Fourth Valide Sultan of Ottoman Empire from 1603 to 1605
She maneuvered her third son onto the Ottoman throne, then banished her own mother-in-law and ran the empire as its first recognized regent — all within eight years of entering the harem.
Handan Sultan entered the Ottoman Imperial Harem around 1583, becoming consort to Prince Mehmed. After her husband ascended as Sultan Mehmed III in 1595, she allied with his mother Safiye Sultan to secure the succession for her third son Ahmed, sidestepping older heirs. Safiye kept her distant from power through Mehmed's reign, but his death in 1603 flipped the board: Handan's son became Sultan Ahmed I, making her Valide Sultan at last. She immediately expelled Safiye and her faction, then took control as the empire's first acknowledged female regent, directing policy and statecraft. She's cre…
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