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4
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OTTOMAN WOMEN
But no matter how much Roxalena plotted, she could not alter kismet.
She did not live to realize her dream of becoming the valide sultana.
Nor did she live to see the twist of fate that set brother against
brother , father against son. She would not see the struggle for
the throne between Selim and Beyazit, which drove Beyazit to take
refuge with the shah ofPersia. She would not see how Süleyman forced
the shah to extradite Beyazit, and how he promptly assassinated
him, as well as the shah and his sons.
Roxalena died in 1558. Her place was occupied
by her daughter Mihri- mah and her granddaughter A ysha Humashah.
Selim the Sot and his son Murad III both preferred women and pleasure
to political matters. Their sisters, wives, and daughters took full
advantage of the weak nature of the pair, dabbling in politics and
securing important posts for their own hus- bands and sons. It was
Mihrimah, rather than his sons, that Süleyman consulted on important
issues. Roxalena had trained her daughter well.
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