Esma Sultan

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1778 – 1848

34

Who was Esma Sultan?

HIH Princess Esma Sultana (Turkish: Esma Sultan) (1778–1848) was an Ottoman princess, daughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid I, sister of Sultan Mustafa IV and Sultan Mahmud II.

She was born in 1778 to Sultan Abdulhamid I during his reign. Her mother was Kadın Efendi Ayşe Seniyeperver Sultana, the 4th wife of the sultan. Her brother Mustafa was born in 1779 and Mahmud 1785. Since Prince Mustafa was only 10 years old as Abdulhamid I died in 1789, Her first cousin Selim ascended the throne as Selim III.

Esma Sultana was married in 1792 at the age of 14 only to Kaptan-ı Derya Küçük Hüseyin Pasha, a close friend of Sultan Selim III. Thanks to the high position of her husband, she had important influence over the society. She owned a palace in Divanyolu, kiosks in Çamlıca, Maçka and Eyüp and a waterfront mansion in Kuruçeşme at Bosporus. Her husband died in 1803 as she was 25 years old. She never married again.

In 1807, the Janissaries revolted once more, dethroned and imprisoned Selim III, who was later murdered. They placed his cousin Mustafa, brother of Esma Sultana, on the throne as Mustafa IV (1807–1808). Mustafa IV reigned briefly in an era of Janissary riots. He was deposed in 1808 by the rebels, and his half-brother Mahmud, whose execution he had ordered, came to the throne as Mahmud II. Mahmud II ordered then murder of Mustafa IV and remained so the last male member of the house of Osman I.

Esma Sultana exercised great influence over her brother during his reign of 31 years. Sultan Mahmud II died on June 29, 1839 at her palace in Çamlıca.

She died in 1848 and was laid to rest at her brother's burial place in Mahmud II Mausoleum in Divanyolu, Çemberlitaş.

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Born
Jul 17, 1778
Parents
Died
Jun 9, 1848

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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"Esma Sultan." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/princess_esma>.

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