Mohammed Khodabanda
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Khodābande or Khudābanda, also known as Mohammed Shah or Sultan Mohammed (born 1532; died 1595/6; reigned 1578–1587), was the fourth Safavid Shah
of Iran
. He was the son of Shah Tahmasp I
by a Turcoman
mother, Sultanum Bekum Mawsillu. When his father died in 1576 Mohammed was passed over in favour of his younger brother Ismail II
because his poor eyesight meant he was nearly blind. On Ismail's death, the Qizilbash army factions chose Mohammed as the next shah for want of a better candidate. Mohammed was gentle but weak-willed and his reign was marked by fighting among court factions and the Qizilbash. This allowed Iran's main enemy, the Ottoman Empire
, to seize Iranian territory, including the major city of Tabriz
. Mohammed was finally overthrown in a coup and replaced by his son Shah Abbas I.
on 11 February 1578.
Mohammed was mild-tempered compared to his brother, but he was also weak-willed. His sister, Pari Khan Khanum, who had conspired with the Qizilbash to assassinate Ismail, believed she would easily be able to dominate him. However, when she fell out with the Grand Vizier Mirza Salman, he left Qazvin for Shiraz
, where the shah and his ruthless and ambitious wife Khayr al-Nisa Begum
(known by the title Mahd-i Ulya) were staying and turned them against Pari Khan Khanum. On their return to Qazvin they had her strangled.
Mahd-i Ulya now took personal control of Iran and began to promote the career of her elder son, Hamza Mirza (she cared little for her younger son Abbas Mirza). But she antagonised the Qizilbash who eventually asked the shah to remove her from power. When she refused to concede to their demands, a group of Qizilbash conspirators burst into the harem and strangled her on 26 July 1579. The Qizilbash factions increasingly came to dominate Iran. In 1583 they forced the shah to hand over his vizier, Mirza Salman, for execution. The young Hamza Mirza took over the reins of state but on 6 December 1586 he too was murdered in mysterious circumstances.
bands attempted to invade north-east Iran before being repulsed by the governor of Mashhad. The most important event of Mohammed’s reign was the war with the Ottomans. In 1578, the Ottoman sultan Murad III
began a war with Safavid Iran which was to last until 1590. In the first attack, the sultan's vizier Lala Mustafa Pasha invaded Georgia
and Shirvan
. Another Ottoman army under the leadership of Osman Pasha
and Ferhat Pasha crossed into Iran and captured Tabriz
in 1585. Sultan Mohammed sent Hamza Mirza to fight the Ottomans but the young prince was murdered during this campaign and the city remained in Ottoman hands for 20 years.
, the leader of the Ustalju Qizilbash faction in the province, Murshid Quli Khan, decided the time was right to overthrow the shah and replace him with Mohammed's son Abbas Mirza, who was Murshid's ward. Murshid and Abbas rode to Qazvin where the prince was proclaimed the new ruler of Iran in October 1587. Mohammed made no attempt to challenge the coup and accepted his dethronement. He lived in the capital for a time but was then apparently banished to the prison of Alamut, although Iskandar Beg Munshi
records him dying in Qazvin some time between 21 July 1595 and 10 July 1596.
Mohammed was also a poet who wrote verse under the pen name "Fahmi".
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...
. He was the son of Shah Tahmasp I
Tahmasp 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. When his father died in 1576 Mohammed was passed over in favour of his younger brother Ismail II
Ismail II
Ismail II was the third Safavid Shah of Iran.-Life:Ismail was the son of Shah Tahmasp I 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...
because his poor eyesight meant he was nearly blind. On Ismail's death, the Qizilbash army factions chose Mohammed as the next shah for want of a better candidate. Mohammed was gentle but weak-willed and his reign was marked by fighting among court factions and the Qizilbash. This allowed Iran's main enemy, the Ottoman Empire
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...
, to seize Iranian territory, including the major city of Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
. Mohammed was finally overthrown in a coup and replaced by his son Shah Abbas I.
