Şevkefza Sultan

Şevkefza Sultan (12 December 1820 – 17 September 1889; meaning "who cheers up"; Ottoman Turkish: شوق افزا سلطان‎) was the fourth wife of Sultan Abdülmecid I. She held the position of Valide Sultan from 30 May 1876 to 31 August 1876, when her son Şehzade Murad Efendi ascended the throne as Murad V.^[1] She was of Circassian origin.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Early years

Şevkefza Kadınefendi was born on 12 December 1820 in Poti, Russian Empire (present-day Georgia). Her father was Çerkes Mehmed Bey Zaurum and her mother was Cemile Hanım, an Ubykh.^[2]^[5] She had a sister named Fatma Laleru Hanım.^[2] Her family emigrated from the Caucasus to Istanbul, where she was delivered to the court of the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II.

Nurtab Kadınefendi (a wife of Sultan Mahmud II) took Şevkefza into her care. She was renamed and was given a thoroughly Turkish and Muslim education in the harem department of the Topkapı Palace. When she entered her eighteenth year, she was noticed by Abdülmecid I and he married her on 1 August 1839, at the palace, when Abdülmecid was only sixteen. On 21 September 1840 Şevkefza gave birth to Şehzade Murad Efendi. When Valide Sultan Bezmiâlem Sultan died in 1853, Şevkefza took courage of Abdülmecid's first wife, the childless Servetseza Kadınefendi's affection for heir Murad and Abdülmecid's wish to see his son as the next Sultan, and rose in opposition to Pertevniyal Sultan and her son Abdülaziz.

As Valide Sultan

On 30 May 1876, her son Murad ascended the throne as Murad V and she became the Valide Sultan. Her son appointed her reported chief ally, Damat Nuri Pasha, as Lord Pasha, after which Şevkefza and Damat were to have confiscated all the gold coins and jewelry hidden away by Abdülaziz and his mother, the former Valide Sultan Pertevniyal Sultan, in the harem of Dolmabahçe Palace.^[6] After reigning for ninety three days, Murad was deposed on 31 August 1876 due to his efforts to implement democratic reforms in the empire, and they were imprisoned in the Çırağan Palace. It is said that Şevkefza was never reconciled to Murad's deposition. On the night of the Ali Suavi incident, in 1877, When Murad's partisans tried to reinstate him on the throne, Şevkefza encouraged him to play his part. But Murad was too nervous and upset to head the conspiracy. Given his lack of leadership, the conspiracy never stood a chance of succeeding.

Death

Şevkefza died on 17 September 1889 at the Çırağan Palace, Ortaköy, Istanbul, and was buried in the Mausoleum of the Imperial Ladies at the Yeni Mosque.

Titles and styles

1 August 1839 - 1849:
Devletlu İsmetlu Şevkefza Üçüncü Kadınefendi Hazretleri (Her Highness The Third Imperial Lady Consort Şevkefza)
1849 - 25 June 1861:
Devletlu İsmetlu Şevkefza İkinci Kadınefendi Hazretleri (Her Highness The Second Imperial Lady Consort Şevkefza)
30 May 1876 - 31 August 1876:
Devletlu İsmetlu Şevkefza Valide Sultan Aliyyetü'ş-Şan Hazretleri (Her Majesty The Empress Mother Şevkefza)

References

↑ "Sultan V. Murad Han". Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
1 2 3 Açba, Harun (2007). "Bölüm 2: Sultan I. Abdülhamid Han Ailesi". Kadınefendiler: Son Dönem Osmanlı Padişah Eşleri (in Turkish) (1 ed.). Istanbul: Prolil Yayıncılık. p. 28. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑ Turkish Historical Society XXXI. Türk Tarih Kurumu Osmanlı Tarihi Interaktif CD-ROM
↑ http://www.osmanli700.gen.tr/kesitler/anneleri.html
↑ İbrahim Pazan (2007). Padişah anneleri. Babıali Kültür Yayıncılığı. ISBN 978-9-944-11831-6.
↑ http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1870.htm

Succession

Ottoman royalty
Preceded by Bezmiâlem Sultan	Üçüncü Kadınefendi 1 August 1839 - 1849	Succeeded by Tirimüjgan Kadınefendi
Preceded by Hoşyar Kadınefendi	İkinci Kadınefendi 1849 - 25 June 1861	Succeeded by Edadil Kadınefendi
Preceded by Pertevniyal Sultan	Valide Sultan 30 May 1876 – 31 August 1876	Succeeded by Rahime Perestu Sultan

Ottoman Dynasty

Ottoman Empire Family tree (simplified) Family tree (detailed) Line of succession

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 II Osman III Mustafa III Abdul Hamid I Selim III Mustafa IV Mahmud II Abdülmecid I Abdülaziz Murad V Abdul Hamid II Mehmed V Mehmed VI Abdülmecid 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 Abdülmecid II Ahmed Nihad Osmanoğlu Osman Fuad Osmanoğlu Mehmed Abdülaziz Osmanoğlu Ali Vâsıb Osmanoğlu Mehmed Orhan Osmanoğlu Ertuğrul Osman Osmanoğlu Osman Bayezid Osmanoğlu

Valide Sultans	Ayşe Hafsa Sultan Mihrimah Sultan Nurbanu Sultan Safiye Sultan Handan Sultan Halime Sultan Kösem Sultan Turhan Hatice Sultan Saliha Dilaşub Sultan Emetullah Rabia Gülnuş Sultan Saliha Sultan Şehsuvar Sultan Mihrişah Sultan Ayşe Seniyeperver Sultan Nakşidil Sultan Bezmiâlem Sultan Pertevniyal Sultan Şevkefza Sultan Rahime Perestu Sultan

Haseki Sultans	Hürrem Sultan Nurbanu Sultan Safiye Sultan Kösem Sultan Ayşe Sultan Ayşe Sultan Turhan Hatice Sultan Saliha Dilaşub Sultan Hatice Muazzez Sultan Hümaşah Sultan Emetullah Rabia Gülnuş Sultan

Mothers of the Ottoman Sultans

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, December 11, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.