Spouse Ibrahim Pasha Issue Isma'il Pasha | House House of Muhammad Ali Name Hoshiar Kadinefendi | |
 | ||
Died 21 June 1886 (age:72-73)
Cairo, Khedivate of Egypt Burial Khedival Mausoleum, Al-Rifa'i Mosque, Cairo, Egypt Religion Orthodox Christian at birth, converted to Islam after her capture | ||
Hoshiar Kadinefendi (Arabic: خوشيار قادن افندی, Turkish: Hoşyar Kadınefendi; c. 1813 – 21 June 1886) was a consort to Ibrahim Pasha and was Walida Pasha to their son Isma'il Pasha. She was the younger sister of Pertevniyal Sultan, the Valide Sultan, or Queen mother, to Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz I, and Abdülaziz's aunt.
Contents
Biography
Hoshiar Kadinefendi was a Circassian concubine of Ibrahim Pasha. On 31 December 1830 she gave birth to Isma'il Pasha. After the death of Said, Ismail was proclaimed Khedive on 19 January 1863, though the Ottoman Empire and the other Great Powers recognized him only as Wāli, and Hoshiar became the Walida Pasha.
Hoshiar was a public figure whose doings were continually reported by the press, which referred to her simply as Queen Mother. During the 'Urabi revolt her patriotic feelings made her accept 'Urabi as the defender of the country against a British invasion. Putting aside all personal interests and the fact that he was also a menace to the dynasty, she provided him with money and horses and worked with other ladies of the family at preparing bandages and medicine for the wounded. She was a formidable person of great intelligence and character who wielded considerable influence over her son. When the Sultan Abdülaziz of Turkey visited Egypt, he made a point off particularly honouring Hoshiar by bestowing on her the Grand Cordon of the Osmaniyeh. This beautiful and very feminine woman brought up her son with unrelenting discipline and would never allow her motherly feelings to get the better of her sense of duty, to such an extant that when the future Khedive was visited Europe as a child, he was heard to say about Dowager Empress of Austria, who had been particularly kind, "that no one in his own family had ever shown him as much affection." But the Khedive adored his mother and remained to the end a most devoted son.
The Queen mother lived in her palace of Qasar al-Ali, now part of the residential district of Garden city. There she held a quite incredible state, never condescending to leave her home for anyone else's, however high ranking that person may have been. An indeed, as Ibrahim Pasha's widow and Khedive's mother her position was unique.
She was influential in lobbying the Sultan to change the Egyptian system of succession so that it is limited to her son's line. Her court al-Walida Pasha (the Khedive's mother), was said to be larger and more prominent than that of his any of his wives. Abdallah al-Nadeem, whom the Khedive tried to briefly co-opt, described the head eunuch of al-Walida Pasha as having more influence than the prime minister. Finally, most reports suggested that she was the only family member who was with him when he received the Ottoman decree that deposed him.
She died at the Greater Qasar al-Ali Palace, Cairo, on 21 June 1886, and was buried there at the Khedival Mausoleum, Al-Rifa'i Mosque, which was built on her orders.