[FirstTomato]

I just got finished reading an interesting book--a history of the Ottoman Empire's harems and the kidnapping and slave trade which supplied young beautiful women from all over Europe for the Sultans. These women were immediately made to convert to Islam, natch.

[a_Turk]

Did you also read that the Ottomans bought their eunuchs from the Venetians, since it was against their religion to castrate? That was a surprise..

[dsutah]

Now that you mention the trade of beautiful women from all over Europe; I read an intriguing story once. It was about a girl who came from French island of Martinique,(West Indies). She was heading to Europe, I believe, traveling with some family friends. Her father was a wealthy planter/businessman in the island.

On the way, they were attacked by pirates. The pirates killed a lot of people in their party. For some reason, they kept Aimee(the Martinique girl)alive. But they sold her to a Ottoman ruler, or Sultan. Now she joins the harem, and by and by, the Sultan falls in love with her. I don't know if initiallly she had to convert, or if she followed her faith secretly, at first(she was RC). But she not only became the favorite wife of the ruler, but she wound up converting him too! She lived happily with him until he died.

I don't remember if he practiced it openly with her, but some in his goverment were upset by it. I think he even went through a Christian marriage ceremony with her. It was really quite a love story at the time(late 1700's). I wonder if it happened every once in awhile. It was story like Esther's story in the "Bible"(where heroine becomes favorite wife of pagan king).