Taj ul-Alam

Regnal name
	Sri Sulṭānah Ratu Safiatuddin Tajul-‘Alam Syah Johan Berdaulat Zillu’llahi fi’l-‘Alam

Taj ul-Alam Safiatuddin Syah
Taj ul-Alam Safiatuddin Syah
Sulṭāna of Acèh Darussalam
Reign	18 February 1641 - 23 October 1675
Predecessor	Iskandar Thani
Successor	Nurul Alam Naqiatuddin Syah
Queen consort of Acèh Darussalam
Tenure	27 December 1636 - 15 February 1641
Predecessor	Kamaliah of Pahang (Putroe Phang)
Born	Putri Sri Alam; 1612; Banda Aceh, Aceh Sultanate, Ottoman Empire (now Indonesia)
Died	23 October 1675; Banda Aceh, Aceh Sultanate, Ottoman Empire (now Indonesia)
Spouse	Iskandar Thani
Regnal name
Regnal name
	Sri Sulṭānah Ratu Safiatuddin Tajul-‘Alam Syah Johan Berdaulat Zillu’llahi fi’l-‘Alam
House	Meukuta Alam
Father	Iskandar Muda
Mother	Kamaliah of Pahang (Putroe Phang)
Religion	Islam

Sulṭāna Taj ul-Alam Safiatuddin Syah (1612 – 23 October 1675; born Putri Sri Alam) was the fourteenth ruler of Aceh. She was the daughter of the sultan Iskandar Muda and the wife of his successor, Iskandar Thani. She became sulṭāna upon the death of her husband and ruled from 1641 to 1675, being the first of four women to hold the position in succession.

Marriage and accession

The future sultana was originally named Putri Sri Alam Permisuri. In 1617, her father Iskandar Muda conquered Pahang on the Malay Peninsula. A son of the defeated sultan, the future Iskandar Thani was brought as a prisoner to Aceh where he was raised as the foster son of Iskandar Muda. In 1619, when he was 9 years old, he was married to Putri Sri Alam Permisuri. The couple was provided with a palace next to that of the sultan, called Sri Warna. After the death of Iskandar Muda, Iskandar Thani succeeded to the throne but died after a short reign on 15 February 1641. The news of his demise created grave disturbances among the grandees of the kingdom and some people lost their lives. However, after three days it was agreed that the sultan's widow would be enthroned.^[1]

Female rule in Aceh

Putri Sri Alam ascended the throne and took the title Sultana Taj ul-Alam Safiatuddin Syah. Taj ul-Alam Safiatuddin literally meaning "world crown, purity of the faith". She became first of four queens regnant or sultanas who sat on the throne in the period 1641-1699. Given the strongly Muslim profile of Aceh, this has evoked considerable debate among historians. The enthronement of Taj ul-Alam has been seen as an effort of the Acehnese nobility to weaken royal power following Iskandar Muda's administrative reforms aimed to undermine them. According to this view, these efforts were largely successful. From her reign on the sultanate became a weak symbolic institution, whose authority was limited to capital city itself. Meanwhile, real power was held by the hereditary rulers of outlying districts (the uleëbalang set up by Iskandar Muda) and the religious leaders (

Ternate, Banten and Makassar

lost their autonomy or became heavily dependent on the VOC in the late seventeenth century.

Dutch advances on Sumatra

The reign of Taj ul-Alam saw a contraction of the sultanate's power outside the Acehnese heartland. On the

Deli fell away from Acehnese rule in 1669.^[3]

Achievements

In spite of these political setbacks, Taj ul-Alam was praised by both indigenous and European writers.

Shafi'i jurisprudence as well as mysticism. A proliferation of Islamic literature and learning took place under the reign of Taj ul-Alam and the three queens who succeeded her. This cultural renaissance was, among other things, conditioned by an effective collaboration between the queens and the ulamas.^[6] Acehnese Muslims are known to have appeared in Siam in 1668 with the intention to spread the faith.^[7]

Taj ul-Alam died on 23 October 1675. She did not leave any children. With her death, the House of Meukuta Alam died out and was replaced by the other dynasty. Her successor was yet a queen, Sultan Nurul Alam Naqiatuddin Syah, whose relationship with Taj ul-Alam is uncertain.