Power struggles at court and among the Qizilbash
Mohammed succeeded to the throne of Persia on the death of his younger brother Ismail II. Ismail had attempted to kill or blind all the royal Safavid princes but he was assassinated before the order to execute Mohammed and four of his young sons could be carried out. Mohammed's eyesight was so poor he was nearly blind but the Qizilbash army factions who controlled the succession to the throne had no other viable candidate to turn to and they proclaimed him shah at QazvinQazvin
Qazvin is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 349,821, in 96,420 families....
on 11 February 1578.
Mohammed was mild-tempered compared to his brother, but he was also weak-willed. His sister, Pari Khan Khanum, who had conspired with the Qizilbash to assassinate Ismail, believed she would easily be able to dominate him. However, when she fell out with the Grand Vizier Mirza Salman, he left Qazvin for Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz may refer to:* Shiraz, Iran, a city in Iran* Shiraz County, an administrative subdivision of Iran* Vosketap, Armenia, formerly called ShirazPeople:* Hovhannes Shiraz, Armenian poet* Ara Shiraz, Armenian sculptor...
, where the shah and his ruthless and ambitious wife Khayr al-Nisa Begum
Khayr al-Nisa Begum
Khayr al-Nisa Begum was the wife of the Safavid Shah of Iran Mohammed Khodabanda and mother of Shah Abbas I...
(known by the title Mahd-i Ulya) were staying and turned them against Pari Khan Khanum. On their return to Qazvin they had her strangled.
Mahd-i Ulya now took personal control of Iran and began to promote the career of her elder son, Hamza Mirza (she cared little for her younger son Abbas Mirza). But she antagonised the Qizilbash who eventually asked the shah to remove her from power. When she refused to concede to their demands, a group of Qizilbash conspirators burst into the harem and strangled her on 26 July 1579. The Qizilbash factions increasingly came to dominate Iran. In 1583 they forced the shah to hand over his vizier, Mirza Salman, for execution. The young Hamza Mirza took over the reins of state but on 6 December 1586 he too was murdered in mysterious circumstances.
Ottoman invasions
Foreign powers took advantage of the factional discord in Iran court to seize territory for themselves. UzbekUzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
bands attempted to invade north-east Iran before being repulsed by the governor of Mashhad. The most important event of Mohammed’s reign was the war with the Ottomans. In 1578, the Ottoman sultan Murad III
Murad III
Murad III was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death.-Biography:...
began a war with Safavid Iran which was to last until 1590. In the first attack, the sultan's vizier Lala Mustafa Pasha invaded Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and 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...
. Another Ottoman army under the leadership of Osman Pasha
Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha
Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha was an able statesman and a commander of the Ottoman Empire who had also been the grand vizier for one year...
and Ferhat Pasha crossed into Iran and captured Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
in 1585. Sultan Mohammed sent Hamza Mirza to fight the Ottomans but the young prince was murdered during this campaign and the city remained in Ottoman hands for 20 years.
End of reign
When the Uzbeks launched a large-scale invasion of KhorasanGreater 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...
, the leader of the Ustalju Qizilbash faction in the province, Murshid Quli Khan, decided the time was right to overthrow the shah and replace him with Mohammed's son Abbas Mirza, who was Murshid's ward. Murshid and Abbas rode to Qazvin where the prince was proclaimed the new ruler of Iran in October 1587. Mohammed made no attempt to challenge the coup and accepted his dethronement. He lived in the capital for a time but was then apparently banished to the prison of Alamut, although Iskandar Beg Munshi
Iskandar Beg Munshi
Iskandar Beg Munshi — was a Persian historian, the court historian of the Safavid emperor Shah Abbas I. Iskandar Beg began as an accountant in the bureaucracy, but later became a privileged secretary of the Shahs. He wrote one of the greatest works of Persian historiography,...
records him dying in Qazvin some time between 21 July 1595 and 10 July 1596.
Mohammed was also a poet who wrote verse under the pen name "Fahmi".
See also
- History of IranHistory of IranThe history of Iran has been intertwined with the history of a larger historical region, comprising the area from the Danube River in the west to the Indus River and Jaxartes in the east and from the Caucasus, Caspian Sea, and Aral Sea in the north to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and Egypt...
- Safavid dynastySafavid dynastyThe Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...