List of Safavid monarchs

Last updated October 22, 2023

Following table consists name of Safavid dynasty monarchs in Iran.

List of Safavid monarchs

Titular Name	Full Name	Birth	Reign	Death	Notes
Ismail I اسماعیل یکم	Abu’l Muzaffar Shah Ismail al-Husayni al-Musavi al-Safavi Bahadur Khan ابوالمظفر شاه اسمعیل الحسینی الموسوی الصفوی بهادرخان	17 July 1487 Ardabil, Iran	22 December 1501 – 23 May 1524	23 May 1524 (aged 36) Near Tabriz, Iran	Founded the dynasty. Formation of the first central government after the Arab invasion of Iran. Selecting Tabriz as the capital. Declaring Shiism as the official religion of the government. Victory in the war against the Uzbeks at 1510. Defeat in the Battle of Chaldiran ^[1]^[2]
Tahmasp I تهماسب یکم	Abu’l Muzaffar Abu’l Fath Shah Tahmasp al-Husayni al-Musavi al-Safavi Bahadur Khan ابوالمظفر ابوالفتح شاه تهماسب الحسینی الموسوی الصفوی بهادر خان	22 February 1514 Shahabad, Isfahan, Iran	23 May 1524 – 25 May 1576	25 May 1576 (aged 62) Qazvin, Iran	Victory over the Uzbeks. Consecutive defeats in the war with the Ottoman empire. The conclusion of the Treaty of Amasya with the Ottoman Empire, under which; Western Georgia, Western Armenia, and parts of present-day Iraq were ceded to the Ottoman government. Asylum of Humayun Shah and Şehzade Bayezid to the court of Iran. Change the capital of safavid dynasty from Tabriz to Qazvin^[3]^[4]
Ismail II اسماعیل دوم	Abu’l Muzaffar Shah Ismail II al-Husayni al-Musavi al-Safavi Bahadur Khan ابوالمظفر شاه اسمعیل ثانی الحسینی الموسوی الصفوی بهادر خان	31 May 1537 Qom, Iran	22 August 1576 – 24 November 1577	24 November 1577 (aged 40) Qazvin, Iran	With the help of the Qezelbash. he wins the race for succession over his brother Haidar Mirza. As soon as he came to power, he killed all his uncles, cousins, brothers and nephews (his older brother Mohammad Mirza, the ruler of Fars, and his sons like Abbas Mirza, who survived the massacre). Ishmael II has the shortest reign among all Safavid kings, he reigned for 1 year, 6 months and 22 days^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]
Mohammad Khodabanda محمد خدابنده	Abu’l Muzaffar Shah Sultan Mohammad al-Husayni al-Musavi al-Safavi Bahadur Khan ابوالمظفر شاه سلطان محمد الحسینی الموسوی الصفوی بهادر خان	1532 ?	11 February 1578 – October 1587	1595 (aged 64) Alamut Castle, Qazvin, Iran	It is ruled by the rulers of qezelbash. Defeat in the war with the Ottoman Empire and the secession of the Caucasus, Armenia and Azerbaijan from Iran. Mohammad Khodabandeh was defeated by the Uzbeks in 1585, which led to the secession of Khorasan province from Iran (in the same year, the Uzbeks destroyed the tomb of Shah Tahmasp and removed his bones and set it on fire). In successive battles for the throne with his son abbas mirza, He was defeated in a series of battles with his son and was imprisoned in Alamut Castle for the rest of his life.^[9]^[10]
Abbas I عباس یکم	Abu’l Muzaffar Shah Abbas al-Husayni al-Musavi al-Safavi Bahadur Khan ابوالمظفر شاه عباس الحسینی الموسوی الصفوی بهادر خان	27 January 1571 Herat, Safavid Iran (modern-day Afghanistan)	1 October 1588 – 19 January 1629	19 January 1629 (aged 57) Ashraf, Iran	He came to the throne with the help of qezelbash rulers. Early peace with the Ottoman Empire and buying time to reorganize the government and the army. Moved the capital of the Safavid dynasty from Qazvin to Isfahan. Attack on Uzbeks and retook lost territories during the reign of Shah sultan Mohammad Khodabanda. Attacks on the Ottoman Empire and the recapture of Tabriz, Urmia, Armenia and the conquest of Tbilisi, Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad. Recapture of Kandahar from Mughal empires. Invasion of Hormuz with English help and expulsion of the Portuguese from southern Iran.^[11]^[12]^[13]
