Zia Wesley's Blog: The Veil and the Crown - Posts Tagged "turkey"

Aimée opened her eyes. She was lying on a narrow bunk in an unfamiliar cabin. Afraid to move, she scanned the small quarters with her eyes, making sure she was alone. She was, indeed. Her hands shook as she ran them over her body to see if her clothing and person were intact. Everything seemed to be in order, except that her heart was pounding madly and she was beginning to panic. She remembered the pirates rushing into the ship’s salon, looking into one of their faces and seeing the devil himself. She must have fainted. How long have I been unconscious—and where am I? - From The Stolen Girl – Book 1 of The Veil and the Crown by Zia Wesley

Aimée Dubuq de Rivery (born 4th December, 1768) was a French aristocrat and cousin to Rose Tascher de la Pagerie (who would later become one of the most important women in France). Aimée was born on the Island of Martinique, and spent much of her childhood on Les Trois-Islets, the sugar plantation owned by her Cousin Rose’s family. While returning home in July of 1788, from a convent school that she was attending in France, the ship she was sailing on was attacked by Algerian corsairs (pirates) who abducted her.

It is at this point where Aimée’s story moves from history to legend, as few hard facts exist. It is known that less than one year later, a young, blonde, and blue-eyed French woman became the favorite of Sultan Abdul Hamid, the aging sultan of the Ottoman Empire. That young woman was given the Turkish name Nakshidil, and gave birth the following year to a son, Mahmud, who would eventually become sultan himself. It is also common knowledge that the sultan who followed Hamid, his handsome young nephew Selim, developed a fascination with all things French, and petitioned King Louis to send French military personnel to train his Turkish troops. The French also helped the Turks build a foundry to manufacture cannon and balls. A few years later, a French newspaper, printed by a French press in Istanbul, appeared along with a French library.

Might Aimée have perished at the hands of the corsairs or did she, as legend says, rise up from the ranks of the Sultan’s harem to become the first figure of European influence in the Ottoman Empire? It is interesting to note that blonde hair and blue eyes continued to appear in the sultans of the Ottoman line right up to the last sultan of the empire in 1924.

Had Sultan Abdul Hamid been more like his predecessors, he would have had his gardeners strangle Nuket Seza and Mustapha long ago. That was the preferred method used by Sultans for hundreds of years to rid themselves of treasonous officials, unpleasant wives, and relatives who might one day pose a threat to the throne. But Abdul Hamid thought the practice barbaric, and had never employed it himself. He disliked murder almost as much as the Kafes [cage] in which he had resided for fifteen years before assuming the sultancy.

From The French Sultana – Book 2 of The Veil and The Crown by Zia Wesley

Abdul Hamid I was born in 1725 to Sultan Ahmed III and his concubine, Sermi Rabi Kadin. Following his brother’s death, Abdul Hamid became Sultan at the age of 49 after spending fifteen years immured in the Kalfe or cage. Since no contact with the outside world was permitted from the cage, it was fortunate that Abdul Hamid had previously received a good education. Due in part to his lack of governance, Abdul Hamid left many of the administrative powers to his Grand Viziers, who oversaw the authority of the government while the Sultan ruled in an advisory capacity.

Abdul Hamid came to power at the end of the first Russo-Ottoman War of 1768-74 and his reign continued to be plagued by conflicts with Russia. The Treaty of Kucuk Kaynarca, which ended the war, left the Ottoman Empire vulnerable to further incursions by Russia. The provisions of the treaty made the Crimea, which had been an Ottoman principality, an independent state that was heavily influenced by Russia. In 1783, Russia absorbed Crimea by annexation, thus leaving the Ottoman Empire open to a full invasion from the north.

It was in this tense political time that two factions arose within the Viziers of the Ottoman government. The first faction, lead by Gazi Hasan Pasha and Koca Yusuf Pasha (who would later become Grand Vizier to Abdul Hamid) took a more aggressive stance in dealing with the Russian incursion into the Crimea. The second faction, led by the Grand Vizier Halil Hamid Pasha, sought a diplomatic solution with Russia. The diplomatic faction however would falter when rumors spread of Halil Hamid plotting for the succession of Selim III (Abdul Hamid's nephew). For this, Halil Hamid was executed and the faction of Gazi Hasan and Koca Yusuf began the second Russo-Ottoman war of 1787-92 to take the Crimea back.

During the new conflict with Russia, it became obvious that the Ottoman military was badly in need of modernization. Gazi Hasan began a campaign to strengthen the fortresses along the Russian Frontier. Both the sultan and his heir had been campaigning for modernization but were opposed by the Janissaries who believed any change contradicted the teachings of the Koran. French military advisors were brought in to train the Ottoman soldiers in modern warfare and weapons but the Janissaries refused to learn from “the infidels.” Because of this opposition, a new “secret army” was created and trained by the French. French engineers were also brought in to strengthen the fortresses and build cannon factories to supply the new Corps of Cannoneers, Corps of Bombardiers and Corps of Miners. Two new military schools run by French officers, were also established: The Imperial Naval Engineering School and The School of Fortification.

Regarding domestic matters, a series of devastating fires in the capital city of Istanbul (possibly started by Janissaries) resulted in Sultan Abduil Hamid becoming both a benefactor and supervisor of the city. He organized provisions for the city and (influenced by his favorite French Sultana) created various charities including soup kitchens and libraries. He also founded two new mosques: the Beylerbeyi and Emirgan mosques, and the Hiamidiye Library; the first library in the empire founded and administrated outside a mosque.

With his 7 concubines, Abdul Hamid sired a total of 24 children; 10 male heirs of which only two survived. Abduil Hamid died in 1789 of a stroke while reading a dispatch regarding the capture of Oczakov by the Russians. His nephew, Selim III, succeeded him and when he was overthrown, Abdul Hamid’s son Mustapha was crowned. That ended in less than one year with Mustapha’s death, ordered by Abdul Hamid’s son with Nakshidil, who then became Sultan Mahmud II.