The „Sultanate of Women“ in the Ottoman Empire

Tema je ovog diplomskog rada razdoblje vladavine žena u Osmanskome Carstvu koje traje kroz 16. i 17. stoljeće, a u historiografiji se opisuje kao vrijeme dekadencije Osmanskog Carstva i dinastije. Početna poglavlja donose dva različita pristupa osmanista navedenome periodu te potom prikaz hijerarhije osmanskog harema kao i rangove koje su haremske žene mogle steći. Također su istaknute najvažnije uloge i funkcija koju je valida, sultanova majka imala u haremu i kako se u razdoblju vladavine žena mijenja uloga samog harema. Središnji je dio rada posvećen analizi političke i društvene djelatnosti svake od sultanija koja pripada navedenome periodu: Hürrem, Nurbanu, Safiye, Handan, Kösem, Hatidže Turhan i Gülnuş. Pregledom relevantne literature ustanovljeno je da su navedene sultanije svoju političku moć prakticirale kroz specifičan oblik diplomacije, što s osmanskim visokim dužnosnicima, što sa stranim vladarima i vladaricama. Također, služile su kao savjetnice svojih sinova, a u drugom dijelu razdoblja vladavine žena čak i kao regentice Osmanskog Carstva. Pokroviteljstvo nad arhitekturom, ponajviše kompleksima koji uključuju džamije, tržnice i pučke kuhinje, bio je jedan od najznačajnijih načina iskazivanja moći i bogatstva sultanija koji se nastavio i nakon razdoblja vladavine žena.The topic of this thesis is the period of women's rule in the Ottoman Empire that lasted through the 16th and 17th centuries, and in historiography it is described as a time of decadence of the Ottoman Empire and its dynasty. The initial chapters bring two different approaches of the historians to the mentioned period and then an overview of the hierarchy of the Ottoman harem as well as the ranks that harem women could acquire. Also, the most important roles and functions that the sultan's mother (valide sultan) had in the harem and how the role of the harem itself changed during the period of women's rule, is highlighted in this thesis. The central part of the paper is devoted to the analysis of the political and social activities of each of the sultanas belonging to the period: Hürrem, Nurbanu, Safiye, Handan, Kösem, Hatice Turhan and Gülnuş. By reviewing the relevant literature was established that these sultans practiced their political power through a specific form of diplomacy, both with Ottoman high officials and with foreign rulers. They also served as advisers to their sons, and in the second part of the period of women's rule even as regents of the Ottoman Empire. The patronage of architecture, mostly a complex that includes mosques, markets and soup kitchens, was one of the most significant ways of expressing the power and wealth of the sultanate that continued even after the period of women's rule