Bezmiâlem
Encyclopedia
Bezmiâlem Kadınefendi
Kadınefendi
Kadınefendi was the title given to the official wives of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan could have up to four wives, who were ranked:* Başkadın - senior wife.* İkinci Kadın - second wife* Üçüncü Kadın—third wife....
(1807 – 2 May 1853) (Bezm-i Alem or Bazim-i Alam, meaning "feast of the world") was the second spouse of Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mahmud II
Mahmud II
Mahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. He was born in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, the son of Sultan Abdulhamid I...
of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
Biography
Some claim that she was a Russian Jew originally named Suzi (thus referred to as "Rus Yahudisi Suzi"), the daughter of Leon. However, Alan PalmerAlan Palmer
-Biographies:* Twilight of the Habsburgs: The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph Paperback ISBN 978-0-87113-665-7 1997* A Brief History of Napoleon in Russia* Kings and queens of England* Napoleon & Marie Louise : the Emperor's second wife...
writes that she was Georgian
Georgian people
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
(perhaps Georgian Jew
Georgian Jews
The Georgian Jews are from the nation of Georgia, in the Caucasus...
) but gives no original name.
As mother of Sultan Abdülmecid I
Abdülmecid I
Sultan Abdülmecid I, Abdul Mejid I, Abd-ul-Mejid I or Abd Al-Majid I Ghazi was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on July 2, 1839. His reign was notable for the rise of nationalist movements within the empire's territories...
, she was Valide Sultan
Valide Sultan
Valide Sultan was the title held by the mother of a ruling Sultan in the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish pronunciation of the word Valide is . The title is sometimes translated as Queen Mother, although the position of Valide Sultan was quite different.The position was perhaps the most important...
from 1839 to 1853. His son bears traits closer to a Jew rather than to a Georgian. Mahmud II
Mahmud II
Mahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. He was born in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, the son of Sultan Abdulhamid I...
reportedly died of alcoholism, and she is reported to have convinced Abdülmecid I
Abdülmecid I
Sultan Abdülmecid I, Abdul Mejid I, Abd-ul-Mejid I or Abd Al-Majid I Ghazi was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on July 2, 1839. His reign was notable for the rise of nationalist movements within the empire's territories...
to destroy his father's wine cellars.
She was popular and respected as Valide Sultan and she also exerted political influence: it is noted, that her son and his ministers consulted her on the affairs of state. Like other influential Ottoman women, she was a patron of arts and architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. Among notable structures she commissioned are Kasr-i Dilkusa (Dilkusa Summer Palace) in the Yıldız Palace
Yildiz Palace
Yıldız Palace is a vast complex of former imperial Ottoman pavilions and villas in Istanbul, Turkey, built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was used as a residence by the Sultan and his court in the late 19th century.- Origin :...
complex, Bezm-î-Âlem Valide Sultan Fountain, and Dolmabahçe Mosque
Dolmabahçe Mosque
-See also:* Dolmabahçe Clock Tower* Dolmabahçe Palace* Ottoman architecture* List of mosques-External links:*...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. Her burial place is located at Divanyolu Street inside The tomb of Mahmud II
Mahmud II
Mahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. He was born in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, the son of Sultan Abdulhamid I...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.