Safi I صفی یکم	‘Abu’l Muzaffar Safi Shah al-Husayni al-Musavi al-Safavi Bahadur Khan ابوالمظفر صفی شاه الحسینی الموسوی الصفوی بهادر خان	1611 ?	28 January 1629 – 12 May 1642	12 May 1642 (aged 30/31) Kashan, Iran	Killing all the rulers of Shah Abbas and killing and blinding the whole royal family. Loss of the states of Baghdad and Kandahar. Peace with the Ottoman Empire and the conclusion of the Treaty of Zuhab between the parties and With the conclusion of this treaty, there was no war between the two countries until the end of the Safavid rule.^[14]^{[ circular reference ]}
Abbas II عباس دوم	‘Abu’l Muzaffar Shah Abbas II al-Husayni al-Musavi al-Safavi Bahadur Khan ابوالمظفر شاه عباس ثانی الحسینی الموسوی الصفوی بهادر خان	30 August 1632 Qazvin/Isfahan, Iran	15 May 1642 – 26 October 1666	26 October 1666 (aged 34) Khosrowabad, near Damghan, Iran	In 1643 Rostam Khan and in 1644 the Bakhtiari tribes revolted, but both revolts were suppressed by Saru Taqi. On February 22, 1649, Kandahar was re-occupied by the Safavids. The city remained part of the Safavid kingdom until the fall of Isfahan. The Iran-Russia Wars (1551-1553) took place, neither side gained complete supremacy. However, after this period of wars, Safavids influence in the northern parts of the Caucasus was strengthened.^[15]
Suleiman I/Safi II سلیمان یکم/صفی دوم	‘Abu’l Muzaffar Shah Suleiman al-Husayni al-Musavi al-Safavi Bahadur Khan ابوالمظفر شاه سلیمان الحسینی الموسوی الصفوی بهادر خان	February/March 1648 or 1647 ?	1 November 1666 – 29 July 1694	29 July 1694 (aged 46) Isfahan, Iran	He was crowned twice, first crowned by name of Safi II on November 1, 1666, and second crowned by name of Shah Suleiman on March 20, 1668. During his first coronation, tribes east of the Caspian Sea revolted, including the Cossacks, who invaded Iran by sea and burned the city of Farahabad, killing people and occupying part of the country. Government administration by Prime Minister Shaykh Ali Khan Zanganeh and increasing the influence of pilgrims and women of the shrine. Increasing ties with European governments and many constructions in the country, including the construction of Hasht Behesht.^[16]^{[ circular reference ]}
Sultan Husayn سلطان حسین	‘Abu’l Muzaffar Shah Sultan Husayn al-Husayni al-Musavi al-Safavi Bahadur Khan ابوالمظفر شاه سلطان حسین الحسینی الموسوی الصفوی بهادر خان	October 1668 ?	6 August 1694 – 21 October 1722	15 November 1726 (aged 58) Isfahan, Iran	Increasing the influence of Shiite clerics such as Allameh Majlisi and being too strict with other religions. Insurgency of Afghans (Ghaljai and Abdali), Baluchis, Kurds and Lezgi tribes throughout Iran. Mahmud Afghan invaded in 1720 to overthrow the central government The fall of Kerman province in 1721. Sending Tahmasp Mirza to Qazvin and Safi Mirza to Kermanshah before the fall of the capital to help the central government. Siege of Isfahan from March 8, 1722, by Mahmud Afghan, surrender of the throne in October 1722 to Mahmud Afghan and the fall of the Safavid dynasty. He was executed by order of Ashraf Afghan on November 15, 1726.^[17]^{[ circular reference ]}

Related Research Articles

Sam Mirza, better known by his dynastic name of Shah Safi, was the sixth Safavid shah (king) of Iran, ruling from 1629 to 1642.

