Sultana (title) Sultana (title) Sultana or sultanah (; ") is a female royal title, and a feminine form of the word sultan. This term has been officially used for female monarchs in some Islamic states, and historically it was also used for sultan's consorts. Nevertheless, westerners have also used the title to refer to Muslim women monarchs and sultan's women relatives who do not hold this title officially. The term sultana is a feminine form of the word sultan (), an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ", meaning "authority" or "power". Later, sultan came to
Sultan of Sultans Byzantine imperial title "Caesar" for their own ruler (the Padishah). The Shahanshah (Persian for "King of Kings") of Iran also claimed, with slightly less legitimacy, to be the "Sultan of Sultans". These assertions were tied to the conflict between the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam. The title has also been appropriated for local use by various minor Muslim rulers, especially in Bengal. Sultan of Sultans Sultan of Sultans is the literal English translation of the Ottoman Turkish royal title Sulṭānü's-Selāṭīn. As with various other laudatory titles of Semitic origin, such as "King of Kings", Sultan of Sultans can express