Sources of Legitimacy for Premiership in Medieval Iran(5- 9 A.H / 11 – 15 A.H Centuries)

Premiership (Vezarat) was one of important pillars of political authority and bureaucratic system in medieval Iran. Although it was integrated with other parts of political hegemony like kingship and military commandership (Emarat), but according to theoretical and historical sources it seems that its legitimacy was not bounded to the legitimacy of Sultanate or Caliphate. Consequently there was an attempt to provide kind of independent legitimacy for premiership as well. Studying works of political theorists and historiographers of Viziers through a descriptive – analytical approach provides a considerable literature about the sources of this legitimacy including “sharia”, “efficiency” and “Iranian tradition of ruling”.