Considerations in the Childhood History of the Safavid Era

The depiction of the dimensions of the world of children in the Safavid period, such as the history of women, has often been recorded in connection with the events of the court and the elders. Historical sources such as the reports of the travelers and travel writers on the history of children of the Safavid era, including the precise definition of this period, the age limits and all the characteristics of children, do not have enough independence, but repeatedly the advantages and disadvantages of the children in the court, including the princes and other children of the courtiers have been mentioned. Scattered allusions, however, have to some extent reflected the social life of the ordinary and non-court children. This article, while considering the importance of childhood history, tries to answer the question of how the advantages and disasters of the children's history in the Safavid court were determined. It also examines the quality of social life of non-court children. The findings of the study show that the court children including the princes, although enjoyed an advanced and appropriate education system, but in the process of crisis of succession and bloody conflicts and also, from the second half of the Safavid era, by being in the circle of the harem, have suffered from a crisis and serious damage, which often led to murder, mutilation and blindness of the children. Sufferings of the court-affiliated children included becoming child slaves, a sexual commodity and also addiction. In the case of non-court children, although they had some commonalities with the court children, such as in education, textbooks, and religion, they were at risk of disease, war, famine, and rape. Instead, these children enjoyed more freedom of activities and social relationships. This is a library research based on the historical analysis.