Sultan Totally Explained

Everything about Sultans totally explained

Sultan is an Islamic title, with several historical meanings. Originally it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from the Arabic masdar سلطة sulṭah, meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain Muslim rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty in practical terms (for example, the lack of dependence on any higher ruler), without claiming the overall Caliphate, or it was used to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate. It then developed some further meanings in certain contexts.
The dynasty and lands ruled by a Sultan are called a Sultanate (Arabic: سلطنة).

Former Sultans and Sultanates

Middle East & Central Asia

Ghaznavid Sultanate
Sultans of Great Seljuk
Seljuk Sultanate of Rum
Sultans (becoming Padishahs) of the Ottoman Empire, the Osmanli
Ayyubid Sultans of Damascus (in Syria)
in present-day Yemen, various small sultanates of the former British Aden Protectorate and South Arabia: ť :Audhali, Fadhli, Haushabi, Kathiri, Lahej, Lower Aulaqi, Lower Yafa, Mahra, Qu'aiti, Subeihi, Upper Aulaqi, Upper Yafa and the Wahidi sultanates
in present-day Saudi Arabia :
- Sultans of Nejd
- Sultans of the Hejaz

Hami

This was the authentic style, commonly rendered as sultan, of the Islamic monarchs of the ruling house of Oman, in both its realms:

Oman — Sultan of Oman, on the southern coast of the Arabian peninsula, still an independent sultanate, since 1784, two years before the imamate lost temporal power in 1786 (assumed the formal style of Sultan in 1861)

Sultanate of Zanzibar two incumbents (from the Omani dynasty) since the de facto separation from Oman in 1806, the last assumed the style Sultan in 1861 at the formal separation under British auspices; since 1964 union with Tanganyika part of Tanzania)

North Africa

in Algeria: sultanate of Tuggurt

in (greater) Egypt:

in Morocco, till Mohammed V changed the style to Malik (king) on 14 August 1957, maintaining the subsidiary style Amir al-Mu´minin (Commander of the Faithful)

in Sudan:

in Chad:

Bag(u)irmi (main native title: Mbang)
Wada'i (main native title: Kolak), successor state to Birgu
Dar Sila (actually a wandering group of tribes),

West & Central Africa

in Cameroon:

Bamoun (Bamun, 17th cent. founded uniting 17 chieftancies) 1918 becomes a Sultanate, but in 1923 re-divided into the 17 original chieftancies.
Bibemi 1770 founded- Rulers first style Lamido to ...., then Sultan
Mandara Sultanate since 1715 (replacing Wandala kingdom); 1902 Part of Cameroon
Rey Bouba Sultanate founded 1804

in the Central African Republic:

Bangassou created ca.1878; 14 June 1890 under Congo Free State protectorate, 1894 under French protectorate; 1917 Sultanate suppressed by the French.
Dar al-Kuti - French protectorate since December 12, 1897
Rafai ca.1875 Sultanate, 8 April 8, 1892 under Congo Free State protectorate, March 31 1909 under French protectorate; 1939 Sultanate suppressed
Zemio ca.1872 established; December 11 1894 under Congo Free State protectorate, April 12 1909 under French protectorate; 1923 Sultanate suppressed

in Niger: Arabic alternative title of the following autochthonous rulers:

the Amenokal of the Aïr confederation of Tuareg
the Sarkin Damagaram since the 1731 founding of the Damagaram state (later capital Zinder)

in Nigeria most monarchies has a native title; when most in the north converted to Islam, Muslim titles were generally adopted, such as Emir- Sultan has been used in

Borno (alongside the native title Mai)
since 1817 in Sokoto, the suzerain (also styled Amir al-Mu´minin and Sarkin Musulmi) of all Fulbe jihad states and premier traditiobal Muslim leader in the Sahel (according to some once a Caliph)

East Africa & Indian Ocean

Sultan

Adal Sultanate, in eastern Ethiopia (also in Western Somaliland)

Aussa Sultanate, in northeastern Ethiopia

Angoche Sultanate, on the Mozambiquan coast (also several neighbouring sheikdoms)

Harar Sultanate, in eastern Ethiopia.

