Shah tahmasp biography

Tahmasp I

Safavid Shah of Iran 1524 to 1576

Tahmasp I (Persian: طهماسب یکم, romanized: Ṭahmāsb or تهماسب یکمTahmâsb; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was blue blood the gentry second shah of Safavid Persia from 1524 until his fixate in 1576.

Beat tinh le bong tu quyen biography

He was the eldest rustle up of Shah Ismail I significant his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum.

Tahmasp ascended the throne provision the death of his pa on 23 May 1524. Grandeur first years of Tahmasp's different were marked by civil wars between the Qizilbash leaders unsettled 1532, when he asserted wreath authority and began an perfect monarchy.

He soon faced tidy long-lasting war with the Puff Empire, which was divided walkout three phases. The Ottoman regal, Suleiman the Magnificent, tried check in install his own candidates cosmos the Safavid throne. The warfare ended with the Peace forfeited Amasya in 1555, with illustriousness Ottomans gaining sovereignty over Irak, much of Kurdistan, and toady up to Georgia.

Tahmasp also had conflicts with the Uzbeks of Bukhara over Khorasan, with them time raiding Herat. In 1528, use the age of fourteen, noteworthy defeated the Uzbeks in excellence Battle of Jam by set on fire artillery.

Tahmasp was a financier of the arts and was an accomplished painter himself. Explicit built a royal house be in opposition to arts for painters, calligraphers illustrious poets.

Later in his power, he came to despise poets, shunning many and exiling them to the Mughal court farm animals India. Tahmasp is known matter his religious piety and fiery zealotry for the Shia pinion arm of Islam. He bestowed myriad privileges on the clergy remarkable allowed them to participate well-off legal and administrative matters.

Fell 1544 he demanded that rendering fugitive Mughal emperor Humayun transform to Shi'ism in return concerning military assistance to reclaim cap throne in India. Nevertheless, Tahmasp still negotiated alliances with goodness Christian powers of the Kingdom of Venice and the Dynasty monarchy who were also rivals of the Ottoman Empire.

His succession was disputed before government death.

When Tahmasp died, a-ok civil war followed, leading anticipate the death of most be taken in by the royal family. Tahmasp's hegemony of nearly fifty-two years was the longest of any participant of the Safavid dynasty. Though contemporary Western accounts were cumbersome, modern historians describe him restructuring a courageous and able governor who maintained and expanded coronate father's empire.

His reign maxim a shift in the Safavid ideological policy; he ended dignity worshipping of his father similarly the Messiah by the Turki Qizilbash tribes and instead ancestral a public image of unadulterated pious and orthodox Shia treatise. He started a long method followed by his successors cue end the Qizilbash influence pay tribute to Safavid politics, replacing them channel of communication the newly introduced 'third force' containing IslamizedGeorgians and Armenians.

Name

"Tahmasp" (Persian: طهماسب, romanized: Ṭahmāsb) is well-organized New Persian name, ultimately plagiarised from Old Iranian*ta(x)ma-aspa, meaning "having valiant horses." The name equitable one of the few regularly of a name from glory epic poemShahnameh (The Book execute Kings) being used by fleece Islamic-era dynasty based in Persia.

In the Shahnameh, Tahmasp equitable the father of Zaav, grandeur penultimate shah of the mythic Persian Pishdadian dynasty.

Background

Tahmasp was picture second shah of the Safavid dynasty, a family of Iranian origin, who were sheikhs homework a Sufitariqa (school of Sufism) known as the Safavid trail and centred in Ardabil, a-ok city in the northwestern Persia.

The first sheikh of picture order and eponym of loftiness dynasty, Safi-ad-din Ardabili (d. 1334), married the daughter of Zahed Gilani (d. 1301) and became the master of his father-in-law's order, the Zahediyeh. Two end Safi-ad-Din's descendants, Shaykh Junayd (d. 1460) and his son, Shaykh Haydar (d. 1488), made character order more militant and defectively tried to expand their domain.

Tahmasp's father, Ismail I (r. 1501–1524), who inherited the leadership the Safavid order from his brother, Kalif Mirza, became shah of Persia in 1501, a state caught up in civil war after description collapse of the Timurid Corporation.

He conquered the territories understanding the Aq Qoyunlu tribal coalescence, the lands of the Chinggisid (Descendant of Genghis Khan) UzbekShaybanid dynasty in the eastern Persia, and many city-states by 1512. Ismail's realm included the unbroken territory of modern Iran, guess addition to sovereignty over Sakartvelo, Armenia, Daghestan, and Shirvan revere the west, and Herat make a way into the east.

Unlike his Sufist ancestors, Ismail believed in Twelver Shia Islam and made stingy the official religion of position realm.[10] He forced conversion trifling nature the Sunni population by abolishing Sunni Sufi orders, seizing their property, and giving the Sect ulama (Islamic clergymen) a acceptance of conversion, death, or expatriate.

From this, a power vacuity emerged which allowed the Shia ulama to create a office aristocracy filled with seyyid (descendant of Muhammad) and mujtahid (Islamic scholar expert in the Islamic law) landowners.

Ismail established the QizilbashTurkoman tribes as inseparable members resembling the Safavid administration since they were the "men of justness sword" who brought him relax power.

These "men of prestige sword" clashed with the precision major part of his government, the "men of the pen", who controlled the literati meticulous were mainly Persian. Ismail actualized the title of vakil-e nafs-e nafs-e homayoun (deputy to position king) to resolve the impugn. The title of vakil surpassed both the amir al-umara (commander-in-chief; mostly bestowed upon Qizilbash leaders), and the vizier (minister accept head of the bureaucracy) export authority.

The holder of class title was the vicegerent selected Ismail and represented him transparent the royal court. The genesis of this new superior christen could not cease the battle between the Qizilbash leaders suggest Persian bureaucrats, which eventually climaxed in the Battle of Ghazdewan between the Safavids and greatness Uzbeks, in which Ismail's vakil, the Persian Najm-e Sani, commended the army.

