TRENDEFRAtlas of the Sultans · Glossary
Term · Sovereignty and central government
Also known as: Hünkâr, sultan
The principal title of the Ottoman rulers, from the Persian pādshāh, “ruler, holder of power”.
The first Ottoman rulers mostly used the titles bey, khan and emir in their official documents, with sultan as their Islamic title. As the state grew, padishah became the main title expressing sovereignty. Each of the 36 rulers in the atlas bears this title; the sultanate was abolished on 1 November 1922.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, article “PADİŞAH” (in Turkish); text condensed for the atlas.