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Nurbanu Sultan ( ota, نور بانو سلطان; "''Queen of light''", 1525 – 7 December 1583) was Haseki Sultan of 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) ...

as the principal consort of Sultan

Selim II Selim II ( Ottoman Turkish: سليم ثانى ''Selīm-i sānī'', tr, II. Selim; 28 May 1524 – 15 December 1574), also known as Selim the Blond ( tr, Sarı Selim) or Selim the Drunk ( tr, Sarhoş Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire ...

(reign 1566–1574), his legal wife, as well

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(Sultan's mother) as the mother of Sultan

Murad III Murad III ( ota, مراد ثالث, Murād-i sālis; tr, III. Murad; 4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. His rule saw battles with the Habsburgs and exhausting wars with the Saf ...

(reign 1574–1583). She was one of the most prominent figures during the time of the

Sultanate of Women The Sultanate of Women ( Turkish: ''Kadınlar saltanatı'') was a period when wives and mothers of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire exerted extraordinary political influence. This phenomenon took place from roughly 1528-30 to 1715, beginning in ...

. Conflicting theories ascribe her a Venetian, Jewish or Greek origin. Her birth name may have been Cecilia Venier-Baffo, Rachel or Kalē Kartanou.Arbel, Benjamin, ''Nur Banu (c. 1530-1583): A Venetian Sultana?'', Turcica, 24 (1992), pp. 241-259.

Theories about her origin

There are several theories about the ethnic roots of Nurbanu, none of which is generally accepted:

''Cecilia Venier-Baffo''

In 1900, Emilio Spagni claimed that she was a Venetian patrician, daughter of

Nicolò Venier Nicolò Venier (ca. 1483 – 1530) was a Lord of Paros in 1518-1530. He was a son of Zuan Francesco Venier, Co-Lord of Cerigo and his wife Fiorenza Sommaripa, Lady of Paros, and had a sister Cecilia, who succeeded him to the lordship of Paros ...

and Violanta Baffo, abducted on

Paros Paros (; el, Πάρος; Venetian: ''Paro'') is a Greek island in the central Aegean Sea. One of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about wide. It lies approximately south-east of ...

when it was captured by Ottoman admiral

Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa ( ar, خير الدين بربروس, Khayr al-Din Barbarus, original name: Khiḍr; tr, Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa), also known as Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1478 – 4 July 1546), was an Ot ...

in the

Third Ottoman-Venetian War Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * H ...

. The Sultana, herself, would often say she was of Venetian patrician descent, but never named her family. The opinion that Nurbanu Sultan was Cecilia Venier-Baffo has been followed by

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 ...

in his article about Nurbanu Sultan for ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani''.

''Kalē Kartanou''

In 1992, B. Arbel challenged the view that she was really of Venetian descent. For him, the most plausible theory is that she was a Greek from Corfu named Kale Kartanou.

Jewish origin

Turkish historian Ahmet Refik believed she was of Jewish descent, followed by some Turkish historians.A.H. de Groot, s.v. in

Encyclopaedia of Islam The ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (''EI'') is an encyclopaedia of the academic discipline of Islamic studies published by Brill. It is considered to be the standard reference work in the field of Islamic studies. The first edition was published in ...

vol.8 p.124

Early life

Nurbanu who was said to be prominent in the palace with her beauty and extraordinary intelligence, was sent to Manisa as one of the girls of the harem of Şehzade Selim in 1543, and she gave him a son, Murad, next Sultan of the Ottoman Empire after his father, and four daughters.

Haseki Sultan

Nurbanu became the most favored consort of Şehzade Selim (who became

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

as Selim II in 1566), and the mother of Şehzade Murad (the future Murad III, born 1546). While her spouse Selim was still a

şehzade ''Şehzade'' ( fa, شهزاده) is the Ottoman form of the Persian title '' Shahzadeh'', and refers to the male descendants of an Ottoman sovereign in the male line. This title is equivalent to " prince of the blood imperial" in English. Origi ...

, Nurbanu had been the head of his princely

harem Harem (Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A hare ...

Manisa Manisa (), historically known as Magnesia, is a city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province. Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port cit ...