Mohammad Khodabanda, was the fourth Safavid shah of Iran from 1578 until his overthrow in 1587 by his son Abbas I. Khodabanda had succeeded his brother, Ismail II. Khodabanda was the son of Shah Tahmasp I by a Turcoman mother, Sultanum Begum Mawsillu, and grandson of Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty.

Allahverdi Khan was an Iranian general and statesman of Georgian origin who, initially a gholām, rose to high office in the Safavid state.

The Kar-Kiya dynasty, also known as the Kiya'ids, was a local Zaydi dynasty which mainly ruled over Biya-pish from the 1370s to 1592.

Mirza Kamal al-Din Shah Hossein Isfahani, better simply known as Mirza Shah Hossein, was an Iranian nobleman, who served as the vakil (vicegerent) and vizier of the Safavid Empire. He also briefly held the post of commander of the empire's musketeer corps (tofangchi-aghasi).

Mirza Mohammad Taqi, better known as Saru Taqi was an eunuch in Safavid Iran, who served as the Grand Vizier of the Safavid king (shah) Safi and the latter's son Abbas II until he was assassinated on 11 October 1645.

Mirza Taleb Khan Ordubadi was an Iranian aristocrat from the Ordubadi family, who served as the grand vizier of the Safavid king (shah) Abbas I from to 1610/1 to 1621, and later as grand vizier of his grandson and successor Safi from 1632 to 1633.

Hatem Beg Ordubadi, was an Iranian bureaucrat from the Ordubadi family, who served as the grand vizier of the Safavid shah (king) Shah Abbas I from 1591 to 1610/1.

The Ordubadi family, otherwise known as the Nasiri family, was an Iranian family, which was descended from the medieval philosopher and polymath Nasir al-Din al-Tusi. The family was from Ordubad, a town which lay on the banks of the Araxes river, and is first mentioned during the Mongol invasions and conquests. The family thereafter disappears from sources, and is first mentioned several decades later when the Safavid dynasty conquered Iran and its surroundings in the 15th century. The leader of the family Bahram Khan Ordubadi, began serving the Safavid king (shah) Ismail I, who appointed him as the civil administrator (kalantar) of Ordubad.

Durmish (Dormish) Khan Shamlu was a Qizilbash officer of Turkoman origin, who occupied high offices under the Safavid king (shah) Ismail I and the latter's son Tahmasp I. Durmish Khan later died in 1525.

Mohammad Beg, was a Muslim of Armenian origin, who served as the Grand Vizier of the Safavid king (shah) Abbas II from 1654 to 1661.

Ganj Ali Khan was a military officer in Safavid Iran of Kurdish origin, who served as governor in various provinces and was known for his loyal service to king (shah) Abbas I. Ganj Ali Khan continuously aided the shah on almost all of his military campaigns until his own death in 1624/5. He was also a great builder, the Ganjali Khan Complex being one of his finest achievements.

Fath-Ali Khan Daghestani, was a Lezgian nobleman, who served as the Grand Vizier of the Safavid shah (king) Soltan Hoseyn from 1716 to 1720.

Sultan Kalanjar, better known as Gharib Shah, was an Iranian aristocrat who rebelled against Safavid rule in 1629/30, but was defeated and later executed.

Mohammad Baqer Mirza better known in the West as Safi Mirza was the oldest son of Shah Abbas the Great, and the crown prince of the Safavid dynasty during Abbas' reign and his own short life.

The Khalifeh family, also known as the Khalifeh sayyids, were a branch of the Marashi dynasty of Mazandaran, whose ancestor, Amir Nezam al-Din, had settled in the Golbar quarter of Isfahan in the 15th century.

