Roxelana was the most seductive, powerful, egotistical, intriguing, manipulative and enigmatic woman of the early sixteenth century. History had never known anyone of such beauty and cunning. She was fabulous. Yet very few know her story...* * *Europe is in turmoil under the oppressive rule of the Hapsburgs and the incessent raids of marauding Tartar Warriors. Can the forces of The Ottoman Empire ensure the promised Renaissance?Istanbul, the eye of the Ottoman Sultanate and considered to be the centre of the Universe is the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the world. It is intoxicating and vibrant. But it is also a metropolis of mis-placed trust, of decadence, run by a sexually-charged, drug-riddled beaurocracy.And in the middle of this city, high on an imposing promontory is the fabled Topkapi Palace - the Seraglio of Sultan Suleyman Khan - the Shadow of God on Earth. Within its multitude of gazel-filled courtyards, along its secluded arcades and twisting down through its labyrinth of corridors to the solidly locked doors of the Sultan's Harem are secrets and whispers that promise death by strangulation to some - and absolute power to others.It is in this world that a simple peasant girl, abducted by Tartars and sold into slavery, captured the heart of the greatest Ottoman Sultan and rose to control the largest armies on Earth from within the gilded cage of Topkapi Harem.But does she know that there are those who would see her dead?And yet another, who's undying love, if revealed, would lead to the destruction of all her well laid plans?The story of Roxelana has remained hidden for centuries and needs to be told. It is about someone we should all be acquainted with intimately.