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Lady
Rashida bint Yusuf
Award of Arms
Rashida bint Yusuf's SCA Awards - Offical Kingdom OP entry |
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Rashida bint Yusuf's SCA Resume | ||
Rashida bint Yusuf's History
Rashida bint Yusuf: the historical bits…. In July 1492, the Jews were expelled from Spain, and like many, Joseph the Tailor and his pregnant wife Mira left the country rather than convert. Also like many, they accepted the invitation from Sultan Bayezid II to settle in Ottoman lands and become citizens of the Ottoman Turkish empire. Said Bayezid II, The Just, in comment to Spain on the Inquisition and subsequent flood of Jews immigrating to his lands, "You venture to call Ferdinand a wise ruler, he who has impoverished his own country and enriched mine!" Indeed, Joseph and Mira found the Sephardic Jewish community in Istanbul (still called Kostantiniyye) to be most welcoming, and a place of great learning and religious freedom. Still a bit distrustful, given their recent experience in Spain, they decided that their newborn girl would do best if integrated into the local community, so as to show compliance with the local governance. She was named "Rashida bint Yusuf", Rashida, the daughter of Joseph. Rashida spent most of her time in the 1520s working with her father as a tailor`s assistant. She made deliveries to clients, and eventually found herself joining the ranks of Jewish women who were kiras to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. A kira was a woman (usually Jewish, but some were Greek or Albanian) who acted as personal merchants to the women of Suleiman’s harem, bringing them goods to buy from different markets. On these many trips to the Old Palace and the New Palace (Topkapi), buying and selling wares, Rashida would occasionally find discarded items or bodies with possessions she might not have had otherwise…. A little less period…. At some point, seeking greater freedom to travel, enamored with bow and armor scavenged from the streets, Rashida disguised herself and joined a caravan as a guard for hire, seeking only to reach Europe and a bigger world of possibilities. She eventually found her way to the northern isles, where an archer of great renown saw her shooting anonymously in a skirmish. He and his Lady took her under their wing in their castle and estates. In these modern Middle Ages, Rashida is an Arcuarius to Archos Ronan Mackay and a feared combat archer. When she`s not running the archery range or a YAC tourney, she might be marshaling, dancing, beading, armoring, embroidering (sort of), being a waterbearer, hammering something, or looking for a place to sit down. She has also rediscovered a great love of group sing-a-longs. All knowledge is worth having, and Rashida loves nothing better than learning something new. |