8: New slaves

8-1 Edirne

Pargali Ibrahim said that I would be reunited with my husband, Hasan, as soon as Hasan has completed whatever mission Sultan Suleiman has sent him to do in the east of the Ottoman Empire. Neither Ibrahim nor Hasan would tell me exactly where Hasan is going, nor how long he will be away. I just hope that he returns before my baby is born in six month's time.

My journey to Edirne with Anna von Erdödy provides me with plenty of time to get to know her better. We are about the same age and temperament, and in other circumstances I'm sure we could be friends. As it is, our relationship is confusing. Technically I'm Anna's temporary maid, responsible for tending to her needs. But my role is going to be more complicated than that. I've been given the task of inducting Anna into life in the Imperial Harem as well as being her interpreter and jailer. None of those tasks are normally associated with a maid's duties.

Fortunately my task is suddenly made easier when Anna admits to being able to speak French. While my ability to speak French is far from perfect, it at least means we can have something approaching a normal conversation. It also helps me teach her Turkish, and her teach me Hungarian.

Anna says that she accepts the consequences of her actions, and she appears resigned to her fate. Her husband's failed attempt to free her from captivity has resulted in her no longer being a hostage under the terms of the peace treaty, but the property of Sultan Suleiman to do with as he wishes. And for the moment, he wishes Anna von Erdödy to be confined in the imperial palace at Edirne.

Of course, Anna knows that she is partly to blame for the failure of the Count von Erdödy's men to rescue her. She wasn't a willing bride to the much older man, and she openly admits that she dreads returning to him. So much so that when her secret lover, Nebi, offered her a risky chance to escape with him, she leapt at the opportunity. Unfortunately for her, the outcome was that both rescue attempts failed, and Anna is now effectively Sultan Suleiman's slave. I wish I knew what happened to Nebi, but Ibrahim refused to answer my questions about his fate. I fear that Nebi is either dead or enslaved. Anna must also sense that she will never see Nebi again, and I sometimes see her shedding a tear or two in private.

The journey to Edirne takes several days. Our coach travels no faster than the foot soldiers escorting us can march. I use the time to tell Anna some of what she will need to know about life in the Imperial Harem. My experience, however, is of life in the main harem in Constantinople, and not in one of the several palace harems in the provincial cities. My brief stay in the small harem in Salonica provides me with no guide at all.

Edirne has one the largest Ottoman palaces outside of Constantinople. It was once the centre of Ottoman power until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans seventy years ago. Although Ottoman sultans now rule from Constantinople, Edirne's strategic location still makes it an important commercial, religious and military centre. Many battles have been fought over the last thousand years for control of the city. But both the city and province of Edirne are now well inside the borders of the Ottoman Empire, so its inhabitants have enjoyed nearly two centuries free from invading armies.

The palace complex at Edirne is huge, with well over fifty buildings. It is home to several hundred government and provincial officials, and their families and servants. Anna and I, however, aren't likely to see the inside of more than a few of those buildings, nor meet many officials. I can't remember which pasha or bey is the current governor of Edirne, although he's likely to be the husband of one of Sultan Suleiman's sisters. The palace at Edirne is too important to be left under the control of someone who isn't tied by blood or marriage to the Ottoman dynasty. The sultan ensures the continued loyalty of the governor by linking his political appointment to his marriage to an Ottoman sultana. At least, that's how it works in theory.

Anna gets noticeably more nervous as we approach our destination. I've never been to Edirne before, but I've heard descriptions of the palace. Knowledge of Edirne's history has been drummed into me as part of my training to be a hatun. In the Imperial Harem, being able to hold an intelligent conversation with the sultan is just as important as being able to please him sexually. I do my best to reassure Anna, even though I have no idea what reception we will receive.

We arrive at the palace gate where the officer in charge of our escort hands over a letter from Ibrahim conveying Sultan Suleiman's orders. The guard at the gate passes the letter to his officer, who in turns passes it to a more senior officer. Finally the order is given to allow us to enter into the palace grounds. Our escort and coach driver are replaced by palace servants and we are taken to the side door of one of the larger buildings. Once again there is a delay while the man in charge of our new escort discusses something with the servant at the door. Eventually Anna and I are told to leave the coach and enter the building.

An elderly woman meets us and we are taken to a side room and told to wait. The woman introduces herself as Afife Kalfa, the head servant in this part of the palace. There is nothing to indicate which part of the palace we are in, or what this building is used for, but it doesn't lack for servants. Every corridor seems to have a male servant standing ready to perform whatever task is required of him. A few moments later our baggage is deposited in the room with us. I don't have many possessions, but what I have is valuable and a temptation to any would-be thief. Fortunately all my possessions are still in my bag. Anna and I wait for nearly an hour before Afife Kalfa returns.

"The sultana will see you now," says Afife Kalfa. "Follow me. One of the servants will bring your belongings."

"Which sultana are we to meet?" I ask as we walk.

"Şah Sultan," replies Afife Kalfa. "The favourite sister of Sultan Suleiman."

