Tun Fatimah

Tun Fatimah was a well-known Malaysian heroine and daughter to the Malaccan Bendahara who lived during the 16th century. She was married to Malacca's Sultan Mahmud Shah.

She belongs to the wealthy and influential Tamil Muslim clan and her father was Tun Mutahir of Malacca, a Bendahara (Prime Minister) in Sultan Mahmud's time. Tun Mutahir was a famous Prime Minister of the Malaccan Sultanate. He was the seventh Prime Minister. Prior to holding the post, he also held the post of Temenggung (Chief Guard). Through her father, Fatimah was the descendant of Tun Kudu and Tun Ali's marriage. Both were prominent figures in the times of Sultan Muzzafar Shah, the fifth Sultan of Malacca. Tun Kudu was initially married to Sultan Muzzafar, who divorced her so that she could marry Tun Ali. Only then would Tun Ali step down from his position as Prime Minister for the more effective Tun Perak, Tun Kudu's brother, to take his place. According to Sejarah Melayu, there is a legend that Tun Muhatir is so vain that he changed his clothes seven times daily in front of the long mirror.

Tun Fatimah was already married to another influential young member of her clan, Tun Ali (not to be confused with her ancestor) when Sultan Mahmud set his sights on her to become his new wife. It is said that the Sultan was upset that Tun Mutahir kept the fact that he had a beautiful daughter away from the sultan and married her off to someone else. To add to the problem, many of the Sultan's courtiers felt alienated with Tun Mutahir who elected members of his clan to important posts in the Malaccan government. One of these courtiers was Raja Mudaliar, the Syahbandar (Chief of Port) of Malacca allegedly started a rumour that Tun Mutahir was scheming to take over the throne. Tun Fatimah refused to divorce her husband when the Sultan's courtiers urged her to. This proved to be her ultimate undoing because it led to the execution of all of her male relatives in her family, including Tun Mutahir and also her first husband, Tun Ali.

Tun Fatimah finally complied with the Sultan's wishes. She became his third wife. During her time as the royal consort, Tun Fatimah was said to have never smiled, and miscarried three times, perhaps due to emotional misery or even as a silent way of exacting revenge for the injustices committed by the Sultan against her family. She only started bearing children when the Sultan guaranteed her son will succeed him as ruler of Malacca. Fatimah eventually bore the Sultan two Princes and two Princesses. Mahmud had his eldest son with his first wife Tun Teja, Ahmad Shah succeeded him while Fatimah's sons were still minors.

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Wikipedia