Padshah Begum

Padshah Begum of
the Mughal Empire
Badshah Begum, the chief consort of Emperor Muhammad Shah, who held the title of Padshah Begum
Style Padshah Begum
Residence Agra Fort
Appointer Babur
Badshah of Mughal
Formation 20 April 1526
First holder Maham Begum

Padshah Begum (Urdu: بیگم پادشاه) was an imperial title for first lady in Mughal Empire. This title can be equivalent with "empress" in English, but in only approximate terms in the Mughal context.

Etymology

Padeshah, Padshah, Padishah, or Badishah (Persian: پادشاه) is a superlative royal title, composed of the Persian pād "master" and the widespread shāh "king", which was adopted by several monarchs claiming the highest rank, roughly equivalent to the ancient Persian notion of "The Great" or "Great King", and later adopted by post-Achaemenid and Christian Emperors. Its Arabized pronunciation as Badshah was used by Mughal emperors, and Bashah or Pasha was used by Ottoman Sultans.

Begum, begam, baigum or beygum (Persian: بیگم, Urdu: بیگم) is a female royal and aristocratic title from Central and South Asia. It is the feminine equivalent of the title baig or bey, which in Turkic languages means chief or commander. It usually refers to the wife or daughter of a beg.

Historical usage

Padshah Begum could be bestowed upon the chief or principal wife, a sister, the mother or even a favored daughter of the Mughal Emperor[1] and could not be held by more than one lady simultaneously.[2] This title was first bestowed upon Maham Begum, wife of Emperor Babur and mother of the next Emperor Humayun. Emperor Akbar bestowed this title upon Ruqaiya Sultan Begum. Emperor Jahangir bestowed this title upon Nur Jahan Begum. Emperor Shah Jahan bestowed this title upon his wife Mumtaz Mahal Begum. Emperor Muhammad Shah bestowed this title upon his wife Badshah Begum.

The title was also bestowed upon the daughter of the emperor, such as Emperor Shah Jahan's daughter, Princess Jahanara Begum and Emperor Aurangzeb's daughter, Princess Zinat-un-Nissa, both of whom bore the title throughout their lives.[3]

In some cases the title was also bestowed upon the sister of the emperor. Such as in the case of Emperor Babur's older sister, Khanzada Begum.[4] When the princesses held the title it literally meant "Empress amongst princesses".[5]

References

  1. ↑ Aftab, Tahera (2008). Inscribing South Asian Muslim Women : an Annotated Bibliography & Research Guide ([Online-Ausg.] ed.). Brill. p. 66. ISBN 9789004158498.
  2. ↑ The Journal of the Numismatic Society of India, Volumes 20-21. Numismatic Society of India. 1958. p. 223.
  3. ↑ Schimmel, Annemarie (2004). The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture. Reaktion Books. p. 152. ISBN 1861891857.
  4. ↑ Schimmel, Annemarie (2004). The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture. Reaktion Books. p. 145. ISBN 1861891857.
  5. ↑ Butenschön, Andrea (1931). The Life of a Mogul Princess: Jahānarā Begam, Daughter of Shāhjahān. Taylor & Francis. p. 221.

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, March 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.