Tims Productions are acknowledged as the creators of The Magnificent Century (Muhteşem Yüzyil) series.

Constantinople, 1530.

1. A mother's dilemma

"Doesn't he like girls?" enquires Hatice.

"Yes, of course he likes them," replies Mahidevran, miffed that her management of her son's upbringing has attracted the close attention of Sultan Suleiman's sister.

"So what's the problem?" asks Hatice. "Why are Aybige and Sadika so upset? You were so careful to choose two girls who would appeal to Mustafa."

Unfortunately Hatice is correct. Sultan Suleiman had ordered that two girls be selected from his harem and given to his son Mustafa on his fifteenth birthday. Mustafa's own private harem of two. As Mustafa's mother, the duty of selecting the girls fell to Mahidevran. She had spent days choosing two girls from the Imperial Harem who would be suitable concubines for her son.

"I worry that Mustafa spends too much time training with the soldiers to understand the more intimate arts of sexual relationships," concedes Mahidevran. "I wish it were otherwise, but Sultan Suleiman insists Mustafa must become an accomplished military leader. I'm in a dilemma."

"If Mustafa is to one day rule the Ottoman Empire, then his military training is essential," says Hatice.

"Yes, I know," replies Mahidevran. "But siring sons is just as important for the future of the dynasty. I'm sure he likes Aybige and Sadika, but he is so rough with them. I can't help feeling he forgets that they aren't like his sparring partners on the training ground."

"If that's all, then I wouldn't worry. So what if Mustafa gets a little over excited when he's aroused? A couple of bruised slave girls is nothing to get concerned about. Tell the girls toughen up and stop their whining."

If it was only that simple. Mahidevran has seen the bruises on Aybige and Sadika. They can't simply be dismissed as the result of over-enthusiastic play during the heat of passion. Sadika also tells a harrowing tale of physical abuse when she's been alone in Mustafa's company. Both girls are from respectable families and have been trained in the gentler arts of love and seduction. But neither girl is physically able to match Mustafa's strength. Even if they could, they are his concubines, so they must submit to his desires.

Mahidevran realises that there isn't much she can do now that Aybige and Sadika officially belong to Mustafa. They are Mustafa's personal slaves, even though they live in the Imperial Harem alongside Sultan Suleiman's slaves. Perhaps Mahidevran should arrange for Aybige and Sadika to be moved to a separate suite in the harem. Their injuries are too easily noticed by the other girls, and the gossip has already reached Hatice's ears. It won't be long before the Valide hears as well. Sultan Suleiman may be ruler of a mighty empire, but it is his mother, the Valide, who rules this harem.

Mahidevran would be even more worried had she known that Sadika had already complained to the Valide about her treatment at Mustafa's hands. It was a foolish thing for Sadika to do, since the Valide would naturally take her grandson's side against the complaints of a mere concubine. However, the Valide has years of experience in managing a harem, so she doesn't dismiss Sadika's complaint out of hand. Instead she summons Mahidevran to a private audience in the Valide's suite.

"You are aware of Sadika's complaints against Mustafa, I presume?" asks the Valide of Mahidevran.

"Yes, Valide," says Mahidevran. "Although I'm sure she is exaggerating."

"Perhaps. But the bruises on her body seem real enough. Too many large bruises to dismiss as being the result of an accident."

"What do you wish me to do?" asks Mahidevran, hoping the Valide might suggest a solution to her problem.

"Your son's education and training is your responsibility, Mahidevran," replies the Valide. "Your efforts to introduce him to the arts of sexual relationships have so far proved unsatisfactory. I will deal with Sadika. You must deal with Mustafa."

"We can't have Sadika spreading her lies around the harem," adds Mahidevran. "Mustafa's reputation will be tarnished."

"Yes. I know," replies the Valide. "Don't worry about Sadika. She will no longer be a problem."

None of the girls in the harem ever finds out what becomes of Sadika. Even Aybige knows better than to enquire. If anything, it reminds her that nobody is interested in a slave girl's complaints. It is possible that Sadika was transferred to one of the imperial family's many smaller palaces in some remote part of the empire. More than likely, though, she was quietly killed by one of the agas; the male eunuchs who police the harem. It's one of the greatest fears among the girls in the harem. Their lives belong to the Ottoman dynasty, and as such, they can be executed at the whim of their owners.

Mahidevran simply tells Mustafa that Sadika was an unsatisfactory consort for a prince and that she is to be replaced. Had Mustafa been older and wiser, he would have questioned why his mother had removed a concubine from his harem without his consent. But in truth, he is a novice in such matters and to him Sadika was simply an easily replaced object to be used for his gratification. A mere pleasure slave. He will miss her though. She was pretty enough, and she did make an effort to comply with his desires. But she had a tendency to cry far too easily. He particularly liked the way she showed genuine fear when he was aroused. That fear fuelled his desire even more, and drove him to be even rougher in her handling. Perhaps he had been a little too rough with Sadika, but that is his princely prerogative.

