THE Oldest among the wives of Osman Gazi, Bala Hatun is also known as Rabia Bala Hatun. Though she is not known much in the history of the world, her marriage to Osman Gazi is considered to be one of the most important milestones early in the formation of the Ottoman Empire. Usually associated with her relation to her father, Sheikh Edebali, one of the most significant religious and spiritual leaders of the time, Bala Hatun’s story was closely connected with the spiritual as well as political growth of the early Ottoman beylik.
Relatively little is known about the life of Bala Hatun in comparison with many other figures of history but her marriage to Osman I held great significance. It formed an alliance between the religious authority of Sheikh Edebali and the foundation of the political entity Osman; this consequently paved the way for the Ottoman Empire. This article examines Hatun Hatun’s origin, marriage, and her impact on the founding of the Ottoman state on Osman Gazi.
Early Life and Background In any case, much of the information pertains to Bala Hatun’s childhood, and youth has not survived to the present day or, at best, is available in fragments. But, it is an open secret that she was the daughter of Sheikh Edebali, a pious and reputed scholar, Sufi saint as well as the spiritual guide of Osman Gazi. Edebali was wise in Islamic law and a mentor to the Turkmen of Anatolia, who helped gather support for Osman’s increasing power.
Edebali’s religious authority went beyond Anatolia impacting the population of ordinary people and political leadership. He was also viewed not only as a spiritual leader but also as a major figure who brought societies together during the period when political structures were separated. His religious preaching dealt with justice, good conduct, and the need for the Islamic political system, which eventually became the basis of the Ottoman Empire.
In fact, Bala Hatun was nurtured in this atmosphere of spiritualism, where she probably received education from her father and perhaps understood the politics of the Kingdoms. Her background in a household with a Sufi and Islamic education background ensured she lived a life of interaction between spirituality and politics.
Osman Gazi’s Marriage with Bala HatunThe marriage of Bala Hatun to Osman Gazi appeared to be a personal or familial affair, but it was also in fact an arrangement for the formation of the young future Ottoman state. It is said that Osman Gazi fell in love with Bala Hatun and after getting close to Sheikh Edebali, her father, he wanted to marry her. First, there is the narrative that Edebali first declined Osman’s invitation, which led to what later was referred to as Osman’s dream. One night when Osman stayed at the home of Edebali, he was visited by a dream in which a great tree grew from his chest, expanding through the world, which presented the idea of an empire that would span through continents.
The message Osman received from this dream was a failure when he narrated it to Edebali; the sheik who considered it as a divine revelation of Osman’s destiny to establish a formidable and permanent state. This dream is considered by many as the main reason for Osman to change his lifestyle and it is believed that Edebali was made to accept his daughter Bala Hatun for Osman to marry her. Osman’s marriage to Bala Hatun was not just a marriage, it was a business partnership where spiritual guidance and political power were united. His marriage to Bala Hatun firmly linked him with the affluential Sufi chief, Sheikh Edebali and achieved that religious endorsement and accountability necessary to build up his fresh top political power. Through this marriage to Edebali, who was a wise and influential religious figure, Osman was able to garner the support and power he needed as he proceeded to conquer more land.
Influence of Bala Hatun in Osman Gazi Although artifacts about the political/public participation of Bala Hatun are scarce, she played a very significant role in influencing Osman Gazi. She was the daughter of a Sheikh Edebali and, therefore, ordinarily would have received education on spiritual and moral knowledge that her father would have imparted to her; consequently, she was expected to be a wife who would share wisdom with her husband. In many of the traditional oriental Muslim societies, women especially those affiliated with highly ranked men were influential influence-givers and even advice-givers to their husbands. Bala Hatun would have acted as a voice to ensure Osman directed his administration with justice, empathy, and noble religion.
Bala Hatun possibly represented this link between the religious and the political sphere in Osman’s life given the close rapport contemporarily shared with Sheikh Edebali as well as Osman’s adoption of the teachings of Edebali on the matters of statecraft and governance. It appears that Morḥat’s father focused on the integration of religion into the governance, and these values as most probably promoted by Bala Hatun in private conversations and within the family.
Bala Hatun in Ottoman Historiography Bala Hatun could barely be given a place in Ottoman historiography because the sources describing her life were scarce. Where in early Ottoman histories however Malhun Hatun – one of Osman’s other wives – can sometimes be confused with the mother of Orhan I this is almost certainly not the case here. Nonetheless, contemporary historians are now convinced that Malhun Hatun was the mother of Orhan, the successor of Osman while Bala Hatun as much as respected and powerful as she may was never the mother of Osman’s son and successor Orhan. However, in understanding the development of the early Ottoman state Bala Hatun’s role has been of paramount importance.
Well, one thing that she is portrayed as a mediator between her father, the spiritual leader, and her husband for establishing a political vision for Osman Gazi and the emergence of the Ottoman Empire. Bala Hatun in Popular Culture In recent years, Bala Hatun has been depicted in popular culture, most notably in the Turkish historical drama Kuruluş: Osman.
Historical product is the show creatively reworks the history of the foundation of the Ottoman Empire as the time in the life of Osman Gazi dedicated to the representation of Bala Hatun as the partner of Osman, filling the show with both fragments of actual history and historical fiction. In the course of the series, she assumes the character of an intelligent, hardworking, and committed wife who is actively engaged in her husband’s political and military affairs. To some extent, such portrayals are rather creative, yet they did go a long way to draw attention to Bala Hatun’s historical function and her story anew. It was this renewed interest in the stories surrounding the early years of the Ottoman state that has facilitated the re-emergence of women such as Bala Hatun to being credited for the important contributions they made, albeit in the background, in the creation and nurturing of the state.
