Anastasia Gavrilovna Lisovskaya. Life Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan: a real biography and legend
Great courage and wisdom were in the character of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. The biography of this beautiful Ukrainian girl is full of both festive events and bitter suffering. Behind the mask of inaccessibility was a soft and creative nature, which could support a conversation on any topic. A conversation with such a woman brought tremendous pleasure to men, which bribed the Turkish Sultan in her.
This publication will discuss the most important moments in the life of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. The biography, photos and other materials presented in the article will help you get to know this outstanding personality better.
unknown birth
The place of birth and the very origin of Roksolana is still a controversial issue in historical context. The most common version is that the beauty was born in Ukraine in the Ivano-Frankivsk region and was the daughter of an Orthodox priest.
Her name at that time was truly in Russian - Alexandra or Anastasia Lisovskaya, but after being captured by the Turks, she acquired a new name - Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. The biography, the years of life that are written in it, are also in doubt, but historians still identified the main dates: 1505 - 1558.
There are many disputes about the origin of the girl, but the main events in her fate were captured on parchments in Ukrainian and Polish annals. Thanks to them, it is possible to deduce the further life line of the eminent Turkish captive.
fateful turn
The biography of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Haseki Sultan has changed after one event.
When she was only 15 years old, small city Rogatin, where she lived with her parents, was raided by the Crimean Tatars. The girl was captured, and some time later, after several resales, she found herself in the harem of the Turkish Sultan. There she acquired her new name - Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.
Relations between other concubines were very strained and, one might even say, "bloody". The fault was one case, which is openly described in various historical annals.
After arriving in the harem, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska became the clear leader and earned the Sultan's great favor. Another concubine of Suleiman, Mahidevran, did not like it, and she attacked the beauty, scratching her face and body.
This case became egregious, the ruler was angry, but after that Roksolana became his main favorite.
Submission or love?
The benevolence of the Turkish master enchanted the beautiful Hürrem Sultan, whose biography amazes with its amazing facts.
Having received a special status and having secured the trust of the master, she asked to be in his personal library which greatly surprised Suleiman. After he returned from military campaigns, Roksolana already knew several languages and could keep up a conversation on any topic, from culture to politics.
She also dedicated poems to her master and danced graceful oriental dances.
If they brought new girls to the harem for selection, she could easily eliminate any competitor, putting her in a bad light.
The attraction of Roksolana and the Sultan was visible to everyone who was somehow familiar with their society directly. But the established canons could not allow marriage between two people in love.
Against everything and everyone
But still, the biography of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan was replenished with such significant event, how's the wedding. Contrary to all the rules and condemnations, the celebration took place in 1530. This was an unprecedented event in the history of the royal Turkish community. From time immemorial, the Sultan had no right to marry a woman from the harem.
The wedding ceremony had an unprecedented scale. The streets were decorated with colorful decorations, musicians were playing everywhere, and locals were incredibly excited about what was happening.
There was also a festive performance, which included numbers with wild animals, magicians and tightrope walkers.
Their love was boundless, and all thanks to the wisdom of Roksolana. She knew what to talk about, what not, where to remain silent, and where to express her opinion.
During the war period, when Suleiman expanded his territories, the beautiful Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska wrote touching letters that conveyed all the bitterness of parting with her beloved.
procreation
After the Sultan lost three children from previous concubines, he persuaded Roksolana that they should have their own children. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, whose biography was already full of difficult events, agreed to such a decisive step, and soon they had their first child named Mehmed. His fate was rather difficult, and he lived only 22 years.
The second son, Abdullah, died at the age of three.
Then Shehzade Selim was born. He is the only heir who survived his parents and became the ruler of the Ottoman Empire.
The fourth son, Bayezid, ended his life tragically. After the death of his mother, he opposed his older brother Selim, who already ruled the empire at that time. This angered his father, and Bayezid and his wife and sons decided to flee, but he was soon found and executed along with his entire family.
The youngest heir, Janhangir, was born with a congenital defect - he was a hunchback. But despite his shortcomings, he developed intellectually well and was fond of poetry. He died at the age of approximately 17-22 years.
The only daughter of Roksolana and Suleiman was the Turkish beauty Mihrimah. The girl's parents adored her, and she had all the luxury of her father's royal estates at her disposal.
