Kiösem Sultan was one of the most powerful women in the history of the Ottoman Empire. Anastasia, of Greek origin, arrived at a young age in the harem of Sultan Ahmed I, became his favorite concubine, and later his legal wife. Dynamic and power-hungry, she managed to maintain a leadership role in the administration of the empire, sometimes openly and sometimes underground, during the reign of six sultans.
In the 17th century, the Ottoman Empire remained strong, despite the first signs of decline: conspiracies and intrigues, assassinations and fratricides, ruthless competition among the women of the harem, and incited uprisings. At the center of this universe, unfolding in the detailed narrative of I. Tsokona, was Kiösem, a controversial personality, ruthless and ambitious but at the same time generous and popular, who left an indelible mark.
A story that today's reality shows we cannot ignore.

The author, using, among other things, many Turkish sources, describes the administration of the Ottoman Empire and reveals hard-to-find information about the hidden life inside the harem. Special reference is made with images to many topics, such as punishments, eunuchs, the sultans' marriages, the Blue Mosque, the grand dragomans, etc. Maps provide an image of the empire and the city, while an appendix lists the names and succession of the sultans, as well as a helpful glossary.