Biography
She was of Venetian descent. Her father was the Venetian Governor of Corfu. There are some speculations that her future mother-in-law Nûr-Bānū was related to her.
Safiye was captured by Moslem pirates and presented to the Sultan's harem sometime in 1562. She was given the name Safiye ("the pure one"), and became a concubine of Murad III (then the eldest son of Sultan Selim II). In 1566, she gave birth to Murad's son, the future Mehmed III. Murad succeeded as Sultan on Selim's death in 1574, and Safiye became his chief consort, while Nûr-Bānū became Valida Sultânā. Nûr-Bānū and Safiye wielded great political power; it was the beginning of the "Sultanate of Women". Nûr-Bānū died in 1583, but Safiye continued to dominate affairs.
When Murad died in 1595, Safiye arranged for her son Mehmed to succeed as Sultan, and she became Valida Sultânā - one of the most influential in history. From then until her death in 1603, she was de facto co-ruler with Mehmed.
Safiye is believed to have been strongly influenced by her kira, Esperanza Malchi. A kira was a non-Muslim woman (typically Jewish) who acted as an intermediary between a secluded woman of the harem and the outside world, and serving as a business agent and secretary. Malchi was killed by a lynch mob in 1600.
All the succeeding Sultans were descended from Safiye.
Read more about this topic: Safiye Sultan
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