Roxelana Biography: Death, Wikipedia, Net Worth, Spouse, Height, Age, Nationality

Hürrem Haseki Sultan, also known as Roxelana, was a Slavic woman from Rohatyn, in present-day Ukraine.

Captured by Crimean Tatars, she was sold into the Ottoman imperial harem, where she rose to become Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent’s chief consort and legal wife.

She was the first to hold the title of Haseki Sultan, designating the sultan’s favorite consort.

Profile

• Full Name: Hürrem Haseki Sultan
• Stage Name: Roxelana
• Born: 1504
• Date of death: 15 April 1558 (Aged: 54 years)
• Birthplace: Ruthenia, Kingdom of Poland
• Nationality: Ruthenian
• Occupation: Unknown
• Height: Unknown
• Parent: Hawryło Lisowski ,Leksandra Lisowska
• Siblings: Unknown
• Spouse: Suleiman the Magnificent (m. 1533–1558)
• Children: Mehmed, Selim, Bayezid, Cihangir, Mihrimah, and Raziye
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: Unknown

Early Life And Education

Hürrem Haseki Sultan was born around 1504, in Ruthenia, the Kingdom of Poland—modern-day Ukraine.

She was the daughter of Hawryło Lisowski and Leksandra Lisowska and came from a Ruthenian (East Slavic) Orthodox Christian background.

Following her capture and placement in the Ottoman imperial harem, she was compelled to convert to Sunni Islam.

Although little is known about her siblings or formal education, her ethnic roots were Ruthenian, aligning with Ukrainian or broader Slavic heritage.

Career

Roxelana, born in the region of Ruthenia—modern-day Ukraine—began her remarkable journey under tragic circumstances, having been captured during a Tatar raid and sold into slavery.

Brought to the Ottoman imperial harem in Istanbul, she quickly rose above her circumstances through her intelligence, charisma, and resilience.

Her talents caught the attention of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who broke longstanding tradition by freeing and marrying her.

As Hürrem Sultan, she became the first former slave to be legally wed to an Ottoman sultan and the first to bear multiple sons who remained in the capital, fundamentally altering the power dynamics of the imperial court.

Hürrem Sultan’s role extended far beyond the traditional confines of the harem. She became a trusted political adviser to Suleiman and played an active part in shaping Ottoman policy and court affairs.

Notably strategic, she orchestrated the marriage of her daughter, Mihrimah, to Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha, solidifying her family’s political influence.

Hürrem was deeply involved in succession planning, using diplomacy and court alliances to secure her children’s futures.

Her correspondence with foreign rulers and her direct engagement in state matters marked a dramatic shift in the political agency afforded women within the empire.

In addition to her political achievements, Hürrem Sultan left a profound mark as a philanthropist and patron of public architecture.

She sponsored the construction of mosques, schools, hospitals, and charitable complexes across Istanbul and the broader Islamic world, including in Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.

These efforts served religious and social functions and cemented her legacy as a benefactor of the empire.

Her unprecedented visibility and power signaled the beginning of the “Sultanate of Women,” a transformative era during which women of the imperial family held considerable political and cultural sway in Ottoman governance.

Social Media

Hürrem Sultan does not have a social media account.

Personal Life

Hürrem Sultan was Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent’s legal wife and chief consort, becoming the first former slave and concubine to marry an Ottoman sultan.

Their union produced six children: sons Mehmed and Selim, who later ascended the throne as Sultan Selim II, Bayezid, and Cihangir, and daughters Mihrimah and possibly Raziye.

Her marriage to Suleiman lasted from 1533 until Roxelana died in 1558, granted her exceptional influence within the Ottoman court and significantly impacted the empire’s dynastic succession.

Net Worth

Roxelana’s exact net worth is difficult to determine by modern standards, but she was considered one of the wealthiest and most influential women in the Ottoman Empire.

Her primary source of income came from the daily stipend she received as the Haseki Sultan.