Giorgi Saakaze's Rebellion and its Implications for Iran-Ottoman Relations in the Safavi Era

Towards the final years of the reign of Shah Abbas the Great in the year 1033 (AH) a rebellion was started in the state of Georgia by Mouravi, and lasted until Shah Safi era in 1044 (AH). This rebellion was an episode of elite struggle for seizing political power. Through inciting the great Georgian lords, Mouravi managed to unite them to rise in rebellion against Shah Abbas I. The raid on the Qizilbash army in Kakht and the killing of the Safavid famous generals, Qarchqai Khan and Yusif Khan, marked the beginning of this rebellious episode, which soon evolved to spill over other areas in Georgia and inflicted north-western expanses of Iran with crisis. The ramifications of this rebellion drew a quick response from Shah Abbas I to suppress it, specifically as the Ottomans were exploiting this rebellion and were manipulating the disillusioned Georgian greats against the central state in Iran. Mouravi’s thirst for power and his personal incentives are of great importance in studying the roots of this rebellion and the exile of Mouravi. Furthermore, the violent response from Shah Abbas I and Shah Safi in dealing with the Georgian and Mouravi’s sense of revenge against the Qizilbash should not be ignored in analyzing this episode.