Mysterious prophecy about the powerful queen of the Ottoman Empire

Everything may have been fulfilled with Joséphine, the first wife of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. But the story of her cousin Aimée du Buc de Rivéry is perhaps still controversial.

Liberal childhood

Born in 1768 to a wealthy sugarcane family in Pointe Royale, the island of Martinique, a French colony, Aimée du Buc de Rivéry must have led a free and pampered life.

According to many historians, Aimée du Buc de Rivéry had a childhood that is quite similar to Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie, who later became Queen Joséphine of Emperor Napoleon, grandmother of Emperor Napoleon III. Joséphine once wrote of his childhood: 'I run, I jump, I dance, from morning to night; No one restrains or prevents it'. Aimée and Marie are said to be quite close while growing up in Martinique.

In the book 'The Rose of Martinique: A life of Napoleons Josephine' (roughly translated: The Rose of Martinique: The Life of Josephine) by Andrea Stuart, two young girls were once prophesied about their lives, that both will eventually rise to the highest position in the 'harem'.

Portrait of Aimée du Buc de Rivéry.

During a walk, Aimée and Josephine accidentally met a strange fortune-teller. He said Josephine would regret 'these days of being free in Martinique', but the trade-off was worth it as she would marry a 'unremarkable man' who would bring her up status 'higher than queen'. Meanwhile, Rivéry's fate took a turn for the worse when the fortune teller warned her that she would fall into the hands of pirates, and be sold to 'a great palace' on the other side of the world.

According to Stuart's book, Queen Joséphine later told the old story of the prophecy many times later, claiming that it was true what happened years later to herself and her cousin Rivéry.

Mysterious background

Some have suggested that the young Aimée disappeared during a sea voyage in 1778, just a year before Joséphine's journey made her Queen of France. Others believe that Rivéry disappeared after returning from a French monastery and was kidnapped by pirates. There are even legends that she was actually kidnapped at the age of 2, or drowned in a shipwreck.

Most believe that Aimée du Buc de Rivéry was sent to study at a convent in France, and on her way back home, her ship was hijacked by Barbary pirates. She became a slave and was brought to Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) as a gift to the Ottoman Sultan in the name of Governor-General of Algiers. Here the girl became one of the wives of the King under the name Naksidil.

Portrait of Naksidil, who is believed to be Aimée du Buc de Rivéry.

Naksidil was the beloved wife of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid I, and later the mother of King Mahmud II. She became the fourth official wife (kadin) of the King and witnessed many times in the harem struggle, especially when his first wife Nükhet Seza and second wife Mihrimah fought each other to find a way out. put his son on the throne. Not participating in these fights, Naksidil just quietly watched and sought to protect his son.

In 1789, at the time of the French Revolution, King Abdul Hamid I died. Selim III ascended the throne at the age of 27, succeeded his uncle, and allowed Naksidil to remain at the Seraglio palace with his son, his cousin Mahmud.

For Selim, Naksidil is a symbol of the French culture that he has always admired. She became a confidant of King Selim III, taught him French, and at that time the Ottomans sent a permanent ambassador to Paris for the first time. Selim III established a newspaper office in France and allowed Naksidil to decorate the palace in the style prevailing in France at the time.

However, it was these reforms that cost him his life. King Selim III was murdered in 1807 by extremists who did not support the liberalism he initiated. The assassins tried to kill Mahmud but Naksidil was quick to hide his son.

Mahmud then became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire in 1808, completing important reforms from the time of Selim III, most of which were influenced by his mother, to save the crumbling empire.

An intelligent and sensible man, he studied reforms in the West, especially in governance, the military, the law, and finance. Mahmud II is considered to have modernized the Ottoman Empire and is compared to Peter the Great of the Ottoman Empire.

Naksidil had always strictly adhered to Islamic rituals in the harem, but deep in her heart she was always a Christian. Naksidil's last wish was for a priest to complete the last rites upon her death. King Mahmud II did not refuse his mother, and when Naksidil died, for the first time a Christian priest entered the harem through the palace gates.

