Kosem Sultan

Who was Kosem Sultan?

Kösem Sultan (Ottoman Turkish: كسم سلطان; 1589 – 2 September 1651), also known as Mahpeyker Sultan (Ottoman Turkish: ماه پیكر;), was the Haseki Sultan as a favorite consort and legal wife of Ottoman sultan Ahmed I, mother of Murad IV and Ibrahim, and grandmother of Mehmed IV. Kösem Sultan, also known as Mahpeyker Sultan, was the Haseki Sultan as a favorite consort and legal wife of Ottoman sultan Ahmed I, mother of Murad IV and Ibrahim, and grandmother of Mehmed IV. She effectively ruled as regent of the Ottoman Empire during the minority of Murad IV from 1623 to 1632, from 1640 to 1648 during the unstable rule of Ibrahim, and again from 1648 until her assassination in 1651 during the minority of Mehmed IV. Kösem's status and influence were facilitated by her astute grasp of Ottoman politics and the large number of children she bore.

Her sons and grandson required her regency, and her daughters' marriages to prominent statesmen provided her with allies in the government.

Historical significance

She became one of the most powerful and influential women in Ottoman history, as well as a central and controversial figure during the period known as the Sultanate of Women.