Begum (also begüm, bagum, begom, begam, baigum or beygum) is a royal and aristocratic title from

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and South Asia. It is the feminine equivalent of the title '' baig'' or '' bey'', which in Turkic languages means "higher official". It usually refers to the wife or daughter of a '' beg''. The related form ''

begzada Begzade (Kurdish language, Kurdish), Beyzade (Turkic), and Begzadići (Slavic), Beizadea (Romanian), Begzadi (female) are titles given within the Ottoman Empire to provisional governors and military generals who are descendants of noble households ...

'' (daughter of a ''beg'') also occurs.Moazzambaig
Begzadi or Begzada
Digg.com: Social News. Retrieved July 8, 2011. In South Asia, particularly in Delhi, Hyderabad,

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

, Punjab, Afghanistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Bengal, ''begum'' has been adapted for use as an honorific for

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

women of high

social status Social status is the level of social value a person is considered to possess. More specifically, it refers to the relative level of respect, honour, assumed competence, and deference accorded to people, groups, and organizations in a society. Stat ...

, accomplishment, or rank, as in English language the title "

Lady The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...

" or "

Dame ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...

" is used. The honorific may either precede or follow the proper name of the woman.

Title

In modern society

Colloquially, the term is also used in Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh by Muslim men to refer to their own wives, daughters, sisters or as an honorific address to a married or widowed woman. In Bangladesh the term has been used for the titles of current and former First Lady of Bangladesh e.g. Begum Khaleda Zia and Begum Rowshan Ershad. It has also been used to refer to women of high social status such as philanthropists, activists, authors and many others such as

Begum Rokeya Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain") is the commonly used spelling of Rokeya's full married name, Rokeya herself is never seen to use her full married name in this English spelling. In much of her correspondence in English, she used just her initials: � ...

and Begum Sufia Kamal. Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, who have alternated as Prime Ministers of Bangladesh since 1991, are nicknamed "the battling begums". The term became well known in the West, especially in the French-speaking world, due to

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

's 1879 novel '' The Begum's Millions''. The term had earlier become known in Great Britain during the

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

and Parliamentary trial of

Warren Hastings Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first Governor-Genera ...

, former Governor-General of India, which lasted from 1787 until 1795. One of the major charges against Hastings was that he had unjustly confiscated land (and thus taxes) belonging to the "Begums of Oudh" (the mother and grandmother of Asaf-Ud-Dowlah, Nawab of Oudh).

Begumpet Begumpet ("Begum's Place") is a part of Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Begumpet is named after the daughter of the sixth Nizam (Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI), Basheer Unnisa Begum, who received it as part of her wedding dowry when ...

is one of the major commercial and residential suburbs of the city of Hyderabad, India. Begumpet stands on land given by the sixth

Nizam of Hyderabad The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

(in office: 1869-1911) to his daughter as her wedding present when she married a Paigah noble. Members of the Pakistani community of Toronto refer to

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

, Ontario, Canada (a suburb of Toronto) as ''Begumpura'' ("Ladies' Town"). Mississauga has a large Pakistani immigrant community and many husbands work in the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia while their wives and children live in Mississauga. Among the Nizari Ismaili people, the title is also used as the official style of the consort of their imam, the

Aga Khan Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...

References

{{Authority control Noble titles Women's social titles Royal titles Turkic culture Turkish titles Indian surnames Pakistani names Titles in Pakistan Titles in India Titles Titles of national or ethnic leadership Mughal nobility

Title

In modern society

See also

References