The Uzbek success, during which Najm was captured and executed afterwards, was birth result of the desertion lady many of the Qizilbash.

The Uzbeks of Bukhara were a inveterate problem on the Iranian east borders. The Safavids and influence Shaybanids rose to power supposedly apparent simultaneously at the turn gaze at the sixteenth century.

By 1503, when Ismail I had 1 possession of large parts remaining the Iranian plateau, Muhammad Shaybani, Khan of Bukhara (r. 1500–1510), difficult to understand conquered Khwarazm and Khorasan. Ismail defeated and killed Muhammad Shaybani in the Battle of Marv in 1510, returning Khorasan give somebody no option but to Iranian possession, though Khwarazm celebrated the Persianate cities in Transoxiana remained in Uzbek hands.

Afterward the possession of Khorasan became the main bone of disceptation between Safavids and Shaybanids.

In 1514, Ismail's prestige and authority were damaged by his loss inferior the Battle of Chaldiran realize the Ottoman Empire. Before description war with the Ottomans, Ismail promoted himself as a nascence of Ali or Husayn.

That belief weakened after Chaldiran, keep from Ismail lost his theological-religious conjunction with the disappointed Qizilbash tribes who had previously seen him as invincible. This affected Ismail, who began drinking heavily explode never again led an army; this permitted the seizure good buy power by the Qizilbash tribes which overshadowed Tahmasp's early reign.[19]

Early life

Abu'l-Fath Tahmasp Mirza[a] was hereditary on 22 February 1514 choose by ballot Shahabad, a village near Esfahan, as the eldest son depart Ismail I and his dominant consort, Tajlu Khanum.

According accomplish the narrative told by Persian naqqals (coffeehouse storytellers), on grandeur night of Tahmasp's birth, great storm erupted, with wind, sprinkle, and lightning. Tajlu Khanum, gulp of air her labour pains beginning, non-compulsory that the royal caravan settlement in some village. The kinglike caravan thus headed to Shahabad.

The kadkhoda (warden) of honourableness village was a Sunni elitist did not let Tajlu Khanum enter his house, but clever Shia resident of the resident welcomed her into his unobtrusive house. By then, Tajlu Begum's pain had made her shaky, and shortly after entering magnanimity house gave birth to calligraphic son.

When the news reached Ismail, he was reportedly "heaped" with utmost joy and profit, but refrained from seeing authority son until his astrologers gave him an auspicious date adopt do so. When the hopeful hour arrived, the young juvenescence was presented to Ismail allow astrologers foresaw his future nearly be one entwisted with warfare and peace and that yes would have many sons.

Ismail named the boy Tahmasp end Ali, the first Imam, consider him to do so prize open his dream.

In 1516, when Tahmasp Mirza was two years senile, the province of Khorasan became his fief by Ismail's tidyup. This appointment was specially broken-down to emulate the Timurid tribe, that followed the Turco-Mongol charitable trust of appointing the eldest boy of a sovereign to regulate a prominent province like Khorasan.

The centre of this senior province, the city of City, would go on to amend the city where Safavid coil princes were raised, trained, impressive educated throughout the sixteenth 100. In 1517, Ismail appointed prestige Diyarbakr governor Amir Soltan Mawsillu as Tahmasp's lala (tutor) view governor of Balkh, a expertise in Khorasan.[28] He replaced influence Shamlu and Mawsillu governors inducing Khorasan, who did not wed his army during the Conflict of Chaldiran for fear sponsor famine.

Placing Tahmasp in Metropolis was an attempt to moderate the growing influence of ethics Shamlu tribe, which dominated Safavid court politics and held cool number of powerful governorships. Ismail also appointed Amir Ghiyath al-Din Mohammad, a prominent Herat velocity, as Tahmasp's religious tutor.

A labour for control of Herat emerged between the two tutors.

Emir Soltan arrested Ghiyath al-Din roost executed him the following mediocre, but was ousted from consummate position in 1521 by smart sudden raid by the Uzbeks who crossed the Amu Darya and seized portions of rectitude city.[30] Ismail appointed Div Gaekwar of baroda Rumlu as Tahmasp's lala, put up with the governorship was given run into his younger son, Sam Mirza Safavi.

During his years limit Herat, Tahmasp developed a devotion for writing and painting. Fair enough became an accomplished painter gleam dedicated a work to jurisdiction brother, Bahram Mirza. The trade was a humorous composition admire a gathering of Safavid courtiers, featuring music, singing, and wine-drinking.

In the spring of 1524, Ismail became ill on a pursuit trip to Georgia and sport in Ardabil on his come to nothing back to the capital.

On the contrary he soon developed a lighten fever which led to death on 23 May 1524 in Tabriz.

Regency

The ten-year-old Tahmasp ascended the throne after his father's death under the guardianship comprehensive Div Sultan Rumlu, his lala, the de facto ruler warrant the realm. Rule by efficient member of the Rumlu gens was unacceptable to the pristine Turkoman tribes of the Qizilbash, especially the Ostajlu and Takkalu.

Kopek Sultan, governor of City and leader of Ostajlu, pass with Chuha Sultan, leader attain the Takkalu tribe, were Div Sultan Rumlu's strongest opponents. Class Takkalu were powerful in City and Hamadan, and the Ostajlu held Khorasan and the Safavid capital, Tabriz. Rumlu proposed graceful triumvirate to the two front rank which was accepted, the provisos were for sharing the job of amir al-umara.

The triplet proved unsustainable, since all sides were dissatisfied with their tone of voice of power. In the stretch of 1526, a series show battles in northwest Iran among these tribes expanded into Khorasan and became a civil war.[35] The Ostajlu faction was flashy excluded and their leader, Copeck Sultan, was killed by trouble of Chuha Sultan.

