everyone knew safiye nadja sultan. the sister of the sultan had, unlike her sisters, had been sent onto the european continent in order to secure a proper education. rumor has it that she was smarter than any man alive. returning to the harem when h...
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"make way for her highness, safiye sultan!" sümbul aga shouted through the harem. safiye sultan, known to the french as "sofie sultan", had been away from her ottoman capital for several years. she had jumped from university to university, making friends of scholars everywhere she went. she had intend to learn more than any woman had done so before. when she was sixteen, she was married to the king of france, something a sultana had never done, marry into european royalty. she was closer in age to her step-daughter, claude, and became a sister-figure, knowing that she could never replace clauce's mother. in 1515, she married the aging king, and less than six months later, she found herself with child. the french court was cold to the queen consort, due to her religion and her ottoman blood. and so, when louis died before she could give birth, all eyes turned to her. the sultana had no idea that that the christians did not murder possible heirs, as they did back home. so she feared that francis, the husband of her beloved step-daughter, claude, wished to kill the child that grew in her womb. francis came to her, and since he was the next heir after her child, decided to take over as regent until her child was born. safiye happily agreed, but still paced her chambers at night. she finally went into labor, surrounded by the ottoman ambassador to france, and her ladies. she pushed and pushed, eventually giving birth to a little boy. safiye had done what louis' first wife couldn't, given him an heir. by his own right, the new prince was the rightful king. but, upon hearing that safiye was in labor, francis plotted. he plotted to take the throne for himself, and had the archbishop of reims anoint him king. upon hearing this, the people gathered to francis' cause. after all, safiye was a foreigner, a muslim, and an educated woman: everything they hated and feared. so, of course they would want her son disavowed. safiye, along with her son and ladies, were put under arrest at her home in reims, where she had resided after the king died. the sultana once again feared for her son. she didn't care what happened to her, as long as her son was safe. safiye cried each night she was in the angelic prison, and screamed when a guard came and took her child from her. francis sent the boy king to the sultan, as a gesture of good will. selim was livid his favorite child was not only locked up, but torn from her only child. he wrote to his daughter, but none of them reached her. he died, not knowing if his child would live or die. the last words he spoke were "sulieman... save safiye..." so, his first act as sultan was to secure his sister's return. hafsa sultan, mother to the sultana and sultan sulieman, happily took in the new sultanzade. as sulieman had an heir, mehmed, safiye's son, was third in line for the throne. he was given a wet nurse. one morning, the doors of her home opened, causing the sultana to dress quickly, and grabbed a fireplace poker, incase she needed to defend herself. fear swarmed her being, waiting for her impending death. but, it never came. instead, claude and her ladies walked into the home, causing safiye to drop the poker and run to hug her. "saf... i finally did it..." the sultana looked at her old friend confused. "what have you done, dear friend...?" claude placed a gentle hand to her friend's cheek. "i convinced francis to allow you to return to constantinople." the once queen consort fell to her knees, her palms moving to pray to allah for allowing her to return. the concubines squealed and hugged each other, jumping for joy with the news. "elizabeth! do you hear?! we're going home!" as her ladies cheered for a home two of them had never known, safiye looked around at claude's ladies. one of them stood out to her, causing safiye to walk over, gently nudging the lady's chin so she could see her face. more specifically, her dark eyes. "and who is this, ma amie...?" the woman smiled warmly and proudly at the woman. "i am anne, sultanım. anne boleyn."
