Yume no Shizuku, Kin no Torikago (Dream Drop in the Golden Birdcage) is a josei manga created by Chie Shinohara. It began serialization in Petit Comic in 2010, and is still ongoing.
At the beginning of the 16th century, slave traders raid the Ukraine and capture the young Alexandra. She gets bought by a handsome man called Matheus, who promises her true freedom. She gets taken to Istanbul by him and he hires teachers, scholars, and palace ladies to educate her in all manners.
His kindness causes Alexandra, now known under the new name of Hurrem, to fall in love with him, even hoping that he will take her as his concubine. However, Matheus, who is known in Istanbul as Ibrahim, reveals that he has already promised her to someone else — Suleiman the Great, Emperor of the Ottoman Empire. Hurrem enters his harem and the promise of true freedom seems like a mockery now.
Hurrem vows to herself to break out of her cage, but this requires her to gain the most influence over the sultan's harem. Thus begins the tale of Hurrem, a slave that wound up going down in history as Roxelana, Empress of the Ottoman Empire.
This Series Contains The Following Tropes:
- Adapted Out
- History shows that Suleiman had two sons prior to Mustafa, his son with Mahidevran Gulbahar. Their deaths are listed to have occured in 1521, leaving Mustafa as the eldest surviving son of Suleiman. The manga adapts them out, listing Mustafa as the first and only son Suleiman had, until he had children with Hurrem.
- History lists Abdullah as a child that Hurrem and Suleiman had, but no such character appears in the manga. Abdullah gets listed after Mihrimah and before Selim, with implication that he might have been Mihrimah's twin. As history lists Abdullah to have died at age 3 from disease, it's possible that Chie Shinohara decided to cut this character out entirely. Selim is referred to as the third child of Hurrem and Suleiman.
- Dated History: The manga has Ibrahim marrying Princess Hatice, who was Suleiman's sister. This was believed to be the case for a long time, but during The Noughties scholar Ebru Turan found references that the actual Ibrahim married a woman called Muhsine Hatun, who had no such relation. In fact, she was the granddaughter of the man that had enslaved Ibrahim decades prior.
- Foregone Conclusion: The history of the Ottoman Empire is easy to look up, making it clear what will go down. Most prominently that Hurrem would eventually become the legal wife of Suleiman, and Empress of the Empire.
- Historical Domain Character: The manga follows the history of the Ottoman Empire, focusing on Hurrem
rising up the ranks from concubine to empress, and the reigning years of Suleiman the Magnificent. - Inconsistent Spelling:
- Hurrem and Hürrem. Both are valid, with the latter being the modern Turkish romanization.
- Gulbahar and Gülbahar, in a similar fashion.
- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: It's possible that Prince Mehmed was conceived the night Hurrem and Ibrahim slept with each other, which both of them are worried about.
- One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: Played with, as it's not said outright if Hurrem became pregnant from the one night she slept with Ibrahim, or if she got pregnant during her frequent concubine duties with Suleiman.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted, and discussed both times.
- One of the servants Ibrahim gives Hurrem is called Mehmed, which is also the name of her first child. Hurrem eventually gets around this by giving him the name 'Sokol'.
- Princess Hatice's child also gets named Mehmed. She mentions that her brother, who named her child and Hurrem's, had great respect for his grandfather Mehmed the Conqueror, whom they are named after. Later chapters reveal that the child's full name is Ata Mehmed, leaving a distinction.
- Parental Favoritism: Discussed, with people observing Suleiman playing with his toddler son Mehmed, whose mother is Hurrem. Due to the rules of succession, any sign of favoritism towards one son in particular makes people gossip. Suleiman himself states no particular favor towards any of his sons.
- Public Bathhouse Scene: The Hamam used by the women in the harem is shown frequently. It's a common place for the women to socialize and gossip with each other.
- Rags to Riches: Hurrem goes from regular village girl to concubine of the Emperor, and will eventually become Empress.
- Sibling Rivalry: Averted, with Gulbahar's son, Mustafa, getting along well with his half-siblings, whose mother is Hurrem. The largest rivalry is between their mothers, due to the Succession Crisis.
- Star-Crossed Lovers
- Hurrem and Ibrahim, as she is the sultan's concubine and he was merely the sultan's courtier. When Ibrahim's plan to get enough social status to be granted Hurrem as a gift fails, both decide to fulfill their positions as expected by society, despite still being in love.
- Hatice and Alvice, as she is the sultan's sister and he is a mere merchant. Alvice had the same plan as Ibrahim, but when her engagement to Ibrahim was announced, they tried to elope and failed.
- Succession Crisis: The Ottoman Empire had no laws of the first-born son automatically becoming the successor, but any son had equal chance. And that any son not chosen as heir had to be killed. This is why Gulbahar is so set on having her son Mustafa be the only child of Suleiman's, and why the rivalry between her and Hurrem escalates as time goes on.
