Safiye Sultan (mother of Mehmed III)

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Safiye Sultan (Ottoman Turkish: صفیه سلطان; c. 1550 – January/April 1619) was the favourite concubine of Ottoman sultan Murad III, and the mother of Mehmed III. She was one of the eminent figures during the era known as the Sultanate of Women. She lived in the Ottoman Empire as a courtier during the reigns of seven sultans: Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II, Murad III, Mehmed III, Ahmed I, Mustafa I and Osman II. After the death of Selim II in 1574, Murad took the throne as the new sultan in Constantinople. Safiye was by his side and moved with him to Topkapi Palace; less than a year into his reign she received the title of haseki sultan and was given a higher rank than the sultan's own sisters. Nurbanu Sultan, Murad's mother, was unhappy with Safiye's influence on her son, and wanted to replace her with other concubines from the harem. Safiye even led a faction in the court between 1577 and 1580 in opposition to her mother-in-law and her faction, with the support of Murad's cousins Ayşe...

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