Malek Jahan Khanom

Malek Jahan Khanom (Persian: ملک‌جهان خانم; 26 February 1805 – 2 April 1873) was one of the wives of Muhammad Shah Qajar and the mother of Naseraddin Shah.^[1] She was the de facto regent of Iran for one month, from 5 September until 5 October in 1848, between the death of her husband and the accession of her son.

Malek Jahan Khanom was an Iranian princess of the Qajar dynasty by both birth and marriage. By birth, being the daughter of Amir Muhammad Qasim Khan Qajar Qovanlou Amirsuleimani 'Amir Kabir' and Princess Begom Jan Khanom Qajar, she was the granddaughter of Fath Ali Shah Qajar. Her paternal grandfather was the powerful Qajar commander Amir Suleiman Khan Qajar Qovanlou 'Amir Kabir' 'Nezam Odala' 'Etezad Odala' and her paternal grandmother was a princess of the Zand dynasty. She was the aunt of Prince Majd Odala Qajar-Qovanlu Amirsuleimani and great-aunt of Malake Turan Amirsuleimani.^[2]

She was married at a young age to her cousin, Muhammad Shah (reign 1834–1848).^[3] Her husband married about fifteen women during his lifetime, but she was one of his earliest wives. She held prestige within the harem for several reasons: because of her seniority among the Shah's wives; because she was a member of the family by birth and therefore well-networked and well-versed in their ways; because she bore her husband as many as five children (two of whom reached adulthood) and most of all because she was the mother of the crown prince.

Her only surviving son, Naseraddin, would succeed his father to the Iranian throne.^[3] Her title, Mahd Olia, Mehd-i-aulia or Mehd-e-olia means "Sublime Cradle" and this title was generally bestowed on the mother of the heir apparent.

Her relationship with Muhammad Shah and her prestige within the harem got significantly challenged by Muhammad Shah's favorite and mistress, Khadija Chahriqi. She feared that Khadija and Muhammad Shah might be heading to make Khadija's son, Abbas Mirza, who was 8 years younger than Naser, the heir; also because Muhammad Shah showed Abbas great care and attention as well as he did to his mother. But Malek Jahan managed to hold her son's prestige and authority as the Crown prince until Muhammad Shah's death as he was spending some years in his teens in Tabriz to learn the way of ruling.

As widow, she was the de facto regent of Iran for one month, from 5 September until 5 October 1848, between the death of her husband and the accession to the throne of her son when he arrived to the capital accompanied by Mirza Taghi Khan. Holding so much power in that time, she oppressed the rebellions across Iran when many statesmen felt unable to and dismissed her late husband's Grand vizier, Haji Mirza Aqasi. After his coronation, Naser immediately appointed Mirza Taghi as the grand vizier and gave him the title of Amir Kabir.

As queen mother, Malek Jahan who was often referred to as Mahd Olia, exerted considerable political influence during the reign of her son from 1848 until her death in 1873.^[3] She is described as a strong personality and politically gifted.^[3] Strongly rooted in family and clan networks, she tended to favour and support the Qajar nobility rather than merited commoners, partly also perhaps because members of the Qajar family and clan had much better access to her as compared to outsiders.^[3] These all started to add tension to her relationship with Amir Kabir.

• Media related to Mahd-e Olia at Wikimedia Commons