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Handan Sultan

Fourth Valide Sultan of Ottoman Empire from 1603 to 1605

Lived 1570–1605, aged 35Turkey

Turkey PoliticiansPolitician

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Turkey rank#103
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Wikipedia
39 languages
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Rank in Turkey
#103
Politicians
Era
1570–1605
Aged 35

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ChildAhmed I

Summary

Updated 2026-06-01

Pulled the strings behind Sultan Ahmed I's throne from 1603 to 1605, when Ottoman politics ran through the harem. Handan Sultan wielded serious power during the Sultanate of Women—a rare era when mothers actually ran empires.

Biography

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Handan Sultan was a consort of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed III, and mother and Valide Sultan to their son Sultan Ahmed I. She was de facto regent for her son, a politically influential woman during her tenure from 1603 to 1605 for her son. Handan Sultan was one of the prominent figures during the era known as the Sultanate of Women and lived during the reign of three ottoman Sultans: Murad III, Mehmed III and Ahmed I.

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