About Bezmiara Kadin
Lived 1834 – 1909 (aged 74–75). Bezmiara Kadin was a Turkish aristocrat.
Bezmiara Kadın (; "adorned banquet"; died 1909) was the second legal wife of Sultan Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire.
Early life Of Circassian origin, Bezmiara Kadın was the adoptive daughter of Fatma Zehra Hanım known as "Mısırlı Hanım," the daughter of Mehmed Arif Pasha, and granddaughter of grand vizier Halil Hamid Pasha. She was the wife of Ismail Kamil Pasha, the son of Muhammad Ali of Egypt, After Ismail Pasha's death she moved to Istanbul, and settled in Halil Hamid Pasha's palace located in Akıntıburnu. and she was given the title of "Fifth Ikbal".
In 1848, she was elevated to the title of "Fourth Ikbal". On 22 February 1850, she gave birth to her only child, a daughter, Mükbile Sultan in the Çırağan Palace, who died at the age of two months. In the same year she was elevated to the title of "Third Ikbal". In 1853, she was elevated to the title of "Senior Ikbal", and in 1854 to the title of "Fifth Kadın".
Abdulmejid not only loved Bezmiara but esteemed her. He had her moved to a pleasant galley which he had presented to her. Here she formed an intimate relationship with a certain Tevfik Pasha.
Second marriage Bezmiara divorced Abdulmejid and married Tevfik Pasha on 2 June 1859. Although the sultan's ministers had required her, in the divorce agreement, to never remarry, as it would have been an insult to the sultan, she ignored them. Abdülmejid did not punish her, despite the invitation to do so, but gave the couple a palace owned by the Crown. When Sultan Abdulaziz ascended the throne after the death of his brother in 1861, he relocated Tevfik and Bezmiara to Bursa. The two divorced soon after, and Tevfik was put to death in 1865. The couple had a daughter named Emine Cavidan Hanım born on 28 October 1862 in Istanbul. After her birth her parents divorced.
Cavidan married Abdulmejid and Serfiraz Hanım's son, Şehzade Selim Süleyman in 1886.
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Bezmiara Kadin?
Second legal wife of Ottoman Sultan Abdülmejid I
When was Bezmiara Kadin born?
Bezmiara Kadin was born in 1834 in Circassia.
When did Bezmiara Kadin die?
Bezmiara Kadin died on 25 January 1909 in Istanbul.
What was Bezmiara Kadin's occupation?
Bezmiara Kadin was an aristocrat.
What nationality was Bezmiara Kadin?
Bezmiara Kadin was Turkish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bezmiara Kadin. https://biography.guide/bezmiara-kadin/
MLA: "Bezmiara Kadin." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bezmiara-kadin/.
Chicago: "Bezmiara Kadin." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bezmiara-kadin/.
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