Şah Sultan (, "''Sovereign''"; 1543 – 3 November 1580) was an Ottoman princess, the daughter of
Selim II
Selim II (; ; 28 May 1524 – 15 December 1574), also known as Selim the Blond () or Selim the Drunkard (), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 until his death in 1574. He was a son of Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Hurrem Sul ...
(reign 1566–74) and
Nurbanu Sultan
Nurbanu Sultan (; 1525 – 7 December 1583) was Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and legal wife of Sultan Selim II (reign 1566–1574), as the mother of Sultan Murad III (reign 1574–1583) and the Valide sultan of the Ottoman Empire from ...
. She was the granddaughter of
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...
(reign 1520–66) and his consort
Hurrem Sultan
Hürrem Sultan (; , "''the joyful one''"; 1505– 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana (), was the chief consort, the first Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and the mother ...
, sister of Sultan
Murad III
Murad III (; ; 4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. His rule saw battles with the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburgs and exhausting wars with the Safavid Iran, Safavids. The long-inde ...
(reign 1574–95) and aunt of Sultan
Mehmed III
Mehmed III (, ''Meḥmed-i sālis''; ; 26 May 1566 – 22 December 1603) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1595 until his death in 1603. Mehmed was known for ordering the execution of his brothers and leading the army in the Long Turkish ...
(reign 1595–1603).
Life
Şah Sultan was born in 1543 in Karaman, when her father was still a prince. Her mother was Nurbanu Sultan. She was the eldest child of her parents.
In 1562, strong alliances were made for the daughters of Şehzade Selim, the prince who would succeed Suleiman as Selim II. On 17 August 1562, Ismihan married
Sokollu Mehmed Pasha
Sokollu Mehmed Pasha (; ; ; 1505 – 11 October 1579) was an Ottoman statesman of Serb origin most notable for being the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. Born in Ottoman Herzegovina into an Orthodox Christian family, Mehmed was recruited a ...
Piyale Pasha
Piali Pasha (; ) (–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 of birth is unknown, though he was probab ...
, and Şah the chief falconer Hasan Agha. The State Treasury covered the expenses for the imperial wedding and granted 15,000 florins as a wedding gift to the imperial son-in-law. Şah and Hasan didn't have issue.
After the death of Hasan Agha in 1574, Şah Sultan married Zal Mahmud Pasha in 1575. Apparently, this was a love marriage chosen by Şah. This union was said to be a very happy one, as the couple was well suited for each other. They had a daughter and a son.
Death
Şah Sultan died on 3 November 1580, and was buried in the mosque she and her husband built. It was said that Şah and her husband fell ill at the same time, lay in their deathbeds together, and expired at the same very moment. In reality, he died 12 days after her, and was buried with Şah.
Issue
Şah had a daughter and a son from her second marriage:
*''Fülane'' Hanımsultan (1575 - 1660). She married Abdâl Hân, Emir of
Bitlis
Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province.Khan of Van by
Melek Ahmed Pasha
Melek Ahmed Pasha ("Ahmed Pasha the Angel"; 1604–1662) was an Ottoman statesman and grand vizier during the reign of Mehmed IV.
Early years
He was of Abkhaz (or Abazin) origin. According to one source, his father was a sea captain named ...
on 31 July 1655. He was killed by his half-brother Nuhreddin, who was then in turn convicted and executed by Abdal Han.
** Şerefeddin Bey, better known as Emir Sharaf Khan VI.
*Sultanzade Köse Husrev Pasha (1576/1577 - ?), who died in war versus the Savafids Persians.