Short answer
A female sultan is called a sultan. The title sultana generally refers to the wife of a sultan, not a woman who holds the throne in her own right.
Key points
- Sultana usually means the wife of the sultan.
- Female rulers like Razia used the title Sultan.
- Coins and official documents confirmed their sovereign status.
- Gender did not change the official title of the office.
A woman who rules as a sultan is simply called a sultan. The term sultana is misleading if applied to the monarch; it historically designates the sultan’s wife, not the sovereign herself.
Why the distinction matters
In Islamic history, titles carried specific legal and social weight. Using sultana for a ruler would imply she was a consort rather than a head of state. Female rulers who ascended the throne, such as Razia of Delhi in the 13th century, insisted on the masculine form of the title to assert their legitimacy. Her coins bore the inscription al-Sultan al-Muazzam Raziyat al-Din, explicitly claiming the rank of Sultan.
Historical examples
Razia Sultan is the most prominent example of a woman using the title without modification. She ruled the Delhi Sultanate and was recognized as the sovereign authority. Other female rulers in Ottoman and Mamluk contexts also used the title Sultan or Sultana in a way that denoted their own rule, though the specific usage varied by region and era. The key point is that the title reflects the office held, not the gender of the holder.
Frequently asked questions
Does sultana ever mean a female ruler?
Rarely. In most historical contexts, sultana refers to the wife of the sultan. When a woman ruled, she was typically referred to as Sultan.
Who was the first female sultan?
Razia Sultan of Delhi is the most famous early example, ruling in the 13th century. There were earlier female rulers in other Islamic dynasties who held equivalent titles.
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