Rabia Sultan | |||||
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Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (Imperial Consort) | |||||
Tenure | 11 November 1692 – 6 February 1695 | ||||
Predecessor | Emetullah Rabia Gülnuş Sultan | ||||
Successor | title abolished | ||||
Died | 14 January 1712 Old Palace, Beyazıt Square, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire | ||||
Burial | |||||
Consort of | Ahmed II | ||||
Issue |
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House | House of Osman | ||||
Religion | Sunni Islam |
Rabia Sultan (Turkish pronunciation: [ɾabiˀa suɫtʰan]; Ottoman Turkish: رابعه سلطان; "spring", died 14 January 1712) was the Haseki Sultan of Sultan Ahmed II of the Ottoman Empire. She was the last woman to have the Haseki title. [1]
Her origin is unknown, but the consorts of the Ottoman sultans were by custom normally concubines who came to the Ottoman Imperial harem via the Ottoman slave trade.[2]
Since, Muazzez Sultan, the mother of Sultan Ahmed had died in 1687[3] before his accession to the throne in 1691, when Rabia became the Ahmed's favorite she assumed the position of the highest ranking female member of the royal family[4] with the title of "Senior Consort".[5]
On 6 October 1692, she gave birth to twin sons, Şehzade Ibrahim and Şehzade Selim, in the Edirne Palace.[6][7] Following their birth, Ahmed presented her the mansion of Bayburtlu Kara Ibrahim Pasha located in Kuzguncuk.[1] Şehzade Selim died in May 1693.[8]
On 11 November 1692, she was given the title of "Haseki Sultan". Rabia was the last woman in history to have this title: after Ahmed II death, the mains consorts of next Sultans were entitled as Kadın, a non exclusive and less prestigious title.[9] Kara Mustafa Pasha, who had been executed in 1683, had left a large amount of assets which had been enlisted in the imperial treasury. In December 1692, diamond froggings from these assets ended up on Rabia's fur coat. She also received a diamond crown from the same assets.[10]
In January 1694, Rabia attended the wedding of Ümmügülsüm Sultan, daughter of Mehmed IV, and Silahdar Çerkes Osman Pasha.[11] On 23 October 1694, she gave birth to her third child and only daughter, Asiye Sultan.[12] Following her birth, Ahmed granted her lands in Aleppo.[12][13]
Gevherhan Sultan, daughter of Sultan Ibrahim, and Rabia's sister-in-law, is understood to have been in great debt, as is demonstrated by Topkapı Palace archives dating 28 November 1694, a substantial amount of which was owed to Rabia.[14]
Some of the debts mentioned were covered by the allocation of Gevherhan's grants from her hass, that is revenue-producing estates to Asiye Sultan, the infant daughter of Ahmed and Rabia,[15][16] as shown in archives dating 1 December 1694.[14]
Rabia was widowed following Ahmed's death in February 1695. On 7 March, her son Şehzade Ibrahim, was put in the care of Valide Sultan Gülnuş, whereas she and her daughter Asiye were sent to the Old Palace in Istanbul,[17] where Asiye died in December 1695.[12][18]
Rabia Sultan died on 14 January 1712 in the Old Palace, and was buried beside Ahmed II in the mausoleum of Suleiman the Magnificent, Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul.[12][19][20]
Her son, Şehzade Ibrahim, who became heir apparent in 1703, after Sultan Ahmed III's accession to the throne, outlived her by two years, dying in 1714.[21]
Together with Ahmed, Rabia had three children, two twins sons and a daughter: