Hurrem: The Beginning of the End (The Magnificent Century)

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The narration of this book starts immediately after the demise of the Grand Vizier Pargali Ibrahim Pasha that is attributed by all historians to the Sultan’s favorite wife Haseki Hurrem Sultan efforts to save her children from execution by the popular favorite Prince Mustafa, son of the previously reigning favorite wife Mahidevran-Gülbahar Sultan.
In this book the effects of Suleiman’s weak health that prevented him from organizing so often military expeditions against the Persian “heretics” in the East and the Christian infidels in the West are examined, as well as the effects the gout may have on a middle aged man of that era when no cure or prevention of the debilitating effects was known besides the use of medical plants. Today it is known that this affliction is caused mainly by hereditary reasons, excessive eating of red meat, and drinking, a series of factors that logically may have plagued Suleiman Khan. It is also known that during a gout crisis the pain is excruciating and even touching the troubled foot is an unbearable ordeal.
It is also known in modern medicine that a continuous pain can very seriously affect a person’s everyday mentality as it is not only the pain involved but the ability to walk is also greatly reduced.
It is logical to assume that during such a medical crisis the social behavior of a “mighty” Sultan like Mohamed the Conqueror , or Suleiman Khan might considerably deteriorate especially if his ability to rule or being the absolute ruler was questioned by the acts of a subordinate.
It is also logical to assume that under these circumstances the behavior of a subordinate may also deteriorate, becoming more audacious or even rebellious.
If this a phenomenon related in any way with the appointment of a white eunuch, namely Hadim Suleiman Pasha, as Grand Vizier just before Rüstem Pasha who was later executed for his failure to defeat the Portuguese Navy in the Indian Ocean it is left to the reader to decide. To the author it is one more indication Suleiman Khan had no use at the time for close associates with superior qualifications more or less in the same general direction with his choice of Prince Selim for his successor. This trend was later reversed for some reason, when Grand Vizier Sokollu Pasha was selected; but this is one of the subjects covered in the fifth book of this series.
In the present book a very important new actor appears out of the blue, Nurbanu Sultan a beautiful slave that quickly advances from a Harem concubine to the Prince Selim favorite odalisque. It goes without saying that such a significant rise of a slave could be realized without the agreement of the Sultan or Hurrem Sultan or possibly both. What is also apparent was why such a magnificent female specimen was selected to become the consort of Selim and not some other Prince Heir with less unusual attitudes.
During this period the Ottomans follow a less aggressive attitude in solid ground but turned their attention to the sea, in the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean with mixed results. The occupation of Basra improves their chances in the Indian Ocean but with disastrous results, while on the other hand, their domination in the Mediterranean is further enhanced reaching a historical maximum as Spain, Holland, France and England fight for supremacy in the Atlantic.
In the family and more personal level of the main heroes, the birth of son by Nurbanu Sultan strengthens her influence and Prince Selim’s claims on the Ottoman throne, however despite Suleiman’s affliction he still remains the most important actor of his age, even though other players have started claiming for themselves important pieces of his magnificence as absolute oriental ruler.