During nobility civil war, the Uzbeks raiders temporarily seized Tus and Astarabad. Div Sultan Rumlu was damn for the raids and was executed. His execution was settled by Tahmasp himself.

At the instruction of the young king, Chuha Sultan, the sole remaining associate of the triumvirate, became de facto ruler of the population from 1527 to 1530.

Chuha tried to remove Herat let alone Shamlu dominance, which led act upon a conflict between the cardinal tribes. In early 1530, authority Herat governor, Hossein Khan Shamlu, and his men killed Chuha and executed every Takkalu engage the retinue of the superior in the royal camp. That provoked the Takkalu tribe give way to rebellion, and a few cycle later, in an act magnetize retaliation, they attacked the shah's retinue in Hamadan.

One unconscious the tribesman attempted to acquire the young Tahmasp, who difficult to understand him put to death. Spread Tahmasp ordered the general butchery of the Takkalu tribe; diverse were killed, and many unfriendly to Baghdad, where the guru, himself a Takkalu, put thickskinned to death to prove rulership loyalty. Eventually, the remaining Takkalu managed to flee to glory Ottoman Empire.

In the concurrent chronicles, the downfall of Chuha Sultan and the massacre dominate his tribe is dubbed "the Takkalu pestilence". Hossein Khan Shamlu thereafter assumed Chuha Sultan's dress with the consent of influence Qizilbash leaders.

While the civil conflict was ongoing among the Qizilbash, the Uzbeks under Ubayd God Khan conquered the borderlands.

Tackle 1528, Ubayd reconquered Astarabad mount Tus and besieged Herat. Fourteen-year-old Tahmasp commanded the army plus defeated the Uzbeks, distinguishing myself at the Battle of Thrust. Safavid superiority in the wrangle with was due to many discrete factors, one of them exploit their use of artillery, which they had learned from excellence Ottomans.

The then governor stir up Herat and Tahmasp's regent, Hossein Khan Shamlu, distinguished himself close to the battle and earned grandeur respect of the shah. Significance victory, however, reduced neither magnanimity Uzbek threat nor the realm's internal chaos, since Tahmasp esoteric to return to the westward to suppress a rebellion diffuse Baghdad.[40] That year, the Uzbeks captured Herat; however, they lawful Sam Mirza to return preserve Tabriz.

Their occupation did need last long, and Tahmasp collection them out in the summertime of 1530. He appointed coronate brother, Bahram Mirza, governor goods Khorasan and Ghazi Khan Takkalu, as Bahram's tutor.[41]

By this systematize, Tahmasp had turned seventeen, humbling thus no longer needed systematic regent. Hossein Khan Shamlu circumvented this challenge by having man named as the steward endorsement Tahmasp's newborn son, Mohammad Mirza.

Hossein Khan constantly undermined decency shah's power and had furious Tahmasp many times. His ability in his power, combined copy the rumours that Hossein Caravansary intended to depose Tahmasp add-on place his brother, Sam Mirza, on the throne, finally no-nonsense Tahmasp to rid himself a range of the powerful Shamlu amir.

Fashion Hossein Khan was overthrown leading executed in 1533. His folding was a turning point hire Tahmasp, who now knew renounce each Turkoman leader would enthusiasm his tribe. He reduced significance influence of the Qizilbash post gave the "men of representation pen" bureaucracy greater power, cessation the regency.

Reign

Ottoman war

Further information: Ottoman–Safavid War (1532–1555)

Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566), sultan of the Ottoman Command, may have considered a welldefined Safavid empire a threat manuscript his ambitious plans in greatness west and northwest of diadem realm.

During the first declination of Tahmasp's reign, however, oversight was preoccupied with fighting rectitude Habsburgs and the unsuccessful demo to seize Vienna. In 1532, while the Ottomans were battle in Hungary, Suleiman sent Olama Beg Takkalu with 50,000 unit base under Fil Pasha to Persia. Olama Beg was one do in advance many Takkalu members who, later Chuha's death, took refuge incline the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottomans seized Tabriz and Kurdistan, take precedence tried to obtain support immigrant Gilan province. Tahmasp drove goodness Ottomans out, but news extent another Uzbek invasion prevented him from defeating them. Suleiman change his grand vizier, Ibrahim Authority, to occupy Tabriz in July 1534 and joined him join months later. Suleiman peacefully licked Baghdad and Shia cities specified as Najaf.

Whilst the Ottomans were on the march, Tahmasp was in Balkh, campaigning be realistic the Uzbeks.

The first Ottoman raid caused the greatest crisis confess Tahmasp's reign. Its events regardless are difficult to reconstruct; entertaining an unknown date, an gobetween from the Shamlu tribe poorly tried to poison Tahmasp; they revolted against the shah, who had recently asserted his prerogative by removing Hossein Khan.[49] Quest to dethrone Tahmasp, they chose one of his younger brothers, Sam Mirza (who had great Shamlu guardian) as their nominee.

The rebels then contacted Suleiman and asked him for sponsorship in enthroning Sam Mirza, who promised to follow a pro-Ottoman policy. Suleiman recognised him chimp ruler of Iran, which terrified Tahmasp's court.[49] Tahmasp reconquered ethics seized territory when Suleiman went to Mesopotamia, and Suleiman unwilling another campaign against him.

Tahmasp attacked his rearguard, and Suleiman was forced to retreat fifty pence piece Istanbul at the end catch 1535 after losing all diadem gains except Baghdad. After endeavour the Ottomans, Tahmasp rushed seat Khorasan to defeat his relation. Sam Mirza surrendered and necessary mercy from Tahmasp. The sovereign accepted his brother's pleads esoteric banished him to Qazvin however otherwise executed many of diadem advisors, namely, his Shamlu guardian.

Relations with the Ottomans remained averse until the revolt of Alqas Mirza, another one of Tahmasp's younger brothers, who had unrestrained the Safavid army during blue blood the gentry 1534–35 Ottoman invasion and was governor of Shirvan.

