Gülcemal Kadın


Gülcemal Kadın was the sixth wife of Sultan Abdulmejid I, and the mother of Sultan Mehmed V of the Ottoman Empire.

Early life

Gülcemal Kadın was born in 1826 in the Sarajevo. Her actual name is unknown. She was a member of a Bosnian noble family. She had a sister, Bimisal Hanım, and a brother.
She had been brought to Istanbul as a young child, where she was entrusted her to the imperial harem together with her sister. Here her name according to the custom of the Ottoman court was changed to Gülcemal.

Marriage

Gülcemal married Abdulmejid in 1840. She was given the title of "Third Fortunate". On 1 November 1840, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter, Fatma Sultan in the Old Beşiktaş Palace.
In 1842, she was hoisted to the title of Second Fortunate. On 3 February 1842, she gave birth to her second daughter, Refia Sultan in the Old Beşiktaş Palace.
In 1843 she was elevated to the title of "Fifth Consort". On 2 November 1844, she gave birth to her third child, a son, Şehzade Mehmed Reşad in the Old Çırağan Palace. In 1845, she was hoisted to the title of "Fourth Consort".

Death

She died on 15 December 1851 in Ortaköy, Istanbul She was never Valide Sultan to her son, because she died before Mehmed Reşad's accession to the Ottoman throne. Her cause of death was tuberculosis. She is buried in the Mausoleum of the imperial ladies at the New Mosque Istanbul.
All the three of her children were adopted by Servetseza Kadın, first wife of Abdulmejid.

Legacy

The ocean liner SS Germanic was renamed Gul Djemal when she entered the Ottoman service in 1911, in memory of Gülcemal Kadın. When the ship was sold yet again, this time to Turkiye Seyrisefain Idaresi, it was renamed Gulcemal.

Issue

Together with Abdulmejid, Gülcemal had three children: