{"product_id":"9781785785603-empress-of-the-east","title":"Empress of the East","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHow a Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire\u003cbr\u003eThe extraordinary story of a slave-girl who rose from concubine to become the Ottoman Empire’s only queen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbducted by slave traders from her home in Ruthenia - modern-day Ukraine - around 1515, Roxelana was brought to Istanbul and trained in the palace harem as a concubine for Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, ruler of the Ottoman Empire and one of the world's most powerful men.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSuleyman became besotted with Roxelana and foreswore all other concubines, freeing and marrying her. The bold and canny Roxelana became a shrewd diplomat and philanthropist, helping Suleyman keep pace with a changing world in which women - Isabella of Hungary, Catherine de Medici - were increasingly close to power.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUntil now Roxelana has been seen by historians as a seductress who brought ruin to the empire, but in \u003ci\u003eEmpress of the East\u003c\/i\u003e, acclaimed historian Leslie Peirce reveals with panache the compelling story of an elusive woman who transformed the Ottoman harem into an institution of imperial rule.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31960852955233,"sku":"9781785785603","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_40212831.jpg?v=1772685723","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781785785603-empress-of-the-east","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}