Mustafa recalls that Aybige seems to manage rough handling somewhat better, although he suspects her display of fear is less genuine. If Mustafa was more attuned to the emotions of his bed partner, he would have realised that Aybige's reaction was not one of fear, but of pure hatred. But both hate and fear amounted to the same thing in Mustafa's mind. It is the resistance to his desires that drives him wild with lust. A resistance which he enjoys overcoming by brute force. He is the master of these girls and they must be made to accept his dominion.

"When will Sadika's replacement arrive?" asks Mustafa of his mother.

"The Valide is helping me choose a girl today," replies Mahidevran.

"Why can't I select the girl?" asks Mustafa.

"The girls belong to your father. You know you aren't permitted to enter the main part of the harem."

"Then select a few and bring them here so that I may choose one."

"Neither the Valide nor your father will permit that. It's only with the Valide's consent that I'm allowed to select a replacement for Sadika. She could have easily refused. Your father may still object should he find out. When she arrives, it's important that you claim the girl's virginity as soon as possible. You father won't attempt to take her back once she's had sex with you."

Mustafa isn't happy. He secretly vows to make the his new pleasure slave pay for his mother's refusal of his perfectly reasonable request. Mahidevran may be his mother, but she is still only a slave. She's not even his father's favourite concubine any more. That title belongs to Mustafa's younger half-brothers' mother, Hürrem.

Mahidevran is unconcerned about her son's plans for his new concubine. She has much bigger concerns. With the Valide's help, Mahidevran must do the impossible, and find a concubine capable of enduring and calming Mustafa's violent tendencies. The choice will be difficult. Now that Sultan Suleiman has declared his love and affection for Hürrem, the number of trained concubines in the Imperial Harem has dwindled to only a handful. Over the last year or two, many of the former concubines have been married off to suitable husbands and have left the harem. Most of the remaining concubines are far too old to be a suitable concubine for Mustafa.

Of course, other alternatives are open to the Valide and Mahidevran. There are a few young girls in the Imperial Harem who are being trained to be a concubine. Their training is being continued just in case Sultan Suleiman should die unexpectedly, and a new sultan ... probably Mustafa ... requires the sexual services of his newly acquired harem. Once those girls complete their training then some of them may be suitable consorts for Mustafa. But the oldest girl in this group is still only eleven years old, and has only recently reached puberty. It will be a long time before she is anything like ready to handle Mustafa's antics in the bedroom. Mahidevran needs a concubine immediately.

The second option is to simply have a suitable girl secretly purchased from one of the abundant slave markets in Constantinople. But that option is fraught with problems. Secrecy is essential but difficult to achieve. The girl must be from a good family, and be well versed in proper behaviour. Something which is impossible to verify in an open market and slave dealers are notorious liars. The chances of finding a suitable girl in one of the local flesh markets are minimal.

The third option is to select a girl from the large number of odalisques in the harem. These girls carry out the mundane chores, ranging from the laundry to the daily cleaning of the harem. They are the drudges who keep the palace clean and pleasant to live in. They are all from good families, but they lack either the beauty or the intelligence to be considered good enough to be trained as a concubine. Normally an odalisque serves in the harem for seven years before being granted her freedom. Most then accept an arranged marriage, but several have chosen to remain as servants in the Imperial Harem.

It's this third group that receives a quick inspection by the Valide and Mahidevran. Most odalisques are quickly eliminated as unsuitable, but six are considered good enough for closer consideration. The Valide summons the six chosen girls to one of the smaller rooms of the harem. Without telling the girls why, the Valide and Mahidevran question each girl, and have the harem physician conduct a medical examination. After an hour of gruelling work, the Valide and Mahidevran decide that a sixteen year old girl named Safie is the most promising candidate. The other five girls are dismissed and Safie's interrogation begins in earnest. Eventually Safie is dismissed and told to report to the chief aga's office later this afternoon.

In Mahidevran's mind, Safie isn't an ideal choice. She's too muscular to be considered pretty ... which is probably why she wasn't selected to be trained as a concubine in the first place. Still, that may prove to be an advantage. Perhaps she'll be more resilient to Mustafa's games. On the positive side, she's of the right age and her body is well proportioned. She's reasonably intelligent, although her education needs to be improved if she's going to be a long term consort for Mustafa. But the long term is something Mahidevran can worry about another day.

The Valide and Mahidevran review the outcome of Safie's interview. Most of it simply confirmed what was already in the harem records. Safie's father was a military commander under King Louis of Hungary. He surrendered at the Battle of the Mohács four years ago. In exchange for his freedom he gifted his eldest daughter to Sultan Suleiman. It's a common practise demanded from newly subjugated leaders. Knowing that one of their offspring is held in the Imperial Harem, and at the mercy of the sultan, tends to dampen any residual resistance to Ottoman rule.

The Valide questions the chief aga about Safie's work in the harem. His report suggests her work is satisfactory without being exceptional. In the chief aga's opinion, had it not been for today's events, Safie was unlikely to rise much higher in the harem hierarchy. The Valide must accept the chief aga's opinion since the abilities and aspirations of an odalisque are beneath the Valide's notice. Safie had probably been hoping to be given her freedom in another three or four years. If that's so, then those hopes are now well and truly dashed. Either Safie succeeds in becoming one of Mustafa's concubines, or she will suffer the same fate as Sadika.