Ifat Sultanate, in eastern Ethiopia.

Northern Somali sultanates, in northern Somalia.

Shewa Sultanate in central Ethiopia

various Sultans on the Comoros; however on the Comoros, the normally used styles were alternative native titles, including Mfalme, Phany or Jambé and the 'hegemonic' title Sultani tibe

the Maore (or Mawuti) sultanate on Mayotte

Maliki

This was the alternative native style (apparently derived from Malik, the Arabic word for King) of the Sultans of the Kilwa Sultanate, in Tanganyika (presently the continental part of Tanzania)

Swahili sultan

Mfalume is the (Ki)Swahili title of various native Muslim rulers, generally rendered in Arabic and in western languages as Sultan:

in Kenya:

Pate on part of Pate island (capital also named Pate), in the Lamu Archipelago
Witu, came under German, then British protectorate

in Tanganyika (presently part of Tanzania): of Hadimu, on the island of that name; also styled Jembe

Sultani

This was the native ruler's title in the Tanzanian state of Uhehe

Southern Asia

In India:

Bahmani Sultanate

Sultanate of Mysore

Sultanate of Bengal

the Deccan sultanates: Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, Golconda and Ahmednagar

Sultanate of Delhi several dynasties, the last (Mughal) became imperial Padshah-i Hind

Sultanate of Gujarat

Sultanate of Jaunpur

Sultanate of Kandesh

Sultanate of Malwa In the Maldives:

Maldives Sultanate

Southeast & East Asia

In Brunei:

Sultan of Brunei, Brunei (on Borneo island) In China:

Dali, Yunnan, capital of the short-lived Panthay Rebellion Furthermore, the Qa´id Jami al-Muslimin (Leader of the Community of Muslims) of Pingnan Guo ("Pacified South State", a major Islamic rebellious polity in western Yunnan province) is usually referred to in foreign sources as Sultan In Indonesia (formerly in the Dutch East Indies):

In the Borneo Island

In the Celebes Island

In the Java Island

In the Moluccas Island

In the Nusa Tenggara

Sultanate of Bima

In the Sumatra Island

In Malaysia, 9 states out of 13 states are sultanates:

Sultanate of Malacca

Sultanate of Johor

Sultanate of Kedah

Sultanate of Kelantan

Sultanate of Pahang

Sultanate of Perak

Sultanate of Selangor

Sultanate of Terengganu

Furthermore, the ruler of Luak Jelebu, one of the constitutive states of the Negeri Sembilan confederation, had the style Sultan in addition to his principal title Undang Luak Jelebu In the Philippines:

Sultanate of Buayan

Sultanate of Maguindanao

Sultanate of Sulu (Basilan, Palawan and Tawi-Tawi islands and part of -now Malaysian- Sabah on North Borneo) In Thailand (Siam):

Sultanate of Pattani

Contemporary sultanates

Brunei

Indonesia — Sultan of Yogyakarta Special Region is governor of that province

Malaysia

Note: Sultan is the title of seven (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Selangor and Terengganu) of the nine rulers of the Malay states. The federal head of state for all Malaysia, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is elected (de facto rotated) for five years by and among the hereditary state rulers, but is usually styled "king" in foreign countries; political power, however, lies with the prime minister. See also: Malay titles

Oman, an Arabian nation, formerly sultanate of Muscat and Oman

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, for example Crown Prince of the sultanate.

The sons of Imperial Princesses, excluded from the Ottoman imperial succession, were only styled Sultanzada (given name) Bey-Effendi, for example Son of a Prince[ss] of the dynasty. In certain Muslim states, Sultan was also an aristocratic title, as in the Tartar Astrakhan Khanate The Sultan Valide was the title reserved for the mother of the ruling sultan.
Military rank
In a number of post-caliphal states under Mongol or 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
Use in Western Popular Culture
The term Sultan is also used in modern pop vernacular to describe someone who has reached the peak of their profession, the elite of their class.

Further Information
Get more info on 'Sultans'.

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