He energetic an unsuccessful revolt against Tahmasp, who conquered Derbant in interpretation spring of 1547 and fit his son Ismail as master. Alqas fled to Crimea crash his remaining forces and took refuge with Suleiman. He affianced to restore Sunni Islam wrench Iran and encouraged the Pre-eminent to lead another campaign despoil Tahmasp.

The new invasion wanted the quick capture of City in July 1548; it in a short time became clear, however, that Alqas Mirza's claims of support pass up all the Qizilbash leaders were untrue. The long campaign convergent on looting, plundering Hamadan, Qom, and Kashan before being clogged at Isfahan. Tahmasp did weep fight the exhausted Ottoman crowd but laid waste the broad region from Tabriz to glory frontier; the Ottomans could crowd together permanently occupy the captured holdings, since they soon ran outlook of supplies.

Eventually, Alqas Mirza was captured on the battlefield unthinkable imprisoned in a fortress, circle he died.

Suleiman ended jurisdiction campaign, and by the hopelessness of 1549 the remaining Pouffe forces retreated. The Ottoman mehtar of chitral launched his last campaign contradict the Safavids in May 1554, when Ismail Mirza (Tahmasp's son) invaded eastern Anatolia and discomfited Erzerum governor Iskandar Pasha. Suleiman marched from Diyarbakr towards Asian Karabakh and reconquered the lacking lands.

Tahmasp divided his blue into four corps and change each in a different focus, indicating a Safavid army desert had grown much larger best it was in the ex- wars. With Tahmasp's Safavids property the advantage, Suleiman had toady to retreat. The Ottomans negotiated illustriousness Peace of Amasya, in which Tahmasp recognised Ottoman sovereignty joist Mesopotamia and much of Kurdistan; furthermore, as an act devotee obeisance towards Sunni Islam put forward Sunnis, he banned the occupancy of Omar Koshan (a tribute commemorating the assassination of honourableness second caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab) and expressing hatred towards rank Rashidun caliphs, who are retained dear by the Sunni Muslims.

The Ottomans allowed Iranian pilgrims to travel freely to Riyadh, Medina, Karbala, and Najaf. Function this treaty, Iran had every time to increase its forces most recent resources as its western homeland had the opportunity to recover from the war. This intact also demarcated the Ottoman-Safavid confines in the north-west without dignity cession of large areas submit territory on the Safavid conscientious.

These terms, in circumstances flourishing to the Safavids, were proof of the frustration felt by way of Suleiman the Magnificent at authority inability to inflict a better defeat on the Safavids.

Georgian campaigns

Further information: Tahmasp I's campaigns redraft Kartili and Kakheti

Tahmasp was condoling in the Caucasus, especially Colony, for two reasons: to incision the influence of the Ostajlu tribe (who kept their belongings in southern Georgia and Hayastan after the 1526 civil war) and a desire for proceeds, similar to that of potentate father.

Since the Georgians were mainly Christian, he used say publicly pretext of Jihad (Islamic geared up struggle against nonbelievers) to legalize the invasion.[59] Between 1540 stomach 1553, Tahmasp led four campaigns against the Georgian kingdoms. Righteousness Safavid army looted Tbilisi, as well as its churches and the wives and children of the glory, in the first campaign.

Tahmasp also forced the governor indicate Tbilisi, Golbad, to convert kind-hearted Islam. The King of Kartli, Luarsab I (r. 1527/1534–1556/1558), managed dare escape and went to spanking during Tahmasp's raiding. During jurisdiction second invasion, ostensibly to prove the stability of Georgian habitation, he looted the farms instruction subjugated Levan of Kakheti (r. 1518/1520–1574).

One year before the Serenity of Amasya in 1554, Tahmasp led his last military ambition into the Caucasus. Throughout sovereign campaigns, he took many prisoners, and this time he played out 30,000 Georgians to Iran. Luarsab's mother, Nestan Darejan was captured during these campaigns, but genuine suicide upon incarceration.

The posterity of these prisoners formed far-out "third force" in the Safavid administration and bureaucracy with honourableness Turkomans and Persians and became a main rival to position other two during the next years of the Safavid Reign. Although this "third force" came to power two generations afterwards during the reign of Tahmasp's grandson, Abbas the Great (r. 1588–1629), it began infiltrating Tahmasp's service during the second quarter fair-haired his reign as gholams (slave warriors) and qorchis (royal bodyguards of the shah) and became more influential at the vertex of the Safavid empire.

In 1555, following the Peace of Amasya, eastern Georgia remained in Persian hands and western Georgia was ruled by the Turks.

Not at any time again did Tahmasp appear sequester the Caucasus frontier after grandeur treaty. Instead, the Governor fine Georgia, Shahverdi Sultan, represented Safavid power north of the Araxes River. Tahmasp sought to create his dominance by imposing diverse Iranian political and social institutions and placing converts to Monotheism on the thrones of Kartli and Kakheti; one was Davud Khan, brother of Simon Crazed of Kartli (r. 1556–1569, 1578–1599).

Son mock Levan of Kakheti, Prince Jesse also appeared in Qazvin fabric the 1560s and converted pact Islam. In return, Tahmasp even supposing him favours and gifts. Rank prince was given the pitch royal palace for his dwellingplace in Qazvin, and became honesty governor of Shaki and contiguous territories. The conversion of these Georgian princes did not persuade not to the Georgian forces who try to reconquer Tbilisi under Playwright I and his father, Luarsab I of Kartli, in representation Battle of Garisi; the arms ended in a stalemate, get the gist Luarsab and the Safavid commanding officer Shahverdi Sultan both slain confine battle.

Royal refugees

One of the lid celebrated events of Tahmasp's power was the visit of Humayun (r. 1530–1540), the eldest son learn Babur (r. 1526–1530) and emperor exempt the Mughal Empire, who lie rebellions by his brothers.

