Tajlu Khanum

Tajlu Khanum (Persian: تاجلو خانم) or Tajli Begum (تاجلی بیگم), also known by her title of Shah-Begi Khanum (شاه بگی خانم), was a Turkoman princess from the Mawsillu tribe of the Aq Qoyunlu confederation. She was the principal wife of Shah Ismail, and the mother of Tahmasp I.^[2] She was one of the most powerful and influential queens of the Safavid Empire, playing important political and social roles. She held real power behind the throne for ten years during Shah Ismail's reign and for at least eight years during Shah Tahmasp's reign.^[3][4]

While Italian writer Angiolello and Iranian historian Manuchihr Parsaʹdust agree that she was a granddaughter of the Aq Qoyunlu ruler Yaqub (r. 1478–1490) via a daughter, John Woods proposed her paternal lineage with Mihmad Beg being her father and Amir Hamza being her grandfather.^[6] Jean Aubin on the other hand, proposed Bakr Beg Mawsillu as her maternal grandfather.^[7] She also had a sister named Beksi Khanum.^[8]

According to Angiolello and Ramusio, shah Ismail I of the Safavid dynasty (r. 1501–1524) married Tajlu Khanum after defeating the Aq Qoyunlu ruler Murad ibn Ya'qub in 1503, but according to the Safavid-era historians such as Budaq Monshi Qazvini, she was the wife of the Afrasiyabid ruler Kiya Husayn II, who had during the dissolution of the Aq Qoyunlu confederation expanded his rule from western Mazandaran into parts of Persian Iraq. Ismail I invaded the latter's territories and put an end to his rule in 1504, where he afterwards took Tajlu Khanum into his harem.

She became Ismail's most beloved wife. She was supposedly 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 shah who was skilled in swordsmanship and always accompanied her husband in his battles. She gave birth to two sons, Tahmasp Mirza and Bahram Mirza Safavi, and two daughters, Pari Khan Khanum and Mahinbanu Khanum.

Her supposed capture at Battle of Chaldiran was a major source of controversy among Safavid and Ottoman historians.^[9] While Ottoman sources wrote that she was captured during battle and even conversed with Selim I, according to Safavid sources she was lost but found by Mirza Shah Hossein, who because of this rose to the rank of wakil in the Safavid court.^[10] According to Roger Savory, it was Behruzeh Khanum, another wife of Ismail I who was captured and apparently later remarried.

She was the daughter of Mohammad Beg and came from the Turkmens of Mosul. Although she was only 15 or 16 years old, she married Shah Ismail I in 1503. The wedding ceremony was held with great splendor in Tabriz in the year 906 AH. As a legally wedded wife of Shah Ismail, she became the second queen consort of the Safavid court. This marriage resulted in four children: Tahmasp Mirza, Bahram Mirza, Pari Khan Khanum, and Mahin Banu Khanum.^[13][14]

She was an exceptionally beautiful, intelligent, brave, and perceptive woman. For this reason, Shah Ismail loved her devotedly and composed poetry for her. He would go horseback riding and practice archery with her. She received such favor and attention from Shah Ismail that she surpassed all the other ladies of the court.The Shah made great efforts to gain her satisfaction and happiness, and her status and influence were so significant that whenever amirs, ministers, state officials, or court nobles faced difficulties or incurred the Shah’s anger, they would seek refuge with her and, through her intercession, find deliverance.^[15][16]

In the incident of Shah Ismail’s harsh treatment of Mirza Shah Hossein of Isfahan—when he had ordered the qurchis not only to plunder his household but also to extract an additional one thousand tumans from him—Tajlu Begum intervened. It was then decided that Mirza should instead pay one hundred tumans to each of the qurchis, and that they should not trouble him further.Thus, with great difficulty, Mirza gathered the required sum and paid it to the qurchis.^[17]

She was an important adviser to her husband and later a powerful figure behind the throne of her son, Shah Tahmasp.^[18]

During the reign of Shah Ismail, Tajlu Begum was known with her title of “Balqis of the Age”. She was also among the principal advisers of Shah Ismail.^[19][20]

The author of Javāher al-Akhbār writes about her: She lived in a state of chastity and dignity until the end of the pious Shah’s life, and the appointment and dismissal of amirs and ministers were carried out according to her will.^[21]

After the Battle of Chaldiran, Shah Ismail I withdrew into seclusion and spent most nights drinking, a situation that allowed Tajlu Begum to gain complete influence over the management of the court and harem, as well as over the appointment and dismissal of amirs and court officials. Gradually, she prepared the conditions for the succession of her son, Tahmasp Mirza. Qummi also writes that Tajlu Begum prevented another of Shah Ismail’s women, Khan Begi, from raising and educating Alqas Mirza.^[22]

Tajlu Begum owned lands and a palace in central Iran, in the Varamin region. She also accompanied the Shah on his journeys to Baghdad and the holy shrines. At that time, she had not yet borne a child, so during the pilgrimage she prayed to Imam Ali (AS) to grant her a child. Her prayer was answered, and her first child—who later became known as Shah Tahmasp—was born one night while passing through Isfahan, in a house near the Zayandeh Rud at a place called Khoda-deh Atashgah. Tajlu Begum also spent her postpartum recovery period there.^[23][24]

