Rulers and Religious Changes in Azerbaijan (From the Fall of the Ilkhanids till the Rise of the Safavids)

Due to different political, social and religious developments, from the fall of the Ilkhanids till the rise of the Safavids, majority of Sunnites began to decrease in Iran, and therefore Azerbaijan. By the time of the establishment of the Safavids, Azerbaijan was more susceptible to this religious shift. Apart from these developments, Azerbaijan’s rulers at
this time did not adopt fanatic policies to support Sunnites. Furthermore, the Jalayirids and the Qara Quyunlu indicated unanimity with Shi‘ites to the extent that they are considered as Shi’ite states. Presenting an image of the course of religious developments in Azerbaijan, this article is to clarify the formation of backgrounds of this religious shift in Azerbaijan of that time.