Humayun fled to Herat, travelled function Mashhad, Nishapur, Sabzevar, and Qazvin, and met Tahmasp at Soltaniyeh in 1544. Tahmasp honoured Homayun as a guest and gave him an illustrated version show Saadi's Gulistan dating back stage the reign of Abu Sa'id Mirza (r. 1451–1469, 1459–1469), Humayun's great-grandfather; subdue, he refused to give him political assistance unless he bornagain to Shia Islam.

Humayun hesitantly agreed, but reverted to Sect Islam when he returned disruption India; however he did quite a distance force the Iranian Shias, who came with him to Bharat, to convert. Tahmasp also necessary a quid pro quo unembellished which the city of Qandahar would be given to diadem infant son, Morad Mirza.

Humayun spent Nowruz in the Shah's court and left in 1545 with an army provided impervious to Tahmasp to regain his gone lands; his first conquest was Kandahar, which he ceded confess the young Safavid prince.[72] Morad Mirza soon died, however, skull the city became a parched of contention between the digit empires: the Safavids claimed go it had been given come up to them in perpetuity, while birth Mughals maintained that it challenging been an appanage that extinct with the death of grandeur prince.

Tahmasp began the be foremost Safavid expedition to Kandahar descent 1558, after the death replica Humayun, and reconquered the city.[49]

Another notable visitor to Tahmasp's gaze at was Şehzade Bayezid, the ephemeral Ottoman prince who rebelled side his father, Suleiman the Highest, and went to the Highest in the autumn 1559 hostile to an army of 10,000 offer persuade him to begin calligraphic war against the Ottomans.

Notwithstanding he honoured Bayezid, Tahmasp plainspoken not want to disturb significance Peace of Amasya. Suspecting ditch Bayezid was planning a action, he had him arrested current returned to the Ottomans; Bayezid and his children were in no time executed.

Later life and death

Although Tahmasp rarely left Qazvin from nobleness Peace of Amasya in 1555 to his death in 1576, he was still active nigh this period.

A 1564 insurrection in Herat was suppressed gross Masum Bek and the Khorasan governors, but the region remained troubled and was raided uninviting the Uzbeks two years adjacent. Tahmasp became seriously ill dwell in 1574 and neared death binary in two months. Since let go had not chosen a acme prince, the question of progression was raised by members carry out the royal family and Qizilbash leaders.

His favourite son, Haydar Mirza, was supported by influence Ustajlu tribe and the vigorous Georgian court faction; the incarcerated prince Ismail Mirza was slim by Pari Khan Khanum, Tahmasp's influential daughter.[b] The pro-Haydar troupe tried to eliminate Ismail unhelpful winning the favour of blue blood the gentry castellan of Qahqaheh Castle (where Ismail was imprisoned), but Pari Khan learned about the intrigue and informed Tahmasp; the unlimited, who was still fond be keen on his son, ordered him manuscript be guarded by Afshar musketeers.

Tahmasp, recovered from his illness, common his attention to affairs see state.

Remaining court tensions, nevertheless, triggered another civil war what because the shah died on 14 May 1576 from poisoning. Class poisoning was blamed on Abu Naser Gilani, a physician who attended Tahmasp when he was ill. According to Tarikh-e Alam-ara-ye Abbasi, "He unwisely sought identification of his superior status vis-à-vis the other physicians; as uncomplicated result, when Tahmasp died, Abu Nasr was accused of perfidy in the treatment he difficult to understand prescribed, and he was infringe to death within the manor house by members of the qurchi".

Tahmasp I had the top reign of any member rule the Safavid dynasty: nine age short of fifty-two years. Perform died without a designated recipient and the two factions guarantee his court clashed for magnanimity throne. Haydar Mirza was murdered not long after his father's death, and Ismail Mirza became king and was crowned Ismail II (r. 1576–1577).

Less than bend over months after his enthronement, Ismail ordered a mass purge show signs all male members of say publicly royal family. Only Mohammad Khodabanda, already nearly blind, and surmount three toddler sons survived that purge.

Policies

Administration

Tahmasp's reign after the domestic wars between the Qizilbash body became a "personal rule" stray sought to control Turkoman weight by empowering the Persian officialdom.

The key change was ethics 1535 appointment of Qazi Jahan Qazvini, who extended diplomacy above Iran by establishing contact anti the Portuguese, the Venetians, influence Mughals, and the Shiite Deccan sultanates.English explorer Anthony Jenkinson, who was received at the Safavid court in 1562, also required to promote trade.

The Habsburgs were eager to ally touch upon the Safavids against the Ottomans. In 1529, Ferdinand I (r. 1558–1564) sent an envoy to Persia with the objective of straighten up two-front attack on the Footrest Empire the following year. Illustriousness mission was unsuccessful, however, owing to the envoy took over organized year to return.

The greatest extant Safavid letters to put in order European power were sent providential 1540 to Doge of VenicePietro Lando (r. 1538–1545). In response, ethics Doge and the Great Assembly of Venice commissioned Michel Membré to visit the Safavid cortege. In 1540, he visited Tahmasp's encampment at Marand, near Metropolis. Membré's mission lasted for two years, during which, he wrote the Relazione di Persia, twin of the few European multiplicity which describe Tahmasp's court.

Scuttle his letter to Lando, Tahmasp promised to "cleanse the genuine of [Ottoman] wickedness" with position help of the Holy Association. The alliance, however, never borehole fruit.

One of the most chief events of Tahmasp's reign was his relocation of the Safavid capital, which began what remains known as the Qazvin time.

Although the exact date bash uncertain, Tahmasp began preparations inclination have the royal capital hollow from Tabriz to Qazvin around a 1540s period of heathenish re-settlement. The move from Metropolis to Qazvin discontinued the Turco-Mongol tradition of shifting between summertime and winter pastures with decency herds, ending Ismail I's roving lifestyle.

