The true story of the characters in the series still haunts fans. For a long time, the minds of the public were occupied only by Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, whose origin is still controversial. However, Roksolana’s main rival deserves a lot of attention.
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There are several options for Who was Mahidevran Sultan really? before the arrival of Shehzade Suleiman, the future great ruler, in the harem. It is also impossible to say exactly what name the woman had before the birth of Mustafa’s son, or who her relatives were. However, some of the theories are quite interesting.
According to some sources, the beauty with black eyes and refined appearance was the sister of Prince Kanukov, and her name was Gulbahar Kanukova. This family was considered very noble in the North Caucasus. And, if you believe the theory, then Mahidevran Sultan, although not directly, is connected with our first Tsar Ivan IV, who received the nickname of Terrible.
It all began with the Tatar-Russian war in 1521. As a result of those battles, Kazan became a vassal of Istanbul. After nearly 30 years, Grozny returned the strategically important city of Rus’, having achieved a resounding victory over the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean khans of the Girey family. At the same time, Sultan Mahidevran’s brother Ashamuk Kanukov comes to Moscow along with his relatives and collaborators and asks Ivan the Terrible to protect them from the Crimean Khan. A relative of the Ottoman lady and uncle of Shehzade Mustafa even converted to Christianity. According to legend, Grozny himself became Kanukov’s godfather, giving the prince a name in honor of him – Ivan. One can imagine how angry Sultan Suleiman must have been after such news.
If we turn to other sources, we can find another thread that connects Makhidevran and the Russian Tsar. Some believe that the lady was the sister of the Terrible’s wife, Maria Temryukovna. It’s easy enough to believe. According to one theory, Mahidevran’s first name was Malkhurub – and Ivan IV’s second wife actually had a sister, who was named after her birth.
Another fact, for which many have begun to associate these two women who have marked history, is also linked to the names. The fact is that one of the probable fathers of Sultan Suleiman’s favorite is Idar Temryuk. Thus was born the legend that Mahidevran and Maria had the same father. However, it is worthwhile to turn to the numbers, as doubts emerge immediately. Hence, Ivan the Terrible married a Kabardine woman in 1561, when he was 16 years old. At that time, Makhidevran not only lived in exile, but also managed to lose his only son, Mustafa.
Photo source: frame from the “The Magnificent Century” series
