Magnificent Century

Follow the struggle for power and love intrigues at the Sultan's court, and a ready-for-anything young Greek girl, an angel and demon all in one, who finds herself kidnapped and eventually sold into the Sultan's harem when she was barely fifteen. From then on, she was supposed to be one of the Sultan's harem slaves. However, fate decides differently. Ahmed I's grandmother notices her unusual beauty, charm, and intelligence and the Sultana takes the young country girl under her wing, to prepare her for the part she once played. Ultimately, the subjects will call her The Black Queen, but for Sultan Ahmed I, she was his Mahpeyker — 'Dearest Moon.' But deep within, she remains Anastasia, a simple girl from one of the Greek Isles. Anastasia becomes the most powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire, the Sultan's wife. As Sultana Mahpeyker Kösem, she challenges palace intrigues, has to be always vigilant of her enemies, as well as be wary of death and treason hiding behind every corner.

The prophecy Anastasia heard years ago from a blind beggar, was just fulfilled, and a common harem paramour has finally become the powerful Sultan Ahmed I's second wife. However, the young queen's happiness doesn't last long as she battles for supremacy against the Sultan's first wife and son. She only seems to be able to give the Sultan many daughters, while he waits for a son from her, another heir to the throne. Set against the background of the Ottoman Empire as it is waning down, in the face of numerous Janissary uprisings that shake the country and overthrow the Sultans, the Court is full of enemies who conspire against each other and against her. What seemed at first, like a dream come true, becomes a curse. Mahpeyker Kosem pits her wits against a powerful patriarchy structure and suspects that she'll have to pay a high price for the power she desired so much.

Hürrem is the third part in a saga that became the inspiration for the creators of the 'Magnificent Century' television series. The story, full of love, power, and intrigues, follows the lives of the Sultan's court, where behind every man, even the most powerful one, stands a woman who knows how to steer him. Set at the beginning of 16th century, Aleksandra, the small daughter of Russian clergyman, is kidnapped during a barbaric attack on the village. In a remarkable twist of trust, the young girl's kidnapper becomes her savior, and they quickly establish a father-daughter bond. However, life at the Tatar giant's side isn't a good solution for a growing beauty. Soon, Aleksandra finds herself at the Crimean Khan's palace, and immediately wins Sultana Güldane's heart. The old woman predicts a great future for the Russian girl and eventually sets her out on a journey to meet her destiny. Aleksandra, sent as a gift from the Crimean Khan to the Ottoman Empire's Khan, Sultan Sulieman, ends up in the powerful ruler's harem. There, the Russian odalisque takes on the name Ruslana, and waits weeks to meet the Sultan. Her dream is not only to win Sulieman's heart but also for power and to rule. Suleiman eventually becomes infatuated with the red-headed odalisque, and renames her Hürrem — and so begins the story of a woman who refused to be stopped in her desire for power, and to be remembered forever.