History Characters / MagnificentCentury

* BigBrotherInstinct[=/=]CoolBigSis: To Bayezid whom she supports in his quest to the throne. Also to Cihangir.
* BrainyBrunette

* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Gülşah is always quick to jump to murder.

* AntiVillain: She may be trying to assassinate the sultan, but her story is tragic enough to justify it.

* BadassBeard

* AntiHero: She's not above killing her political opponents, though she sometimes shows some remorse later [[spoiler:(like after Mustafa's death).]] At times, she

* AntiHero: She's not above killing her political opponents, though she sometimes shows some remorse later [[spoiler:(like after Mustafa's death).]]

* AmicableExes: With Süleyman. She is accepted in the palace even after Suleyman

Mahidevran's servant.

* LadyInWaiting: To Mahidevran. She takes her job very seriously.

* ArchNemesis: Hürrem loathes him with all her heart for purring her in a situation in which she has to be into a PsychoticLoveTriangle to save herself and her children.

* MamaBear: Her chief goal is to make one of her sons the next sultan- because, according to Ottoman law, if it's their half-brother Mustafa who ascends the throne, he's got the right to strangle all his brothers to avoid civil war in future. (Though with the show's portrayal of Mustafa, it's quite clear he wouldn't do that. His mother, Mahidevran, on the other hand...)

* CharacterDevelopment[=/=] ComingOfAgeStory: At the beginning of the show she's quite naive, bratty and very impulsive. In later seasons she grows more ladylike, but also more ruthless, calculating and wiser in political game.

* DisposableFiance

* GentlemanAndAScholar: The most bookish of princes.
* IllBoy: [[spoiler:Ultimately goes into TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth]]

* GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave: She is ocassionally called "charming".

* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Mother, Like Daughter]]: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Şah Sultan in season 3 final: "You're not behaving like Hürrem, you are Hürrem." Also, Süleyman says he loves her that much, because she's so much like her mother.

* IllBoy: [[spoiler: Ultimately goes into TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth]]

* CrusadingWidower: She is fighting to get revenge on her husband.

* LovingAShadow: He idealized a lot his love for Sadyka/Victoria and made her to be an angel, which was delusional even if she weren't a traitor.

* TheParanoiac: Sultan sees others' mistakes as (often) almost unforgivable treason. For example, when [[spoiler: Nasuh]] hides some facts about Sultan's sons since he didn't think they were of great importance (but could have angered Sultan anyway), Sultan sents him off of the palace, even though he was one of his most trusted servants he ever had. Another example can be his reaction to a fabricated letter that was to 'confirm' Mustafa's vile intents. Sultan always feared Mustafa would overthrow him (for no good reason) and instead of at least having a talk with Mustafa, he decides to [[spoiler: have him strangled]]. And of course let's not forget about [[spoiler:Ibrahim]]--Sultan thought he tried to usurp power due to his pride, so, despite [[spoiler: Ibrahim being his best friend]] he orders to [[spoiler: have him strangled]]. It turned out later, however, that [[spoiler: all his fears and suspicions were him being paranoid--Sultan got Ibrahim's diary which read that Ibrahim admired Sultan and it was strongly implied he would never act against Sultan]]

* ParentalFavoritism: Süleyman imagines Mehmed as his succesor because of the dream he had the night the boy was born. [[spoiler: Later when Mehmed is dead, he builds a throne on his tomb.]] Mehemed is also likely Hürrem's favourite son as her first-born and thus the one to make her sultana. She does everything she can to give him the throne and [[spoiler: only after his death she starts thinking of Bayezid as a future sultan.]]

* [[BigBrotherInstinct Big Sister Instinct]][=/=]CoolBigSis: To Bayezid whom she supports in his quest to the throne. Also to Cihangir.

* EvilRedhead: He's the only one of Hürrem's children to inherit her red hair and aldo the one of the princes most prone to intrigues and backstabbing.

* AmicableExes: With Süleyman.

* CrusadingWidower

* [[AntiHero Anti-Heroine]]: She's not above killing her political opponents, though she sometimes shows some remorse later [[spoiler:(like after Mustafa's death).]]

* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: Soon after she finally manages to gets Mustafa executed, her youngest son Cihangir dies of grief after his brother's death]].

* [[RedHeadedHero Red Headed Heroine]][=/=] EvilRedHead: Depending on who the audience sides with, given the show's GreyAndGrayMorality.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Süleyman. Complete with HoYay.

* [[BigBrotherInstinct Big Sister Instinct]] She is very protective and caring towars Hatice.

* BadassMustache

** She also may have a CasualKink. In the dream, he pushes her against a wall, yells at her, strangles her, then kisses her.

Süleyman's second wife and favorite, Aleksandra aka Hürrem is a Crimean girl who comes to the harem a slave, kidnapped in a raid that killed her family. In the harem, she rises to great heights after she catches his attention, and more so after she has a son.

* AlphaBitch

!!Sultan Süleyman Khan

!!Hürrem Sultan

Süleyman's second wife and favorite, Hürrem is a Crimean girl who comes to the harem a slave, kidnapped in a raid that killed her family. In the harem, she rises to great heights after she catches his attention, and more so after she has a son.

