3: Wartime economies
3-1. Enemies
Life continues as normal in the harem even though we know the sultan and many of his officials are busy preparing for war. We are told nothing about the pending war, although that doesn't stop rumours from spreading like wildfire through the harem. Sümbul Aga discourages us from discussing the war, but he may as well try and stop the sun from shining. One alarming rumour is that the population of the harem is to be reduced, and that some girls will be sent to the slave markets to be sold.
Even in normal times there is a slow but steady flow of concubines leaving the palace and new odalisques arriving. As if to confirm the rumour, Nigar Kalfa says that during wartime the rate at which concubines are discharged increases, while arrivals are limited to girls given to the sultan as gifts by their fathers or local rulers. However, Nigar Kalfa then eases our concerns to some degree. She says that it is very rare for a concubine trained here in the palace to be sold at a public slave market.
Nigar Kalfa's comments remind me of something we learned early in our training. We were told in no uncertain terms that a concubine's primary role is to produce children for the sultan. If a concubine doesn't attract the sultan's affections, or she fails to become pregnant within a reasonable time, then she is useless and is discharged from the harem. Even those girls who remain as odalisques, and who spend their life doing the cleaning and laundry, rarely spend more than six or seven years working in the Old Palace. Those who are discharged are either transferred to a palace in the provinces, or granted their freedom and a suitable marriage arranged. A freed woman can choose to remain single, but she will find life harsh for a woman living alone. There are only two groups of women who remain in the harem for any length of time; those who produce children for the sultan, and those, like Daye Hatun and Nigar Kalfa, who rise in the hierarchy and become indispensable to the operation of the harem.
Among all the gloomy talk there is one piece of pleasing news. Hürrem has been moved to one of rooms on the mezzanine floor which are reserved for the favourites. She is sharing a room with Ayşe. Given their previous spats, Hürrem and Ayşe are probably not the best choice of room-mates, but nobody has dared to challenge the Valide's specific instructions. Not that Hürrem seems to mind. She has spent several nights with Sultan Suleiman over the last week. I suspect there would have been more were it not for the war preparations. The sultan's gifts to Hürrem have been generous. She now owns several new gowns, together with a collection of fine jewellery.
Of course, not everybody has been happy about Hürrem's elevation in status. Mahidevran has her maid, Gülsah, spying on us and making trouble for Hürrem, while Mahidevran herself makes a point of shunning Hürrem. What is worse, the Valide herself seems displeased about Hürrem's rapid promotion. It is undoubtedly Sultan Suleiman who has ordered that Hürrem is to be granted the privileges of one of his favourites. Although the Valide rules the entire harem, she must nevertheless obey a direct order from her son. She has obeyed by doing the minimum required to comply with her son's order. Hürrem's daily stipend hasn't been increased to the level normally paid to a favourite … supposedly because she hasn't completed her training and education. And the Valide must know that placing Hürrem in the same room as Ayşe will cause trouble before too long.
While life is now much more comfortable for Hürrem, she must nevertheless face new challenges. Hürrem has shown remarkable restraint in the face of blatant provocation from Gülsah. I don't know why Mahidevran uses Gülsah in this way. Gülsah is tall and muscular, making her useful when physical intimidation is required. But what Gülsah has in muscle, she lacks in brains. Her mischief-making is often clumsy and obvious. Anybody committing acts of violence in the harem is severely punished, and on several occasions it is only Mahidevran's support which has saved Gülsah from a whipping. Many of the girls are fearful of Mahidevran's power, so they don't complain to the agas about Gülsah's abuses.
Because of my friendship with Hürrem, I must keep a constant lookout for Gülsah's tricks. Since none of us have any means of securely locking our few possessions away, the harem relies on a combination of mutual trust and the threat of execution for anybody caught stealing. Gülsah has already intimidated some of the newest arrivals with the suggestion they might be framed for theft. Unfortunately some of the new girls are too afraid to call Gülsah's bluff. As a result, many of the new girls are coerced into treating Hürrem and her friends as their enemy, and into helping Gülsah with her dirty tricks. Esme and I have had a few instances of mysteriously torn dresses and broken combs. Hürrem is slightly better off since her possessions are kept in her room where even Gülsah isn't allowed to enter. I just hope Ayşe doesn't succumb to Gülsah's threats. Fortunately Ayşe seems content to remain neutral in what is evolving into a factional war within the harem. I'm surprised the Valide allows this situation to continue, but she shows no sign of intervening.
The fateful day arrives when we are told that Sultan Suleiman is about to leave Constantinople to lead the Ottoman army into war. We still haven't been told any details about the upcoming war, so we can only guess where the army might march. Some rumours say the war will be in the east against the Safavids of Persia. Other rumours say the army will march west to capture Belgrade from the Hungarians. If either rumour is true then the war could last many months.
