The Valide Sultana

The Valide Sultana had more than a hundred women of different ages who performed in a complex hierarchy. The more practical running of the harem was under the shared responsibility of two women: the “head housekeeper” with the title of Kahya and the “head treasurer” with the title of Haznedar Usta. Financial matters were a great responsibility, thus the haznedar usta was acting as a sort of banker and consultant in the harem. Then came senior maids called kalfas, lower rank servants called halayiks assisted them, their ages ranged from twelve and older. Usually each kalfa was assisted by six halayiks. These positions were of high esteem and would be occupied by the women who had gradually advanced in all parts of the harem’s training but who did not have a chance to become a wife kadin or favorite of the sultan. The most important women after the Valide Sultana were the kadins, and while they were not legally married to the sultan, they were very

This period began in 1520 during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificient and continued on until 1656, ending during the reign of Turhan Sultana as valide sultana and her son Mehmet IV as sultan. What happened during these 136 years is what historians have been debating for a long time: were the roles these women of the harem played, the valide sultanas in particular, a positive contribution to the Ottoman Empire or a negative contribution? “If the sultan’s household was disordered so the administration of the state was likely to become disordered.” (Peirce 267) Leslie P. Peirce, author of “The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire” examines the lives of harem women, in particular the valide sultanas, and argues that these women played a significant role in the Ottoman Empire that had many positive