In 1402, the Battle of Angora took place in the heart of Anatolia. Tired and thirsty Ottoman army was defeated by the Central Asian ruler Tamerlane, whose army had a significant numerical advantage. Sultan Bayezid managed to hide in the mountains with a few hundred horsemen, but he was found and captured. His favorite wife, Serbian princess Maria Olivera Lazarevic, known among the Turks as Despina Hatun, was captured with him.
How was she treated in captivity?
Bayezid Lightning is rightly considered the most powerful ruler of the Ottoman Empire of those who sat on the throne before the capture of Istanbul. In 1389 he managed to bring to victory the battle on the Kosovo field, although the Serbian knight Milos Obilic, pretending to be a defector, stabbed his father Sultan Murad with a knife. After that the dependence of the Serbs was established, the Lazarevic dynasty pledged to pay tribute and to send troops to help at the first demand.
In addition, as a guarantee of peace, the new prince gave one of his younger sisters to the Sultan as a wife. This was Maria Olivera, better known as Olivera Despina. «Despina» is not part of the name, but a derivative of the Byzantine title «despot», which was used among the Balkan Slavs.
She was at most seventeen at the time, and for the new Ottoman ruler she became the last (fourth) legitimate wife. The Serbian woman was never able to bear her husband a son, although they had three daughters. Nevertheless, thanks to her beauty, she acquired a high position in the harem and had considerable influence on state affairs. She was not even forced to become a Muslim, the princess kept the Orthodox faith.
For twelve years they were happy together, and the Serbian people kept the peace and fully fulfilled their vassal obligations. To repel Tamerlane’s invasion, the Lazareviches sent a strong contingent that joined the Turkish army. It is not known whether for this reason Bayezid decided to take Olivera with him, or whether he was simply confident in his own invincibility — either way, his wife was present at the Battle of Angora and together with her husband was captured.
Further it is difficult to separate speculation from facts. But Timur usually kept defeated sovereigns alive and returned power to them on condition of recognizing their subordinate position. That he intended to do the same in this case is confirmed by his court historian: «After the final conquest of the country Ruma [Tamerlane] wanted to give it again to Yildirim Bayazid and put him on the throne and return».
Nevertheless, even then there were already rumors that the Turkish Sultan was mistreated in captivity. And his wife was forced to serve the winners without clothes. However, the author of the history of the Slavs Benedictine priest Mavro Orbinich mentions that her dress was simply cut off up to her navel. According to Ottoman legend, soon afterward Bayezid smashed his head on the bars of the bars because of the shame inflicted on his favorite wife.
Nevertheless, most sources say that the Sultan and his wife were treated with dignity. Only obvious detractors of Turks, Serbs and Tamerlane write about humiliation. In the first case it was the Byzantine Laonikos Chalkokondilis; in the second — the same Orbinich, who by origin was a Dalmatian Croat; in the third — an Arab from Damascus ibn Arabshah, who strongly disliked Emir Timur.
Anyhow, after Bayazid’s passing his wife was almost immediately released. But not for nothing, but on the initiative of her brother Stephen, who offered a considerable ransom for his sister. After that she moved to him in Belgrade and lived a very long life — more than forty years. During the long civil war in the Ottoman Empire, which began after the retreat of the Central Asian army, she became an important advisor to the prince, as she personally knew all the sons of the sultan.
Olivera never married again. But her marriage to Bayezid came to be regarded as something like a biblical sacrifice even during the lifetime of this courageous woman. As for the Turks themselves, their political practices were very much influenced by the Battle of Angora.
After that, their sultans did not take legitimate wives for a long time, preferring to have concubines bear them heirs. The famous wedding of Suleiman and Hürrem caused great surprise in the society.