Dürrinev Kadın, also spelled Dürrünev Kadın (; "''new pearl''"; born Princess Melek Dziapş-lpa; 15 March 1835 – 4 December 1895) was the Baş Kadin (chief consort) of Sultan

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz (; ; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was overthrown in a government coup. He was a son of Sultan Mahmud II and succeeded his brother Abdulmejid I in 1861. Ab ...

of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

Early life

Dürrinev Kadın was born on 15 March 1835 in

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Born as princess Melek Dziapş-lpa, she was a member of the Abkhazian Dziapş-lpa family. Her father was prince Mahmud Bey Dziapş-lpa, and her mother was princess Halime Hanım Çikotua, an Abkhazian. She had two younger sisters. The first was princess Ayşe Kemalifer Hanım (1838 – 1901. She married Ömer Pasha. Her younger daughter, Esma Süreyya Cavidan Hanım became the second consort of Durrinev's son,

Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin Efendi (; ; 11 October 1857 – 1 February 1916) was an Ottoman prince, the eldest son of Sultan Abdülaziz and his first consort Dürrinev Kadın. Early life and education Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin was born on 29 Septe ...

, while one of her granddaughters, Emine Nurbanu Hidayet Hanim became a consort of Şehzade Mehmed Burhaneddin, son of Sultan

Abdülhamid II Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan to exert effective control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a period of decline wit ...

). The second was princess Aliye Hanım, who married prince Ismail Çikotua and was mother of Nazperver Kadın, consort of Sultan

Mehmed V Mehmed V Reşâd (; or ; 2 November 1844 – 3 July 1918) was the penultimate List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1909 to 1918. Mehmed V reigned as a Constitutional monarchy, constitutional monarch. He had ...

. She had been brought to Istanbul as a young child, where her father entrusted her to the imperial harem together with her sister Ayşe. The two of them were then placed in the service of Sultan

Abdulmejid I ʻAbd al-Majīd (ALA-LC romanization of , ), also spelled as Abd ul Majid, Abd ul-Majid, Abd ol Majid, Abd ol-Majid, and Abdolmajid, is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Maj ...

's first wife

Servetseza Kadın Servetseza Kadın (; 1823 – 24 September 1878; meaning "Worthy of riches" in Persian) was the first consort and chief consort ( BaşKadin) of Sultan Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire. Early life Of Circassian and Georgian origin, Servetseza ...

, where her name according to the custom of the Ottoman court was changed to Dürrinev. She was given a good education: she spoke French without an accent, she was a good pianist and a good painter. She made paintings which he gave to

Bezmiâlem Sultan Bezmiâlem Sultan (also spelled Bazimialam, ; 1807 – 2 May 1853), was a consort of Sultan Mahmud II, and Valide sultan to their son, Sultan Abdülmecid I of the Ottoman Empire. Early years Bezmiâlem Kadın, called also Bazimialam, was born in ...

and Servetseza Kadin. She was blonde and with hazel eyes.

Marriage

One day, when Abdulaziz was in his twenties, he visited his sister-in-law

. Here he saw Dürrinev, then twenty one years old, and fell in love with her. He asked his sister-in-law to give him Dürrünev in marriage, but she flatly refused. However, after the prince's pleading to Servetseza, she acceded to her brother-in-law's demand. The marriage took place on 20 May 1856 in the

Dolmabahçe Palace Dolmabahçe Palace ( ) is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922. Histor ...

. Dürrinev gave birth to the couple's first child, a son,

on 11 October 1857, who was Abdülaziz's favorite son. Since her husband was not yet sultan, they were forbidden to have children. The child was then hidden until his father ascended the throne. After Abdulaziz's accession to the throne on 25 June 1861, Dürrinev was installed the principal consort with the title of "Baş Kadin". On 10 August 1862, she gave birth to her second child, a daughter, Fatma Saliha Sultan. Four years later, on 28 October 1866, she gave birth to her third child, a son, Şehzade Mehmed Selim, who died at the age of one on 21 October 1867. In 1869, she met with the Princess of Wales

Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...

, when the latter visited Istanbul with her husband Prince of Wales Edward (future

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

). Maria Georgina Grey described her during the visit: Abdulaziz was deposed by his ministers on 30 May 1876, his nephew

Murad V Murad V (; ; 21 September 1840 – 29 August 1904) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 30 May to 31 August 1876. The son of Abdulmejid I, he supported the conversion of the government to a constitutional monarchy. His uncle Abdulaziz ...

became the Sultan. He was transferred to

Feriye Palace The Feriye Palace () is a complex of Ottoman imperial palace buildings along the European shoreline of the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey. Currently, the buildings host educational institutions such as a high school and a university. Histo ...

the next day. Dürrinev, and other women of Abdulaziz's entourage didn't wanted to leave the Dolmabahçe Palace. So they were grabbed by hand and were sent out to the Feriye Palace. Dürrinev was imprisoned in the rooms above Abdülaziz's with Şemifer e Zevkyab Hanım. In the process, they were searched from head to toe and everything of value was taken from them. On 4 June 1876, Abdulaziz died under mysterious circumstances. When his body was shown to Dürrinev, she fainted.

Death

Abdülaziz's wives were released on Abdülhamid II's accession to the throne in September 1876, but Dürrinev continued to live in Feriye Palace. Dürrinev Kadın died on 4 December 1895 at the

, and was buried in the mausoleum of Sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...

, located at Divan Yolu street,

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Issue

References

Sources