Life after the Harem
Female Palace Slaves, Patronage and the Imperial Ottoman Court

The first study exploring the lives of female slaves of the Ottoman imperial court, drawing from hitherto unexplored primary sources

Betül ?p?irli Argit (Author)

9781108488365, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 October 2020

304 pages
24 x 16 x 2.5 cm, 0.75 kg

'… a masterful work that asks entirely new questions. … Dr Arg?t's study provides new and profound insights into the social history of the non-dynastic women of the Ottoman harem. It breaks new ground in tracing their lives and roles in society post-manumission, thus widening the scope and nuancing the scholarship on free and unfree lives in the Ottoman era.' Nur Sobers-Khan, Journal of Early Modern History

The first study to explore the lives of female slaves of the Ottoman imperial court, including the period following their manumission and transfer from the imperial palace. Through an analysis of a wide range of hitherto unexplored primary sources, Betül ?p?irli Arg?t demonstrates that the manumission of female palace slaves and their departure from the palace did not mean the severing of their ties with the imperial court; rather, it signaled the beginning of a new kind of relationship that would continue until their death. Demonstrating the diversity of experiences in non-dynastic female-agency in the early-modern Ottoman world, Life After the Harem shows how these evolving relationships had widespread implications for multiple parties, from the manumitted female palace slaves, to the imperial court, and broader urban society. In so doing, ?p?irli Arg?t offers not just a new way of understanding the internal politics and dynamics of the Ottoman imperial court, but also a new way of understanding the lives of the actors within it.

Introduction
1. The Imperial Harem and Its Residents
2. Departure from the Imperial Palace and Changing Relationships with the Imperial Court
3. Marriage Patterns
4. Residential Districts and Relations with Society
5. Material World: Fortunes and Possessions
6. Charitable Activities: Architectural Patronage and Endowments.

Subject Areas: History of other lands [HBJQ], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1], Regional & national history [HBJ], History [HB], Humanities [H]