| Mahinbanu Sultan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1519 (1519) |
| Died | 1562 (aged 42–43) |
| Dynasty | Safavid dynasty |
| Father | Ismail I |
| Mother | Tajlu Khanum |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
Mahin Bānū Sultan, better known asPrincess Sulțānum,[2] orShahzada Sultanim (Persian:مهینبانو سلطان; 1519–1562) was aSafavid princess ofIran, and the daughter of ShahIsmail I (r. 1501–1524) andTajlu Khanum.[3] She was the youngest sister ofTahmasp I. She had a big influence on the reign of her brother, and acted as his political adviser.
Mahinbanu was born in 1519 inTabriz.[4] She lost her father at the age of five and was given a higher education in the royal court. She was very interested in politics, which her motherTajlu Khanum ensured she had an education in. After her mother's death in 1540, Mahinbanu was chosen as the only advisor to her brother,Shah Tahmasp. During her brother's reign, Mahinbanu was known as the greatest lady of theSafavid Empire. She never married and dedicated her whole life to the government of her father and brother. After the death of her older brother,Bahram Mirza, she took care of his three children, Sultan Hossein Mirza,Ibrahim Mirza, andBadi-al Zaman Mirza Safavi. Mahinbanu took charge and brought them up, then at her request, the two younger sons of Bahram Mirza married the two eldest daughters ofShah Tahmasp. After that, she was given the title of "Sultana." Mahinbanu Sultan finally died in 1562 at the age of 43 inQazvin and was buried in her father's tomb inArdabil, according to her will.
Mahinbanu Sultan was in politics for 22 years, from the time of her mother's death until her own death. She corresponded withHurrem Sultan, and after Hurrem's death, these correspondences continued with Hurrem's daughterMihrimah Sultan. Mutual gifts were exchanged as part of these correspondences, the most famous of which is the Iranian carpet that was given to Hurrem Sultan. She also corresponded withHamida Banu Begum, the queen of theGurkanian court.
Like other family members, she believed in shia beliefs and was a person ofrepentance, religion and practice of Sharia affairs. During her pilgrimage toMashhad, she arranged thegolden window and once again took the furniture and lamps with him and inspected all the Sadats and scholars and the atmosphere there. Also, every year, she dedicated a total amount to the fourteen innocents and placed its responsibility with the king of the time. Despite the fact thatMesopotamia had left Iran and Safavid rule, every year she sent a significant amount of money to the people ofKarbala,Najaf,Jabal Amal,Sadat Medina, and the cost of furniture and fittings for the holy shrines.[citation needed]
Princess Soltanum was present at the Safavid court in Qazvin when an embassy from India visited, led by the deposed rulerHumayun, who has been ousted by the Afghan rulerSher Shah Suri and betrayed by his brotherMirza Kamran.[1] One of the members of the retinue wasBairam Khan, who may have had an affair with the celibate Mahinbanu Sultan. A 1544 painting byMirza Ali namedThe Princely Lovers seems to depict an amorous relation between the two.[1] The male in the painting has a slightly darker face, a convention used to depict people from India, and wears an Indian turban with a central bonnet (not the traditional Persiantaj-i Haydari) and a yellow shawl.[1] He was himself aShia, being ofQara Qoyunlu ancestry.[1]
At one point in the negotiations led by Bairam Beyg, Shah Tahmasp demanded that Bairam Beyg wear the Persian headdress, thetaj-i Haydari as a sign of submission. Bairam Beyg refused, saying he needed the permission of his ruler. Shah Tahmasp, in anger, had several heretics executed as a veiled threat to Bairam Beyg. Humeyun later agreed to put on the Persian headdress, which he said he was accepting as "a crown of honor".[1] But when Humayun refused to convert to Shiism, Shah Tahmasp ordered for Humayun and his retinue to be murdered.[1] Mahinbanu Sultan famously intervened, in tears, imploring her brother Shah Tahmasp not to pursue the order.[1] This lends further credence to a possible amorous relationship between Mahinbanu Sultan and Bairam Beyg.[1]
Humayun finally made an implicit acceptance of the Shia faith, Bairam Beyg was given the title of "Khan" by Shah Tahmasp, and was sent as an ambassador toMirza Kamran inKabul.[1]
Mani Banu had a renowned collection of Chinese porcelain, which she donated to theImam Riza Shrine atMashhad in 1561.[7] One of the porcelains is theMani Banu dish, now in theAl Thani Collection.[8] It is aMing dynasty,Yongle period (1403–25)blue and white porcelain dish manufactured inJingdezhen, and it bears an endowment engraving on the back, by Princess Soltanum (1519-1562). It readswaqf-e...razavi 'abduhu mahin banu safavi ("This is an endowment dedicated to the Razavi shrine, made by its humble servant, Lady Mahin Banu Safavi.").[9][8]
Mani Banu learned calligraphy fromDust Muhammad, and some of her elegant poems appear in theBahram Mirza Album.[10]
She dedicated her jewelry toImam Zaman andImam Reza.[4]
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