Issue Ulviye Sultan Mother Esma Klıç Spouse Abdul Hamid II (m. 1863) Parents Arzakan Tsanba, Esma Klıç | Father Arzakan Tsanba Religion Sunni Islam Children Ulviye Sultan | |
Tenure 31 August 1876 – 11 April 1895 House House of Tsamba (by birth)
House of Osman (by marriage) Died 11 April 1895, Yıldız Palace, Istanbul, Turkey Place of burial New Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey Similar Abdul Hamid II, Bedrifelek Kadın, Peyveste Hanımefendi, Naciye Hanım, Behice Hanım | ||
Nazikeda Kadın (Ottoman Turkish: نازك ادا قادین; c. 1848 – 11 April 1895) was the principal consort of Sultan Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire.
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Early life
Nazikeda Kadın was born in 1850 to an Abkhazian princely family Tsanba, which belonged to the old Abkhazian nobility. Her father was Prince Arzakan Bey Tsanba and her mother was an Abkhazian, Princess Esma Hanım Klıç. She was tall, had long straight black hair and had brown eyes and was incomparably beautiful.
At a young age, she was brought to Istanbul, where she was delivered at the court of Cemile Sultan. Like all the new coming girls, she was renamed and received her first education in the harem department of princess's palace. Receiving her education in the palace she was interesting in playing piano and painting.
Marriage
Nazikeda grew into a young lady and when she entered her fifteenth year she was noticed by Abdul Hamid, who was still a şehzade (prince), in the household of Cemile Sultan and asked the sultan (princess) for her hand in marriage. In fact, Cemile Sultan, also noticed that this young girl had pleased her brother, Abdul Hamid, and she immediately presented her to him in marriage. Nazikeda married Abdul Hamid in 1863 at the Dolmabahçe Palace, Istanbul. Five years after the marriage she gave birth to her only daughter, Ulviye Sultan. When Şehzade Abdul Hamid came to the throne, she then took the position of Baş kadın or chief imperial lady consort. She was in every way worthy of this position both with respect to her lofty spirit and because of her beauty.
The happiness of Nazikeda, however, was disturbed by a terrible accident. One evening, while she was playing the piano, her daughter, Ulviye Sultan, who was only seven years old, was left alone in her room. The kalfas were eating, and she was playing with matches. A golden belt was fastened tightly around her waist and in spite of all the efforts of her mother she badly burned her hands and even her chest. It was impossible to unfasten the belt and to take off the burning dress. She grabbed her child in her arms, shouting for help, and ran into the hall with her daughter. But this served only to fan the flames and when she came to the lower floor where the girls of the service were waiting, it was far too late. The little Princess died. In his reflection, Abdul Hamid referred three times to the tragic death of his first child. He considered it the first traumatic experience of his life curiously not mentioning the death of his mother when he was eleven or the death of his father when he was fourteen.
Death
Nazikeda Kadın died on 11 April 1895 at the Yıldız Palace, and was buried in the Mausoleum of Sultan Murad V located at the Yeni Mosque in Istanbul.
Titles
She had the following posthumous name: