Hüma Hatun

Hüma Hatun (; 1410 – September 1449) was a concubine of Ottoman Sultan Murad II and the mother of his successor, Mehmed II.

Life Her exact place of birth, family background and origin is unknown. However an Ottoman inscription (waqf document) refers to her as “Hâtun binti Abdullah,” which, given that converts to Islam at the time were often given the name Abdullah, indicates a non-Muslim background. Hüma Hatun was most likely a concubine. The origins of Hüma are controversial. According to traditional accounts, the mother of Mehmed II was Hatice Halime Hatun, granddaughter of İsfendiyar Bey of the Candaroğulları dynasty. According to other accounts, she was an Italian and/or Jewish girl named Stella or Esther. Serbian, Greek, Macedonian, origins have also been attributed to her. However, none of these claims have been proven.

Her son Şehzade Mehmed succeeded the throne as Mehmed II. She held the Vâlide Hatun position for two years. In 1446, Murad took over the throne again, and Hüma and her son returned to Bursa. However, Mehmed succeeded the throne in 1451, after the death of his father, but she never became a Valide Hatun as she died before the accession.

Death

She died in September 1449 in Bursa, two years before her son's second accession to the throne. Her tomb is located at the site known as "Hatuniye Kümbedi" (Hatuniye Tomb) to the east of Muradiye Complex, which was built by her son Mehmed. The quarter where her tomb lies has been known thus far as Hüma Hatun Quarter.

In the tugra commissioned by Mehmed the Conqueror for this tomb, Hüma Hatun is referred to as:

"Dürretü tâcü'n-nisâ fi'l-âlemîn, Gurretü cebheti'l-İslâm ve'l-müslimîn, Meliketü'l-melikât, Müsdiletü siyâbi'l-hasenât ve'l-meberrât, Es-sittü'l-celîle."

Meaning:

"The pearl of the crown of women in the world, the radiance of the forehead of Islam and the Muslims, the queen of queens, one adorned with garments of goodness and charity, the noble and exalted lady."

Issue Mehmed II (1432–1481). Sultan of the Ottoman Empire after his father and conqueror of Constantinople in 1453.

In popular culture

Hüma Hatun was portrayed by Leyla Feray in the docuseries Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020). Zeynep Köse portrayed Hüma Hatun in Kızılelma: Bir Fetih Öyküsü Açelya Akkoyun portrayed Hüma Hatun in Mehmed: Fetihler Sultanı (2024).