Great Sultan
Encyclopedia
Great Sultan is one of various informal title
s, such as Grand Turk, used to refer to the Ottoman
Sultan
, known in Ottoman Turkish
as Padishah
, Hünkar or Hakan, the sovereign of the Ottoman dynasty
.
More appropriate would be to use the style Sultan
, or rather Sultan of Sultans
(Sultan us-Selatin in Ottoman Turkish or Sultan es-Salatin in Arabic
), one of his many official titles.
Like Great Khan (but there the usage is so frequent since centuries that it can be considered an established convention) instead of Khagan
, such translations do not render the subtle complexities of the original phrases.
A curious circumstance is that the Ottoman dynastic tradition was to give the title of sultan
(elsewhere a Muslim ruler) to princes and princesses, merely as close relatives of the ruling Padishah
, without an appanage
(as the empire was indivisible).
Title
A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
s, such as Grand Turk, used to refer to the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
, known in Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish language
The Ottoman Turkish language or Ottoman language is the variety of the Turkish language that was used for administrative and literary purposes in the Ottoman Empire. It borrows extensively from Arabic and Persian, and was written in a variant of the Perso-Arabic script...
as Padishah
Padishah
Padishah, Padshah, Padeshah, Badishah or Badshah is a superlative royal title, composed of the Persian pād "master" and the widespread shāh "king", which was adopted by several monarchs claiming the highest rank, roughly equivalent to the ancient Persian notion of "The Great" or "Great King", and...
, Hünkar or Hakan, the sovereign of the Ottoman dynasty
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...
.
More appropriate would be to use the style Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
, or rather Sultan of Sultans
Sultan of Sultans
"Sultan of Sultans" is the literal English translation of the original Turkish Sultan es-Selatin or Sultan us-Selatin. It is similar to the title Great Sultan, which is translated from Arabic....
(Sultan us-Selatin in Ottoman Turkish or Sultan es-Salatin in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
), one of his many official titles.
Like Great Khan (but there the usage is so frequent since centuries that it can be considered an established convention) instead of Khagan
Khagan
Khagan or qagan , alternatively spelled kagan, khaghan, qaghan, or chagan, is a title of imperial rank in the Mongolian and Turkic languages equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate...
, such translations do not render the subtle complexities of the original phrases.
A curious circumstance is that the Ottoman dynastic tradition was to give the title of sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
(elsewhere a Muslim ruler) to princes and princesses, merely as close relatives of the ruling Padishah
Padishah
Padishah, Padshah, Padeshah, Badishah or Badshah is a superlative royal title, composed of the Persian pād "master" and the widespread shāh "king", which was adopted by several monarchs claiming the highest rank, roughly equivalent to the ancient Persian notion of "The Great" or "Great King", and...
, without an appanage
Appanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
(as the empire was indivisible).