Kalfa ( Turkish for 'apprentice, assistant master') was a general term in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

for the women attendants and supervisors in service in the imperial

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

. Novice girls had to await promotion to the rank of . It was a rank below that of ('master'), the title of the leading administrative/supervisory officers of the harem. The titles and belong to the terminology of Ottoman

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

organization and other hierarchically-organized corporate bodies. Legally

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

girls, these women—depending on their rank—could wield considerable authority and influence in their duties and were generally treated with much respect by lower-ranking attendants in the harem as well as by members of the

imperial family A royal family is the immediate family of King, kings/Queen regnant, queens, Emir, emirs/emiras, Sultan, sultans/Sultana (title), sultanas, or raja/rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the ...

. Among craftsmen the term had a similar rank: that of a junior master yet to graduate to status and open his own shop.

Imperial ''kalfas''

The ''kalfas'' in personal service to the monarch were called (Turkish for 'Imperial Kalfas'). The (Turkish for 'treasurer') were the high-ranking chamberlain ''kalfas'' charged with supervisory duties in the harem. Also known as , they ranked above ordinary ''kalfas'' and included in their number the . Their head, the ''hazinedar usta'' or high , occupied the second highest position in harem service, immediately below the lady steward.

Notable ''kalfas''

Notable women traditionally addressed as ''kalfas'' include Cevri Kalfa, a slave girl who saved Sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II ( ota, محمود ثانى, Maḥmûd-u s̠ânî, tr, II. Mahmud; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, ...

's life and was awarded for her bravery and loyalty and appointed , the chief treasurer of the Imperial Harem, which was the second-most important position in the hierarchy. The wives of many sultans were ''kalfas'' before their marriages.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalfa Ottoman titles Ottoman imperial harem Slaves from the Ottoman Empire Ottoman slave trade Concubines of the Ottoman Empire Ladies-in-waiting of the Ottoman Empire House slaves