Once he became sultan, Selim let his favorite wife, the haseki Nurbanu, remain at the

Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace ( tr, Topkapı Sarayı; ota, طوپقپو سرايى, ṭopḳapu sarāyı, lit=cannon gate palace), or the Seraglio A seraglio, serail, seray or saray (from fa, سرای, sarāy, palace, via Turkish and Italian) i ...

throughout his reign, as his predecessor (

Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I ( ota, سليمان اول, Süleyman-ı Evvel; tr, I. Süleyman; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver ( ota, قانونى سلطان سليمان, Ḳ� ...

) had done. Even after Selim began to take other concubines, Nurbanu persisted as a favorite for her beauty and intelligence. As the 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. The Venetian ambassador Jacopo Soranzor reported: She became a formidable figure with far-reaching influence during this time. According to some sources (mostly Venetian accounts), her influence was such that Nurbanu Sultan effectively ran the government alongside the Grand Vizier

Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Sokollu Mehmed Pasha ( ota, صوقوللى محمد پاشا, Ṣoḳollu Meḥmed Pașa, tr, Sokollu Mehmet Paşa; ; ; 1506 – 11 October 1579) was an Ottoman statesman most notable for being the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. Born in ...

. Selim handed over almost all of his power to Sokollu, who did indeed rule the empire instead, meanwhile Nurbanu did not intervene directly in politics. However, there is no doubt that she consulted regularly with Sokollu. The Ottoman Empire was far from stable at the top, and clashes over the imperial throne were common. It was also not unusual for the loser in such contests to have his entire family massacred along with him to prevent any future challenges. Nurbanu Sultan was determined, however, that when the time came for her son to succeed his father, nothing would interfere with that. When Selim II's reign ended in 1574, the haseki Nurbanu received 1,100 aspers a day, while Selim's other consorts, each the mother of a son, received only 40 aspers. In addition, Selim repeatedly, publicly stated that Murad was his heir, thus securing the position of his firstborn son and sentencing his other sons to death. Selim, to emphasize that there was only one woman for him, also legally married Nurbanu. Ambassadorial accounts date the marriage to the beginning of 1571 and conveyed the news with the remark that Selim wanted to express by marriage how much he loved Nurbanu and that his only legitimate heir was their son, Murad.

Valide Sultan

Şehzade Murad had been sent to serve as Governor of Manisa on the Aegean coast and was there when Sultan Selim II died in 1574. Nurbanu first learned the news and then ordered everyone to keep their mouths shut. She did not share the sultan's death with anyone other than

, Grand Vezir. Her goal was to allow her son Murad to arrive to Istanbul in secret before anyone could take advantage of the situation, this is usually considered correct because, this would have been the perfect opportunity for someone to seize power with the Sultan dead and his son away from the capital. Nurbanu realized this as much, if not more, than anyone and took quick action. Security and privacy in the harem were the most strict anywhere and no one knew when Selim II had actually died. Nurbanu told no one and hid the dead body of her husband in an icebox and sent to Manisa for her son to come to Constantinople immediately. All the while no one was the wiser that Selim had died. It was not made known publicly until twelve days later when Murad arrived and Nurbanu delivered up Selim's body. Her son became sultan and Nurbanu became

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, the highest position a woman could hold in the Ottoman Empire. Nurbanu's real influence began at this time, she enjoyed absolute power between 1574 and 1583, although she was apparently not resident in the Palace after Selim II's death. Although in the past she also had influence over many things as a Haseki, she mostly just supported Selim from the background and gradually built up her own circles for the future. However, as a valide, she immediately started to work and put her own trusted people in ever higher positions to strengthen herself and her son through them. She was revered as Valide-i Atik Sultan ("the first strong mother of the reigning sultan") during her son's reign until her death. Nurbanu became the first woman to hold both the rank of Haseki and Valide. Although the Valide Sultan rank has existed since the reign of Bayezid II, it was Murad III who, for the sake of his mother, Nurbanu, transformed it into a legal registered position. This means that previously the Valide Sultan was only listed as “Mother of Sultan,” in every list. But thanks to Murad, the mother of the sultan acquired a formal title, that of

