Sara Khatun ( az, Sara xatun) was an influential woman of the
Aq Qoyunlu
The Aq Qoyunlu ( az, Ağqoyunlular , ) was a culturally Persianate,Kaushik Roy, ''Military Transition in Early Modern Asia, 1400–1750'', (Bloomsbury, 2014), 38; "Post-Mongol Persia and Iraq were ruled by two tribal confederations: Akkoyunlu (Wh ...
state, as the political adviser of her son,
Uzun Hasan (r. 1457–1478). She was a successful and well-respected diplomatic mediator.
Early life
According to historian
John E. Woods, Sara Khatun was the daughter of Pir Ali Bayandur, the ruler of
Kiğı. Pir Ali was himself the son of the Aq Qoyunlu ruler Fakhr ad-Din Qutlu by his
Pontic
Pontic, from the Greek ''pontos'' (, ), or "sea", may refer to:
The Black Sea Places
* The Pontic colonies, on its northern shores
* Pontus (region), a region on its southern shores
* The Pontic–Caspian steppe, steppelands stretching from n ...
wife Maria Comnena, sister of
Alexios III of Trebizond. German orientalist
Franz Babinger
Franz Babinger (15 January 1891 – 23 June 1967) was a well-known German orientalist and historian of the Ottoman Empire, best known for his biography of the great Ottoman emperor Mehmed II, known as "the Conqueror", originally published as ''Meh ...
speculates that Sara Khatun was an Aramaic Christian who grew up near
Diyarbakir, but this speculation is based on an earlier assumption by
Vladimir Minorsky which he later renounced. Sara Khatun married her paternal cousin Ali, the son of the leader of the Aq Qoyunlu federation
Qara Osman.
Political influence
Sara Khatun came to have great political influence during the reign of her son. She was a skilful diplomat and headed embassies for the purpose of regulating disputed issues. Sara Khatun was well-known in the west, and foreign ambassadors frequently took advantage of her influence over her son. For example, in 1473 Josaphat Barbaro was sent from
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
to the court of Uzun Hasan with the instructions "Meet the ruler’s mother, assure her of respect and present gifts..." in order to persuade her to an "enterprise" beneficial to Venice (war with the Ottoman Empire).
She aided in the reconciliation of Uzun Hasan and her other son Jahangir, who had challenged Uzun-Hasan's rule. Sara Khatun was also sent to negotiate with the mother of
Timurid Timurid refers to those descended from Timur (Tamerlane), a 14th-century conqueror:
* Timurid dynasty, a dynasty of Turco-Mongol lineage descended from Timur who established empires in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent
** Timurid Empire of C ...
ruler
Abu Said, but her efforts were futile. She had also travelled to the
Mamluk Sultanate, in an attempt to solve Jahangir's problems.
Negotiations with Mehmed II
Sara Khatun's negotiations with the
Ottoman sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
Mehmed II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
were particularly successful. Negotiations with Mehmed II took place in 1461, during Mehmed II's
Anatolian campaign. The Ottoman army captured
Sinop and headed towards
Trebizond. Fearing that Mehmed was planning an attack on the Aq Qoyunlu, Uzun-Hasan sent his mother to negotiate, accompanied by many sheikhs and princes from the region and expensive gifts.
According to Ottoman historians
Tursun Beg and
Sadeddin Efendi, Sara Khatun met with the influential Grand Vizier
Mahmud Pasha at night and begged him for assistance. Mahmud Pasha responded positively to her request and arranged for her to meet with Mehmed. According to historian
Steven Runciman
Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman ( – ), known as Steven Runciman, was an English historian best known for his three-volume ''A History of the Crusades'' (1951–54).
He was a strong admirer of the Byzantine Empire. His history's negative ...
, Mehmed treated Sara Khatun well because his plans at the time were limited to capturing the
Black Sea coast. As a result, Mahmud Pasha accepted the proposals of Sara Khatun for peace. During the negotiations, she referred to Mehmed as "my son", while he referred to her as "mother". Sara Khatun tried to persuade Mehmed to not capture Trebizond as it was the land of her daughter-in-law,
Despina Khatun
Theodora Megale Komnene ( el, Θεοδώρα Μεγάλη Κομνηνή), also known as Despina Khatun ( fa, دسپینا خاتون; from the Greek title ''despoina'' and Turco-Mongol title ''khatun'', both meaning "lady, princess, queen"), was ...
: "Why waste so much effort, my son, because of such nonsense as Trebizond?" she asked. Mehmed, on the other hand, was not inclined to deviate from his plans. As a result, Sara Khatun made an agreement with Uzun Hasan not to interfere with the Ottoman Turks' capture of Trebizond. Despite her gracious reception, Mehmed refused to let her return with his men and detained her until the end of the campaign. This was done to avoid any Aq Qoyunlu attacks during the conquest of Trebizond. Sara Khatun was given piles of jewellery captured by the Ottomans in Trebizond in exchange for her mediation.
Sara Khatun may have granted asylum to the last Emperor of Trebizond,
David, and his family for a brief period after Trebizond's capture. Mehmed II promised Sara Khatun that he would not harm the emperor or his family. Mehmed partially fulfilled the promise except for the daughter of Emperor David, Anna, who was taken into Mehmed's harem, and later married to
Zaganos Pasha. Except for Anna and his nephew Alexei, the former emperor and his children were graciously received by the Sultan and sent on a special ship to
Constantinople with courtiers and personal property. Two years later, however, David was charged with treason and executed alongside his son. The reason for David's execution was his correspondence with his niece, Uzun-wife, Hasan's Despina-Khatun.
References
Literature
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* {{cite journal , last1=Shemshek , first1=Vesile , title=Some Considerations On The Political Activities Of Sara Hatun, The First Diplomat In Turkish-islamic History , journal=The Journal of Social Science , date=2020 , volume=4 , issue=7 , pages=349–358 , url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=889505 , language=English , issn=2587-0807
15th-century women
Year of death unknown
Year of birth unknown
People of the Aq Qoyunlu
1465 deaths