safavid empire political structure

[238] He wrote the Al-Hikma al-mutaaliya fi-l-asfar al-aqliyya al-arbaa ("The Transcendent Philosophy of the Four Journeys of the Intellect"),[239] a meditation on what he called 'meta philosophy' which brought to a synthesis the philosophical mysticism of Sufism, the theology of Shi'a Islam, and the Peripatetic and Illuminationist philosophies of Avicenna and Suhrawardi. Szczepanski, Kallie. Ismail I, despite his heterodox Shi'a beliefs, which were not compatible with orthodox Shi'ism (Momen, 1985) patronized Shi'a religious leaders, granting them land and money in return for loyalty. After Saf al-Dn, the leadership of the Safaviyya passed to Sadr al-Dn Ms ( 794/139192). Persianization went hand in hand with the popularization of 'mainstream' Shii belief. [151][full citation needed] At the same time, the Russians led by Peter the Great attacked and conquered swaths of Safavid Iran's North Caucasian, Transcaucasian, and northern mainland territories through the Russo-Iranian War (1722-1723). The Safavids were descended from Sheikh af al-Dn (12531334) of Ardabl, head of the Sufi order of afaviyyeh (afawiyyah). Blow, David. The loyal Qizibash recoiled at their treatment by Mirza Salman, who they resented for a number of reasons (not least of which was the fact that a Tajik was given military command over them), and demanded that he be turned over to them. [62] By 1511, the Uzbeks in the north-east, led by their Khan Muhammad Shaybni, were driven far to the north, across the Oxus River, where they continued to attack the Safavids. In 1613, Abbas had appointed these trusted Georgian gholams of his on the puppet thrones of Kartli and Kakheti, the Iranian Safavid ruled areas of Georgia. In 1527 Tahmsp demonstrated his desire by shooting an arrow at Div Soltn before the assembled court. The works of al-Razi (86592) (known to the West as Razes) were still used in European universities as standard textbooks of alchemy, pharmacology and pediatrics. However the brief puppet regime of Ismail III ended in 1760, when Karim Khan felt strong enough take nominal power of the country as well and officially end the Safavid dynasty. The tribal Afghans rode roughshod over their conquered territory for seven years but were prevented from making further gains by Nader Shah, a former slave who had risen to military leadership within the Afshar tribe in Khorasan, a vassal state of the Safavids. [98] Mirza Salman left the capital before Pari Khn Khnum closed the gates and was able to meet Mohammad Khodabanda and his wife in Shiraz, to whom he offered his services. Whereas neither the ancient Greeks nor the Romans accorded high social status to their doctors, Iranians had from ancient times honored their physicians, who were often appointed counselors of the Shahs. Examples of such were the trade and artisan guilds, which had started to appear in Iran from the 1500s. Abbas I also supported direct trade with Europe, particularly England and The Netherlands which sought Persian carpet, silk and textiles. A new age in Iranian architecture began with the rise of the Safavid dynasty. "[93] His conduct might also be explained by his drug use. The Safavid Empire was established in an Iran that had been long fragmented. More importantly, for the first time in Iranian history, a substantial infantry corps of musketeers (, Artillery Corps: with the help of Westerners, he also formed an artillery corps of 12 000 men, although this was the weakest element in his army. As a result, Iran was cut off from overseas links to East Africa, the Arabian peninsula, and South Asia. Soltan Hoseyn (16941722) in particular was known for his love of wine and disinterest in governance. On Tahmsps death support for a successor coalesced around two of his nine sons; the support divided on ethnic linesIsmail was supported by most of the Turkmen tribes as well as his sister Pari Khn Khnum, her Circassian uncle Shamkhal Sultan as well as the rest of the Circassians, while Haydar was mostly supported by the Georgians at court although he also had support from the Turkmen Ustajlu. Trade with the West and industry expanded, communications improved. It controlled territories that reached from North . The vizier thought that the royal forces failed to prosecute the siege sufficiently and accused the forces of sedition. [157] There even are numerous recorded accounts of laymen that rose to high official posts, as a result of their merits. Ismail's 14-month reign was notable for two things: continual bloodletting of his relatives and others (including his own supporters) and his reversal on religion. however, in the safavid case, the classical turko-mongol an political model underwent two significant changes: first, as the law of the politico- military caste, the ys or tre was now supplanted by the religio-organizational fr principles of the safavid tariqa.30 second, the political and religious leadership was united under one man [39] From their base in Ardabil, the Safavids established control over parts of Greater Iran and reasserted the Iranian identity of the region,[40] thus becoming the first native dynasty since the Buyids to establish a national state officially known as Iran.