Nurbanu Sultan

During the reign of Sultan Selim II, Nurbanu Sultan was his favorite consort and wife. Born in Venice and named Rachel Olivia de Nasi, she was abducted and taken to Prince Selim's royal harem where she was renamed Afife Nurbanu Sultan. Her beauty and intelligence, and the fact that she was the mother of the heir-apparent, made her husband ask her for advice as he respected her good judgement in various subjects. When her husband died, her son Murad was away, serving as Governor. Nurbanu realized that his abscence had created the prefect opportunity for someone else to seize the throne, with the Sultan dead and his son away from the capital. Fortunately for her and her son, Selim II had died in the harem and as security and privacy was strict, no one knew of his death. She kept it a secret, hid the body in an icebox and sent words to her son to return to the capital. Murad arrived twelve days later and with the death of Selim made public, their son became Sultan and Nurbanu became Queen Mother or Valide Sultan. Nurbanu is now a formidable figure with great power and far-reaching influence. Her management of the government is very effective and her diplomatic skills impressive.