I've heard of Şah, but I doubt Sultan Suleiman favours Şah above any other of his many sisters and half-sisters. As far as I'm aware, the sultan has very little contact with any of his sisters apart from Hatice. It is his mother, the Valide, who has the task of keeping the sultan's female relatives in line. This usually involves resolving family squabbles and arranging suitable marriages to secure the dynasty's hold over its diverse and expanding empire.

We soon move out of the plain but functional section of this building into an area which is far more luxurious. Plush curtains and ornate furniture decorate the rooms. The ever-present servants wear different uniforms to those we saw earlier. For the first time I see female servants waiting patiently for their next errand. The whole effect is a display of wealth and power, no doubt intended to intimidate visitors. Having lived in the palace in Constantinople, the display is wasted on me, and I doubt Anna is in a mood to appreciate the ostentatious show. We turn into a room furnished with a large sofa on a slightly raised platform. Sat on the sofa is a woman who shares a family likeness to the sultan. She must be Şah Sultan. Behind her stand three young women who are either her daughters or her personal maids. Around the perimeter of the room are several of the uniformed servants.

"The countess, Anna von Erdödy and her escort, Gülnihal Ҫelebi," says Afife Kalfa to the sultana.

Şah Sultan nods in acknowledgement of Afife Kalfa's introduction and, in response to some hidden signal, Afife Kalfa withdraws to stand with the servants.

"My brother places yet another burden upon my poor husband and I," sighs Şah Sultan to nobody in particular as she makes a show of reading Ibrahim's letter again. "It says here that you were a hatun in the Imperial Harem before being discharged and married to a member of the Ҫelebi family."

"Yes, my sultana," I reply, assuming she was asking a question rather than reading the letter aloud.

"Then you may be of some use during your stay here," replies Şah Sultan. "As for the countess, my brother orders that she be treated as a hatun, even though she clearly hasn't been trained as a concubine."

I translate Şah Sultan's words to Anna. Fortunately I explained the harem hierarchy to Anna on our journey here, so she more or less understands what Şah Sultan means. The sultan has granted Anna a small privilege rather than have her treated as a mere odalisque. What difference that will make in practise remains to be seen.

Anna is a married woman, so she'll never become a concubine of the sultan. However, her marriage doesn't protect her from the sexual advances of other members of the dynasty. Şah is older than the sultan, so she's likely to have adolescent, or even adult, sons. By tradition, those sons will be allowed access to the slave girls in the harem unless Sultan Suleiman has expressly forbidden it. In Anna's case, no such prohibition has been stated and I don't know whether that omission is accidental or deliberate.

Şah Sultan instructs Afife Kalfa to escort Anna to the harem. I quickly translate her words for Anna when I realise that I'm not being dismissed as well. To my surprise, I'm invited to sit on one of the large cushions placed in a crescent either side of Şah's sofa.

"My brother must think highly of you to allow your marriage to a member of the Ҫelebi family," says Şah Sultan. "And yet he discharged you from the harem."

"Sultan Suleiman's heart belongs to another girl in the harem," I reply. "He granted me my freedom rather than have discord among his favourites in his harem."

"Hmmm. I've heard rumours that some red-haired girl has bewitched him. I presume she was the one who engineered your discharge."

"I don't know what role she played in Sultan Suleiman's decision regarding me," I reply, refusing to volunteer more information than Şah already knows or can readily guess.

"Still, you have done well to marry into such a wealthy family."

I don't correct Şah Sultan's assumption about Hasan. Ibrahim's letter simply states that Hasan is performing an essential service for Sultan Suleiman. Şah clearly assumes that Ibrahim means that Hasan is performing some senior administrative or advisory role for the dynasty. The truth is very different and far more dangerous. Nor does she realise that Hasan is from a minor branch of the Ҫelebi family, far removed from his rich and powerful namesakes. My presence here with Anna should surely indicate to Şah that Hasan and I aren't wealthy, but she doesn't seem to make the connection.

Şah Sultan quizzes me on the extent of my harem training and seems delighted that I have received the full range of instruction. I'm not certain where this discussion is leading.

"Which languages do you know, Gülnihal?" asks Şah Sultan.

"My native language is Polish, but I can now speak, write and read Turkish confidently. I can understand and speak some Hungarian, Greek, French and Persian, as well as understand a few of the eastern Slavic dialects. I can also read and translate Latin."

"Do you know any English or German?" asks Şah Sultan.

"No, my sultana," I reply. "There were no English or German girls in the Imperial Harem to teach me their language."

"Hmmm. Well there are now. No matter; you will have to do the best you can."

"I don't understand, my sultana," I reply.

"My youngest son, Ahmed, will celebrate his fourteenth birthday in three weeks time. My husband has decided that Ahmed should then begin his training in manly skills. That includes learning the responsibilities and delights of controlling his own harem. My eldest son, Kadir, recommended purchasing newly enslaved girls, and we have recently purchased six girls of suitable age from the slave markets in Edirne. Of course, the girls are raw and untrained, and some of them don't understand a word of any common language spoken within the empire. I want you to teach these girls Turkish. At least, enough to understand orders and to carry out their duties."