The Most Powerful Woman in Ottoman History Gave Up Her Own Son

In 1640, Kösem Sultan stood at a door and kept the executioners away from her son Ibrahim. Eight years later, she agreed to take his throne, and ten days after that he was strangled in the Kafes, the Cage of Topkapı Palace. This is the story of a mother, a son and a dynasty, told from the Ottoman chronicle of Naima, including the meeting behind the black silk curtain that most retellings leave out. 0:00 The door 0:51 The Cage 2:12 A mother at the door 3:44 The man who left the Cage 5:27 The break 6:46 August 1648 9:30 Ten days 10:54 Why? Sources • Naima Mustafa Efendi, Tarih-i Naima (Ravzatü'l-Hüseyn), vol. 4, Istanbul 1283 AH edition, pp. 322–332 • Historical images: Wikimedia Commons (public domain unless noted below) Image credits • Kösem Sultan, Rålamb collection: Claes Rålamb / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 • Topkapı Palace, the Kafes (exterior): Till Niermann / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 • Tomb next to Hagia Sophia: Acediscovery / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 • Rålamb costume book images: CC0 Some scenes are AI reconstructions and are marked "AI RECONSTRUCTION" on screen. Music created with ElevenLabs. #OttomanHistory #KosemSultan #History