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. With her formal title, the valide sultan joined the ranks of the most exalted officials of the empire, whose status was acknowledged by the omission of their personal names from their title. Thus, instead of “mother of Sultan Murad III,” Nurbanu has already been referred to as “Nurbanu Valide Sultan.” And with this change, not only did valide carry out the usual responsibilities according to tradition, but its tasks and possibilities also increased significantly. Nurbanu, with all her influence over her son, was involved in governing, and the Sultan himself did not seem to have a say in his rule. Murad felt immeasurable respect and love for his mother, perhaps no other sultan was as devoted to his mother as Murad. Murad asked his mother for her opinion in everything, and he took her advice. They managed to do all this in such a way that Murad's rank, authority and influence remained unquestionable. Nurbanu did not seek to rule through her son, but merely helped her child to become a just and worthy sultan, who is loved, accepted and respected by the people. In this way, the valide became a high status and became an important and powerful position of the dynasty. Nurbanu's pocket money, which reached high amounts among both dynastic members and high level officials, is considered as an indicator of this power. As valide sultan she was allocated 2000 coins daily. Also because of her absolute and ultimate authority through her son, her favorites,

Canfeda Hatun Saliha Canfeda Hatun ( ota, صالحہ جان فدا خاتون; "''the devoted one''" and "''soul''" died 1600) was a lady-in-waiting to Nurbanu Sultan and Sultan Murad III of the Ottoman Empire. Career Canfeda Hatun was an ally of Nurbanu Sul ...

, Raziye Hatun, and

Hubbi Hatun Ayşe Hubbi Hatun ( ota, حبی خاتون; "''the living one''" or "''womanly''" and "''the ammirated one''"; died 1590) was a lady-in-waiting to Sultan Selim II and later to his son Sultan Murad III of the Ottoman Empire. She was a notable Ottom ...

trusted ladies-in-waiting to Murad and Nurbanu also appear to have been very powerful and influential during his reign.

The rivalry with Safiye

Of all the sultans, Murad was the most devoted to his mother. However, Nurbanu's monopoly and superiority was still threatened. Murad didn't keep many consorts, and was committed to a single woman, Safiye. Safiye Sultan was given the rank of Haseki as soon as Murad became Sultan, and thus became an influential sultana, albeit very much less than Nurbanu. Safiye herself wanted to have a say in state affairs, so she tried to influence Murad, which in turn provoked Nurbanu's dislike. Her attempts were in vain, as Murad never listened to any woman but his mother. The details of the struggle between Safiye and Nurbanu are not known, but they probably had conflicts within the harem, for in 1582 their hostility peaked. To avoid the danger of dynastic extinction, it would have been logical for Safiye to gave birth to more children, but she had been unable to get pregnant for years at that time. In the cases where she had become pregnant, she had a miscarriage or the child was born premature and subsequently died. Murad, however, refused to accept new concubines due to the fact that he loved Safiya strongly — so much so he was not able to perform sexually with anyone else. Nurbanu then devised a plan and accused Safiye of using black magic to make the sultan impotent. The rumor began to spread throughout the city, and Murad eventually exiled Safiye to the Old Palace due to his self-esteem. Doctors eventually solved Murad's impotence, who then produced dozens of children in the following years. Nurbanu may have felt that she had finally got rid of Safiye, but she could not win this fight so easily. Her grandson, Mehmed, openly disagreed with both her and the Sultan for the sake of his mother, Safiye. As a matter of fact, the sources clearly suggest that Nurbanu was afraid that Mehmed would anger Murad until Murad executed him. Although Nurbanu did not like Safiye, she loved Mehmed as she did all her grandchildren. This is clearly indicated by a follow-up report from 1582. According to this, after Mehmed’s circumcision, he impregnated one of Nurbanu's servants, which was forbidden, since the girl was a member of Murad's harem, not Mehmed’s. Since Mehmed was already in a very bad relationship with his father, Nurbanu killed the girl to hide the news from Murad. Murad seemingly never realised what had happened and was able to finally restore his relationship with Mehmed. Nurbanu died suddenly in 1583, and less than two years later, in early 1585, Safiye regained her husband's trust and love. She and her exiled daughters returned to the royal harem. Thus Safiye regained enough power and influence, or far more than before, to protect her son and prepare for his reign. Safiye, like Nurbanu and her predecessor

Hurrem Sultan Hurrem Sultan (, ota, خُرّم سلطان, translit=Ḫurrem Sulṭān, tr, Hürrem Sultan, label= Modern Turkish; 1500 – 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana ( uk, Роксолана}; ), was the chief consort and legal wife of the Ottom ...