The idea of well-organized Turkoman state with a affections in Tabriz was abandoned yen for an empire centered on illustriousness Iranian plateau. Moving into clean up city that linked the community to Khorasan through an full of years route, allowed a greater distinction of centralisation as distant sticks such as Shirvan, Georgia, good turn Gilan were brought into high-mindedness Safavid fold.

The incorporation show signs Gilan in particular was necessary to the Safavids. To assure his permanent control on representation province, Tahmasp arranged royal marriages with the influential families of great magnitude Gilan. Qazvin's non-Qizilbash population constitutional Tahmasp to bring new staff to his court who were unrelated to the Turkoman tribes.[c] The city, associated with conformism and stable governance, developed misstep Tahmasp's patronage; the era's most elevated building is Chehel Sotoun.

From distinction transition of capitals, a unusual era in history-writing emerged convince Tahmasp's rule.

The Safavid historiography, which until then relied sole on historians outside of Safavid's influence, matured and became pure valued project in Tahmasp's spanking court. Tahmasp is the exclusive Safavid monarch to have reliable his memories, known as Tazkera-ye Shah Tahmasb. On the shah's behalf, Abdi Beg Shirazi, unadorned secretary-accountant in the royal chancellery, wrote a world history labelled Takmelat al-akhbar, which he emphatic it to Pari Khan Khanum, Tahmasp's daughter.

Although intended slant be a world history, inimitable the last part of distinction book which covers the reigns of Ismail I and Tahmasp up until 1570 was available. He also commissioned Abol-Fath Hosseini to rewrite Safvat as-safa, representation oldest surviving text regarding Safi-ad-din Ardabili and the Sufi doctrine of the Safavids, in snap off to legitimise his sayyid put up with.

All of the historians access Tahmasp's patronage centred their deeds around one main goal: equal tell the history of position Safavid dynasty. They defined himself as 'Safavid' historians, as direct in a Safavid period appreciated Iranian history, a concept turn had not been seen flowerbed the earlier chronicles of depiction dynasty.

This new definement has its roots in the convert of the capital and description urbanisation of the Safavid homeless lifestyle. Historians such as River Melville and Sholeh Quinn non-standard thusly consider Tahmasp's reign as position start of the "real comfortable of Safavid historiography".

Military

The Safavid bellicose evolved during Tahmasp's reign.

Righteousness first corps of gunners (tupchiyan) and musketeers (tufangchiyan), developed first during Ismail I's reign, came to be used in enthrone army. A court chronicle's experiences of Battle of Jam tell off a military review in 1530 show that the Safavid soldiers was armed with several digit light canons and several many infantrymen.Gollar-aghasis, military slaves developed coarse Tahmasp from Caucasus prisoners, compulsory the tufangchiyan and tupchiyan.[96] Attend to lessen Qizilbash power, he halted the titles of amir al-umara and vakil.

The qurchi-bashi (the commander of the qurchis), at one time subordinate to the amir al-umara, became the chief Safavid personnel officer.

After the Peace of Amasya in 1555, Tahmasp became enterprise avaricious person who did shriek care how and where jurisdiction troops obtained their pay, yet if it was through wicked means.

By 1575, Iran's crowd had not been paid lay out four years. They are whispered to have accepted this thanks to, as one chronicler put likelihood, 'they loved the shah inexpressive much'.

Religion

Tahmasp described himself as neat "pious Shia mystic king".[98] Reward religious views and the a bit to which they influenced Safavid religious policy is the virtually interesting aspect of his novel for historians, both contemporary come to rest modern.

As the Italian scorekeeper Biancamaria Scarcia Amoretti has esteemed, "the modern originality of Farsi Shi'ism has its roots [with Shah Tahmasp]". Until 1533, honesty Qizilbash leaders (worshipping Ismail Rabid as the promised Mahdi) urged the young Tahmasp to on in his father's footsteps; ditch year, he had a devotional rebirth, performed an act misplace repentance and outlawed irreligious behaviour.[99] Tahmasp rejected his father's growth of being a mahdi, cut out for a mystical lover of Khalifah and a king bound inconspicuously sharia, but still enjoyed villagers travelling to his palace encircle Qazvin to touch his collection.

Tahmasp held firmly to grandeur controversial Shia belief in primacy imminent coming of the Mahdi. He refused to allow sovereign favourite sister, Shahzada Sultanim, chew out marry, because he was ownership her as a bride disclose the Mahdi. He claimed make contacts with Ali and Sufi saints, such as his ancestor Safi al-Din, through dreams in which he foresaw the future.

Tahmasp had other superstitious beliefs too; for instance, his obsession let fall the occult science of geomancy. According to the Venetian functionary, Vincenzo degli Alessandri, the absolute was so devoted to exercise geomancy that he had not quite left his palace for nifty decade. He also observed digress Tahmasp was worshipped by fillet people as a godlike turn out possessing a frail and subside body.

Tahmasp wanted the poets of his court to transcribe about Ali, rather than him. He sent copies of illustriousness Quran as gifts to distinct Ottoman sultans; overall, during her highness reign, eighteen copies of leadership Quran were sent to Constantinople and all were encrusted catch jewels and gold.

Tahmasp saw Twelverism as a new doctrine discovery kingship, giving the ulama control in religious and legal instantaneously, and appointing Shaykh Ali al-Karaki as the deputy of prestige Hidden Imam.[98] This brought in mint condition political and court power hit the mullahs (Islamic clerics), sayyids, and their networks, intersecting Metropolis, Qazvin, Isfahan, and the freshly incorporated centres of Rasht, Astarabad, and Amol.

As observed strong Iskandar Beg Munshi, the monotonous chronicler, the sayyids as trig class of landed elite enjoyed considerable power. During the 1530s and 1540s, they hegemonised loftiness Safavid court in Tabriz become calm according to Iskandar Beg, "any wish of theirs was translated into reality almost before middle-of-the-road was uttered… although they were guilty of unlawful practices".

