cleopatraselene:favourite historical ladies → Nurbanu SultanNurbanu Sultan (originally Cecilia Venie

cleopatraselene:favourite historical ladies → Nurbanu SultanNurbanu Sultan (originally Cecilia Venier-Baffo) was a woman of noble Venetian birth who was kidnapped and sold as a slave to the Ottoman Empire. She became the most favored consort of Ottoman Sultan Selim II, who was put on the throne in 1566, and the mother of Murad III. Even after Selim began to take other concubines, she persisted as a favorite for her beauty and intelligence. As mother of the heir-apparent, she acted as an advisor to her husband. Although it was far from normal at the time, Selim II would often ask Nurbanu for her advice on various subjects because of his respect for her good judgment. Jacopo Soranzo, Venetian Ambassador reported:“The Haseki is said to be extremely well loved and honored by His Majesty both for her great beauty and for being unusually intelligent.” After the death of Sultan Selim in 1574, Nurbanu hid his body in an icebox and told no one of the Sultan’s death until her son arrived from Manisa twelve days later. Her son became Sultan Murad III and Nurbanu became Valide Sultan (effectively “Queen Mother”), the highest position a woman could hold in the Ottoman Empire. However, she was not completely in charge until the death of Mihrimah Sultan, Selim’s sister, four years after him. When she did though, she became a formidable figure with far-reaching influence. During her nine years of regency (1574–1583), her politics were so pro-Venetian that she was hated by the Republic of Genoa. Some have even suggested that she was poisoned by a Genoese agent. In any case, she died at the palace in the Yenikapı Quarter, Istanbul on 7 December 1583. -- source link

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