Mihrimah received an education and was engaged in charity work. It was thanks to her activities that two mosques were built in Istanbul, the architect of which was Sian.
When Mihrimah died of natural causes, she was buried in a crypt along with her father. Of all the children, only she was awarded such an honor.
The role of Roksolana in culture
The biography of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan was full of educational activities. She took care of her people, who were commanded by her beloved husband.
Unlike all other concubines, she received special powers, and also had financial privileges. This led to the fact that religious and charitable houses appeared in Istanbul.
Throughout her activities outside the royal court, she opened her own foundation - Külliye Hasseki Hurrem. Its activity developed actively, and after some time a small Aksrai district appeared in the city, in which residents were provided with a whole range of housing and educational services.
historical footprint
Unsurpassed and indestructible Hürrem Sultan. The biography of this woman shows the world the spirit of the Slavic nation. She was helpless and weak right after her arrival in the harem, but life's troubles made her spirit stronger.
After rising to the "pedestal" in the royal community, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was still unable to maintain her status, even after the birth of her first son. Her duties included the birth of a military spirit in the child, because he was to become the next ruler of the empire. Therefore, she went to the provinces in order to focus on raising her first child.
Many years later, when she and the Sultan had other sons, and they came of age, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska returned to the throne and occasionally visited her children.
A great many negative rumors were spread around her, which created the image of a woman with a steely, tough character.
pernicious sympathies
The beauty and life of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, whose biography hides a lot interesting facts, was always under the cruel sight of the local elites of society. Suleiman could not stand any sidelong glances towards his wife, and those who dared to sympathize with her were immediately sentenced to death.
There also took place back side medals. Roksolana took the most severe measures to those who sympathize with another country. In advance, in her eyes, this man became a traitor to his homeland. She caught a lot of those people. One of the victims was a state entrepreneur Ottoman Empire Ibrahim. He was accused of excessive sympathy for France, and he was strangled by order of the ruler.
But still Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, whose biography became the most mysterious in the history of the Ottoman Empire, tried to adhere to the created image - a family woman and a good mother.
Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan: biography, cause of death
Her exploits and reforms for the state were significant, especially for women and their children, but sometimes cruel punishments spoiled her image of an exemplary and kind woman.
The difficult life of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, whose biography contains many secrets and a tape of bleak events, ended with the fact that at the end of the journey she had a very difficult health.
The children and husband did everything in their power, but the beautiful Roksolana was fading before our eyes.
Everyone hoped for a speedy recovery Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. The cause of death actually remains a controversial issue. It is officially said that Roksolana was poisoned. All available medicine was powerless at that time, and on April 15 or 18 in 1558 she died. A year later, the body of the ruler was transferred to a domed mausoleum, the architect of which was Mimar Sinana. The tomb was decorated with ceramic tiles with drawings of the Garden of Eden, as well as texts of poems carved on them, written in honor of Roksolana's charming smile.
Roksolana
Real name - Anastasia Gavrilovna Lisovskaya (born c. 1505 - d. 1561)
Beloved wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I Kanuna.
It is very difficult to talk about Roksolan. Between us lies a period of almost four and a half centuries, which contains very contradictory information of a different nature - from historical chronicles to legends, from dry figures to emotional works of art, including a series created by Ukrainian filmmakers. Interest in the personality of this peculiar woman, who lived in the Renaissance, has not weakened to this day.
First half of the 16th century was a time when the Turks, together with the Tatars subject to them, mercilessly plundered the territories of southeastern Europe. " Holy war"Muslims for their faith had the goal of enslaving Christians and justifying any atrocities. In 1512, a wave of devastating raids reached modern Western Ukraine, which was then under the rule of the Commonwealth. Historians believe that an army of 25 thousand people participated in this attack. The invaders marched from the lower reaches of the Dnieper to the Carpathians. The ruin and grief brought by them were so great that they still live in folklore as notches in the memory of Turkish captivity and the image of a fierce enemy. The mournful roads of slaves stretched across all of Ukraine - to the Crimean city of Kafu (modern Feodosia), to the largest slave market, and then across the sea to Istanbul. This path was made, among other Polonyankas, by a girl of 12-14 years old, a priest's daughter from the town of Rogatin (now Ivano-Frankivsk region) Nastya Lisovskaya.
