I have become fascinated with the Ottomans, Roxelana and Suleiman after watching "The Magnificent Century" a Turkish series that is available through some streaming services. After beginning the series, I wanted to learn more about Roxelana and Suleiman and discover what is accurate and what is dramatic license in the show. That is where Ms. Peirce's book comes into play. When I saw this book pop up I just knew I had to have it. Ms. Peirce does the best job possible piecing together the few fragments that remain regarding who Roxelana was and what she had done while favorite and then wife of Suleiman. I found it very interesting and informative how Ms. Peirce would explain how Ottoman tradition handled concubines and then mother's of sons prior to Roxelana and then how she broke the mold and helped to create a new tradition for women. I learned a great deal from reading this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Ottomans, Roxelana and Suleiman.
Ms. Peirce has done a wonderful job but she, of course, has the same pitfalls of most authors who chose to write about women during this time period in that there just isn't a ton of information. Very little survives of Roxelana's own writings and no one bothered to write down for posterity her thoughts or beliefs. What we have are a small number of letters she wrote and some diplomatic correspondences from people who had their own agendas and biases. Many times Ms. Peirce is forced to make educated guesses or assumptions about Roxelana's motives or involvements in certain events because there isn't anything available from Roxelana's own writings. I walked away from the book sad because of how monumental this woman was for the Ottomans and for their traditions and cultures and yet so very little is known or written about her. If I hadn't watched "The Magnificent Century" I am not sure I ever would've known she even existed. It's hard not to walk away from the book a little melancholy for all the lost history.
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Alexandra/Roxelana/Hurrem given a humanity.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2022
