Düzdidil Hanim (, from

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

دزد دل ''duzd-i dil'' meaning "thief of hearts"; 182518 August 1845) was a consort 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 ...

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 ...

Life

Düzdidil Hanım was born in about 1825. She was of half Abkhaz and half Circassian Ubykh descent. She was presented to Abdulmejid by his mother,

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 ...

. She grew up at the court under the supervision of the chief treasurer of the harem. Abdülmecid one day noticed her while she played the piano and decided to marry her. They married in 1840, and Düzdidil was given the title of "Senior Ikbal" (BaşIkbal). On 13 October 1841, she gave birth to twins daughters, Neyire Sultan and Münire Sultan in the Old Beşiktaş Palace. The princesses died one as newborn and the other at age of two. On 17 August 1843, she gave birth to her third child, a daughter,

Cemile Sultan Cemile Sultan (; "''beautiful, radiant''"; 17 August 1843 – 26 February 1915) was an Ottoman dynasty, Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan Abdulmejid I and Düzdidil Hanım. She was the half sister of Sultans Murad V, Abdul Hamid II, Mehme ...

in the Old Beylerbeyi Palace. On 23 February 1845, she gave birth to her fourth child, a daughter, Samiye Sultan in the Topkapı Palace. The princess died two months later on 15 April 1845. Charles White, who visited Istanbul in 1843, wrote following about her:

Death

Düzdidil had fallen victim to the epidemic of tuberculosis then raging in Istanbul. A luxuriously decorated prayer book was commissioned around 1844 for her. As was fitting for her position, the prayer book was lavishly ornate. Düzdidil was separated from her alive daughter and isolated, entrusted to the care of her maternal cousin Cican Hanim. She died on 18 August 1845, and was buried in the mausoleum of the imperial ladies at the New Mosque

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 ...

. Cemile Sultan was only two years old when Düzdidil died. She was adopted by another of Sultan Abdulmejid's wives, Perestu Kadın, who was also the adoptive mother one of her half brothers, Sultan

Abdul Hamid 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 Decline and modernizati ...

Issue

In literature

*Düzdidil is a character in

Hıfzı Topuz Hıfzı Topuz (25 January 1923 – 26 September 2023) was a Turkish journalist, travel writer and novelist. He also served as a lecturer on journalism at several universities. Early life Topuz was born on 25 January 1923 in Istanbul. After fini ...

's historical novel ''Abdülmecit: İmparatorluk Çökerken Sarayda 22 Yıl: Roman'' (2009).

References

Sources