The Harem's Blind Sultan: Mehmed the Conqueror's Heir and Palace Power

When Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, died in 1481, his sons Bayezid II and Cem Sultan plunged the empire into civil war. But behind this succession struggle stood a formidable figure: Gülbahar Hatun, Bayezid's mother and the first Valide Sultan to wield real political power. This episode explores how the harem's influence expanded during the reign of Bayezid II, a sultan who was partially blind and far more pious than his father. Learn about the Janissary rebellion that forced Bayezid's abdication, the role of the kızlar ağası (chief black eunuch) as a political intermediary, and how Gülbahar Hatun used her waqf endowments to cement her legacy. We also examine the cultural shift from Mehmed's cosmopolitan humanism to Bayezid's orthodox piety, and how the harem's power structure adapted. For listeners who know Hürrem and Kösem, this is the earlier story of how the Sultanate of Women began to take shape. #GülbaharHatun #BayezidII #CemSultan #MehmedII #JanissaryRebellion #kızlar ağası #ValideSultan #Harem-iHümayun #OttomanEmpire #SultanateOfWomen #TopkapıPalace #Waqf #OttomanHistory #HaremPolitics #DynasticStruggle #MiddleEastHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo