Mezidemestan Kadın (, "''merry woman''", also Mezide Kadın; born Kadriye Kamile Merve Mikanba; 3 March 1869 – 21 January 1909) was the sixth consort of 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 ...

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

Mezidemestan Kadın was born in 1869. Born as Kadriye Kamile Merve Mikanba, she was a member of Abkhazian noble family Mikanba. Her father was Kaymat

Bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

Mikanba. She had been brought to Istanbul when she was young, where she was entrusted to the entourage of Sultan

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 ...

, Abdülhamid II's older half-brother. Here her name according to the custom of the Ottoman court was changed to Mezidemestan. She was known for her extreme shyness. She was aunt of Emine Nazikeda Hanım, future consort of Sultan

Mehmed VI Mehmed VI Vahideddin ( ''Meḥmed-i sâdis'' or ''Vaḥîdü'd-Dîn''; or /; 14 January 1861 – 16 May 1926), also known as ''Şahbaba'' () among the Osmanoğlu family, was the last sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the penultimate Ottoman Cal ...

, Abdülhamid II's younger half-brother.

Marriage

Mezidimestan married Abdul Hamid on 2 February 1885 at the Yıldız Palace. She was given the title of "Fifth Kadın". On 19 December 1885, after ten months of the wedding, she gave birth to her only son, Şehzade Mehmed Burhaneddin. Mehmed Burhaneddin was the most favourite son of Abdul Hamid. As the mother of the sultan's favourite son she was very influential but never abused her position; instead, she was known for helping everyone and even her step-children loved her. In 1895, she was elevated to the title of "Fourth Kadın", and in 1901, she was elevated to the title of "Third Kadın". Abdul Hamid had presented her a villa located on the grounds of Yıldız Palace.

Death

Mezidimestan Kadın died of stomach cancer in Yıldız Palace, on 21 January 1909, aged 39. She was buried in Yahya Efendi Cemetery,

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