Razia Sultan

Sultan Razia (Raziyyat-Ud-Dunya Wa Ud-Din, r. 1236-1240) was one of the few women rulers in the Indian subcontinent and the first and only female Sultan of Delhi. Despite facing Herculean challenges in a patriarchal society, Razia distinguished herself as an able and courageous leader. She held a formidable position of authority in one of the most politically significant Islamic kingdoms of medieval northern India. Nominated by her father, Sultan Shams ud-Din Iltutmish (r. 1210-1236), due to her exceptional intelligence, administrative ability, and bravery, she rose to prominence amidst strong opposition from the male-dominated nobility.