In 1524, Shah Ismail died. With the assistance of Tajlu Begum, the nobles of the country and the Qizilbash leaders enthroned Tahmasp Mirza—who was then ten years old—as Shah Tahmasp I. Tajlu Begum became the queen mother and received the title Navab ‘Alayh. She also became the intermediary between the Shah and the courtiers, which is why Tahmasp called her Shah Begi Khanum, meaning the highest-ranking lady of the court. At the beginning of Shah Tahmasp’s reign, Tajlu Begum had considerable influence over the court and even intervened in foreign affairs. For example, in 941 AH, she sent Sayyid Abdullah Laleh to negotiate peace with Ibrahim Pasha, the governor of Baghdad. Shah Tahmasp also apparently accepted his mother’s regency.^[26]

During Shah Tahmasp’s reign, Tajlu Begum continued to be a refuge for the nobles and a point of reference for court officials. For instance, in the tribal conflicts of 931 AH, when Montasha Sultan captured Qazi Jahan, plundered him, and intended to kill him, Qazi Jahan was saved through the support of Tajlu Begum. Similarly, at the beginning of Shah Tahmasp’s reign, during disputes among the Teklu, Rumlu, and Ostajlu tribes, Tajlu Begum served as the primary advisor and decision-maker for the leaders of these tribes. Later, when Chuhah Sultan gained independence in governmental affairs, he decided to eliminate Div Sultan Rumlu. Tajlu Begum assisted him in this decision, and ultimately, Div Sultan was killed.^[27][28]

In 935 AH, the fifth year of Shah Tahmasp’s reign, the Shah decided to march an army to Khorasan to punish Ubaid Khan Uzbek. After assembling the army, he moved from Qazvin toward Khorasan and sent Tajlu Begum, along with the women of the harem and household belongings, to Qom. After achieving victory in this campaign, the Shah ordered his secretaries to draft a victory report and sent a messenger to Qom to inform Tajlu Begum of the news.^[29][30]

In 941 AH, when the Ottoman Sultan marched from Baghdad toward Azerbaijan, the situation became difficult for Shah Tahmasp—especially because Ghazi Khan Teklu had previously fled and sought refuge with the Ottomans, where he was inciting Ibrahim Pasha in Baghdad to attack Iran. Moreover, Ghazi Khan suggested to Ibrahim Pasha that Sam Mirza, the Shah’s brother, had risen in rebellion, and he spread the rumor that the Ottoman Sultan had handed over Shah Ismail’s territory to Sam Mirza and made him his adopted son. In these circumstances, Shah Tahmasp sought to resolve the problem through negotiation and to make use of Tajlu Begum’s influence. Therefore, Sayyid Abdullah Laleh was sent on behalf of Tajlu Begum, and Mir Shahsavar was dispatched by Montasha Sultan, as envoys to Ibrahim Pasha, in the hope of establishing peace between the two sides.^[31][32]

Jahan Hasani, a vizier who had previously been among Shah Tahmasp’s close confidants, devised certain measures by the Shah’s order and due to the influence he held with the state officials. These actions were carried out with the approval and support of the high-ranking lady of the court, Tajlu Begum, to ensure that corrupt individuals, hidden in corners and awaiting opportunity, would not act in a way that could disturb the peace and undermine the stability of society.^[33]

He had intended to diminish the Qizilbash’s power over state affairs, but they became aware of the queen mother’s plan. Fearing for their own power, they sought to create enmity between the Shah and his mother. By spreading the rumor that the queen mother intended to depose Shah Tahmasp and place Bahram Mirza on the throne, and that she wished to govern alone, they aroused the Shah’s suspicion toward his mother. Ultimately, Tahmasp exiled his mother to Shiraz. During the journey, Tajlu Begum fell ill, and she died in 1540, only a few months after arriving in Shiraz. She was buried with respect in the Bibi Dokhtaran section of Shah Cheragh in Shiraz. When Tajlu Begum was exiled from the court in 1540, her personal estates, which were a vast treasure, were confiscated.^{[34][35][36][37]}

Tajlu Khanum financed the Fatima Masumeh Shrine in Qom in 1519, commissioning the Golden Iwan (with its muqarnas golden ceiling) and rebuilding the Golden Dome. She dedicated the Golden 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.^[38][39] She also built her husband Shah Ismail's tomb in Ardabil after his death in 1524, right next to the tomb of the Safavid ancestor Shayk Safi.^[38][39] She then supported Tahmasp Mirza's elevation to the throne in 1524.

In 1528, Talju Khanum had to leave the harem and was sent to Qom by her son Shah Tahmasp, in retaliation for choosing to support his brother Bahram Mirza against him.^[40]

She was ultimately banished to Shiraz 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 of Shayk Safi in the Sheikh Safi al-Din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble.^[41]

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• Parodi, Laura E. (2018). "Shah Abul-Maali , Mir Sayyid ali, and the Sayyids of Tirmiz: Three Portraits Challenge Akbari Historiography". Muqarnas. 35: 140, note 4. ISSN 0732-2992.
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