Hüsnüşah Hatun



Hüsnüşah Hatun (حسنی شاہ خاتون "Beauty of the Sah", died c. 1513), called also Hüsnişah Hatun or Hüsnüşad Hatun, was a concubine of Sultan Bayezid II of the Ottoman Empire.

Family
According to tradition Hüsnüşah was the daughter of Nasuh Bey, descendant of Ibrahim II Bey, who was ruler of Karaman before the Ottoman conquest, and the sister of Piri Ahmed Bey and Abdülkerim Bey, but harem records indicate her instead as a concubine slave of Christian origins.

In the harem
Hüsnüşah entered Bayezid's harem when he was still a prince, and the governor of Amasya sanjak. She gave birth to two children, a daughter, Sultanzade Sultan, and a son, Şehzade Şehinşah in 1470.

According to Turkish tradition, all princes were expected to work as provincial governors as a part of their training. In 1481 Şehinşah, was sent to Manisa sanjak, and then in 1485 to Karaman, and Hüsnüşah accompanied him. She built and endowed a mosque in 1490, and Kurşunlu Han in 1497 at Manisa. She also made several endowments in memory of her ancestors.

After Şehzade Şehinşah's execution in 1511, Hüsnüşah in a letter reported that she had been rendered crazy following his execution, defended his innocence, and requested that a mausoleum be built in his memory. She also corresponded with Selim I, Şehinşah's victorious brother, on behalf of Mevlana Pir Ahmed Çelebi, a scholar who had been at Şehinşah's court and who was neglected when the members of the prince's household were assigned new posts.

Issue
From Bayezid II, Hüsnüşah Hatun had a daughter and a son:
 * Sultanzade Sultan (Amasya, before 1470 -?)
 * Şehzade Şehinşah (Amasya, 1470 - Karaman, 2 July 1511). He had a consort, Mukrime Hatun, and four sons:
 * Şehzade Mehmed Şah (executed on 16 December 1512 for Selim I's order), who married his cousin Şahnisa Sultan, daughter of Şehzade Abdüllah.
 * Şehzade Alaeddin (executed on 16 December 1512 for Selim I's order).
 * Şehzade Mahmud.
 * Şehzade Mustafa.

Death
Hüsnüşah Hatun died at Bursa in 1513, and was buried in Muradiye Complex.