[41]. Afterwards, Ismail went on a conquest campaign, capturing Tabriz in July 1501, where he enthroned himself the Shh of Azerbaijan,[51][52][53] proclaimed himself King of Kings (shahanshah) of Iran[54][55][56] and minted coins in his name, proclaiming Twelver Shsm as the official religion of his domain. [57], Although Ismil I initially gained mastery over Azerbaijan alone, the Safavids ultimately won the struggle for power over all of Iran, which had been going on for nearly a century between various dynasties and political forces. Shah Abbas ordered a general massacre in Beradost and Mukriyan (Mahabad, reported by Eskandar Beg Monshi, Safavid Historian (15571642), in "Alam Ara Abbasi") and resettled the Turkic Afshar tribe in the region while deporting many Kurdish tribes to Khorasan. the safavids ruled from 1501 to 1722 (experiencing a brief restoration from 1729 to 1736 and 1750 to 1773) and, at their height, they controlled all of what is now iran, republic of azerbaijan, bahrain, armenia, eastern georgia, parts of the north caucasus including russia, iraq, kuwait, and afghanistan, as well as parts of turkey, syria, Later, in 1722, an Afghan army led by Mir Wais' son, Mahmud, marched across eastern Iran, besieged, and sacked Isfahan and proclaimed Mahmud "Shah" of Persia. During his reign he had realized while both looking to his own empire and that of the neighboring Ottomans, that there were dangerous rivalling factions and internal family rivalries that were a threat to the heads of state. The Silk Road, which led through northern Iran to India, revived in the sixteenth century. Today, we'll take a look at this ruling power. By travelling across the Caspian sea to the north, they would reach Russia. The state religion was Shi'a Islam. Savory, R, Iran under the Safavids, p. 66. He had completely driven out the Afghans, who were still occupying Persia, by 1730. The revenue came not so much from exports, as from the custom charges and transit dues levied on goods passing through the country. Nadir had effective control under Shah Tahmasp II and then ruled as regent of the infant Abbas III until 1736 when he had himself crowned shah. This military force would serve the shah only and eventually consisted of four separate branches:[202]. [190], Next in authority were the generals: the General of the Royal Troops (the Shahsevans), General of the Musketeers, General of the Ghulams and The Master of Artillery. In 1514, Sultan Selim I marched through Anatolia and reached the plain of Chaldiran near the city of Khoy, where a decisive battle was fought. He then besieged the capital of Isfahan, until Shah Soltan Hoseyn abdicated and acknowledged him as the new king of Iran. [121] Moreover, he planned to deport all nobles of Kartli. Poetry stagnated under the Safavids; the great medieval ghazal form languished in over-the-top lyricism. This action coincided with the accession to the Ottoman throne in 1512 of Sultan Selim I, Bayezid II's son, and it was the casus belli leading to Selim's decision to invade neighbouring Safavid Iran two years later.[64]. Safavid history begins with the establishment of the Safaviyya by its eponymous founder Safi-ad-din Ardabili (12521334). After the death of Babur, his son Humayun was ousted from his territories and threatened by his half-brother and rival, who had inherited the northern part of Babur's territories. Adam Olearius, "The Voyages and Travels of the Ambassadors" (excerpts). Commercial Cleaning New York > Cleaning Tips > safavid political structure Why The Right Cleaning Equipment & Supplies Are Vital Posted on February 8, 2022 by Using traditional forms and materials, Reza Abbasi (15651635) introduced new subjects to Persian paintingsemi-nude women, youths, lovers. Although the expedition never managed to return to Iran, being shipwrecked on the journey around Africa, it marked an important new step in contacts between Iran and Europe. To counter the rising Safavid power, in 1502, Sultan Bayezid II forcefully deported many Shiite Muslims from Anatolia to other parts of the Ottoman realm. In the 16th century, carpet weaving evolved from a nomadic and peasant craft to a well-executed industry with specialization of design and manufacturing. His oldest son, the crown prince Mohammad Baqer Mirza, was executed following a court intrigue in which several Circassians were involved, while two others were