Many write that it was sold first in the Cafe, and then in the "women's" market in Istanbul - already as a selected product. However, there is a version that it was donated to the vizier Rustem Pasha as a military trophy. And this is a very important point, since a woman-commodity, that is, a “purchased thing”, according to Sharia law, could not become the wife of a sultan or caliph. Only a free woman had the right to give birth to an heir to the throne. At the same time, all other male babies born from the ruler were destroyed.
This means that Nastya was a conspicuous Polonyanka, who was immediately distinguished from others by external data. Far from her homeland, among strangers, this girl did not lose heart, but retained her liveliness of character and cheerfulness, as evidenced by the nickname Khurrem (cheerful, laughing). Once in the palace of the Sultan, in his harem, where there was a fierce struggle for a place ... no, not under the sun, but near the sun-like ruler, on whose whim the future and the very life of the concubine depended, the girl could only rely on herself and on luck.
Nastya was called simply - Roksolana, originating from Roksolania (then Ukraine was called that after the name of the Iranian-speaking nomadic tribes that inhabited the Northern Black Sea region from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD). And they began to prepare for a meeting with the Sultan, if she deserved it. Nastya showed intelligence and patience, diligently studied everything that was supposed to be mastered: the language (perhaps not only Turkish), the history and culture of the country, its customs, religion, and also playing music, singing, dancing, court order and etiquette, and finally, art to appease ... All this was closely followed by the hostess of the harem Valide Sultan (mother of the Sultan) and the chief eunuch. After 2-3 years, they found it possible to present Roksolana before the clear eyes of Suleiman I, arranging a holiday in the palace for this. From that day, in fact, her incredible fate began.
Roksolana managed to win the heart of a powerful ruler, moreover, she immediately became an odalisque (on the hierarchical ladder of the harem, these are women with whom the Sultan spent nights and who got a chance to give birth from him), and soon her beloved wife (it is believed that the only one; those that were before her - does not count), who gave Suleiman five children. But even this was not enough to become a worthy life partner for such a person as the Sultan was.
Suleiman I went down in history with the nickname Kanuni (Legislator), as he managed to streamline and make many laws of the Ottoman Porte immutable for centuries. He ruled the empire from 1520 to 1566. and ensured the maximum expansion of its borders and the highest flourishing. He was a wise diplomat and a sober politician who determined the nature of relations with this or that state. The lines of the Koran taught the faithful: whoever has at least one Christian slave cannot be considered poor. The successful commander gained untold wealth, and with them one more title - the Magnificent.
Numerous ambassadors and guests were struck by the luxury of the Sultan's Topkapi Palace. But they were also amazed at the many talented people with whom the ruler surrounded himself. These were theologians, poets, architects, musicians who made up the glory of Ottoman culture. For example, Khoja Sinan erected the Suleiman Mosque (Suleimaniye) in the center of Istanbul, which is still an unsurpassed work of architecture. The Sultan was proud of his mosques, and madrasahs (schools), and the hospital, and the inn, and the library, and baths as an integral part of Muslim life.
But foreigners were no less surprised by the Sultan's affection for one wife - Roksolana, who reigned among the hundreds of beauties of the harem. According to the chronicles and notes of the ambassadors, Hurrem Sultan did not just accompany the ruler. Never even showing an equal position with him (it was like death), she nevertheless gave the impression of a person who surpassed him in many ways - primarily with charm and refined manners, erudition in various fields of knowledge and awareness. She spoke five European languages and therefore freely communicated with guests, and also sang and danced wonderfully, composed poetry. Roksolana was a friend and assistant of the Sultan in his affairs, and when he left for the next campaign, in fact, she ruled the state.
Such a rise may seem incredible. But in Turkey there has long been a law that forbade the ruler to marry the representatives of the noble families of other countries in order to maintain independence in political decision-making. Therefore, any slave of the Sultan's harem could become a wife, if she corresponded to physical and spiritual qualities. Nastya did not miss her chance. At the age of 16, she converted to Islam and became the legal wife of the 25-year-old Sultan. After a couple of years, her appearance did not differ from oriental women. She also had to show Eastern wisdom and even cruelty in order to stay on the throne and clear the way to it for her son, who ruled under the name Selim II (Redhead) in 1566-1574.
