Handan Sultan

Handan Sultan (Ottoman Turkish: خندان سلطان; c. 1570 – 9 November 1605) was a consort of Ottoman sultan Mehmed III. As the mother of Ahmed I, she served as valide sultan and de facto regent from 1603 until her death in 1605. She was a politically influential woman during her tenure, and is remembered as one of the prominent figures during the era known as the Sultanate of Women, living in the Ottoman Empire as a courtier during the reigns of three sultans: Murad III, Mehmed III and Ahmed I.

After entering the Ottoman Imperial Harem—probably in 1583—she became one of the two known consorts of then-Prince Mehmed; she succeeded in having her third son, Ahmed, named heir to the throne after her husband's accession as Sultan Mehmed III in 1595, through an alliance with her mother-in-law Safiye Sultan. Initially overshadowed by her mother-in-law and kept away from politics, she acquired power and influence after Mehmed III's death in 1603, and the ascension of her son, now Sultan Ahmed I.

As the mother of the new sultan, she firstly banished Safiye and all her allies, then acted as the first recognized de facto regent of the Ottoman Empire, taking active positions in politics, affairs of state, power and influence. One of her merits would have been the abolition of the law of fratricide during her son's reign, and having created an effective and capable government apparatus. She died in 1605, having served as the Valide Sultan only for two years.