Sultan of Sultans
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
SULTAN OF SULTANS in the English (literal) rendering of the lofty, authentic (as opposed to Great Sultan etc) muslim title (in Arabic, Turkish etcetera) Sultan es-Selatin or Sultan us-Selatin
- As various other titles of the type King of Kings, it can express a claim of 'imperial' rank or even universal legitimate sovereignty
- Although the notion and title of emperor is alien to the islamic tradition, except in the Turkish usage of Kaisar as an accessory style for its own Padishah as political successor to the -christian- Byzantine/ Roman Empire, the very Ottoman dynasty, which used the title of Sultan of Sultans since 1538 in its official full style (long, rather like the Habsburg emperors of the Holy Roman Empire), had perhaps the best claim because its empire was the largest (long-lasting) one in islam and as it had obtained the relgious paramount office as (sunnite) caliph
- A close second also using the style was the Shahanshah of Iran (in Persian this also means King of kings), who was his eternal political rival from the shiite part of islam (where no Caliph after Ali is possible)
- Although the notion and title of emperor is alien to the islamic tradition, except in the Turkish usage of Kaisar as an accessory style for its own Padishah as political successor to the -christian- Byzantine/ Roman Empire, the very Ottoman dynasty, which used the title of Sultan of Sultans since 1538 in its official full style (long, rather like the Habsburg emperors of the Holy Roman Empire), had perhaps the best claim because its empire was the largest (long-lasting) one in islam and as it had obtained the relgious paramount office as (sunnite) caliph
- It has also been used, less aptly, by other (mainly 'minor') muslim rulers, such as
- Sultans in India, especially? in Bengal
