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A review by doriastories
Empress of the East: How a European Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire by Leslie Peirce
4.0
An excellent account of the life of Roxelana (also known as Hürrem), the consort of Suleiman the Great, sultan of the Ottoman Empire during the tumultuous 16th century. This was an age which witnessed the rise of powerful queens throughout Europe, and Roxelana proved equal to the times. Leslie Pierce does a great job of placing Roxelana within this broader era, as well as situating her firmly where she lived, within the expanding territories of Suleiman the Great.
Roxelana broke the mold for Ottoman concubines in many ways, while simultaneously underpinning her husband’s reign, and that of subsequent sultans and their consorts. Pierce explains the significance of the scattered and limited documentation which exists concerning Roxelana’s secluded but consequential life and reign as Suleiman’s queen. Her work as endower of charitable, religious, medical and educational sites is, in its own way, as enduring and important as her role as the mother of five of the sultan’s sons and potential heirs to his throne. Her extant letters to Suleiman are analyzed and parsed for both style and content, which tells us much about her activities and state of mind.
The book left me wanting to know more about Roxelana-Hürrem, and wishing that there were more to discover. It’s a shame that the primary sources are so few. Unfortunately, she had many detractors who arose in the decades and centuries after her death, and they have been allowed the final say on her character and influence for far too long. Pierce’s work serves to provide a more informed appraisal of the life of Suleiman’s queen, who was a powerful and interesting person in her own right.
Roxelana broke the mold for Ottoman concubines in many ways, while simultaneously underpinning her husband’s reign, and that of subsequent sultans and their consorts. Pierce explains the significance of the scattered and limited documentation which exists concerning Roxelana’s secluded but consequential life and reign as Suleiman’s queen. Her work as endower of charitable, religious, medical and educational sites is, in its own way, as enduring and important as her role as the mother of five of the sultan’s sons and potential heirs to his throne. Her extant letters to Suleiman are analyzed and parsed for both style and content, which tells us much about her activities and state of mind.
The book left me wanting to know more about Roxelana-Hürrem, and wishing that there were more to discover. It’s a shame that the primary sources are so few. Unfortunately, she had many detractors who arose in the decades and centuries after her death, and they have been allowed the final say on her character and influence for far too long. Pierce’s work serves to provide a more informed appraisal of the life of Suleiman’s queen, who was a powerful and interesting person in her own right.