Bezmiâlem Sultan (; Ornament of The World; 1807 – 2 May 1853), called also Bazimialam Sultan, was a consort of Sultan Mahmud II, and Valide sultan to their son, Sultan Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire.
Early years
Bezmiâlem Kadın, called also Bazimialam, was born in 1807 in Georgia. She had been educated by Esma Sultan, a half-sister of Mahmud II and her favorite advisor, and was said to have been buxom and a bath attendant before entering the imperial harem. She had a beautiful face and extraordinary white and beautiful hands. She was considered really intelligent, although not formally educated. She became a consorts of Sultan Mahmud in 1822, and was given the title of "Third Kadın" and, on 1832, "Second Kadın". On 25 April 1823, she gave birth to her only son, Şehzade Abdulmejid. (later Abdulmejid I)
As Valide Sultan
Early years
Bezmiâlem became Valide Sultan, after Abdulmejid I, ascended to the throne in 1839. One source says that Mahmud died of alcoholism, rather than tuberculosis, and she is reported to have convinced Abdulmejid to destroy his father's wine cellars. Since her son was only sixteen, Bezmialem, that Abdumejid loved very much, although not a regent, assisted him in the administration of the state.
She was thirty one and was still young enough to despise and mistrust the elder non statesman who had made himself minister. She was known for her extremely pale complexion and her reddish blonde hair. She was slender, with very good looking fingers. She was very pale. She looked very young when she became the Valide Sultan. She advised her son to allow Koca Hüsrev Mehmed Pasha to incur the odium of seeking terms from Muhammad Ali of Egypt but urged him to resist the Grand Vizier's attempts to advance his nominees to important offices of the state. Abdulmejid duly played for time, awaiting Mustafa Reşid Pasha's return from England before taking any major decisions on policy. She gave a sound counsel. So shrewd was her judgement of men and their motives that she continued to influence the choice of ministers until shortly before her death fourteen years later. She also recommended Reşid to Abdulmejid because she believed he understood what Mahmud had been seeking to achieve in his reform programme. She influenced the appointments of his son's ministers, inviting him to be wary of old but inexperienced men who sought his favor. A great supporter of her son's reforms and admirer of Europe, her shrewd and objective judgment was held in high esteem by the sultan, who consulted her regularly until her death.
In 1842 Abdülmecid ordered new apartments for his mother on Yildiz Palace. Furnished and decorated in the French style, which was all the rage at the time in the Ottoman Empire, they took the name of Pavilion Kasr-i Dilküşa (Pavilion of the happy heart) and were only completed after Bazimialam's death. . Charles White reported in 1844 that the revenues of Bezmiâlem came partly as an annuity from the civil list, and partly from real property, "the fruits of gifts and accumulation". He estimated her entirely yearly income at 100, 000 British pounds.
Bezmiâlem was a lady of deep religious conviction, and benevolent nature. She belonged to the Naqshbandi, a major Sunni spiritual order of Sufism. She was a believer, and follower of the Indian Muhammad Jan (died 1850). Muhammad Jan was active as of the 1830s and succeeded in gaining many followers in Istanbul. She also taught the orthodox principles of the Naqshbandi to Abdulmejid.
Like Valide Sultan, she favored Georgian Circassians like herself in choosing consorts for her son.
Bezmiâlem earned a reputation as an intelligent, amiable and charitable woman, and she was among the most loved and respected Valid Sultans in history. Additionally, some ambassadors referred to her as the most influential Valide Sultan in centuries