have been one of the daughters of Gjergj Arianiti and Maria Muzaka, who was captured when Sultan Mehmed II was in the vicinity of Elbasan.[17]

## Consort

[edit]

Gülbahar entered in Mehmed's harem in 1446, when he was still a prince and the governor of Amasya. She had at least two children, a daughter, Gevherhan Hatun, born in 1446, who married Ughurlu Muhammad in 1474,[18] and a son, Şehzade Bayezid (the future Bayezid II), born in 1447 in Demotika.[19]

In 1451, after Mehmed's accession to the throne, she followed him to Edirne. According to Ottoman tradition, all princes were expected to work as provincial governors as a part of their training. In 1455 or 1456, Bayezid was appointed the governor of Amasya, and Gülbahar accompanied him, where the two remained until 1481, except for in 1457, when she came to Constantinople, and attended her son's circumcision ceremony.[19]

Gülbahar was apparently quite concerned about the future of her son, and related to that, her own properties. In order to secure her properties, she endowed the incomes of certain villages and fields to the Enderun mosque in 1474. Among the endowed properties was the village of Ağılcık, which was turned back into a Timariot village in 1479 during the land reform.[20]

In 1468, Mehmed gave the village of Bağluca to Gülbahar. After six years, in 1473, she sold the village to Taceddin Bey, son of Hamza Bali (died 1486), the book keeper of Bayezid's court. In 1478, the village's exemption was abolished and granted back to her probably as a result of the land reform. This order was reissued a year later at the request of Mevlana Şemseddin Ahmed according to which the village was not reverted to her, and she had likely become subject to a legal dispute.[21]

## Mother of the Sultan

[edit]

Per custom, Gülbahar got the highest position in the imperial family after the sultan himself when her son, Bayezid ascended the throne in 1481[22] until her death in 1492. During her son's reign, she and the rest of the Imperial Family resided at the Old Palace (saray-ı atik) and were visited by the Sultan who on each visit used to pay his respect to his mother. In one case, Gülbahar complained of her son's rare visits and in a letter to her son wrote:

> "My fortune, I miss you. Even if you don't miss me, I miss you ... Come and let me see you. My dear lord, if you are going on campaign soon, come once or twice at least so that I may see your fortune-favored face before you go. It's been forty days since I last saw you. My sultan, please forgive my boldness. Who else do I have beside you ... ?"[23]

Gülbahar had a considerable influence over Bayezid, for she used to make evaluations about the situation of some statesmen. Bayezid also valued his mother's words. In a letter written to him, she advises him against Hersekzade Ahmed Pasha, but favours his tutor Ayas Pasha and Hizirbeyoğlu Mehmed Pasha.[19]

In 1485, Bayezid endowed a mosque, and a school in Tokat in the memory of Gülbahar Hatun.[24]

## Death

[edit]

The interior appearance of the tomb in Gülbahar's mausoleum at the Fatih Mosque, Istanbul

Gülbahar Hatun died in 1492, and was buried in Fatih Mosque, Istanbul.[19] The tomb was damaged in the 1766 Istanbul earthquake, and was rebuilt in 1767–1768.[19]

## Issue

[edit]

By Mehmed II, Gülbahar Hatun had at least a daughter, followed by a son:

* Gevherhan Hatun (c. 1446 - c. 1514). Married at least one time, she had a son.
* Bayezid II (3 December 1447 - 26 May 1512). 8th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

## In popular culture

[edit]

* In the 2012 film Fetih 1453, Gülbahar Hatun is portrayed by Turkish actress Şahika Koldemir.[25]
* In the 2013 Turkish series Fatih, Gülbahar Hatun is portrayed by Turkish actress Seda Akman.[26]
* In the second season of Netflix's Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020-2022), Gülbahar Hatun is portrayed by actress Yasemin Eti.[27]
* In the 2024 Turkish historical fiction TV series Mehmed: Fetihler Sultanı, Gülbahar Hatun is portrayed by Turkish actress Esila Umut.

