Kaya Sultan
Encyclopedia
Kaya Sultan was the daughter of Sultan Murad IV
. She died shortly after giving birth, at the age of 26, due to complications during her labour. The most famous Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi
noted a specific encounter with Kaya Sultan in his book "The Intimate Life of an Ottoman Statesman". An entire chapter of the books is dedicated to Kaya Sultan, from her pregnancy to her death.
, a former Ottoman Grand Vizier
of Abkhazian origin, who was in his mid 50s. However, Kaya was extremely hostile towards her husband, as evident on her wedding night when she struck him with a dagger.
, 2000 to his interior aghas and exterior aghas, as well as 300 to Evliya Celebi and 100 to Evliya's sister. Kaya Sultan did as she was instructed but later, Melek revealed to Evliya that when Kaya Sultan gives birth, she would bleed to death.
Shortly after this initial interpretation, Kaya had another dream to be interpreted by Melek. Melek attempted to relieve the Sultana of her stress by stating that her second dream was nothing to worry about but Kaya had seen the expression on Melek's face during his interpretation and knew that he was not interpreting the dream properly. This resulted in Kaya growing more and more pious everyday, with numerous donations to Mecca and Medina. What was discovered from this was that Kaya Sultan was the wealthiest of all the Sultana's from her period. This was demonstrated through her enormous donations and her turning over all her property to her children and to her and Melek's servants. She also insisted that should her line end, all the revenues from those lands should go to the Holy Cities.
ordered the seizure of Kaya's fortunes, despite the existence of Kaya's husband and her daughter. This was in accordance to the Ottoman landholding system, the Timar
System. In the Timar System, land is redistributed after the death of an individual, rather than the land being passed onto future generations. If future generations prove to be beneficial to the empire, the Sultan could distribute other plots of land to these individuals.
-Sultan
-Timar
-Evliya Çelebi
-Murad IV
-Pasha
Peirce, Leslie. "The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire". New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Murad IV
Murad IV Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods...
. She died shortly after giving birth, at the age of 26, due to complications during her labour. The most famous Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi was an Ottoman traveler who journeyed through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years.- Life :...
noted a specific encounter with Kaya Sultan in his book "The Intimate Life of an Ottoman Statesman". An entire chapter of the books is dedicated to Kaya Sultan, from her pregnancy to her death.
Early life
Kaya Sultan was born to Sultan Murad IV, the most heroic and most autocratic of the seventeenth century. The marriage of princesses for political ends has always been used by the Sultans and Kaya Sultan was no exception. At the age of thirteen, Kaya was married to Melek Ahmet PashaMelek Ahmet Pasha
Melek Ahmed Pasha was an Ottoman official and Grand Vizier during the stagnation of the empire.- Early years :He was of Abkhaz origin. According to one source his father was a sea captain named Pervane. During the reign of Murad IV, he was appointed as the governor of Diyarbakır...
, a former Ottoman Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
of Abkhazian origin, who was in his mid 50s. However, Kaya was extremely hostile towards her husband, as evident on her wedding night when she struck him with a dagger.
Marriage Life
Kaya proved to be important to her husband's political career. She often assisted him with strategical and financial aid. Evliya Celebi regarded Kaya Sultan as a prime example of the dynasty's beneficence. He also noted that within all the Sultana's and their husbands, none got on as well as Kaya and Melek. This was proven after the death of Kaya as Melek threw himself on Kaya's coffin and wept uncontrollably.Interpretations of her Dreams
It is noted in Evliya Celebi's book that Kaya experienced strange dreams and requested Melek to interpret them. Kaya stated that these dreams included her strolling in the gardens with her grandfather. At the end of her dream, Kaya's grandfather passed his hand over her face in blessing, but the hand was immediately covered in blood. Kaya then proceeded to pass her own hand over her face and she too, was covered in blood. This is where the Sultana awoke with fright. Melek Ahmed instructed Kaya to give 1000 gold pieces to the poors as almsAlms
Alms or almsgiving is a religious rite which, in general, involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue.It exists in a number of religions. In Philippine Regions, alms are given as charity to benefit the poor. In Buddhism, alms are given by lay people to monks and nuns to...
, 2000 to his interior aghas and exterior aghas, as well as 300 to Evliya Celebi and 100 to Evliya's sister. Kaya Sultan did as she was instructed but later, Melek revealed to Evliya that when Kaya Sultan gives birth, she would bleed to death.
Shortly after this initial interpretation, Kaya had another dream to be interpreted by Melek. Melek attempted to relieve the Sultana of her stress by stating that her second dream was nothing to worry about but Kaya had seen the expression on Melek's face during his interpretation and knew that he was not interpreting the dream properly. This resulted in Kaya growing more and more pious everyday, with numerous donations to Mecca and Medina. What was discovered from this was that Kaya Sultan was the wealthiest of all the Sultana's from her period. This was demonstrated through her enormous donations and her turning over all her property to her children and to her and Melek's servants. She also insisted that should her line end, all the revenues from those lands should go to the Holy Cities.
Death
26 days following a strange dream experienced by Melek Ahmed, which foresaw the death of Kaya Sultan during child birth, Kaya Sultan was due and gave birth to a daughter. Melek gave away numerous alms following the birth of his daughter. However, there would be complications following the birth of Kaya's daughter. Her placenta remained in her womb and got stuck to her heart. That night, all the servants and midwives in the palace attempted everything to free the placenta. These included placing Kaya in blankets and shaking her extremely hard, hanging her upside down and filling a honey barrel with orange-flower water and put her inside. For three days and three nights, Kaya had to endure this torture. In a desperate attempt, the midwives covered their arms with almond oil and placed their hands into the Sultana's uterus and pulled out pieces of skin, including what looked like liver and rennet. Four days after giving birth, Kaya Sultan died.After Death
Princesses were not treated differently from other ruling elite families. The state often regarded the vast wealth of the princesses to be loaned. After Kaya Sultan's death, grand vizier Koprulu Mehmed PashaKöprülü Mehmed Pasha
Köprülü Mehmed Pasha , was the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1656 until his death. He was the first leader and founder of the Albanian Köprülü noble dynasty/family.- Life :He was recruited as a part of the devshirmeh system and was trained in the palace school...
ordered the seizure of Kaya's fortunes, despite the existence of Kaya's husband and her daughter. This was in accordance to the Ottoman landholding system, the Timar
Timar
Timar is a land granted by the Ottoman sultans between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with a tax revenue annual value of less than 20 000 akçes. The revenues produced from land acted as compensation for military service. A Timar holder was known as a Timariot...
System. In the Timar System, land is redistributed after the death of an individual, rather than the land being passed onto future generations. If future generations prove to be beneficial to the empire, the Sultan could distribute other plots of land to these individuals.
See also
-Ottoman EmpireOttoman 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...
-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...
-Timar
Timar
Timar is a land granted by the Ottoman sultans between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with a tax revenue annual value of less than 20 000 akçes. The revenues produced from land acted as compensation for military service. A Timar holder was known as a Timariot...
-Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi was an Ottoman traveler who journeyed through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years.- Life :...
-Murad IV
Murad IV
Murad IV Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods...
-Pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
Further reading
Celebi, Evliya. 1991 [1659]. “Kaya Sultan (1659).” In The Intimate Life of an Ottoman Statesman: Melek Ahmed Pasha (1588–1662) As Portrayed in Evliya Çelebi's Book of Travels (Seyahat-Name). Ed. Robert Dankoff. Albany: SUNY Press, pp. 221–36.Peirce, Leslie. "The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire". New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.