Ümmügülsüm Sultan

Ümmügülsüm Sultan was born on 11 February 1708 in the Topkapı Palace.[1][2] She had a twin sister Zeynep Sultan. In 1709 at the age of about two, she was engaged to the elderly Abdurrahman Pasha, a vizier.[3] It was an expensive affair for the pasha. He sent to Topkapı a great number of valuable engagement presents. The engagement cost Abdurrahman more than 10,000 lira. However, he died in 1715 before the marriage could take place.[4][5]

In 1724, her father arranged her marriage to Genç Ali Pasha, nephew of Grand Nevşehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasha.[5] The first of the processions on 20 February 1724, on the occasion of the transfer of the betrothal gifts of Ali Bey from the grand vezir’s palace to the Topkapı Palace, was led by the Grand Admiral Kaymak Mustafa Pasha. The grand admiral was the best man of Ali Pasha.[6]

The procession, comprising the high-ranking members of the two best men’s retinues, and a crowd of elite guards chosen from the private entourage of the grand vezir, entered the palace from the Imperial Gate, and a series of rituals took place in the palace. The sultan’s gifts to Ali Pasha were received, and the marriage contract were signed on 20 February.[7] Eight days later, on 28 February 1724, the trousseau of the princess was transferred from the Topkapı Palace to her palace at Kadırga Limanı.[8]

On Thursday, 2 March 1724, Ümmügülsüm was taken from the Topkapı Palace and transported to the Kadırga Palace which was assigned to her. This final procession included the sultan, the grand vizier and their households, as well as members of the ulema, and various formalities were observed along the way, such as an elaborate acclamation in front of Alay Köşkü.[9]

Ümmügülsüm's wedding celebration rivaled her sister Fatma Sultan. Yet her life was a trouble one. She and her husband soon found themselves in financial straits, and she appealed to her father for help.[4]

Together with Ali Pasha, she had two sons, Mustafa Bey, and Mehmed Bey (died 1737).[3][10]

The Patrona Halil rebellion against her father ended whatever good days Ümmügülsüm may have had, and on 28 November 1732, at the age of twenty four, she died. She is buried in the New Mosque, Istanbul.[3][10]

• List of Ottoman princesses

• Fanny Davis (1986). The Ottoman Lady: A Social History from 1718 to 1918. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-24811-5.
• Mustafa Çağatay Uluçay (2011). Padişahların kadınları ve kızları. Ankara, Ötüken.
• Sakaoğlu, Necdet (2008). Bu mülkün kadın sultanları: Vâlide sultanlar, hâtunlar, hasekiler, kadınefendiler, sultanefendiler. Oğlak Yayıncılık. pp. 613–18. ISBN 978-9-753-29623-6.
• Duindam, Jeroen; Artan, Tülay; Kunt, Metin (August 11, 2011). Royal Courts in Dynastic States and Empires: A Global Perspective. BRILL. ISBN 978-9-004-20622-9.