A 2003 Paladin InVision Production History Documentary.
This is a story of passion and power set in the most mysterious place of the Ottoman Empire: the Sultan’s Harem. In the 16th century the Turkish city of Istanbul was ruled by Suleyman the Magnificent.
The center of his power was Topkapi Palace - at the heart of which was the harem. Into it came hundreds of women from all over the empire and beyond. It was a place where sex could equal power.
This documentary tells the story of how some of these women came to play a pivotal role in running the world's largest empire from inside the mysterious and sometimes violent world of the Harem.
The focus of this documentary are three of the most important sultanas, who were either the wives of the Sultan, referred to as Haseki Sultans, or the mothers of the Sultan, known as Valide Sultans;
- Hürrem Sultan (meaning "Laughing One," or "Joyful," also known as Roxelana), was the principal consort and legal wife of Suleiman the Magnificent (reign 1520 -1566). She was the first holder of this title (tenure 1533/1534 - 15 April 1558). She became one of the most powerful and influential women in Ottoman history and a prominent and controversial figure during the era known as the Sultanate of Women. She was the first ever "Haseki Sultan" (favorite of the Sultan) when her husband, Süleyman I, reigned as the Ottoman sultan. She achieved power and influenced the politics of the Ottoman Empire through her husband and played an active role in the state affairs of the Empire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurrem_Sultan
- Nurbanu Sultan (tenure 15 December 1574 - 7 December 1583) was Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire as the principal consort and later legal wife of Sultan Selim II (reign 1566-1574), as well as Valide Sultan as the mother of Sultan Murad III (reign 1574-1595). Nurbanu was one of the prominent figures during the era known as Sultanate of Women and she was an administrator Empire from 1570 until 1583.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurbanu_Sultan
- Kösem Sultan also known as Mahpeyker Sultan (meaning "Moon face"), was one of the most powerful women in Ottoman history when she became haseki sultan as favourite consort and later second legal wife of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I (reign 1603–1617), after Mahfiruze Hatice Sultan, who was the Sultan's first legal wife. She was also a valide sultan as mother of Murad IV (reign 1623-1640) and Ibrahim (reign 1640-1648), and grandmother of Mehmed IV (reign 1648-1687). She was not only a Valide Sultan but also, as an official regent (Naib-i-Sultanat), from her son's ascension on 10 September 1623 until 18 May 1632. Kösem lived in the Ottoman Empire as a courtier during the reign of six sultans: Ahmed I, Mustafa I, Osman II, Murad IV, Ibrahim, and Mehmed IV. After her death, she was known by the names "Valide-i Muazzama" (magnificent mother), "Vālide-i Maḳtūle" (murdered mother), and "Vālide-i Şehīde" (martyred mother).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6sem_Sultan
𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑: 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨𝐬, 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.
𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏𝟎𝟕 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟔, 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 “𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞” 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡. 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠.
