Khadijah of the Maldives facts for kids

Al-Sultana Khadeejah Sri Raadha Abaarana Mahaa Rehendhi (which means Queen Khadeejah in Dhivehi) was a powerful ruler of the Maldives. She was the Sultana (queen) from 1347 to 1380. Khadijah was one of the very few women to rule the Maldives in its long history.

She was the oldest daughter of Sultan Omar I of the Maldives. After her father died, her brother Ahmed Shihabuddine became sultan. Khadijah later took the throne for herself in 1347. This made her the first female ruler from the Theemuge Dynasty.

Who Was Sultana Khadijah?

Khadijah was the eldest daughter of Sultan Omar I of the Maldives. She also had a half-sister named Raadhafathi, who became queen after Khadijah's final rule.

Her First Time as Queen

Khadijah first became queen in 1347. She took the throne from her brother, Sultan Ahmed Shihabuddine. Her first period of rule lasted until 1363.

A famous traveler named Ibn Battuta visited the Maldives during Khadijah's reign. He wrote about her, saying: "One of the wonders of these islands is that its ruler (sultana) is a woman named Khadija." He noted that her grandfather and then her father had ruled before her.

Ibn Battuta also mentioned that the people of the Maldives chose Khadijah to be their ruler. Even though her husband, Jamal-ud-din, helped manage things, all official orders were given in Khadijah's name. These orders were written on palm leaves.

Ibn Battuta observed that women in the Maldives, including Queen Khadijah, did not cover their faces with veils like other Muslim women. He tried to encourage them to do so, but they did not change their customs.

Ruling Again and Again

In 1363, Khadijah was removed from power by her vizier (a high-ranking minister) and husband, Muhammad el-Jameel. But just one year later, in 1364, she returned to the throne. She removed her first husband from power and became queen again.

Her second rule lasted from 1364 to 1374. Then, she was removed from power once more by her second husband and minister, Abdullah I.

However, Khadijah was determined. Three years after being removed, in 1376, she removed her second husband, Abdullah I, from power. This began her third and final time as queen, which lasted until 1380. Even though her husbands tried to take her place, she ruled the country for almost 30 years in total. After her death, her half-sister Raadhafathi became queen.

Khadijah's Lasting Impact

Sultana Khadijah is a very well-known historical figure in the Maldives. While many stories are told about male heroes like Mohamed Thakurufaanu, not many details are known about the queens of the past. Khadijah is one of the few exceptions.

Her story shows her strength and determination. She was removed from power twice, each time by her own husband. But she fought back and successfully removed three kings from power: her brother and two husbands. Despite these challenges, she managed to avoid the same fate herself.

The stories of Queen Khadijah, who bravely stood up for her right to rule, have been passed down through generations in the Maldives. She has become a symbol of female strength for many Maldivians. In the early 2000s, a group working for women's rights even named themselves "Rehendhi" after her, using her title as queen.

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