Gülcemal Kadın (; 1826 – 29 November 1851) 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 ...

, and the mother 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 ...

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

Of Bosnian origin, Gülcemal Kadın was born around 1826 at

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

. She had one sister, Bimisal Hanım. She was also related to Sabit Bey, who became Master of Robes to her son Sultan Mehmed Reşad, and his sister, the Sultan's Sixth Hazinedar, Nevfer Kalfa. She was blonde, known for her extraordinary beauty, but of delicate health.

Marriage

Gülcemal married Abdulmejid in 1840, and was given the title of "Third Ikbal". She was one of the most beloved consorts. On 1 November 1840, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter, Fatma Sultan in the Old Beşiktaş Palace. In 1842, she was elevated to the title of "Second Ikbal". On 3 February 1842, she gave birth to two twins daughters, Refia Sultan and Hatice Sultan (who died as newborn) in the Old Beşiktaş Palace. In 1843 she was elevated to the title of "Fifth Kadın". On 2 November 1844, she gave birth to her fourth child, a son, Şehzade Mehmed Reşad (future

) in the Old Çırağan Palace. In 1845, she was elevated to the title of "Fourth Kadın". In 1850, she gave birth her last child, a daughter, Rukiye Sultan, who died in same year.

Death

She died of tuberculosis on 29 November 1851 in

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 ...

. She was never

Valide sultan Valide Sultan (, lit. "Sultana mother") was the title held by the mother of a ruling sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans first formally used the title in the 16th century as an epithet of Hafsa Sultan (died 1534), mother of Sultan Suleima ...

to her son, because she died before Mehmed Reşad's accession to the Ottoman throne. She is buried in the mausoleum of the imperial ladies at the New Mosque

. All the three of her alive children were adopted by

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 ...

, first consort of Abdulmejid. Really beloved by Abdülmecid, he did everything to save her life. To her doctor, İsmail Paşah, he declared: ”… I have had the most genuine conversations with this woman. Since I was a youth, I have loved her with my all heart..“.

Legacy

The ocean liner

SS Germanic (1874) SS ''Germanic'' was an ocean liner built by Harland and Wolff in 1874 and operated by the White Star Line. She was the sister ship of ''SS Britannic (1874), Britannic'', serving with the White Star Line until 1904. She later operated under the na ...

was renamed ''Gul Djemal'' when she entered the Ottoman service in 1911, in memory of Gülcemal Kadın. When the ship was sold yet again, this time to Turkiye Seyrisefain Idaresi, it was renamed Gulcemal.

Issue

In literature

*Gülcemal is a character in Hıfzı Topuz's historical novel ''Abdülmecit: İmparatorluk Çökerken Sarayda 22 Yıl: Roman'' (2009).

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gulcemal Kadin 1820s births 1851 deaths 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in the Ottoman Empire Consorts of Abdulmejid I Mothers of Ottoman sultans