## See also

[edit]

* List of consorts of the Ottoman Sultans

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Necdet Sakaoğlu [in Turkish] (2008). Bu mülkün kadın sultanları: Vâlide sultanlar, hâtunlar, hasekiler, kadınefendiler, sultanefendiler. Oğlak publications. pp. 110–112. ISBN 978-9-753-29623-6.
2. ^ Edhem, Halil; Hacıfettahoğlu, İsmail (2001). Trabzon'da Osmanlı kitâbeleri. Trabzon Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları. p. 81\. ISBN 978-9-759-51583-6.
3. ^ Bryer, Anthony (1988). Peoples and settlement in Anatolia and the Caucasus: 800-1900. Variorum Reprints. ISBN 9780860782223.
4. ^ Th Dijkema, F. (1977). The Ottoman Historical Monumental Inscriptions in Edirne. BRILL. ISBN 9004050620.
5. ^ Edmonds, Anna (1997). Turkey's religious sites. Damko. p. 1997\. ISBN 975-8227-00-9.
6. ^ Babinger, Franz (1992). Mehmed the Conqueror and His Time. Princeton University Press. p. 51\. ISBN 0-691-01078-1.
7. ^ a b Lawler, Jennifer (16 January 2018). Encyclopedia of Women in the Middle Ages. McFarland. p. 72\. ISBN 978-1-4766-0111-3. "Gülbehar (15th century) Mother of Bayezid II, the famous Ottoman ruler. A slave girl of either Albanian or Greek heritage, she was a Christian and became the mistress of Mehmed II the Conqueror around 1450."
8. ^ Lyigun, Murat (2015). War, Peace, and Prosperity in the Name of God: The Ottoman Role in Europe's Socioeconomic Evolution. London: University of Chicago Press. p. 119\. ISBN 9780226388434. "Beyazit II... Gülbahar Hatun... Albanian..."
9. ^ Edmonds, Anna (1997). Turkey's religious sites. Damko. p. 211\. ISBN 975-8227-00-9. "An Albanian by birth, legend also has it that Gulbahar Hatun was a French princess kidnapped for the sultan's harem."
10. ^ Babinger, Franz (1992). Mehmed the Conqueror and His Time. Princeton University Press. p. 51\. ISBN 0-691-01078-1. "Gülbahar bint Abdullah, whom Turkish legend subsequently transformed into a "daughter of the king of France," was a Christian slave of Albanian origin."
11. ^ Franz Babinger, Die Aufzeichnungen des Genuesen Iacopo de Promontorio - de Campis uber den Osmanenstaat um 1475. München: C. H. Beck. 3 February 1956. p. 56.
12. ^ Ostovich, Helen; Silcox, Mary V.; Roebuck, Graham (2008). The Mysterious and the Foreign in Early Modern England. Associated University Presse. p. 60\. ISBN 978-0-87413-954-9. "Mehmed's eldest son was Bayezid or Beyazid II, whose mother, Gülbahar, was probably a Greek concubine."
13. ^ Lowry, Heath W. (2003). The Nature of the Early Ottoman State. SUNY Press. p. 153\. ISBN 978-0-7914-8726-6. "Mother of Bayezid II was Gülbahar Hatun (a Pontic Greek from the village of Douvera in Trabzon)"
14. ^ Freely, John (1999). Inside the Seraglio: Private Lives of the Sultans in Istanbul. Viking Press. p. 9\. ISBN 978-0-670-87839-0. "Mehmet had become a father for the first time in January 1448, when his concubine Gülbahar gave birth to a son, the future Beyazit II. Little is known of Gülbahar's origins, but she was probably Greek, since the concubines in the imperial harem were almost always Christians..."
15. ^ Franz Babinger, Die Aufzeichnungen des Genuesen Iacopo de Promontorio - de Campis uber den Osmanenstaat um 1475. München: C. H. Beck. 3 February 1956. p. 56.
16. ^ Necdet Sakaoğlu (2007). Famous Ottoman Women. Avea. ISBN 9789757104773. "Another reason for this confusion is that Bayezid's mother was also Gülbahar . The mother and the daughter - in - law were in the same harem during Bayezid's governorship in Amasya the mother went back to Istanbul after his son acceded..."
17. ^ Shuteriqi, Dhimitër (2012). Zana Prela (ed.). Aranitët: Historia- Gjenealogjia -Zotërimet. Toena. p. 66\. ISBN 978-99943-1-729-5.
18. ^ Tarih arastirmalari dergisi, Volumes 21-23. Ankara Üniversitesi Basımevi. 2003. p. 206.
19. ^ a b c d e "GÜLBAHAR HATUN (ö. 898/1492): II. Bayezid'in annesi". İslam Ansiklopedisi. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
20. ^ Karatas 2011, p. 52.
21. ^ Karatas 2011, p. 56.
22. ^ Peirce 1993, p. 50.
23. ^ Peirce 1993, p. 120.
24. ^ Baltacı, Câhid (1976). XV-XVI asırlar Osmanlı medreseleri: teşkilât : tarih, Volume 1. İrfan Matbaası. p. 134.
25. ^ Full Cast & Crew: Conquest 1453 (2012), retrieved 7 May 2020
26. ^ Fatih (TV Mini-Series 2013), retrieved 7 May 2020
27. ^ "Yasemin Eti | Actress". IMDb.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Karatas, Hasan (2011). The City as a Historical Actor: The Urbanization and Ottomanization of the Halvetiye Sufi Order by the City of Amasya in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries.
* Peirce, Leslie P. (1993). The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-195-08677-5.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Gülbahar Hatun at Wikimedia Commons

