Haseki Hürrem Sultan (Turkish pronunciation: [hyɾˈɾem suɫˈtaːn]; Ottoman Turkish: خُرَّم سلطان; fully: Devletlu İsmetlu Hürrem Haseki Sultan Aliyyetü'ş-Şân Hazretleri; c. 1502 – 15 April 1558, also known as Roxelana) was the favorite consort and later the legal wife of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and the mother of Şehzade Mehmed, Mihrimah Sultan, Şehzade Abdullah, Sultan Selim II, Şehzade Bayezid, and Şehzade Cihangir. She was one of the most powerful and influential women in the Ottoman history and a prominent figure during the era known as the Sultanate of Women. She was "Haseki Sultan" (chief wife of the Sultan) when her husband, Suleiman I, reigned as the Ottoman sultan. She achieved power and influenced the politics of the Ottoman Empire through her husband and played an active role in state affairs of the Empire.
According to some historians, Roxelana was born as Aleksandra Ruslana Lisowska, or Anastazja Lisowska while her childhood nickname was Nastia. Among the Ottomans, she was known mainly as Haseki Hürrem Sultan or Hürrem Haseki Sultan; also known as Roxolena, Roxolana, Roxelane, Rossa, Ružica; in Turkish as Hürrem (from Persian: خرم Khurram, "the cheerful one"); and in Arabic as Karima (Arabic: كريمة, "the noble one"). "Roxelana" might be not a proper name but a nickname, referring to her Rusyn heritage (cf. the common contemporary name "Ruslana"); "Roxolany" or "Roxelany" was one of the names of Ukrainians, up to the 15th century, after the ancient Roxolani. Thus her nickname would literally mean "The Ruthenian One".
Two friends they always were and knew they’d ever be
Built an empire side by side
Their trust complete, they were as one identity
Beyond the bounds of greed or pride
Then a young woman, just a slave, caught Ibrahim’s eye
And he asked her for her name
She came forward, she sat down, began to cry
Raised her eyes to him
Raised her voice to sing, singin’
I was born to please you
I was born to rule
To be free
Turn the empire’s destiny
Someday, she’ll be on the throne
For Roxelana
Yani yanina geliyorum ben... (I will come to you)
She was presented to the Sultan as a gift
A slave he’d never seen before
Against all odds they fell in love
And then they lived joined as man and wife
She changed their way of life, singin’
I was born to please you
I was born for love
To be free
Turn the empire’s destiny
Someday, she’ll be on the throne
For Roxelana
Deep in the night
Sad and lonely, Ibrahim died
Fighting for his life
Sinking,thinking
I was born to please you
I was born to love
To be free
Turn the empire’s destiny
Someday, she’ll be on the throne