!!Pargalı İbrahim Pasha

* DarkAndTroubledPast: İbrahim is actually pretty open about his past; in the WelcomeEpisode, he explains it all. Born in Parga, İbrahim was kidnapped at the age of 10. He very purposely made himself forget so it wouldn't haunt him.

!!Valide Sultan

!!Mahidevran Sultan

!!Hatice Sultan

!!Şehzade Mustafa

!!Şehzade Mehmet

!!Mihrimah Sultan

* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: When Mihrimah is born, Hürrem is horrified that her daughter is a daughter, ruining Hürrem's BadassBoast that she would only have sons.

!!Şehzade Selim

!!Şehzade Bayezid

!!Şehzade Cihangir

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: The only person who's above all the endless intrigues and backstabbing, and who's unambiguously honest, is probably Süleyman himself.
* TheMagnificent: Süleyman the Magnificent, in Turkish ''Muhteşem Süleyman'', which is where the show's name comes from.

* FieryRedhead: We first meet her as a captive on a slave ship, and even there she is unbroken and defiant.

* MamaBear: Her chief goal is to make one of her sons the next sultan- because, according to Ottoman law, if it's their half-brother Mustafa who ascends the throne, he's got the right to strangle all his brothers to avoid civil war in future. ( Though with the show's portrayal of Mustafa, it's quite clear he wouldn't do that. His mother , Mahidevran, on the other hand...)

* [[RedHeadedHero Red Headed Heroine]][=/=] EvilRedHead: Depending on who you side with, given the show's GreyAndGrayMorality.

* NumberTwo: He's Süleyman's.

* BadassBeard

* TakingTheBullet: He does this for Süleyman, with a throwing knife in an assassination attempt.

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Her title is Valide Sultan, which in Turkish means "Queen Mother". She is almost ''always'' called by her title, though sometimes shortened to just Valide. In case you're wondering, her real name is Ayşe Hafsa.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Mahidevran in her various attempts to destroy Hürrem. They lead to Süleyman being angry with Mahidevran for hurting Hürrem, and caring for poor Hürrem even more ''because'' she was hurt.

* PrincessClassic: Hatice begins as something like this. She was married and widowed once before, and more mature for it, but still more or less a pure, feminine, beautiful, and kind princess.

* StaircaseTumble: During the Janissaries riots, [[spoiler:Hatice falls down the stairs, causing the miscarriage of her first baby.]]

* DeadGuyJunior: Süleyman named his son after his father, Sultan Selim Khan--the boy's grandfather.

* IllBoy
* [[spoiler: TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth]]

* ConflictingLoyalty: She's supposed to obey the sultana. But who is the sultana?
* EroticDream: She has one about [[spoiler:İbrahim]]. It's awkward.
** She also may have a CasualKink. In the dream, he pushes her against a wall, yells at her, strangles her, then kisses her.

* EtTuBrute: Due to unfair allegations of BackstabbingTheAlphaBitch, Hürrem [[KickTheDog poisons Gülnihal]]--her supposed best friend--to ruin her prospects, so Gülnihal's only possibility will be to be her servant. Gülnihal is horrified, as is everyone else.
* TurnTheOtherCheek: But she forgives her.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Gülnihal's face is scarred by a poisoned fur sent by Hürrem. First awful boils, then rough scaring, which soon fades. Several episodes later, her face is healed and scarless, much to Hürrem's shock.

* AttemptedRape: Sadıka by her [[TheMole co-conspirator]]. The rape is prevented by someone hearing her and coming, and partly by her stabbing him.
** Later she [[spoiler:is actually raped--by Süleyman no less--because she's too afraid to refuse the sultan.]] Her ShowerOfAngst afterwards is heartbreaking.
* AlasPoorVillain: Her [[spoiler:death scene]] is very tragic.

* [[BigBrotherInstinct Big Sister Instinct]] She is very protective and caring towars Hatice.

* EasilyForgiven: Süleyman himself [[Lampshaded is quite aware]] that he lets her get away with things that would get any other person executed, simply because he loves her that much.

* CharacterDevelopment[=/=]ComingOfAgeStory: At the beginning of the show she's quite naive, bratty and very impulsive. In later seasons she grows more ladylike, but also more ruthless, calculating and wiser in political game.

* [[RedHeadedHero RedHeadedHeroine]][=/=]EvilRedHead: Depending on who you side with, given the show's GreyAndGrayMorality.

* MamaBear: Her chief goal is to make one of her sons the next sultan- because, according to Ottoman law, if it's their half-brother Mustafa who ascends the throne, he's got the right to strangle all his brothers to avoid civil war in future. ( Though with the show's portrayal of Mustafa, it's quite clear he wouldn'y do that. His mother , Mahidevran on the other hand...)

* {{Yandere}}: Mahidevran and Hürrem are both, almost equally, yanderes over Süleyman. Justified because their children's fates are on the line, but there's still a lot of petty jealousy involved too.

* [[Antihero Antiheroine]]: She's not above killing her political opponents, though she sometimes shows some remorse later [[spoiler:(like after Mustafa's death).]]