Hurrem Sultan

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/hurrem-sultan

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Hurrem Sultan born?Circa 1500
2. Where was Hurrem Sultan born?Ruthenia, Kingdom of Poland (modern-day Ukraine)
3. What is the original name?Anastasia Lisovska
4. Who was Hurrem Sultan?Hurrem Sultan was a woman born as Anastasia Lisovska in the early 16th century. She was captured by raiders and later entered the Ottoman Sultan's harem, where she became a powerful empress.
5. How did she become the Sultan's wife?She impressed Sultan Suleiman with her intelligence and charm. He freed her from the harem and married her, which was very unusual at that time.

Harem: The secluded private quarters of a ruler's household, typically housing wives, concubines, and female relatives.
Haseki Sultan: The title for the chief consort or favorite wife of an Ottoman Sultan, a position of significant influence.
Waqf: An Islamic endowment or charitable trust, used to fund public institutions like mosques, schools, and hospitals.
Sultanate of Women: A historical period in the Ottoman Empire (roughly 1541-1656) where women of the imperial harem wielded considerable political influence.