Harem

Grabbed by Orientalism

The haremlik (Ottoman Empire)

The harem of the Othoman sultans was an almost autonomous company, organized and treated on a hierarchical basis where could be woven all kinds of plots. The poison could be used for eliminating a rival or eliminating from the applicants to the succession and making it possible his/her own children to become in their turn sultan.

Structure of the harem

the Sultana Valide (Turkish: validates , `' mother''), mother of the sultan, it is excluded from the harem with died of his/her son.
the wives of the sultan, they can be four (sometimes six or even eight).

* “Baš Haseki”, the first wife is the mother of the heir to the title of sultan.

* the “Haseki Sultan”, mothers of heir (S) presumptive (S) under sultan. They are recluses and cannot remarier with died of the sultan. They are excluded from the harem if them (S) sons (are) died (S).

* “Haseki Kadin”, mothers of girls. They can remarier with died of the sultan.

In lower part, all the women were slaves, none was not Moslem since a Moslem woman cannot be reduced in slavery.

* concubines (Turkish: hassodalik ) or the lucky ones (Turkish: ikbal ). If they have a child, they can become wives.

* noticed (Turkish: gözde )

* the graduate ones of the school of the harem

* the trésorière of the harem is the administrator of the budget: she has an unquestionable capacity in the organization of the harem

* the pupils of the school of the harem. They studied there the music, the song, the dance, the poetry and arts of the love, the Turkish and the Persan. The majority were intended to marry officers or civils servant.

* the eunuques ones and women of service.

Political office of the harem

The Western popular imagery made Othoman harem a “Lupanar of modern times”. In fact, the harem has a very strong political office within the Ottoman Empire with its apogee (15th century-17th century). One can distinguish at least two periods.

* Before Soliman the Magnificent the, the harem is the framework with the function of reproduction of the sultanate essential with the perenniality of the Empire. More the beautiful women of the Empire (and besides) there are primarily selected by the mother of the sultan in order to find a woman whom will like her son but especially enough intelligent to be able to educate the heir to the empire. Each woman chosen by the Sultan among tens of concubines can have only one son. Then the sultan cannot any more touch it but must have other concubines to produce new male children and to protect the dynasty. With its death, the elder one of its surviving sons will have to make assassinate by strangulation his/her half-brothers. On the furnace bridge of the reason of State, many transfers of power thus cruelly occurred until the 17th century.

* During the reign of Soliman, the role of the harem becomes much more political under the influence of his wife Hürrem (Roxelane for the Occident) who will give several male children to Soliman. Hürrem also will transform the harem into anteroom of the capacity and will use it to impose a “reign of the women” which will last more than one century and half. The queen-mother will seize there a power comparable with the influence of a Marie de Médicis in France at the same time. The harem then becomes a true State in the State where the most alleviating functions as the service of the coffee becomes an policy issue. The number of concubines passes to more than 600 women. Certain successors of Soliman will have more than twenty children of different women.

The choice of the concubine in the harem

Many women are removed but many women remain in the harem by choice. Freedom is supervised. When the sultan goes down in the harem, each concubine seeks to allure it. The massage, the dance and the music are essential there. The concubine is supposed to be virgin.

The role of the eunuques ones

The Eunuque S are always black, so that one is sure that none of them can generate a heir to the throne. After castration (with a high death rate), they are formed with their future role.

They are supposed to only take care of the virginity and the maintenance of law and order in the harem. But after Soliman, they will have a crucial role of messengers between the kingdom of the women and the remainder of the palate. They are the only ones which can make the shuttle between the two worlds.

They must often show authority to separate from the ready women entretuer to save their son of an unquestionable death if their brother becomes sultan (case of Hurrem and the mother of Mustafa who missed entretuer)

The zenana (Moslem India)

Following the Moslem conquest of the Indies, the Rajput S, in particular, enfermement used a similar strategy of women in structures, parts, started from dwelling or wing palate, called zenana , whose function was to withdraw the women, wives, girls and sisters with the covetousness of the invaders, which probably took part in the degradation of the condition of the women in India. One finds thus a Zenana Mahal or “palate of queens” with Udaipur. Jaipur, the Palate of the winds made it possible to the women to benefit from the spectacle of the street without being seen.

This use, however did not spread in the remainder of the Indian Sous-continent governed by Râja Hindou S.

The harem in Moslem Spain

The largest harem was located at Cordoue during the time of the Western Califat and gathered 5000 people, all roles mentioned above confused.

See too

life of harem, the harem and the palate of the sultans

Seraglio

Internal bonds

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