Mirza Mohammad Mahdi Karaki was an Iranian cleric and statesman, who served as the grand Vizier of the Safavid king (shah) Abbas II, and the latter's son and successor Suleiman I. He was the son of Mirza Habibollah Karaki, who served as the sadr-i mamalik from 1632/3 till his death 1650.

The qurchis or qorchis were the royal bodyguard of the Safavid shah. The head of the qurchis was known as the qurchi-bashi.

Makhdum Sharifi Shirazi was a Persian Sunni statesman and author, who served as the minister of religious affairs (sadr) during the reign of Ismail II, and ultimately took refuge in the Ottoman Empire, where he wrote the al-Nawaqez le-bonyān al-rawafez, a sizable anti-Shia argumentative book.

References

↑ Ismāʿīl I, in Encyclopædia Britannica, online ed., 2011
↑ Woodbridge Bingham, Hilary Conroy, Frank William Iklé, A History of Asia: Formations of Civilizations, From Antiquity to 1600,and Bacon, 1974, p. 116.
↑ "ṬAHMĀSP I" . Retrieved 12 May 2015.
↑ Shaw, Stanford J. (1976), History of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey, Volume 1, p. 109. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-29163-1
↑ Ismail II , Dr Manouchehr Parsadoost, ISBN 9643251063, 2003
↑ Andrew J. Newman, Safavid Iran (IB Tauris, 2004) p. 42
↑ Oberling, Pierre, Georgians and Circassians in Iran, The Hague, 1963; pp.127-143
↑ Savory pp. 69–70
↑ Matthee, Rudi (28 July 2008), Safavid Dynasty , retrieved 9 August 2012
↑ Andrew J. Newman, Safavid Iran, I.B.Tauris, 2004, p.42
↑ Thorne 1984 , p. 1
↑ Savory 1980 , p. 71
↑ Newman 2006 , p. 42
↑ fa:شاه صفی یکم
↑ Babaie et al. 2004 , p. 44
↑ fa:شاه سلیمان یکم
↑ Sultan Husayn

Sources

Babaie, Sussan; Babayan, Kathryn; Baghdiantz-MacCabe, Ina; Farhad, Mussumeh (2004). Slaves of the Shah: New Elites of Safavid Iran. Library of Middle East History. London: I. B. Tauris. ISBN 9781788310864.
Newman, Andrew J. (2006). Safavid Iran: Rebirth of a Persian Empire. Library of Middle East History. London, UK: I. B. Tauris. ISBN 1-86064-667-0.
Savory, Roger M. (1980). Iran under the Safavids. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-22483-7. LCCN 78073817.
Thorne, John O., ed. (1984). "Abbas I". Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh, UK: Chambers Harrap. ISBN 0-550-18022-2. LCCN 2010367095.

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[1] Ismāʿīl I, in Encyclopædia Britannica, online ed., 2011

[Bingham116-2] Woodbridge Bingham, Hilary Conroy, Frank William Iklé, A History of Asia: Formations of Civilizations, From Antiquity to 1600,and Bacon, 1974, p. 116.

[3] "ṬAHMĀSP I" . Retrieved 12 May 2015.

[4] Shaw, Stanford J. (1976), History of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey, Volume 1, p. 109. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-29163-1

[5] Ismail II , Dr Manouchehr Parsadoost, ISBN 9643251063, 2003

[6] Andrew J. Newman, Safavid Iran (IB Tauris, 2004) p. 42

[7] Oberling, Pierre, Georgians and Circassians in Iran, The Hague, 1963; pp.127-143

[8] Savory pp. 69–70

[Iranica-9] Matthee, Rudi (28 July 2008), Safavid Dynasty , retrieved 9 August 2012

[10] Andrew J. Newman, Safavid Iran, I.B.Tauris, 2004, p.42

[11] Thorne 1984 , p. 1

[12] Savory 1980 , p. 71

[13] Newman 2006 , p. 42

[14] :شاه صفی یکم

[bab-15] Babaie et al. 2004 , p. 44

[16] :شاه سلیمان یکم

[17] Sultan Husayn

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List of Safavid monarchs

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