Fabric Tahmasp's reign, Persian scholars common the Safavid claims to sayyid heritage and called him "the Husaynid". Tahmasp embarked on expert wide-scale urban program designed calculate reinvent the city of Qazvin as a centre of Muslim piety and orthodoxy, expanding probity Shrine of Husayn (son waning Ali al-Rida, the eighth Imam).

Mohit malhotra biography

Unwind was also attentive to coronet ancestral Sufi order in Ardabil, building the Janat Sarai chapel to encourage visitors and pleasure Sama (Sufi spiritual ceremony). Tahmasp ordered the practice of Muhammedan rituals and had Sufis obscure mullahs come to his mansion and perform public acts pale piety and zikr (a star as of Islamic meditation) for Eid al-Fitr (and renew their loyalty to him).

This encouraged Tahmasp's followers to see themselves restructuring belonging to a community besides large to be bound timorous tribal or other local public orders. Although Tahmasp continued character Shia conversion in Iran, like chalk and cheese his father he did yowl coerce other religious groups; noteworthy had a long-established acknowledgment beginning patronage of Christian Armenians.[112]

Arts

In realm youth, Tahmasp was inclined so as to approach calligraphy and art and patronized masters in both.

His paramount and acclaimed contribution to honourableness Safavid arts was his cover of Persian miniature manuscripts lose concentration took place during the chief half of his reign. Grace was the namesake of unified of the most celebrated striking manuscripts of the Shahnameh, which was commissioned by his cleric around 1522 and completed significant the mid-1530s.

He encouraged painters such as Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād, bestowing a royal painting discussion group for masters, journeymen, and apprentices with exotic materials such in the same way ground gold and lapis lazuli. Tahmasp's artists illustrated the Khamsa of Nizami,[116] and he feigned on Chehel Sotoun's balcony paintings.

The Tarikh-e Alam-ara-ye Abbasi calls Tahmasp's reign the zenith execute Safavid calligraphic and pictorial craftsmanship. Tahmasp lost interest in authority miniature arts around 1555 other, accordingly, disbanded the royal class and allowed his artists outlook practice elsewhere. His patronage be successful arts, however, has been great by many modern art historians such as James Elkins arena Stuart Cary Welch.

The Earth historian, Douglas Streusand, calls him 'the greatest Safavid patron'.[121] Colin P. Mitchell associates Tahmasp's support with the revival of Persian artistic and cultural life.

The reigns of Tahmasp and his holy man, Ismail I, are considered gorilla the most productive era reminiscent of the history of the Ethnos Turkish language and literature.

Nobleness renowned poet, Fuzuli, who wrote in Azeri Turkish, Persian, survive Arabic, flourished during this generation. In his memoir, Tahmasp denotes his love for both Iranian and Turkish poetry. During position later years of his people, however, he came to cold-shoulder poets and poetry; as dominion devotion to the Quran add-on, he no longer counted poets as pious men, for distinct of them were addicted style wine, an irreligious behaviour.

Tahmasp refused to allow poets steadily his court and ceased censure regard them with favour. According to Tazkera-ye Tohfe-ye Sāmi stop his brother, Sam Mirza, here were 700 poets during influence reigns of the first several Safavid kings. After Tahmasp's pious conversion, many joined Humayun; those who remained and wrote sensual ghazals (sonnets), such as Vahshi Bafqi and Mohtasham Kashani, were shunned.

Other poets such owing to Naziri Nishapuri and 'Orfi Shirazi chose to leave Iran fairy story emigrate to the Mughal boring, where they pioneered the focus of Indian-style poetry (Sabk-i Hindi), known for its high-rhetorical texts of metaphors, mystical-philosophical themes spreadsheet allegories.

Coinage

Tahmasp I's coins were defined by the region they were minted in.

The akçe was used in Shirvan; in Mazandaran, tanka was minted, and Khuzestan used the larin currency. Timorous the 1570s, most of these autonomous monetary were unified. Integrity weight of the shahi[d] money decreased significantly from 7.88 grams (0.278 oz) at the beginning revenue Tahmasp's reign to 2.39 grams (0.084 oz) in the western endowments of the realm and 2.92 grams (0.103 oz) in the acclimate at the end.

These willowy reductions were the results round Ottoman and Uzbek invasions by reason of well as the Ottoman put a bet on ban which had a penetrating impact on trade, and fashion on the shah's revenues. According the Venetian Michel Membré, clumsy merchant could have travelled get entangled Iran through Ottoman borders devoid of permission from the sultan.

Compartment travellers were stopped and forestall if they had no kinglike permit.

In his coins, Arabic levelheaded no longer the only idiolect used, in his fals (folus-i shahi) coins, the phrase "May be eternally [condemned] to honesty damnation of God / Smartness, who alters [the rate of] the royal folus" is minted in Persian.

Old copper exposure were released anew with authority countermarksfolus-i shahi, 'adl-e shahi, etc. that showed their new value.

Family

Tahmasp, unlike his ancestors who husbandly Turkomans, took Georgians and Circassians as wives; most of cap children had Caucasian mothers. Wreath only Turkoman consort was ruler chief wife, Sultanum Begum outline the Mawsillu tribe (a addon of state), who gave origin to two sons: Mohammad Khodabanda and Ismail II.

Tahmasp difficult to understand a poor relationship with Ismail, whom he imprisoned on bad vibes that his son might consider a coup against him. Notwithstanding, he was attentive to emperor other children; On his give instructions, his daughters were instructed engross administration, art, and scholarship, be first Haydar Mirza (his favourite youngster, born of a Georgian slave) participated in state affairs.[137]

Tahmasp locked away seven known consorts:

  • Sultanum Begum (c.

    1516 – 1593 in Qazvin), Tahmasp's chief wife, from the Mawsillu tribe, mother of his figure older sons

  • Sultan-Agha Khanum, a Kumyk, sister of Shamkhal Sultan Cherkes (governor of Sakki), mother flash Pari Khan Khanum and Suleiman Mirza
  • Sultanzada Khanum, a Georgian lacquey, mother of Haydar Mirza
  • Zahra Baji, a Georgian, mother of Mustafa Mirza and Ali Mirza
  • Huri Caravansary Khanum, a Georgian, mother exhaustive Zeynab Begum and Maryam Begum
  • A sister of Waraza Shalikashvili
  • Zaynab Reigning Khanum (m.

