A Look at the Impact of Tax System on Qarib Shah's Riot

Riots, in fact a remonstrative reaction to unfavorable conditions of the society, occur for different reasons, the recognition of which will help us to better understand social life of people and retrieve their social history. The riots occurred during Safavid era is no exception, especially that except in few cases, in the historiography of this era, the social life of people and inferiors are largely ignored. The riots of the people of Guilan at the beginning of Shah Safi’s era, known as Qarib Shah’s Riot, are important examples of inferiors’ riots. In this research, the factors influencing riots will be considered. The study is based on two types of reports and documents: one, the reports presented by Safavid historians and the other theories and analysis by contemporary researchers. Close study of reports show that the riot of Guilan at the beginning of Shah Safi era is not specifically a protest to Shah Safi governance; instead it is grounded in Shah Abbas period. The main reasons of the riots are the methods Guilan province was governed, pressures put on people to pay different types of tax, etc. These in turn endangered the economic security of Guilan people during Shah Abbas period. The method of research is descriptive-analytical; in which historical reports, documents, and analysis presented by the researchers.