Regarding the atrocities of Roksolana, opinions differ. Perhaps some researchers exaggerate them, while others almost canonize her image. But, of course, it is impossible to completely discard the assumptions that have come down to us. There is a version that Roksolana, through intrigue and slander, got rid of the previous wife of the Sultan named Cherkeshenka and her children, primarily Mustafa. He was the legitimate heir to the Sultan's title, but, having become the ruler, he would have destroyed all the children of Roksolana. The second defeated colossus was the one who held the highest post in Suleiman's empire - Ibrahim Pasha (Rustem Pasha), who on behalf of the Sultan handled important state affairs and helped Mustafa rule in one of the subject lands. To this vizier, Roksolana married her 12-year-old daughter, with her help she "found" indisputable evidence of a conspiracy against the sultan and destroyed both the vizier and the heir with one blow. It was a life-and-death struggle. When Roksolana won it, she actually became the ruler of a powerful empire. She spared neither the sons of the Circassian, nor her own, so that the path of the chosen successor Suleiman was straight. True, this lucky man did not justify the hopes of his mother. He remained in the memory of his descendants as Selim the Drunkard. That says it all. It started the decline of the Ottoman Empire.
They say that Roksolana's cruelty was horrified even by the Sultan's mother, who came from the Girey family - the rulers of the Crimea and was accustomed to deceit and cold-blooded destruction of opponents in the struggle for power. She loved the Circassian woman and her grandchildren from her, she did not survive their loss and soon died. The people of Topkapi were afraid of Sultana Hurrem, and behind the walls of the palace, people did not even dare to whisper about what was happening there. Hundreds of objectionable, dangerous or careless perished in the capable hands of dilzis - executioners with their tongues torn out. They say that two doors led from the chambers of the Sultan's wife - one to the treasury, and the other to the prison, from where there was a direct path to the waters of the Bosphorus. But who can know for sure now?
At the same time, it is known that Khurrem Sultan contributed in every way to the prosperity of Istanbul, expanding contacts with European powers. In particular, she created a trading clan of “merchants of the court”, who supplied goods from the West, converted the piers of the Golden Horn to include large merchant ships. On the site of the slave market, she opened a kitchen for the hungry, a school for young people, a home for the mentally retarded, and was engaged in other types of charity. After her, several mosques remained in the city, built with her own money.
Even after reading in general terms the biography of Roksolana, one can imagine incredibly hard life in the closed world of palace intrigues, in constant fear of being dropped or destroyed. Life away from native land and close people, without any hope of ever seeing them again, which means - in inexpressible longing (such is the Slavic soul). She, of course, had influence on the Sultan, but not enough to save her fellow countrymen from suffering. During his reign, Suleiman undertook more than 30 trips to Ukraine. And this, too, was the pain of Roksolana. She was tormented by the utmost clarity regarding the fate of her children, since only one of them acquired the right to exist and reign. Did she love Suleiman, her husband and enemy, who kept her captive all her life? In any case, she had no other close person in Topkap. And every time she looked forward to his return from the campaign, as a wife should, fearing for his life. So, for her own ... One can only bow before the courage of this woman.
Roksolana lived for about 55 years. Suleiman mourned his Hurrem, outliving her by five years. Their octagonal tombs stand side by side, near the majestic mosque of Suleiman, which in itself is an honor unprecedented among the Ottomans. It was awarded to Roksolana, who ruled in the "male" empire. And Suleiman the Magnificent won the respect of the monarchs of Europe, not least by the fact that he lived for forty years in a monogamous marriage (in fact, neglecting one of the Sharia laws, because the Prophet had four wives). And this chosen one of fate was our Roksolana - Anastasia Gavrilovna Lisovskaya. As the Ukrainian writer P. Zagrebelny wrote in the preface to his novel “Roksolana”, her life is “the story of the struggle of an unknown girl and woman for her personality, for saving and preserving herself, and then to rise above the environment, perhaps over the whole world."
This text is an introductory piece. From the book Forgotten Jerusalem. Istanbul in the light New Chronology author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich3.12. Roksolana The wife of the biblical king Solomon was the daughter of the EGYPTIAN PHARAOH. The Bible says: “And he took PHAROOH’S DAUGHTER for himself and brought her into the city of David… Solomon intermarried with PHARAOH, KING OF EGYPT, AND TAKEN PHAROOH’S DAUGHTER FOR HIMSELF, and brought her into the city of David” (1 Kings 2:35, 3:1) .AT
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