Blog #4 2/9/09

Conflict: Uncertain Boundaries of Power

I thought that the most interesting section of this weeks readings were in Leslie Pierce's book "The Imperial Harem." The section was entitled, "Conflict: Uncertain Boundaries of Power," and connected the powers of the valide sultan to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The valide sultan was literally, the Sultans mother and her power was directly connected to the power of the sultan. Though obviously the valide sultans power did not touch the equivalence of the sultans, the valide sultan, "acquired public status and a claim to legitimate authority in government." I also found it extremely interesting that Pierce noted the tensions that were formally fused between father and son were transferred to mother and son. I thought that this was amazing because it showed that the Ottomans not only had great tolerance of religion but also were capable of allowing female prescence in important government positions. Even though Pierce noted that there was tension between the valide sultan and sultans relationship, I was slightly confused when Pierce commented, "The most difficult task of a sultan was surely to recognize which of his intimate advisers offered counsel that was most beneficial to the stability and the well-being of the Empire and thus to the security of his throne." This is because even though the valide sultan claimed some power and thus may have created tension between the sultan and herself; I beleive that there still should be a huge amount of trust and confidence between the two powers.