| Tajlu Khanum | |
|---|---|
 Likely depiction of Tajlu Khanum,Shah Ismail's first Queen, andShah Tahmasp's mother. Painted circa 1531.[1] | |
| Principal consort of theSafavid Shah | |
| Tenure | 1504–1524 |
| Born | c. 1485 |
| Died | 1540 (aged 54–55) Shiraz |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Ismail I |
| Issue | Tahmasp I Bahram Mirza Safavi Parikhan Khanum Mahinbanu Khanum |
| Tribe | Mawsillu |
| Father | Mihmad beg Mawsillu |
| Mother | Daughter ofYa'qub Beg |
Tajlu Khanum (Persian:تاجلو خانم) orTajli Begum (تاجلی بیگم), also known by her title ofShah-Begi Khanum (شاه بگی خانم), was aTurkoman princess from theMawsillu tribe of theAq Qoyunlu confederation. She was the principal wife ofShah Ismail, and the mother ofTahmasp I.[2]
While Italian writerAngiolello and Iranian historian Manuchihr Parsaʹdust agree that she was a granddaughter of theAq Qoyunlu rulerYaqub (r. 1478–1490) via a daughter,John Woods proposed her paternal lineage as Mihmad Beg being her father and Amir Hamza being her grandfather.[4] Jean Aubin on the other hand, proposed Bakr Beg Mawsillu as her maternal grandfather.[5] She also had a sister named Beksi Khanum.[6]
According toAngiolello andRamusio, theSafavidshahIsmail I (r. 1501–1524) married Tajlu Khanum after defeating the Aq Qoyunlu ruler Murad ibn Ya'qub in 1503, but according to the Safavid-period historians such asBudaq Monshi Qazvini, she was the wife of theAfrasiyabid rulerKiya Husayn II, who had during the dissolution of the Aq Qoyunlu confederation expanded his rule from westernMazandaran into parts ofPersian Iraq. Ismail I invaded the latter's territories and put an end to his rule in 1504, where he afterwards took Tajlu Khanum into hisharem.
She became Ismail's most beloved wife. She was a very beautiful, intelligent, and warlike woman, which is why Shah Ismail loved her and wrote great poems for her. Tajlu was the only wife of the king who was skilled in swordsmanship and always accompanied her husband in his battles. She gave birth to two sons,Tahmasp Mirza andBahram Mirza Safavi, and two daughters,Parikhan Khanum andMahinbanu Khanum.
Her supposed capture atBattle of Chaldiran was a major source of controversy among historians ofIran andOttoman Empire.[7] While Ottoman sources wrote that she was captured during battle and even conversed withSelim I, according to Safavid sources she was lost but found byMirza Shah Hossein, who because of this rose to the rank ofwakil in Safavid court.[8] According to Roger Savory, it wasBehruza Khanum, another wife of Ismail I who was captured and apparently later remarried.
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Tajlu Khanum financed theFatima Masumeh Shrine inQom in 1519, commissioning theGolden Iwan (with itsmuqarnas golden ceiling) and rebuilding theGolden Dome. She dedicated theGolden Iwan to Shah Ismail with an inscription in light blue mosaic over the pinnacle of the arch, which gives Shah Ismail's name and laudatory attributes such as "the upholder of justice", "the guardian of the empire" and even "the Guide (Mahdi)", a title normally reserved to God and the twelfth Shi'i imam.[9][10] She also built her husbandShah Ismail'stomb in Ardabil after his death in 1524, right next to the tomb of the Safavid ancestorShayk Safi.[9][10] She then supportedTahmasp Mirza's elevation to the throne in 1524.
In 1528, Talju Khanum had to leave the harem and was sent toQum by her son Shah Tahmasp, in retaliation for choosing to support his brotherBahram Mirza against him.[11]
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She was ultimately banished toShiraz in 1540 because of treason by Tahmasp's son. She was buried at Ardabil close to her husband, where her tomb is marked at the feet of the tomb ofShayk Safi in theSheikh Safi al-Din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble.[12]
(...) the noble woman at the far right, presumably Shah Tahmasb's mother.
Tajlu was a princess from the Mawsillu, one of the great tribes comprising the Aq Qoyunlu confederation
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