Life after the Harem: Female Palace Slaves, Patronage and the Imperial Ottoman Court

by Betïl Ipsirli Argit

Overview

The first study to explore the lives of female slaves of the Ottoman imperial court, including the period following their manumission and transfer from the imperial palace. Through an analysis of a wide range of hitherto unexplored primary sources, Betül İpşirli Argıt demonstrates that the manumission of female palace slaves and their departure from the palace did not mean the severing of their ties with the imperial court; rather, it signaled the beginning of a new kind of relationship that would continue until their death. Demonstrating the diversity of experiences in non-dynastic female-agency in the early-modern Ottoman world, Life After the Harem shows how these evolving relationships had widespread implications for multiple parties, from the manumitted female palace slaves, to the imperial court, and broader urban society. In so doing, İpşirli Argıt offers not just a new way of understanding the internal politics and dynamics of the Ottoman imperial court, but also a new way of understanding the lives of the actors within it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108726252
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/10/2022
Pages:	293
Sales rank:	773,051
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Betül İpşirli Argıt is Associate Professor of Ottoman History at Marmara University where her research focuses on the history of women in the Ottoman Empire, material culture and the history of the Ottoman imperial court. In addition to a number of articles, she is the author of Rabia Gülnuş Emetullah Valide Sultan (1640-1715) (2014) and “Hayatlarının Çeşitli Safhalarında Harem-i Hümayun Cariyeleri, 18.yüzyıl” (2017). She is the recipient of the TUBİTAK Post-Doctoral fellowship in Turkey.

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. The Imperial Harem and Its Residents; 2. Departure from the Imperial Palace and Changing Relationships with the Imperial Court; 3. Marriage Patterns; 4. Residential Districts and Relations with Society; 5. Material World: Fortunes and Possessions; 6. Charitable Activities: Architectural Patronage and Endowments.