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Muslim monarch ruling under the terms of shariah The title carries moral weight and religious authority, as the ruler's role was defined in the Qur'an. The Sultan however was not a religious teacher himself. In the Byzantine Empire and the traditional spheres of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, a comparable unity of church and state in the person of the ruler is termed Caesaropapism. The last non-Islamic ruler with comparable authority was Nicholas II, the last autocratic Emperor ('Tsar') of Russia, though formally (if not in practice) the British monarch represents a similar union of church and state, being both the Head of state and the Supreme Governor of the Church of England; in practice, the Sovereign is merely the titular leader of church and state; this status is also under question as Charles, Prince of Wales has indicated he intends to rule as 'defender of the faiths' rather than 'defender of the faith'. The first to carry the title of 'Sultan' was the Turkmen chief Mahmud of Ghazni (ruled 998 - 1030). Later, 'Sultan' became the usual title of rulers of Seljuk and Ottoman Turks and Ayyubid and Mamluk rulers in Egypt. In the later stages Sultan was used mostly for the wives of the emperor. The spiritual validation of the title was well illustrated by the fact that it was the shadow Caliph in Cairo that bestowed the title "Sultan" on Murad I, the third ruler of the emerging Ottoman Empire in 1383; its earlier leaders had been Beys or Emirs. At later stages, lesser rulers assumed the style "sultan", as was the case for the earlier leaders of today's royal family of Morocco. Today, only the Sultan of Oman, the Sultan of Brunei, and some titular sultans in the southern Philippines, Java, and in the former Malay States which are now part of Malaysia still use the title. The sultan's domain is properly called a sultanate. A feminine form, used by Westerners, is Sultana or Sultanah; the very styling misconstrues the roles of wives of sultans. In a similar usage, the wife of a German Field-Marshal might be styled Feldmarschallin (in French, similar constructions of the type madame la maréchalle are quite common). Among those modern hereditary rulers who wish to emphasize their secular authority under the rule of law, the term is gradually being replaced by 'king'. Compound ruler titles These are generally secondary titles, either lofty 'poetry' or with a message; e.g.: Middle East & Central Asia Audhali, Fadhli, Haushabi, Kathiri, Lahej, Lower Aulaqi, Lower Yafa, Mahra, Qu'aiti, Subeihi, Upper Aulaqi, Upper Yafa, and the Wahidi sultanates Hami This was the authentical style, commonly rendered as sultan, of the Islamic monarchs of the ruling house of Oman, in both its realms: North Africa West & Central Africa title Sultan Maliki This was the alternative native style (apparently derived from Malik, the Arabic word for King) of the Sultans of Kilwa Kisiwani, in Tanganyika (presently part of Tanzania) Mfalume This is the (Ki)Swahili title of various native Muslim rulers, generally rendered in Arabic and in western languages as Sultan: Sultani This was the native ruler's title in the Tanzanian state of Uhehe Indian Ocean island sultanates See Sultans on the Comoros; several alternative native titles occur, including Mfalme, Phany and the 'hegemonic' title Sultani tibe Far East In China: Most are however in the ethnically predominantly Malay countries: In Indonesia: In the Philippines: In Thailand South Asia In India: Contemporary sultanates Princely and aristocratic titles In the Ottoman dynastic system, male descendants of the ruling Padishah (in the West also known as Great Sultan), enjoyed a style including Sultan, so this normally Monarchic title is used equivalent to a western prince of the blood: Daulatlu Najabatlu Shahzada Sultan (given name) Hazretleri Effendi; for the Heir Apparent however, the style was Daulatlu Najabatlu Vali Ahad-i-Sultanat' (given name) Effendi Hazlatlari, i.e. Crown Prince of the sultanate. In certain muslim states, Sultan was also an aristocratic title, as in the Tartar Astrakhan Khanate Military rank In a number of post-caliphal states under Mongol of Turkic rule, there was a feudal type of military hierarchy, often decimal (mainly in larger empires), using originally princely titles (Khan, Malik, Amir) as mere rank denominations. In the Persian empire, the rank of Sultan was roughly equivalent to a western Captain, socially in the fifth rank class, styled 'Ali Jah See also Other Islamic titles | |||||||||
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