Verdicenan Kadın
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Verdicenan Kadın (; "''Heart's decision''" or "''Heart's jury''"; born Saliha Achba; 18259 December 1889) 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 ...
.


Early life

Verdicenan Kadın was born in 1825 in Sukhum. Her original name was Saliha Achba. She was a member of the Abkhazian princely family Achba. Her father was Prince Kaytuk Giorgi Bey Achba (1793–1848), and her mother was Princess Yelizaveta Hanım (1795–1843). She had four elder siblings, two brothers, Prince Ahmet Bey Achba, and Prince Islam Musa Bey Achba, and two sisters, Princess Peremrüz Hanım Achba and Princess Embruvaz Hanım Achba, and a younger brother, Prince Mehmed Bey Achba. Kadın was brought to
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 ...
as a young child, where her father entrusted her and her sisters to the care of Bezmiâlem Sultan, the mother 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 ...
. Here her name was changed to Verdicenan in accordance with the custom of the
Ottoman court Ottoman court was the culture that evolved around the court of the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman court was held at the Topkapı Palace in Constantinople where the sultan was served by an army of pages and scholars. Some served in the treasury and th ...
.


Marriage

Verdicenan married Abdulmejid in 1844. She was given the title of "Sixth Kadın". On 9 December 1844, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter, Münire Sultan in the
Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace (; ), or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih List of districts of Istanbul, district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the ad ...
. In 1845, she was elevated to "Fifth Kadın". On 16 July 1848, she gave birth to Şehzade Ahmed Kemaleddin, in the Old
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 ...
. In 1851, she was elevated to "Fourth Kadın", and in 1852, to "Third Kadın". Verdicenan was known for her luxurious lifestyle and sense of style. She wore only clothes imported from Europe and luxurious jewelry; she never went out unless she was accompanied by at least ten
ladies-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...
. Among these, there was her niece Princess
Leyla Achba Leyla GülefÅŸan Achba (10 August 1898 â€“ 6 November 1931) was an Abkhazian princess. She was a lady-in-waiting to Nazikeda Kadın, wife of Mehmed VI, the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. She is known for writing memoirs, which give det ...
, also known as Gülefşan Hanım, who became a well-known poet and writer, and Ayşe Zatimelek Hanım, who would become the fifth consort of one of Abdülmecid I's sons, Şehzade Selim Süleyman.


Widowhood

After Abdulmejid's death in 1861, she moved to the Feriye Palace. Having lost her only daughter, Münire Sultan, in 1862, she was entrusted with Mediha Sultan, after her own mother Gülistü Kadın died in 1861. The relationship between the two of them was like mother and daughter. She kept Mediha under close surveillance, and always helped her whenever she had problems. In 1879, she played a major role in Mediha's marriage to Samipashazade Necip Bey, interceding with the Sultan to allow Mediha to marry the man she loved rather than one chosen for her.


Death

Verdicenan Kadın died on 9 December 1889 in the Feriye Palace at the age of sixty-four, and was buried in the mausoleum of the imperial ladies at the Yeni 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 ...
.


Issue


In literature

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


See also

*
Kadın (title) Kadın () was the title given to the imperial consort of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire towards the beginning of the seventeenth century. The title came into official usage at the end of the century, and remained in usage until the nineteenth and ...
*
Ottoman Imperial Harem The Imperial Harem () of the Ottoman Empire was the Ottoman sultan's harem – composed of the concubines, wives, servants (both female slaves and eunuchs), female relatives and the sultan's concubines – occupying a secluded portion (serag ...
*
List of consorts of the Ottoman sultans This is a list of consorts of the Ottoman sultans, the wives and concubines of the monarchs of the Ottoman Empire who ruled over the transcontinental empire from its inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. Honorific and titles Hatun Ha ...


References


Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kadin, Verdicenan 1820s births 1889 deaths People from the Ottoman Empire of Abkhazian descent People from Sukhumi 19th-century people from the Ottoman Empire Consorts of Abdulmejid I