blinded. -Reorganized the empire's military . In addition to fighting its perennial enemies, the Ottomans and Uzbeks, as the seventeenth century progressed, Iran had to contend with the rise of two more neighbors. The Safavids were descended from Sheikh af al-Dn (1253-1334) of Ardabl, head of the Sufi order of afaviyyeh (afawiyyah). Anthony Bryer. According to Donald Struesand, "although the Safavid unification of the eastern and western halves of the Iranian plateau and imposition of Twelver Shii Islam on the region created a recognizable precursor of modern Iran, the Safavid polity itself was neither distinctively Iranian nor national. The Judge is seated at one end of the room having a writer and a man of law by his side. Each town had their own troop of wrestlers, called Pahlavans. The Safavid Empire lasted from 1501-1722. Expert Answers. The latter was the final appeal in civil and criminal cases, and his office stood next to the main entrance to the Ali Qapu palace. [77] It was a heavy price in terms of territory and prestige lost, but it allowed the empire to last, something that seemed improbable during the first years of Tahmsp's reign. It seems likely that most, if not all, of the Turkoman grandees at the court also spoke Persian, which was the language of the administration and culture, as well as of the majority of the population. [83] Therefore, in 1540, Shah Tahmsp started the first of a series of invasions of the Caucasus region, both meant as a training and drilling for his soldiers, as well as mainly bringing back massive numbers of Christian Circassian and Georgian slaves, who would form the basis of a military slave system,[84] alike to the janissaries of the neighbouring Ottoman Empire,[85] as well as at the same time forming a new layer in Iranian society composed of ethnic Caucasians. Murder was punishable by death, and the penalty for bodily injuries was invariably the bastinado. The Safavid Empire was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. Daggers were worn at the waist. Nadir Shah defeated the Afghans in the Battle of Damghan, in 1729. He then went on to completely reduce the number of Qizilbash provincial governorships and systematically moved qizilbash governors to other districts, thus disrupting their ties with the local community, and reducing their power. S Social Interactions and Organization The political structure of the Safavid Empire was structured like a pyramid with the Shah at the very top of the pyramid, like a pope. Abbas also moved the capital to Isfahan, deeper into central Iran. Most were replaced by a ghulam, and within short time, Georgians, Circassians, and to a lesser extent Armenians had been appointed to many of the highest offices of state, and were employed within all other possible sections of society. [162], Since pre-Islamic times, the sport of wrestling had been an integral part of the Iranian identity, and the professional wrestlers, who performed in Zurkhanehs, were considered important members of the society. [16][22] But the official[10] language of the empire as well as the administrative language, language of correspondence, literature and historiography was Persian. [100] None of the perpetrators were brought to justice, although the shah lectured the assembled amirs on how they departed from the old ways when the shah was master to his Sufi disciples. "The Safavid Period" in Jackson, Peter; Lockhart, Laurence. In 1545 a combined IranianMughal force managed to seize Kandahar and occupy Kabul. The Safavid Empire was one ruled by Sufi Muslims who later became Shia Muslims. Other exports were horses, goat hair, pearls and an inedible bitter almond hadam-talka used as a spice in India. It ruled over Persia, today known as Iran for many years from 1501 to 1736. Moreover, he began to strengthen Shii practice by such things as forbidding in the new capital of Qazvin poetry and music which did not esteem Ali and the Twelve Imams. [201], Criminal justice was entirely separate from civil law and was judged upon common law administered through the Minister of Justice, local governors and the Court minister (the Nazir). The Middle Ages had seen a series of invasions of Iran by Turks, Mongols, and others. 1977, p. 77. Journal of The Economic and Social History of The Orient. Their rise was attributed to their strong military presence, trade and economic gain, religious tolerance and ideology that rulers should be chosen by ability not class or wealth. Other exports were horses, goat hair, pearls and an inedible bitter hadam-talka! Safaviyya passed to Sadr al-Dn Ms ( 794/139192 ) through northern Iran to India revived... Significant ruling dynasties of Iran by Turks, Mongols, and others his might... 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safavid empire political structure