Mahinbanu Sultan (; 1519–1562) was the little daughter of Shah

Ismail I Ismail I (; 17 July 1487 – 23 May 1524) was the founder and first shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1501 until his death in 1524. His reign is one of the most vital in the history of Iran, and the Safavid period is often considered the beginn ...

of Persia (r. 1524–1576) and

Tajlu Khanum Tajlu Khanum () or Tajli Begum (), also known by her title of Shah-Begi Khanum (), was a Turkoman princess from the Mawsillu tribe and mother of Tahmasp I. Family While Italian writer Angiolello and Iranian historian Manuchihr Parsaʹdust ag ...

. She was the youngest sister of Shah Tahmasb. She had a big influence during the reign of her brother, and acted as his political adviser.

Biography

Mahinbanu was born in 1519 in

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

. She lost her father at the age of five and was given a higher education in the court. She was very interested in politics and

introduced her well to it. After her mother's death in 1540, Mahinbanu was chosen as the only advisor to her brother, Shah Tahmasb. During her brother's reign, Mahinbanu was known as the greatest lady of the

Safavid Empire The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

. She never married and dedicated his whole life to the government of her father and brother, but after the death of

Bahram Mirza Bahram Mirza Moezz-od-Dowleh () was a Qajar prince, statesman and governor in 19th-century Iran. The second son of the crown prince Abbas Mirza, he served as the Minister of Justice from 1878 until his death on 21 October 1882. Bahram Mirza fir ...

, she took care of his three children named Sultan Hossein Mirza,

Ibrahim Mirza Ibrahim Mirza, Solṭān Ebrāhīm Mīrzā, in full Abu'l Fat'h Sultan Ibrahim Mirza (; April 1540 – 23 February 1577) was a Persian prince of the Safavid dynasty, who was a favourite of his uncle and father-in-law Shah Tahmasp I, but who was ...

and

Badi-al Zaman Mirza Safavi Badi-al Zaman Mirza Safavi was a Safavid prince, who was the son of prominent military leader Bahram Mirza Safavi, who was the youngest son of Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid empire. Badi-al Zaman had two brothers named Ibrahim Mirza and Solta ...

took charge and brought them up, then at his request the two younger sons of Bahram Mirza married the two older daughters of Shah Tahmasb and Mahinbanu. After that she was given the title of "Sultana". Mahinbanu Sultan finally died in 1562 at the age of 43 in

Qazvin Qazvin (; ; ) is a city in the Central District (Qazvin County), Central District of Qazvin County, Qazvin province, Qazvin province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the largest city in the provi ...

and was buried in her father's tomb in

Ardabil Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The ...

according to her will.

Policy

Mahinbanu Sultan was in politics for 22 years from the time of her mother's death until her death. She always corresponded with

Hurrem Sultan Hürrem Sultan (; , "''the joyful one''"; 1505– 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana (), was the chief consort, the first Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and the mother ...

and the reason for them was the many Ottoman attacks on

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

and Prince Bayezid becoming a refugee in

, and after Hurrem's death, these correspondences continued with Hurrem's daughter Mihrima Sultan, mutual gifts were always exchanged among these correspondences, the most famous of which is the Iranian carpet that was given to Hurrem Sultan. She also corresponded with

Hamida Banu Begum Hamida Banu Begum (Persian: حمیده بانو بیگم; 1527 – 29 August 1604) was the queen consort, empress consort of the second Mughal emperor Humayun and the mother of his successor, the third Mughal emperor Akbar. ...

, the queen of the Gurkanian court.

Beliefs

She dedicated her jewelry to Imam Zaman and

Imam Reza Ali al-Rida (, 1 January 766 – 6 June 818), also known as Abū al-Ḥasan al-Thānī, was a descendant of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the eighth Twelve Imams, imam in Twelver Shi'ism, Twelver Shia Is ...

References

{{Reflist * Hani Khafipour. The Foundations of Safavid State: fealty, patronage, and ideals of authority (1501-1576). — Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago, 2013. — P. 254. 16th-century births 16th-century deaths 16th-century Iranian women 16th-century Iranian people Safavid princesses