Valide Sultan was the title held by the "legal mother" of a ruling
Sultan of the
Ottoman Empire. The title was first used in the 16th century for
Ayse Hafsa Sultan, consort of
Selim I and mother of
Suleiman the Magnificent, superseding the previous title of
mehd-i ülya ("cradle of the great"). Normally, this title was held by the living mother of a reigning sultan. The mothers who died before their sons' accession to the throne were never bestowed with the title of
valide sultan. In special cases, there were grandmothers, stepmothers, or even sisters of a reigning sultan who assumed the title
valide sultan.