Hurrem Sultan

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Hurrem Sultan (Polish: Anastazja- Aleksandra Lisowska), also known as Roxelana (1502 - 15 April 1558), was one of the most popular Slavic women. She was important both for Ottoman Empire and Slavic nations. She was taken by the Tatars and was brought as a gift to Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Then she became part of his harem and later his wife.

People say different things about her personality. Some think she was patriotic and did a lot for her nation. Others are sure she was mean and selfish.

Roxelana was born in the village Rohatyn in Ruthenia (then an eastern region of the Kingdom of Poland, now Ukraine)

According to Samuel Twardowski's poem "The Great Embassy" (written between 1621 and 1623, published in 1633), she was the daughter of an Orthodox priest from Rohatyn (his last name - Lisowski- appeared later in artistic works)

During the reign of Selim I (between 1510 - 1520), Crimean Tatars took her during one of their Crimean–Nogai slave raids in Eastern Europe. In Istanbul, she was chosen as a gift for Suleiman. Later, Hurrem became Suleiman's favorite in the Ottoman imperial harem.^[1]

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Hurrem was described as an attractive woman who was different from everybody else because of her red hair. She was also intelligent and had a pleasant personality. She loved poetry very much, which is considered one reason why Suleiman liked her more. He also admired reading poems.

Hurrem was also known for being generous. She built a lot of religious, cultural, and resting places for pilgrims traveling to the Islamic city of Mecca. Her greatest charity work was the Great Wall of Jerusalem, a large soup kitchen that fed the poor.

Critics also state that Hurrem was a selfish, manipulative, and angry woman who would kill anyone who stood in her way. Even despite her charity, many people still believe she was not kind.

Pavlo Zahrebelnyi described Hurrem as "an intelligent, kind, understanding, openhearted, candid, talented, generous, emotional and grateful woman who cares about the soul rather than the body; in short, a perfect woman."

She had six children with Suleiman — 5 sons and a daughter, Mihrimah.

• Mehmed (31 October 1522 – 6 November 1543): the first son born in 1521 at Istanbul
• Mihrimah (c.1523 – 25 January 1578): the only daughter
• Abdullah (c.1523 – 1526)
• Selim (30 May 1524 – 12/15 December 1574)
• Bayezid (1525 – 25 September 1561)
• Cihangir (9 December 1531 – 27 November 1553)