Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska is perhaps the most famous concubine in the world. All this thanks to the series “The Magnificent Century” and Meryem Uzerli personally. The red-haired beauty conveyed the nature of her character so coldly that the audience is sure that Hürrem was like this in life. Oh, how wrong they are!
According to the plot of the series, in order to survive in Suleiman’s palace, Roksolana had to weave intrigues, push opponents to the front and interfere in state affairs. On screen, he plays with the feelings of the Sultan – especially for the benefit of his children. But all this is far from the truth. Historians who studied the correspondence of the spouses believe that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska really participated in state affairs, but only because she had extensive knowledge and spent her free time not in intrigues, but in reading books. No wonder Suleiman listened to his wife.
The main story of the series is the love relationships inside the harem. Without them, the series would not have been so successful. It’s funny that in fact Suleiman simply dispersed his entire harem as soon as he married Roksolana – he loved her so much. Because of the woman of his life, he even introduced a special title – haseki (that is, Mahidevran Sultan could not have this title, so it is another mistake of the series). It turns out that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska had no rival. Except a relative of the sultan who didn’t like his wife.
Meryem Uzerli is every man’s dream. Beautiful, bright, sexy, fatal. Unfortunately, in reality, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was not a beauty at all. More about it was said in the material: What Hürrem Sultan really looked like – no beauty!
He was not a sex symbol and Suleiman. Halit Ergench, who played the Sultan, misled the audience with his appearance. Many girls wrote that for such a master – noble, muscular, strong and handsome – they would fight themselves. In reality, Suleiman was far from ideal. He was overweight, due to the constant presence in the saddle, his legs were deformed and his gait was impaired, the Sultan did not wear a beard and – most interestingly – his height was only 165 cm (compared to 183 cm Ergench).
Therefore, the series “The Magnificent Century” took as a basis only the key historical facts. The filmmakers have depicted the era of Sultan Suleiman’s reign, to which they have added a lot of fiction to create a truly impressive spectacle. And they did. But we had to tell the truth!