Hanımefendi

Hanımefendi (Ottoman Turkish: خانم افندی, also Hanım Efendi, Khanum Effendi) was the title given to the official, next or less favorite wives of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who came below the rank of Kadınefendi, and is translated as "Princess" in English language.[1][2] The title was given to the İkbals of the Sultan, which appeared for the first time in the reign of Sultan Mustafa II.[3] The title was also given to the official wives of the Princes, which was limited upto five.[4] The Sultans had four[4] to six İkbals.[5] with the title of Hanımefendi.[4] The İkbâls were the women singled out as favorite companions of the Sultan who were in line for promotion to the rank of Kadınefendi, on the death or divorce of one of the latter. The Hanımefendis sometime became the mothers of the Sultans children and after their death their children were given to Kadınefendis to raise.[4]

Ranks and styles

Ikbals

The İkbals (wives) of Sultans were ranked and styled as:

Princes wives

The wives of the princes the princes were ranked and styled as:

Honorific

Women who were traditionally addressed as Hanımefendi include:

References

  1. Kadın efendiler: 1839-1924, by Harun Açba
  2. Öztuna, Yilmaz, "Deletler ve Hanedanler", Vol: 2, Ministry of Culture Publications, London (1996), s.924
  3. Saray hatıralarım, by Safiye Ünüvar
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Kadın efendiler: 1839-1924
  5. The Ottoman Lady: A Social History from 1718 to 1918 by Fanny Davis
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 "Turkey: The Imperial House of Osman". web.archive.org. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  7. Fanny Davis (1986). The Ottoman Lady: A Social History from 1718 to 1918. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-24811-5.
  8. The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher: Voices from the Ottoman Harem. University of Texas Press. 2010. ISBN 978-0-292-78335-5.
  9. The Imperial House of Osman - 8
  10. Yavuz Bahadıroğlu, Resimli Osmanlı Tarihi, Nesil Yayınları (Ottoman History with Illustrations, Nesil Publications), 15th Ed., 2009, page 395, ISBN 978-975-269-299-2