Reflection on Imperial Harem

Women have always played an integral part in history, known or behind the scenes. Today, we can easily recall woman such as Cleopatra and Susan B. Anthony who have exercised power to promote their goals. Leslie Pierces’ Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire, enlightens its reader on the important significant role women played in the long reign of the Ottoman Empire. During the 16th and 17th centuries, literature was concocted describing the era of the harem. This book in its beginning pages denounces the myths following the term harem. Pierce makes it a point in each page to denounce the Western view of a harem as a place where sexual activities occurred by expressing its important in the role of family and politics. The harem was important because it was an imperial harem, where ultimately the line of succession was created. During this time, women had power; they influenced political structures, the decisions of the reigning sultans, created public projects, training their sons to use sovereign power successfully, and ultimately decided the line of succession.