The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire (Studies in Middle Eastern History)

by Leslie P. Peirce

Sex for the Ottoman sultan, as for any monarch in a hereditary dynasty, could never be purely pleasure, for it had significant political meaning. Its consequences-the production of offspring-affected the succession to the throne, indeed the very survival of the dynasty.

Women of superior status in this female society, the matriarchal elders, had considerable authority not only over other women but also over younger males in the family, for the harem was also the setting for the private life of men."

An interesting feature of women's public charity was that a significant portion of it was aimed at helping other women: contemporary histories and testamentary documents show well-to-do individuals making provision not only for female family members and retainers but also for less fortunate women: orphans. paupers. prisoners, and prostitutes.