Per favore della Soltana: Powerful Ottoman Women and Ragusan Diplomats

Abstract

This article is based mainly on the letters and instructions written by the Ragusan government to its tribute ambassadors to Istanbul. Also used are the scanty surviving letters that the ambassadors addressed to their government in Dubrovnik. Although only a few Ottoman documents touch upon this topic, the information they provide has proved invaluable for this research. Emphasis has been placed on the Ragusan business dealings with Mihrimah Sultan, famous daughter of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, as well as the relations of the Ragusan diplomats and the imperial harem.