Ismail II
Encyclopedia
Ismail II (born 1537; died 1577; reigned 1576–77) was the third Safavid Shah
of Iran
.
by a Turcoman
mother, Sultanum Bekum Mawsillu. In 1547, he was appointed governor of the province of Shirvan
where he led several expeditions against the Ottomans
. In 1556 he became governor of Khorasan
but one of his father's leading courtiers, Masum Beg Safavi, convinced the shah that Ismail was plotting to overthrow him. Ismail spent the next 20 years in the prison at Qahqaha.
When Tahmasp died in 1576, powerful Qizilbash army factions disputed the succession. The Qizilbash were split between the supporters of Ismail and those of his younger brother Heydar Ali, Tahmasp's son by a Georgian mother. The pro-Heydar faction were briefly successful at placing their candidate on the throne but Heydar was killed in the ensuing fight between his supporters and their opponents. Another faction tried to make Tahmasp's son by a Circassian woman shah, but Ismail's supporters defeated them and Ismail was finally crowned on 22 August 1576.
Ismail's years in prison seem to have affected his mind. As well as executing members of the faction who had opposed him, he also turned on some of his own supporters. He killed or blinded five of his own brothers and four other Safavid princes, including Ibrahim Mirza
, so they would be unable to take the throne from him. He also implemented a pro-Sunni policy. The Qizilbash began to regret their choice of shah and plotted to assassinate Ismail with the help of his own sister Pari Khan Khanum. Ismail died after consuming poisoned opium
on 24 November 1577.
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Life
Ismail was the son of Shah Tahmasp ITahmasp I
Tahmasp or Tahmasb I was an influential Shah of Iran, who enjoyed the longest reign of any member of the Safavid dynasty...
by a Turcoman
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
mother, Sultanum Bekum Mawsillu. In 1547, he was appointed governor of the province of Shirvan
Shirvan
Shirvan , also spelled as Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both Islamic and modern times...
where he led several expeditions against the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. In 1556 he became governor of Khorasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
but one of his father's leading courtiers, Masum Beg Safavi, convinced the shah that Ismail was plotting to overthrow him. Ismail spent the next 20 years in the prison at Qahqaha.
When Tahmasp died in 1576, powerful Qizilbash army factions disputed the succession. The Qizilbash were split between the supporters of Ismail and those of his younger brother Heydar Ali, Tahmasp's son by a Georgian mother. The pro-Heydar faction were briefly successful at placing their candidate on the throne but Heydar was killed in the ensuing fight between his supporters and their opponents. Another faction tried to make Tahmasp's son by a Circassian woman shah, but Ismail's supporters defeated them and Ismail was finally crowned on 22 August 1576.
Ismail's years in prison seem to have affected his mind. As well as executing members of the faction who had opposed him, he also turned on some of his own supporters. He killed or blinded five of his own brothers and four other Safavid princes, including Ibrahim Mirza
Ibrahim Mirza
Prince Ibrahim Mirza, Solṭān Ebrāhīm Mīrzā, in full Abu'l Fat'h Sultan Ibrahim Mirza was a Persian prince of the Safavid dynasty, who was a favourite of his uncle and father-in-law Shah Tahmasp I. He is now mainly remembered as a patron of the arts, especially the Persian miniature...
, so they would be unable to take the throne from him. He also implemented a pro-Sunni policy. The Qizilbash began to regret their choice of shah and plotted to assassinate Ismail with the help of his own sister Pari Khan Khanum. Ismail died after consuming poisoned opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
on 24 November 1577.
Offspring
- Prine Soltan Shoja al-din Mohammad Mirza (b. 16 October 1577 – d. 17 February 1578)
- Princess Safieh Soltan Beygom (b. 1555 – d. 3 September 1617)
- Princess Fakhr-i-Jahan Khanoum (b. 1577 – d. ?)
- Princess Gowhar Soltan Khanoum (b. 1578 – d. 1618)
See also
- Safavid conversion of Iran from Sunnism to Shiism
Sources
- Roger Savory Iran Under the Safavids (Cambridge University Press)