Safiye Sultan (mother of Mehmed III)
Safiye Sultan (Ottoman Turkish: صفیه سلطان; "the pure one" c. 1550 – after 1619) was the Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Sultan Murad III and Valide Sultan as the mother of Mehmed III. Safiye was one of the eminent figures during the era known as the Sultanate of Women. She lived in the Ottoman Empire as a courtier during the reigns of seven sultans: Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II, Murad III, Mehmed III, Ahmed I, Mustafa I and Osman II. After the death of Selim II in 1574, Murad took the throne as the new sultan in Constantinople. Safiye was by his side and moved with him to Topkapi Palace; less than a year into his reign she received the title of Haseki Sultan and was given a higher rank than the sultan's own sisters, Şah Sultan, Gevherhan Sultan, Ismihan Sultan and Fatma Sultan.