This is extremely special, because the Ottoman harem (also known as harem or haram), in Arabic means "forbidden". This is a top secret place that is forbidden for men and other ordinary women because only the owners of the empire are the Ottoman Sultans can set foot in, in addition to the princes, but must obey the rules. strict regulations. They are also only allowed to stay here with their mother until the age of 16.

The Ottoman Empire's harem is not an architectural area but more like a miniature city. The favor that Naksidil had from King Abdul Hamid I was demonstrated by the fact that she had a palace of her own and was allowed to express the values ​​and culture of her homeland there.

Affirmation and refutation

There are many documents proving the origin and origin of Naksidil. A letter from Royal French Women in the Ottoman Sultans Harem: The Political Uses of Fabricated Accounts from the Sixteenth to the Twenty-First Century stories from the 16th to 21st Centuries by Christine Isom-Verhaaren, written about Naksidil after her death in 1817, contain the passage: 'It is said that the recently deceased Queen Mother was French…and that when she was only a young woman. When she was 2 years old, her parents brought her to America. Unfortunately they were abducted to Algiers, and died there… She was taken to Abdul Hamid, who noticed her beauty and ordained her… It is said that she had gentleness and Corsican and Georgian courtesy, which isn't too surprising since she's French'.

King Mahmud II, son of Naksidil.

Under the Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz, about the middle of the last century, Empress Eugenie (wife of Emperor Napoleon III) visited Constantinople and wanted to meet the women of the harem. A meeting was quickly arranged.

Queen Eugenie was very excited by what she was witnessing and wanted to talk to everyone, asking: 'Is there anyone here who can speak French?', but they all looked at each other and shook his head. Finally an elderly woman said: 'Before Queen Nakshedil died, there was a young girl who she named Naime, and whom she taught French. And I think that girl still lives in the Old Palace'.

Naime is called from the 'Palace of the Unwanted', and is brought to see Queen Eugenie. Naime is a bit shy, but she is quite fluent in French with a Martinique accent.

Another story, takes place in the 1860s. During a visit to Paris, King Abdul Aziz, the son of King Mahmud II mentioned that his paternal grandmother and Emperor Napoleon III were related by blood. This is emphasized by many given the fact that Rivéry and Naksidil are the same person. But the question is why is the truth of the story so controversial throughout history?

The most satisfactory answer is probably because of the political factor. From the perspective of the Ottoman Empire, having a bloodline with the French royal family was simply a clever foreign policy. As for the French, this theory reinforces Emperor Napoleon III's claim of royal blood because he is not of traditional royal bloodline.

Tomb of Empress Dowager Naksidi.

Indeed, the union of a wealthy heir and a royal figure did not begin with Rivéry and Naksidil. Since the 16th century, there have been rumors that a French princess was once married to the Ottoman royal family. However, there are historians who argue that the time of the young girl Aimée's disappearance and the birth of Prince Mahmud II have no logic, and there is evidence that Naksidil was actually from the Caucasus, not from Martinique .

Researcher Robert Vine writes: 'The legend that two young girls, cousins, on an island in the Caribbean who respectively became Queen of France and mother of the Ottoman Sultan is truly a thrilling story. , but unfortunately there is no evidence to prove that all are true'.

It is possible that the legend was made up with certain intentions. Many stories from the early 16th century have been woven about the relationship between the French and Ottoman royal families for political motives, and with the express purpose of legitimizing the alliance between these regimes. So many people believe that the story of Aimée - Naksidil is just one of them. In those days, people weren't even shy or hidden away from stories of kidnapped French princesses, and in fact both Emperor Napoleon and King Abdulaziz seemed very comfortable talking about the connection. this system.

Later, the same legends were still invoked to talk about the mystery and tyranny of Turkey, the Middle East or Islam in general. The legends reinforce the stereotype that the Ottoman Empire was just an underdeveloped country where even a Western slave could make improvements while the natives could not. promote the necessary reforms.