Ottoman royalty

Preceded by

Hüma Hatun

|  Valide Hatun of the Ottoman Empire
1481 – 1492  | Succeeded by

Hafsa Sultan

* v
* t
* e

Mothers of the Ottoman Sultans

* Halime Hatun
* Malhun Hatun
* Nilüfer Hatun
* Gülçiçek Hatun
* Devlet Hatun
* Emine Hatun
* Hüma Hatun
* Gülbahar Hatun
* Gülbahar Hatun
* Hafsa Sultan
* Hürrem Sultan
* Nurbanu Sultan
* Safiye Sultan
* Handan Sultan
* Halime Sultan
* Mahfiruz Hatun
* Kösem Sultan
* Turhan Sultan
* Saliha Dilaşub Sultan
* Muazzez Sultan
* Gülnuş Sultan
* Saliha Sultan
* Şehsuvar Sultan
* Mihrişah Kadın
* Şermi Kadın
* Mihrişah Sultan
* Sineperver Sultan
* Nakşidil Sultan
* Bezmiâlem Sultan
* Pertevniyal Sultan
* Şevkefza Kadın
* Tirimüjgan Kadın
* Gülcemal Kadın
* Gülistu Kadın

* v
* t
* e

Ottoman Dynasty

* Ottoman Empire
* Family tree (simplified)
* Family tree (detailed)
* Line of succession
* List of mothers

Sultans / Caliphs|

* Osman I
* Orhan
* Murad I
* Bayezid I
* Interregnum
* Mehmed I
* Murad II
* Mehmed II
* Bayezid II
* Selim I
* Suleiman I
* Selim II
* Murad III
* Mehmed III
* Ahmed I
* Mustafa I
* Osman II
* Murad IV
* Ibrahim
* Mehmed IV
* Suleiman II
* Ahmed II
* Mustafa II
* Ahmed III
* Mahmud I
* Osman III
* Mustafa III
* Abdul Hamid I
* Selim III
* Mustafa IV
* Mahmud II
* Abdulmejid I
* Abdulaziz
* Murad V
* Abdul Hamid II
* Mehmed V
* Mehmed VI
* Abdulmejid II (Caliph only)

Claimants|

* Savcı Bey
* Süleyman Çelebi
* İsa Çelebi
* Musa Çelebi
* Mustafa Çelebi
* Küçük Mustafa
* Sultan Cem
* Şehzade Ahmet
* Şehzade Korkut
* Şehzade Mustafa
* Şehzade Bayezid
* Sultan Yahya
* Abdulmejid II
* Ahmed Nihad Osmanoğlu
* Osman Fuad Osmanoğlu
* Mehmed Abdülaziz Osmanoğlu
* Ali Vâsıb Osmanoğlu
* Mehmed Orhan Osmanoğlu
* Ertuğrul Osman Osmanoğlu
* Osman Bayezid Osmanoğlu
* Dündar Ali Osmanoğlu

Valide sultans|

* Nilüfer Hatun
* Devlet Hatun
* Hüma Hatun
* Gülbahar Hatun
* Hafsa Sultan
* Nurbanu Sultan
* Safiye Sultan
* Handan Sultan
* Halime Sultan
* Kösem Sultan
* Turhan Sultan
* Aşub Sultan
* Gülnuş Sultan
* Saliha Sultan
* Şehsuvar Sultan
* Mihrişah Sultan
* Sineperver Sultan
* Nakşidil Sultan
* Bezmiâlem Sultan
* Pertevniyal Sultan
* Şevkefza Kadın
* Perestu Kadın

Haseki Sultans|

* Hürrem Sultan
* Nurbanu Sultan
* Safiye Sultan
* Kösem Sultan
* Ayşe Sultan
* Ayşe Sultan
* Turhan Sultan
* Muazzez Sultan
* Aşub Sultan
* Hümaşah Sultan
* Şivekar Sultan
* Gülnuş Sultan
* Rabia Sultan

*[c.]: circa
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*[e]: Edit this template