The word harem is of Arabic origin and refers to the "forbidden" quarters of a Sultan's household where women lived. The most famous is the Topkapi Saray in Istanbul, home to the Ottoman rulers and their families. The harem was a palace within the palace, housing hundreds, even thousands of wives, concubines, children, eunuchs and slaves, known as odalisques derived from the Turkish word for chambermaid. But the harem was not only the living quarters, it also contained a hospital, schools and a separate mosque.
Education of the women inhabiting the harem was one of the foremost purposes. They were not all there for the Sultan's pleasure as is often the Western understanding, but to be taught religion, mathematics, embroidery, singing, music and literature to prepare the majority for a life as suitable and elite wives to other government and palace officials and princes.
The harem was ruled by a strict hierarchy. At the top was the mother of the ruling Sultan, the Valide, who also held the title of Queen. Women came to the harem as slaves, captured during the conquests of other countries and sold or dragged into captivity. Once there, they did have a chance to better their fate and advance through the ranks by education, beauty and skills. There was a graduation system and girls who had qualified were presented to the Sultan. If they pleased him, they might advance to the status of concubines. If they got pregnant, they became wives and all sons were equal contenders to the throne.That fact by itself was a hotbed for power struggles.
At the lowest level were servant girls and the entire hierarchy was ruled by laws of strict obedience. Those who lacked in obedience were severely punished, including death by being put into a sack and thrown into the Bosporus to drown.
The romanticism surrounding the image of the harem results from travelers of Victorian times who, of course, never got access to a real harem and therefore let their imagination and fantasy run riot in literature as well as paintings.
Hürrem was the wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who came to power in 1520. She started out as a slave girl from the Ukraine. Hürrem was extraordinarily beautiful and intelligent. She received the finest education in the harem and quickly advanced through the ranks. She managed to capture Suleiman's eye and he was the first sultan to marry a concubine. Hürrem "cast her spell" over her husband and became indispensable to the sultan. In his absence during his many wars and conquests, she practically ruled for him. She didn't shy away from intrigue and even murder to ensure the succession to the throne she wanted. She died before Suleiman, who never took another wife, either during her lifetime nor after her death.
Nurbanu was the wife of Hürrem's son Selim, who followed his father to the throne. She was originally a Greek slave, but like her mother-in-law, came to great influence through intrigue, conspiracy and cold malice. She had a political mind and negotiated with the Venetians, commissioned famous architects, built mosques, hospitals and inns and, again like her mother-in-law, resorted to murder if it suited her plans.
Kosem was the wife of Ahmed I, who came to power in 1603. After his premature death and the short reign of her older son Murad, her other son Ibrahim the Mad succeeded to the throne. By that time, the vast Ottoman Empire was in chaos, palace rebellions threatened and Kosem decided it was time for her to do something about it. She started by killing her own son. That resulted in her grandson inheriting the throne, but also in an unexpected power struggle with his mother, Turhan. Kosem had been in power behind the scene for 30 years when the table finally turned. Turhan had her own followers who hunted Kosem down and an eunuch strangled her with a curtain in a cupboard.
Harem life was much more colorful, exciting, intriguing and militant than the Victorian travelers could imagine.