Reftarıdil Kadın (, "''resurrection''"; 1838 – 3 March 1936) was the second consort 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 ...

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

Reftarıdil Kadın was born in about 1838. She was a noble Circassian-Abkazian from Hatko family and had two sisters Terandil Hanım and Ceylanyar Hanım. Ceylanyar was given to Dr. Mehmed Emin Pasha. She then married Hacı Nazıf Bey, and was renamed Melek. She had two children, a daughter, and a son named Rüşdü Bey. Terandil, while stayed with Reftaridil, and then married Nuri Bey, and went to live in Aksaray.

Marriage

Reftarıdil married Murad, during the reign 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 ...

, when he was still a prince on 4 February 1859 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 ...

. She was twenty, while he was eighteen. She was his second consort after

Mevhibe Kadın Elaru Mevhibe Kadın (; "''talent''" or "''gift''"; 6 August 1835 – 21 February 1936) was the First consort and Kadın (title), BaşKadin of Sultan Murad V of the Ottoman Empire. Early life Mevhibe Kadın was born on 6 August 1835 in Tbil ...

. After Abdulmejid's death in 1861, and the accession of his brother 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 ...

, Murad became the crown prince. Reftarıdil, who was pregnant at the time, gave birth to her only child, a son,

Şehzade Mehmed Selaheddin Şehzade Mehmed Selaheddin Efendi (; 5 August 1861 – 29 April 1915) was an Ottoman prince, the only surviving son of Sultan Murad V, and his second consort Reftarıdil Kadın. Early life Şehzade Mehmed Selaheddin was born on 5 August 186 ...

, on 5 August 1861 in the apartments of the crown prince in located in the Dolmabahçe Palace. It was still technically forbidden for Ottoman princes to have children before becoming sultans, but Abdülaziz, who had himself had a son before ascending the throne, made an exception for Murad's child. Murad and his consorts lived in a mansion in Kurbağalıdere, which was allocated to him by Abdulaziz. They used to spend their winters in the crown princes apartments located in the Dolmabahçe Palace and the Nisbetiye Mansion. She was a lovely lady with a pink skin, large blue eyes, straight nose, and a round face. She was also honest and goodhearted. She loved music and reading and was highly educated and always well informed on current affairs. She always smiled. Murad ascended the throne on 30 May 1876, after the deposition of his uncle Sultan Abdulaziz, Reftarıdil was given the title of "Second Kadın". After reigning for three months, Murad was deposed on 30 August 1876, due to mental instability and was imprisoned in the

Çırağan Palace Çırağan Palace (), a former Ottoman palace, is now a five-star hotel in the Kempinski Hotels chain. It is located on the European shore of the Bosporus, between Beşiktaş and Ortaköy in Istanbul, Turkey. The Sultan Suite, billed at pe ...

. Refarıdil also followed Murad into confinement. She was widowed at Murad's death in 1904, after which her ordeal in the Çırağan Palace came to an end.

Last years and death

After Murad's death she lived first with his son and, after the dynasty was exiled, in a house in

Ortaköy Ortaköy (, ''Middle Village)'' is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Beşiktaş, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 9,121 (2024). It is on the European shore of the Bosphorus. it was originally a small fishing villag ...

, where she also hosted

Şayan Kadın Safiye Şayan Kadın (; "''pure''" and "''Worthy; deserving''"; 4 January 1853 – 15 March 1945) was the third Consort of Sultan Murad V of the Ottoman Empire. Biography Şayan Kadın was born on January 4, 1853, in Anapa. Her birth name w ...

, Murad's third consort. She was allowed to stay in Istanbul as she was only a widowed consort and not a blood member of the dynasty. Although she lived in precarious times and was in a tight financial situation, she was always cheerful and smiling. After the passing of the

Surname Law The Surname Law () of the Republic of Turkey is a law adopted on 21 June 1934, requiring all citizens of Turkey to adopt the use of fixed, hereditary surnames. Prior to 1934, Turkish families in the major urban centres had names by which they were ...

, she took the name Reftaridil Hatgil. She died on 3 March 1936.

Issue

In literature

* Reftarıdil is a character in Ayşe Osmanoğlu's historical novel The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus (2020).

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reftaridil Kadin 1839 births 1936 deaths 19th-century consorts of Ottoman sultans 20th-century consorts of Ottoman sultans Circassian women People from Circassia