Early in the afternoon the entire harem is gathered to allow Sultan Suleiman to say a brief farewell to his harem. I suspect Hürrem was allowed to join the Valide and the sultanas this morning to say a more personal farewell in private. Sultan Suleiman says a few words to the gathering and then slowly walks along the line of girls to say goodbye to each girl individually.
And then the sultan is gone. We resume our usual routine as though everything is normal. However many of us have a foreboding that things are about to change. The usual lively chatter as we sew and embroider is very subdued. The tension increases between the girls belonging to Mahidevran's faction and the rest of us, and petty bickering breaks out. Nigar Kalfa puts a stop to the bickering, but even she seems concerned that something unusual might happen.
However, despite our initial worries, our daily life remains unchanged for several weeks. Our dancing and music lessons continue, even though with the sultan away there are no entertainments or parties. If this life could continue indefinitely then I don't think any of us would complain. But a whole new set of rumours start to pass through the harem. Stories circulate about opportunist regional governors and corrupt merchants using the absence of the sultan and his army to increase their own power and wealth. There are rumours of political unrest in the provinces … and even riots within Constantinople. The rumours become so frightening that the Valide decides she can no longer ignore the situation.
"Any girl caught spreading alarming rumours will be severely punished," says the Valide to the assembled harem. "There is no threat to your safety and I will not tolerate idle talk about dangers which do not exist. The war will mean we must make economies and we may face shortages for a while. But you are better off than many women in the city who must survive on their own while their menfolk are at war."
The rumours stop … at least for a few weeks. It is only when the gradual changes to our daily routine become more noticeable that the harem becomes unsettled again. As Nigar Kalfa had warned, the population of the harem is being gradually reduced. Some girls have been transferred to palaces in the provinces to replace male servants who have joined the army. Some of the older women, especially those who were Sultan Selim's concubines, have been married off to suitable husbands. We haven't heard of any girls being sent to the slave markets to be sold, but that fear is constantly with us. As a consequence, we all work hard and are on our best behaviour. The tension between the two factions in the harem eases when Gülsah suddenly ceases her mischief.
Many of us have been hoping that Gülsah would be one of the girls to leave the harem, but her position seems to be more secure then ever. Hatice has returned to her own palace with Gülfem, so the Valide now relies on Mahidevran to help her rule the harem. Mahidevran has taken the opportunity to secretly reward her supporters at the expense of the other girls in the harem. Mahidevran has been particularly ruthless in reducing the number of favourites living in the harem. Of the ten favourites living in the rooms on the mezzanine level when Sultan Suleiman departed, only Ayşe and Hürrem remain here in the Old Palace. Three of the favourites have been married to important officials to secure their new husband's loyalty, while the other five favourites have been sent to palace harems in the provinces.
"You had best get ready to say goodbye to your friend," gloats Gülsah to me one morning.
"What do you mean?" I reply.
"The Valide has arranged a marriage for Hürrem," chortles Gülsah.
"But surely the sultan will be displeased when he returns?"
"I doubt it. Hürrem is only a passing fancy for the sultan. I'm sure he will have already forgotten her. Besides, the Valide is acting within her authority. She considers Hürrem's departure as being in the best interests of the dynasty."
I go to find Hürrem as soon as Gülsah returns to her duties in Mahidevran's room. Hürrem is shocked at my news and she initially dismisses it as one of Gülsah's fabricated tales. However, the more we talk the more Hürrem realises that the Valide's actions over recent days mean Gülsah might not be lying. Unexpected meetings and impromptu walks in the palace gardens suddenly make more sense if Hürrem was being secretly observed by her potential husband.
"What can we do?" I ask.
"I don't know," replies Hürrem. "I'm sure Suleiman would never allow it if he was here. But he isn't, and the Valide and Mahidevran have absolute control."
"You could refuse to marry the man," I say.
"Perhaps, but I'm sure the Valide will find a means of making me agree to the marriage. It would be kinder if she sent me to the slave market, but she won't do that for fear of inviting Suleiman's anger. She can claim that a marriage is necessary to obtain financial support for the war from a wealthy pasha. But simply selling me in the slave market is something she can neither disguise nor justify."
I cannot stay with Hürrem for more than a few minutes. I'm not supposed to be in Hürrem's room, and I leave before one of the agas catches me. For the first time since my arrival in the Old Palace, I am genuinely afraid for my future. If Hürrem isn't secure in this palace, then any one of us could be discharged from the harem at a moments notice.