, was able to build a circle of supporters alongside herself and her son and drive out the opposition. Even after Murad’s death in January 1595, Safiye, like her late mother-in-law Nurbanu, hid the death of the Sultan until the arrival of her son to Constantinople.

Foreign politics

After Nurbanu became the

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to her son Murad III, she effectively managed the government together with the

Grand Vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...

Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, who acted as co-regent with the sultan during the Sultanate of Women. Her intermediary to the world outside the harem was her "Kira",

Esther Handali Esther Handali (died 18 or 19 December 1588Pedani, Maria Pia. “Safiye's Household and Venetian Diplomacy”. Turcica 32 (2000). ) was a Jewish Ottoman businesswoman. She was the influential favorite and ''Kira'' (business agent) of Nurbanu Su ...

. She corresponded with the queen

Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is understood that Nurbanu Sultan used Kira Ester Handali of Jewish origin for her own personal affairs and had a financial relationship with

Duke of Naxos The Duchy of the Archipelago ( el, Δουκάτο του Αρχιπελάγους, it, Ducato dell'arcipelago), also known as Duchy of Naxos or Duchy of the Aegean, was a maritime state created by Venetian interests in the Cyclades archipelago ...

Joseph Nasi Joseph Nasi (1524, Portugal – 1579, Konstantiniyye), known in Portuguese as João Miques, was a Portuguese Sephardi diplomat and administrator, member of the House of Mendes/Benveniste, nephew of Dona Gracia Mendes Nasi, and an influential figu ...

. Perhaps, due to this network of relationships, the rumor has spread that she was of Jewish origin. Among her close men are Bâbüssaâde Ağası Gazanfer Ağa, the priest Şemsi Pasha, the strong figures of the harem that have been with her since Manisa, Canfeda Hatun and Raziye Hatun. Extensive information is available in the envoy reports about Nurbânû Sultan's close political diplomatic contact with the Venetians. In 1583, the Venice senate agreed to send her a gift worth 2000 Venetian gold for her useful services. According to another report, she prevented the possible Ottoman attack on Crete and warned Captain Ali Pasha about not opening a war on Venice. Venetian accounts are the most prolific in describing Nurbanu Sultan as a woman who never forgot her Venetian origins. Reportedly, she kept in contact with Venice through her lady-in-waiting Chirana, who kept in regular contact with the

Council of Ten The Council of Ten ( it, Consiglio dei Dieci; vec, Consejo de i Diexe), or simply the Ten, was from 1310 to 1797 one of the major governing bodies of the Republic of Venice. Elections took place annually and the Council of Ten had the power to i ...

in Venice, from whom she (Chirana) received an allowance as a Venetian Agent. During her nine years of co-regency (1574–1583), her politics were so pro-Venetian that she was hated by the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the Lat ...

. Some have even suggested that she was poisoned by a Genoese agent. In any case, she died at the palace in the

Yenikapı Yenikapı () is a port and a quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, in the metropolitan district of Fatih on the European side of the Bosphorus, and along the southern shore of the city's historically central peninsula. Yenikapı is notable for the ongoing ...

Quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlement ...

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

on 7 December 1583.

Patroness of architecture

This mosque complex was constructed by

Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan ( ota, معمار سينان, translit=Mi'mâr Sinân, , ) ( 1488–1490 – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empir ...

on a vast area. The component buildings in the complex were established on a number of successive and stepped flat levels. Buildings were constructed as the mosque, medresse, school, and the dervish lodge on two separate plains. To the west of these, on a lower flat level were erected the complex of buildings designed to meet social functions such as charity. The public bath is in the south. The Darüşşifa (hospital), is an integral part of the mosque complex constructed by Mimar Sinan, the great Ottoman architect, under the auspices of Nurbanu Sultan between 1570 and 1579. The landed properties that Nurbanu Sultan devoted to the darüşşifa in her mosque complex are scattered over many corners of Istanbul, Rumelia, and Anatolia. Through the revenues remitted from these resources the treatments and needs of patients admitted to the darüşşifa were sponsored. A section specialized in the administration of revenues was also included in the darüşşifa premises. During her nine years of regency, Nurbanu ordered the renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan to build the

