9 inconsistencies between the series "The Magnificent Century" and the real story of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Suleiman the Magnificent

2023 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 05:58

The success of The Magnificent Century, released in 2011, was phenomenal. It was watched by millions of viewers all over the world, and it was this project that played a major role in the popularization of Turkish TV series. In Turkey, the creators were accused of being unreliable, and this despite the fact that each episode aired after being approved by consultant historians. Spectators sent about 70 thousand complaints to the Supreme Council of Turkish Radio and Television, accusing them of distorting facts.

Fall into the hands of Suleiman

The filmmakers made a note in the opening credits that they were only inspired by the love story of Roksolana and Suleiman the Magnificent, and therefore do not claim to be completely authentic. But the audience still did not miss the opportunity to reproach the series for inconsistency with historical facts.

In reality, the Slavic slave, who fell into the harem at the age of 17, could not immediately fall into the arms of Suleiman, especially since at the time when Alexandra arrived in Turkey, Suleiman's father was sitting on the throne. And until the moment the concubine got into the Sultan's room, she studied for a long time, comprehending court etiquette, literacy, music and the art of seduction.

Acceptance of Islam

The rejection of Orthodoxy was at that time a forced measure, otherwise a girl who fell into a harem could simply not survive. Therefore, initially, the concubines were driven by the elementary instinct of self-preservation, and not love for the master, as in Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in the series.

The fate of Roksolana

Basically, the fate of Roksolana, who has risen to unprecedented heights, is shown in the series quite reliably. She was a simple concubine, and became the most powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire, the lawful wife and mother of the heir to the throne. To do this, she literally had to go over the head, weave intrigues, arrange conspiracies and give her enemies to the power of the executioners. But at the same time, she was famous not only for her ruthlessness, but also for good deeds, helped those in need, did charity work, contributed to the construction of schools, hospitals and mosques.

Relationship in a harem

Unlike the series, the sultan was not at all interested in the relations within the harem; he simply did not have enough time for this between military campaigns. Only once did he punish the main rival Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska by sending Makhidevran after an unsuccessful attempt to poison Roksolana for a while to the Old Palace. But then he returned her to the harem. Therefore, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska had to achieve everything on her own, using all methods available to her, including extremely cruel ones.

Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska

The series also shows the death of Roksolana, while her illness is not directly named, but the subtext leads viewers to the idea that cancer was the cause of death. In fact, she died of a severe sore throat.

The appearance of the concubines

It is not for nothing that Turkish viewers sent the most complaints about the costumes and appearance of the concubines, including Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. According to the surviving information and portraits, Roksolana was cute, but hardly anyone could call her a beauty. In addition, she was the owner of dark blond, not red hair. In life, it was almost impossible to see concubines with loose hair and a spectacular neckline. Women in a harem gathered their hair in a braid or a bun; other hairstyles were considered simply indecent.

Children of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Suleiman

In the "Magnificent century" Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska gave birth to five children to Suleiman. The creators of the series deliberately excluded from the plot the birth of Abdullah, the second son, who died at the age of three. But the fate of all the other children was shown quite reliably, as was the death of the eldest son of Suleiman Mustafa, whom it was Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska who set up, in fact, forcing the padishah to give the order for his execution.

Luke

The line of the artist Luka's long-term love for Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska is a completely fictional story. There is no confirmation of the existence of a character who was in love with Roksolana even before she was hijacked into the Ottoman Empire and spent many years looking for his beloved in the palace. Accordingly, the scene where the Slavic artist paints a portrait of the Sultan with his wife is fiction.

Rivals

In the series, as in life, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska managed to eliminate the threat from his main rival Mahidevran. But after that, Isabella, Sadyka and Firuze appear in the "Magnificent Age", with whom Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska had to compete again for the attention of the Sultan. In life, they did not exist, because after marrying Khyurrem Suleiman simply dismissed his entire harem.

The Magnificent Century series was successfully shown in 50 countries and brought Turkish cinema to a new level. The actors who played the main roles became known all over the world, which, it would seem, should have become a powerful impetus in their further film careers. However, for some of them this the series became the pinnacle of the creative path, and they no longer succeeded in repeating or surpassing their success.