My YouTube recommendations are often… eclectic. A while back, I got into Chinese historical dramas due to a handful of YouTube shorts about Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace. From there, I started getting recommendations for The Great and The Serpent Queen.
Then I started getting clips of Muhteşem Yüzyıl, or Magnificent Century.
It’s ostensibly the story of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and Hürrem Sultan. In reality, it goes quite a bit deeper… But more on that in a moment.
It’s not historically accurate, by any means — I would by no means look to this for an accurate representation of… well, much of anything. Characters have been added, removed, and combined as needed, and timelines have been fudged almost beyond recognition — but it’s entertaining. Some characters have been scrubbed clean, others have been demonized. In the search for a good villain and heightened drama, some characters are brought together that never actually met in real life.
The costumes are gorgeous, albeit woefully inaccurate. They’ve been very The Tudors-ified — they have a “historic” feel, but the colors, embroidery, adornment, and amount of skin they show are all very modern.
Still, it’s a dramatic bit of fiction set against the backdrop of actual historical events. Everyone is gorgeous, the clothing and jewelry are stunning, and there’s loads of political maneuvering and fancy ladies staring daggers at each other at parties.
I have some distant Turkish and Armenian ancestry, but I never really had much of an interest in Ottoman history. While I wouldn’t say Magnificent Century has really taught me anything, it has at least piqued an interest in something I didn’t dedicate much thought to before.
But the most fascinating aspect of Magnificent Century may not be in the show itself at all.
As this article in The New Yorker put it,
On the surface, “Magnificent Century” looks like a quintessential product of the Erdoğan years. Thanks to Erdoğan’s economic policies, Turkey has a thriving television industry, capable of staging elaborate period dramas, and a prosperous family-oriented middle class of observant Muslims eager to watch their own values reflected in a historical imperial setting. And, much as Erdoğan’s foreign policy has promoted relations with former Ottoman lands, the show has conquered large audiences in Balkan, Caucasian, and Arab countries not known for their fond memory of Ottoman rule. Broadcast to more than two hundred million viewers in fifty-two countries, “Magnificent Century” has accomplished one of Erdoğan’s main goals: making a powerful, non-secularist, globally involved version of Turkey seem both plausible and appealing.
(This isn’t unique to Türkiye, either. Exporting TV series, movies, and music is a huge part of nation branding.)
However, it goes on to point out that Erdoğan and is ilk are not fans. In an attempt to make this slice of history palatable and suitable for prime time viewing, conservative viewers claim that the show sullies Suleiman’s memory.
Conservative viewers had already objected to the amount of time Süleyman spent in the harem; to a chalice from which he occasionally drank some unknown, potentially alcoholic beverage; and to the low-cut gowns of the harem women. When “Magnificent Century” first aired, Islamist demonstrators marched to the television-station offices and threw eggs at the building, while a man dressed as Süleyman read out an “imperial edict” denouncing the show.
Outside of Turkey, critics have denounced the show as an attempt to whitewash Ottoman history. Other critics argue that it wasn’t scrubbed clean enough in the right ways. For the show’s creators, Durul and Yağmur Taylan, the important thing was to depict the Ottoman empire mostly from the perspective of the enslaved women who lived in it. The script was written by a woman. The shifting protagonists and antagonists are women. While Ottoman history provides the backdrop, Suleiman is less a character than he is a vehicle for narrative tension between the members of the harem.
No one is a clear hero — everyone is morally gray. Everyone does questionable things in their pursuit of power, wealth, love, and safety. In a world where the Sultan’s favor can absolutely make or break the fate of you and your entire lineage, things get weird. Alliances shift. Loyalties form and dissolve like sugar crystals. Friendship is a facade, and love is a lie.
Despite the controversy, Magnificent Century became (and honestly still is) wildly popular. Its fanbase is also extremely divided: Is Hürrem the heroine, or a villain? Is Suleiman a hero or villain? What about Mahidevran?
Do the other characters deserve the fates they get at their hands?
How far is too far?
Is it even possible to come to truly love someone when you’re considered their property?
I would no more watch Magnificent Century for historical accuracy than I would watch The Tudors, The Great, or The Serpent Queen for the same. However, if you like complex intrigue and dramatic tension between people in fabulous gowns, it’s certainly worth watching. Best of all, you can find it on YouTube for free.
Marble Crow 