Kösem Sultan

Kösem Sultan (Ottoman Turkish: كوسم سلطان; 1589 – 2 September 1651), also known as Mahpeyker Sultan (Ottoman Turkish: ماه پیكر;), was the Haseki Sultan as the chief consort and legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, Valide Sultan as a mother of sultans Murad IV and Ibrahim and Büyük Valide Sultan as a grandmother of Sultan Mehmed IV as well as the official Regent of the Ottoman Empire reigning from 1623 to 1632 during the minority of her son Murad IV and her grandson Mehmed IV between 1648 and 1651. She became one of the most powerful and influential women in Ottoman history as well as a central figure during the period known as the Sultanate of Women.

Kösem's stature and influence were facilitated by her astute grasp of Ottoman politics and the large number of children she bore. One of her sons and grandson required her regency early in their reigns, and her daughters’ marriages to prominent statesmen provided her with allies in government. She exerted considerable influence over Sultan Ahmed, and it's probable that her efforts on keeping his half-brother Mustafa—who later became Mustafa I—alive contributed to the transition from a system of succession based on primogeniture to one based on agnatic seniority.

Kösem played as the head of the government and served as regent to Murad IV (r. 1623–1640) and Mehmed IV (r. 1648–1687). She was popular and esteemed by the ruling elite, had significant political power, and shaped both the empire's domestic and foreign policies. Her early years as regent were marked by unrest and instability, but she nonetheless succeeded in maintaining the government and state institutions. In 1645, Kösem pressured Sultan Ibrahim to launch a largely unsuccessful naval assault on the Venetian-controlled island of Crete. Afterwards, she had to contend with a Venetian blockade of the Dardanelles, which led to the naval Battle of Focchies in 1649, and in the years that followed, merchant upheavals brought on by a financial crisis.

Some historians openly attribute Kösem Sultan's role in the demise of the Ottoman Empire during the 17th century. However, others argue that her policies can be interpreted as desperate attempts to avert a succession crisis and preserve the Ottoman dynasty. She was posthumously referred to by the names: "Vālide-i Muazzama" (magnificent mother), "Vālide-i Maḳtūle" (murdered mother), "Umm al Mu'minīn" (mothers of believers) and "Vālide-i Şehīde" (martyred mother).