Saliha Sultan (daughter of Ahmed III)

Saliha Sultan
Born	20 April 1715 Edirne, Ottoman Empire
Died	11 October 1778 Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
Spouse	Damat Sari Mustafa Pasha (m. 21 October 1727 - wid. 1753) Damat Ali Pasha (m. 30 April 1740 - wid. April 1744) Damat Yahya Pasha (m. December 1744 - wid. August 1775) Koca Ragıp Pasha (m. 28 February 1757 - wid. 8 April 1763) Damat Ağa Mehmed Pasha (m. May 1764 - wid. March 1771)
Issue	A son and three daughters from her first husband
Full name Saliha Sultan
House	House of Osman
Father	Ahmed III
Mother	Hatem Hanımefendi
Religion	Islam

Saliha Sultan (20 April 1715 - 11 October 1778) was an Ottoman princess. She was the daughter of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III (reigned 1703-30) and his consort Hatem Hanımefendi. She was the half sister of Sultan Mustafa III (reigned 1757-174) and Abdul Hamid I (reigned 1774-89) and the cousin of Sultan Mahmud I (reigned 1730-54) and Osman III (reigned 1754-57).

Life

Saliha Sultan is known for marrying several husbands during her lifetime. She had a brother, Șehzade Selim, who died in infancy.

At age twelve she married Damat Sari Mustafa Pasha, son of Gazi Deli Husein Pasha on 21 October 1727. They had a son and three daughters before she became a widow after his death in 1732. Saliha married Damat Ali Pasha on 30 April 1740, and was widowed by his death in April of 1744. The same year, in December, she married Damat Yahya Pasha, son of Mustafa Efendi. Yahya Pasha left her a widow upon his death in 1757.

On 28 February 1757 she married Damat Koca Mehmed Ragıp Pasha, who was an Ottoman statesman and served as Grand Vizier from 1757 to 1763. He was the son of Şevki Mustafa Efendi. Koca Mehmed Ragıp Pasha had been the provincial governor of Egypt from 1744 to 1748, and previously served as a civil servant before 1744 governorship. The details of this marriage is described by Hammer. At the Koltk (armchair) ceremony, when the bride and groom first meet upon her arrival at his konak, the princess, following the custom, disdained even to look at him and soon retired from the room. The eunuchs immediately removed the bridegroom's shoes and left them at the harem threshold, a ceremony indicating that he was now the harem's master. Eventually the bridegroom knelt before his bride and awaited her word in silence. Finally she said, "Bring me water." Having presented to her a cup of water while on his knees, he then asked her permission to raise her veil, which was embroidered and ornamented with pearls.

Meanwhile, slaves had brought in two food-laden trays, one with roast pigeon and the other with sweets. He offered her food which she imperiously rejected; then, he produced magnificent presents which assuaged her to the extent that he was able to lead her to the table for the ceremony of feeding each other. Later, when the festivities were over, eunuch Kıslar Ağası led him to her bedroom where he undressed cautiously, so as not to disturb her. He then sank to his knees beside her bed, and kissed her feet. In 1763, she was widowed by his death. In May 1764 she married, for the fifth and last time, Admiral Damat Ağa Mehmed Pashaun and remained his wife until his death in 1771, leaving her widowed until her death in 1778.