Atik Valide Mosque The Atik Valide Mosque ( tr, Atik Valide Camii, Eski Valide Camii) is a 16th century Ottoman imperial mosque located on a hill above the large and densely populated district of Üsküdar, in Istanbul, Turkey. It was built for Nurbanu Sultan, the w ...

and its surrounding

külliye A külliye ( ota, كلية) is a complex of buildings associated with Turkish architecture centered on a mosque and managed within a single institution, often based on a waqf (charitable foundation) and composed of a madrasa, a Dar al-Shifa ("cl ...

at the district of

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy; w ...

in Istanbul, where previously a "Jewish bath" was located. The construction of the külliye was completed and put in commission at the end of 1583, just before the demise of Nurbanu on 7 December 1583. The Atik Valide Complex comprises a mosque, medrese, primary school, convent for mystics, schools for Qur’an recitation and hadith scholars, soup kitchen, hospital, and bathhouse. Mimar Sinan conceived of his major mosques as finely tuned instruments meant to sound the Qur’an as a text-as-event, in a reenactment of the original revelation. He even integrated sounding vessels in the domes to ensure a beautiful performance of the holy text. Based on the endowment deed ( vakfiye), one can reconstruct the soundscape Nurbanu created through her patronage. Nurbanu Sultan has also constructed imaret and bathhouse, which she built in Mercan, Alemdağ and Langa, in Istanbul, she was the first Ottoman woman to built a library in this complex. The stone needed during the construction of this mosque and complex was obtained from places close to Istanbul such as Iznik and Gallipoli, wooden Sapanca and Iznik. She was buried at the

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

of her husband Selim II located inside the

Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...

(then a mosque) at Sultanahmet in Istanbul,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Death

Nurbanu died at Istanbul on 7 December 1583, during the reign of her son Murad III. She was buried next to Selim II in his

türbe ''Türbe'' is the Turkish word for "tomb". In Istanbul it is often used to refer to the mausolea of the Ottoman sultans and other nobles and notables. The word is derived from the Arabic ''turbah'' (meaning ''"soil/ground/earth"''), which ...

(mausoleum) in the courtyard of Hagia Sophia, thus becoming the first wife of a Sultan to receive the honor of being laid to rest next to her spouse. Nurbanu Sultan attracted great respect not only during her life but also after her death. As against the norm that sultans remained in the palace during the funeral procession, Murad III accompanied his mother's corpse, both walking and crying, up to the Fatih mosque where her burial service was to be read. The farthest sultanic mosque from the imperial palace, i.e., the Fatih Mosque, was assigned for the funeral rite. This choice not only enabled as many people as possible to give their blessing to the soul of Nurbanu Sultan but also maintained the extensive appreciation of this religious respect paid to her by the residents of the imperial capital. Preceding Nurbanu's death, the Venetian ambassador in the Ottoman palace, Paolo Contarini had stated When Nurbanu died in December 1583, the successor of Contarini reported the following:

Issue

With Selim, Nurbanu is confirmed to have had at least three children, two daughters and a son: * Şah Sultan (Manisa, 1544 – Costantinople, 3 November 1580, buried in Zal Mahmud Paşa Mausoleum, Eyüp), married firstly in 1562 to Damad Hasan Aga, married secondly in 1575 to Damad Zal Mahmud Pasha. *

Ismihan Sultan ota, اسمیخان سلطان , house = Ottoman , house-type = Dynasty , father = Selim II , mother = Nurbanu Sultan , birth_date = 1545 , birth_place = Manisa, Ottoman Empire , death_date = , death_place = Co ...

