It was inevitable that Suleyman’s male and female favorites would either clash or combine. Rooted in the immediate vicinity of the sultan, their spheres of power overlapped. - The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire, Leslie P. Peirce
"Ibrahim of Parga, son of a Greek fisherman..."
"Alexandra La Rossa...slave of Ruthenia..."
Magnificent Century + Parallels: Ibrahim Pasha & Hürrem Sultan
"…they are dangerous feelings. If they are not controlled, a single one of them can destroy you." (Insp.)
"Who could possibly hurt me?"
2.05: POWER & PRIDE 2.10: GOD FORBID ANYONE TO EXPERIENCE THIS
2.27: FATEFUL DECISION 3.20: GRIEF & SORROW
"Don't blame anyone but yourself, Suleiman. You created Hürrem and Ibrahim both."
"I don't know what to believe in anymore. Just like you said 'I've lost the truth.' You've been lying to my face for years."
"I know everything, Hürrem. I saw everything…I lived…I sensed…"
Scenes I would have liked to see in Magnificent Century (always being updated)
These are just things I would have liked to see, or honestly just hyper specific scenes I’ve envisioned in my own head. Don't come at me about realism. That's not why any of us are here.
Would love to hear everyone's opinions and what you would have like to see in the show!
Hürrem telling Suleiman about Leo and him accepting it A big part of Hürrem’s power in the harem in the show is that she got away with a lot of things, whether it be through manipulation or Suleiman’s love for her, but mostly it was through being smart and manipulative. That’s a huge part of her character, but it would have been nice to see a moment where she doesn’t win and has to come clean to Suleiman. His acceptance of Leo would have made their love more genuine in my eyes. He knew she was a slave and had a life before him.
Hürrem's past as a priest’s daughter When Hürrem went to Edirne, it would have been great to see her open the palace to the sick and nursed them instead of sitting there helplessly in literally one spot the whole time. We saw her help Hatice medically in seasons 1 and 2 and she was a priest’s daughter so we know she saw a lot of sickness and has some basic idea of giving aid.
Hürrem seriously going off on Suleiman at least once Again, a big part of Hürrem's legacy was how nuts Suleiman was for her and how she could get away with things other concubines couldn’t. I would have liked to see her really loser her temper at him at least once. Maybe go off about how difficult it is in the harem, being a woman battling for her life and her kids’ lives. It would have made their relationship seem deeper than it was in the show.
Generally seeing Suleiman's absolute obsession with Hürrem That man was nuts about her in real life. True Gomez and Morticia Addams.
Some good moments between young Mustafa and Hürrem Like thanking him for saving Mehmet from drowning in the first season or saying, “Thank you for being such a good big brother to my son.” She protected him during the janissary riots, but we didn’t see much day to day interactions between them. It would have made the distancing between them more impactful.
Another grown sultana in the family, like Mahidevran’s daughter Raziye It would have been great to see the dynamic between Mihrimah and another daughter, especially one that was older but still within her age range. The aunts were older than her and she constantly had to show them respect, so it didn’t feel like a fair fight. And Esmahan had to defer to Mihrimah too because she was the Sultan’s daughter. Another daughter who is equal to Mihrimah in most ways would have been fun.
Hürrem pulling away during the whole Firuze thing Hürrem had to stay on Suleiman’s good side because he’s the sultan, but I would have loved to see her pull away from him in small ways, like not spending time with him or choosing to eat alone and not with him. I’m a sucker for a good grovel.
"Will Mahidevran and I be the same now?" "Allah forbid." Insp.
As we have studied Ibrahim’s career, we have seen the vast power that he gradually gathered into his hands, and we have noted the amazement with which European legates listened to his own accounts of his standing in the state. He was practically the ruler of the Ottoman empire, but there was one fact that he forgot; he was absolutely at the disposal of the sultan and could be disgraced or executed at the latter’s caprice—he was but the shadow of the "Shadow of God on Earth." - Ibrahim Pasha: Grand Vizir of Suleiman the Magnificent by Hester Donaldson Jenkins
“Hürrem played a game with my lion. She wants to get married. If she manages that it would be a disaster for everybody.”
"The day she reminded me she is royalty, everything was finished, our love was finished. Loyalty...innocence...
I realized that day I'm just a slave.
What kind of love is that?”