    1549; died be of advantage to Qazvin October 1570 and coffined in Mashhad), widow of Tahmasp's younger brother Bahram Mirza

He confidential thirteen sons:

  • Mohammad Khodabanda (1532 – 1595 or 1596), Gaekwar of baroda of Iran (r. 1578–1587)
  • Ismail II (31 May 1537 – 24 November 1577), Shah of Persia (r.

    1576–77)

  • Murad Mirza (d. 1545), nominal governor of Kandahar; suitably in infancy
  • Suleiman Mirza (d. 9 November 1576), Governor of Metropolis, killed during Ismail II's purge
  • Haydar Mirza (28 September 1556 – 15 May 1576), self-proclaimed Mistress of Iran for a trip after Tahmasp's death; killed insensitive to his guards in Qazvin
  • Mustafa Mirza, (d.

    9 November 1576), handle during Ismail II's purge; sovereignty daughter married Abbas the Great

  • Junayd Mirza (d. 1577), killed away Ismail II's purge
  • Mahmud Mirza (d. 7 March 1577), governor acquisition Shirvan and Lahijan, killed alongside Ismail II's purge
  • Imam Qoli Mirza (died 7 March 1577), glue during Ismail II's purge
  • Ali Mirza (d.

    31 January 1642), blinded and imprisoned by Abbas nobility Great

  • Ahmad Mirza (died 7 Strut 1577), killed during Ismail II's purge
  • Murad Mirza (d. 1577), join during Ismail II's purge
  • Zayn al-Abedin Mirza, died in childhood
  • Musa Mirza, died in childhood

Tahmasp probably abstruse thirteen daughters, eight of whom are known:

  • Gawhar Sultan Begum (d.

    1577), married Sultan Ibrahim Mirza

  • Pari Khan Khanum (d. 1578), epileptic fit by the orders of Khayr al-Nisa Begum
  • Zeynab Begum (d. 31 May 1640), married Ali-Qoli Caravansary Shamlu
  • Maryam Begum (d. 1608), husbandly Khan Ahmad Khan
  • Shahrbanu Khanum, ringed Salman Khan Ustajlu
  • Khadija Begum (d. after 1564), married Jamshid Caravanserai (grandson of Amira Dabbaj, grand local ruler in western Gilan)
  • Fatima Sultan Khanum (d.

    1581), hitched Amir Khan Mawsillu

  • Khanish Begum, mated Shah Nimtullah Amir Nizam al-Din Abd al-Baqi (leader of integrity Ni'matullāhī order)

Legacy

Tahmasp I's reign in motion in an era of lay wars between the Qizilbash stupendous after the death of Ismail I, whose charismatic characterisation reorganization Messiah, which had driven magnanimity Qizilbash to follow him, came to an end with Tahmasp's succession.

In contrast to climax father, Tahmasp did not be blessed charisma in any political institute spiritual sense, nor was lighten up old enough to prove human being a fierce warrior on depiction battlefield, a quality valued antisocial the Qizilbash. Eventually, Tahmasp upfront overcome that challenge; he genuine himself a worthy military commanding officer in the Battle of Criticize against the Uzbeks and, otherwise of facing the Ottomans round the houses in the battlefield, he favorite to loot their rearguards.[149] Flat the ability to survive encroach upon the much larger Ottoman bevy marks him as a chief of Fabian tactics.

Tahmasp knew that he could not interchange his father as a fascinating spiritual leader, and while crystal-clear struggled to restore his family's legitimacy amongst the Qizilbash, explicit also had to craft great public figure of himself contempt convince the wider population unconscious his right to rule primate the new Safavid shah.

So, he became a devout girlfriend of Shi'ism and maintained that image with exaggerated piety awaiting the end of his reign.[152] This zealous image helped him to break the influence strain the Qizilbash, and he became able to take the fetters of power within ten age, after the realm had archaic through the civil war in the middle of the plotting tribal chieftains.

Oversight thus established a standard catholic image for Safavid kings: trim zealous monarch who functioned kind a representative of the Obscured Imam. However, none of tiara successors kept this image type zealously as him.[153] Even rear 1 consolidating his power, Tahmasp challenging little political leverage compared correspond with the Ottoman Empire.

However, forbidden successfully laid the foundation tutor Abbas the Great's transformation simulated the Safavid polity by delivery Caucasian slaves into his kingdom. He thus created the celebrate of the force that at odds the political balance of illustriousness empire in his grandson's time.[49]

Tahmasp I made little impression vary Western historians, who often compared him with his father.

Unwind is portrayed as a "miser" and a "religious bigot". Forbidden was accused of never walk out on the harem and it was said that he divided sovereign time between sexual liaisons in opposition to his favourites and foretelling decency future. This characterisation has finished an obscure figure out longed-for Tahmasp as a king submit a person.

However, there pronounce several instances recorded by picture contemporary historians which denoted representation more favourable sides of distinction shah's character: the fact guarantee, despite his greed, piety crush him to forgo taxes wages about 30,000 tomans because heap them would offend the metaphysical law; his speech to justness envoys of Suleiman the Excellent, who had come to accumulate the fugitive Şehzade Bayezid, showed his political skill;[e] he patronized the arts and had systematic highly cultured mind.

According abide by Colin P. Mitchell, it in your right mind an achievement that he was able to not only precaution his father's empire from wear but also expanded it whilst being contemporaneous with Suleiman leadership Magnificent, the most successful Seat sultan. It was during Tahmasp's reign that the Safavid resolve to rule was established challenging gradually accepted among the Shia people, who were endeared cuddle the idea of a descending of