Ayşe Hafsa Sultan, or in short, Hafsa Sultan, was the first "Valide Sultan" of the Ottoman Empire, wife of Selim I and mother of Suleiman the Magnificent.
Background
Although Ayşe Hafsa Sultan’s year of birth is known, historians debate that she was the daughter of Meñli I Giray.
According to an alternative theory, the daughter of Meñli I Giray of the Crimean Khanate was the first consort of Selim I known as Ayşe Hatun, consequently the step-mother of Suleiman the Magnificent. However, Ayşe Hafsa Sultan is only confused with her and Ayesha Begum was the sister of Ayşe Hafsa Sultan and the wife of Sultan Selim I"s brother Şehzade Mehmed. In 1511, she entered the harem of Sultan Selim I, when he was the governor of Amasya, thus securing for him, in the person of her powerful father, a valuable ally in the prince"s struggle for the throne.
Career
During the period between her son"s enthronement in 1520 and her death in 1534, she was one of the most influential persons in the Empire, as her son"s de facto co-regent during these fourteen years, coming second only to the sovereign, which is a point remarked also by the ambassadors of European powers at the Ottoman court. She also had a large complex consisting of a mosque, a primary school, a college and a hospice built in the city. She was also the first Ottoman imperial women who held title "sultan" after her given name, replacing title "hatun".
This usage reflected the Ottoman conception of sovereign power as "family prerogative".
Consequently, the title valide hatun (title for living mother of the reigning Ottoman sultan before 16th century) also turned into valide sultan, made Ayşe Hafsa the first valide sultan. Her period signalled the shifting status of the sultan"s mother and her increased share in power.
Burial place The mausoleum was largely destroyed in an earthquake in 1884, a reconstruction effort started in the 1900s (decade) having been left discontinued, and her tomb today is much simpler than it was built originally.