Sulejman Veličanstveni Epizode: Safiye #Sultan was the favourite consort of Ottoman Sultan #Murad III and #valide sultan to her son Mehmed III. The identity of #Safiye has often been confused with that of her #Venetian mother-in-law, Nurbanu, leading some to believe that Safiye was also of Venetian #descent, descended from Venetian Governor of #Corfu, captured by Muslim pirates and presented to the Sultan's harem in 1562. However, new sources show that Safiye was #Catholic #Albanian (her Name was possibly Sofia), from the village of #Rezi in the #Dukagjin #mountains. In 1563, at the age of 13, she was presented as a #slave to the future Murad III by #Hüma, a granddaughter of #Suleiman the Magnificentand Hürrem Sultan. Given the name Safiye ("the #pure one"), she became a concubine of Murad (then the eldest son of Sultan #Selim II). In 1566, she gave birth to Murad's son, the future #Mehmed III. Safiye maintained good relations with England. She persuaded Mehmed III to let the #English #ambassador accompany him on campaign in Hungary. One #unique aspect of her career is that she corresponded personally with #Queen Elizabeth I of #England, volunteering to petition the Sultan on #Elizabeth's behalf. The two #women also exchanged gifts. Source: -Peirce, Leslie Penn (1993). The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. Studies in Middle Eastern History. New York: Oxford University Press. - Safiye Sultan, Ottoman sultana Written by The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (2005). - Ruggles, D. Fairchild, ed. (2011). Islamic Art and Visual Culture: An Anthology of Sources. John Wiley & Sons. by albanianhistory