About the series
Young Anastasia, from Greece, ended up in the harem of Ahmed I. Her beauty earned her the name Mahpeyker. From the sultan, Mahpeyker received the name Kösem, though according to some sources she was never his absolute favorite. Real power came to Kösem only after her husband's death in 1617. The Janissaries deposed the subsequent sultans — Mustafa I, the sultan's mentally ill brother, and Osman II, the eldest son of Ahmed and Mahfiruz, the padishah's first love. By that time, Kösem, kept away from the palace, had managed to marry off her grown daughters to influential Ottoman pashas, surrounding herself with a strong party of allies. After the childless Osman, Ahmed I's son Murad ascended to the throne. Thus began the reign of the most famous Valide, who held the title of regent three times.
