Foreword

Historical Setting:

For hundreds of years, until the Ottoman Empire’s final demise in 1922, large parts of eastern Europe, the Middle East, and north Africa were ruled directly, or through vassal states, by the Ottoman sultan in Constantinople. The Ottoman Empire reached the peak of its political and military power in the sixteenth century. The longest serving, and one of the most successful, of the Ottoman sultans was Suleiman I (“the Magnificent” or “the Lawmaker”) who ruled the Empire from 1520 to 1566.

Introduction:

In the spring of 1520, Maria and Alexandra are captured and sold as slaves to the harem of the new Ottoman Sultan in Constantinople. They must quickly adapt to life in the harem and earn the right to be a concubine of the most powerful ruler of the Mediterranean world. The ultimate prize is to bear the Sultan a son who might be the next ruler of the huge Ottoman Empire.

This 10 part fictional story includes some real-life characters (Suleiman, Hürrem, Mahidevran, Ibrahim); some characters from the 2011 Turkish TV series Muhteşem Yüzyil (The Magnificent Century) (Gülnihal, Nigar Kalfa, Sümbul Aga, Daye Hatun) and some characters of my own creation. A number of real life people and events are used as background to sections of the story, but I make no claim to historical accuracy.

Chapter 1 »