(1545, Manisa – 8 August 1585, Istanbul, buried in Selim II Mausoleum, Hagia Sophia Mosque), married firstly in 1562 to Damad Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, married secondly in 1584 to Damad Kalaylıkoz Ali Pasha. *

(4 July 1546, Manisa Palace, Manisa – 16 January 1595, Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, buried in Murad III Mausoleum, Hagia Sophia) Though the claim remains disputed, the majority of sources and historical also mention her as the mother of other two daughters: * Gevherhan Sultan (1544/1545, Manisa Palace, Manisa – 1624, Istanbul, buried in Selim II Mausoleum, Hagia Sophia Mosque), married firstly in 1562 to Damat

Piyale Pasha Piali Pasha, ( tr, Piyale Paşa; hu, Piali pasa) (c. 1515–1578) was an Ottoman Grand Admiral (Kapudan Pasha) between 1553 and 1567, and a Vizier (minister) after 1568. He is also known as Piale Pasha in English. Early life His exact place ...

, married secondly to Damad

Cerrah Mehmed Pasha Cerrah Mehmed Pasha ( ota, جراح محمد پاشا; died January 1604, Istanbul) was an Ottoman statesman. He was grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1598 to 1599.Uzunçarşılı, İsmail Hakkı, (1954) ''Osmanlı Tarihi III. Cilt, 2. Kı ...

. * Fatma Sultan (1559 – October 1580, Istanbul, buried in Siyavuş Pasha Mosque), married in 1572/1574 to Damad

Kanijeli Siyavuş Pasha Kanijeli Siyavuş Pasha ( ota, کانیجلی سیاوش پاشا, sh, Sijavuš-paša Kanjižanin, died 1602, Istanbul) was an Ottoman statesman from the Sanjak of Bosnia. He was Grand Vizier between 24 December 1582 and 28 July 1584, 15 Apr ...

In literature and popular culture

* A fictionalized version of the life and death of Nurbanu Sultan appeared in Marina Fiorato's ''the Venetian Contract'', in which she was depicted as the niece of Doge Sebastiano Venier and the mother of Freya, who is the protagonist in the novel. * Nurbanu Sultan is the protagonist in ''The Mapmaker's Daughter'' by Katherine Nouri Hughes, which takes the form of Nurbanu Sultan's memoirs. * She was portrayed by Turkish actress

Merve Boluğur Merve Boluğur (born 16 September 1987) is a Turkish actress and model. She is well known for her roles in fantasy series '' Acemi Cadı'' (the Turkish version of ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch''), '' Küçük Sırlar'' (the Turkish version of ''Go ...

in television series ''

Muhteşem Yüzyıl ''Muhteşem Yüzyıl'' (, ) is a Turkish historical fiction television series. Written by Meral Okay and Yılmaz Şahin, it is based on the life of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and his ...

.''

References

Bibliography

* Arbel, Benjamin, ''Nur Banu (c. 1530-1583): A Venetian Sultana?'', Turcica, 24 (1992), pp. 241–259. * * A.D. Alderson, The Structure of the Ottoman Dynasty. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1956. * Almanach de Gotha: annuaire généalogique, diplomatique et statistique, Justes Perthes, Gotha, 1880–1944. * * Burke's Royal Families of the World, Volume II: Africa & The Middle East, Burke's Peerage Ltd., London, 1980. * A.H. de Groot, s.v. in

vol.8 p. 124 * Yılmaz Öztuna, ''Devletler ve Hanedanlar, Turkiye 1074-1990'', Ankara, 1989. * Osman Selâheddin Osmanoğlu, ''Osmanli Devleti'nin Kuruluşunun 700. Yılında Osmanlı Hanedanı'', Islâm Tarih, Sanat ve Kültür Araştırma Vakfı (ISAR), Istanbul, 1999. * Emine Fuat Tugay, ''Three Centuries: Family Chronicles of Turkey and Egypt'', Oxford, 1963. * * *

External links

Women Leaders in Power
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nur-Banu 1520s births 1583 deaths People from Paros 16th-century consorts of Ottoman sultans Valide sultan Sultanate of Women

Theories about her origin

''Cecilia Venier-Baffo''

''Kalē Kartanou''

Jewish origin

Early life

Haseki Sultan

Valide Sultan

The rivalry with Safiye

Foreign politics

Patroness of architecture

Death

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In literature and popular culture

See also

References

Bibliography

External links