Handan Sultan

Handan Sultan (Ottoman Turkish: خندان سلطان; c. 1570 – 9 November 1605) was a consort of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed III, and mother and Valide Sultan to their son Sultan Ahmed I. She was de facto regent for her son, a politically influential woman during her tenure from 1603 to 1605 for her son. Handan Sultan was one of the prominent figures during the era known as the Sultanate of Women and lived during the reign of three ottoman 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 making her third son, Ahmed, the heir to the throne, after her husband's accession as Sultan Mehmed III in 1595, through alliances 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 her consort's death in 1603, becoming the Valide Sultan under her son, now Sultan Ahmed I.

As 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: her cause of death is still debated.