Ayşe Hafsa Sultan

Who was Ayşe Hafsa Sultan?

Ayşe Hafsa Sultan, or in short, Hafsa Sultan, was the first "Valide Sultan" of the Ottoman Empire, second wife of Selim I and mother of Suleiman the Magnificent. During the period between her son's enthronement in 1520 and her death in 1534, she was one of the most influential persons in the Empire, as her son's de facto co-regent during these fourteen years, coming second only to the sovereign, which is a point remarked also by the ambassadors of European powers at the Ottoman court.