The role of Ghezelbashan in determining the succession of Safavid kings from the establishment of Safavid to the end of the reign of Shah Abbas I (907-1038 AH)

The issue of ‘king succession’ constitutes one of the key problems in the history of Iran as it could be denoted as one of the elements for political stability or instability of the governance. This was also a crucial issue in the powerful Safavid rule, which was established and lasted for around 230 years by availing itself of Sufi thoughts and the role played by Qizilbash. At different periods, especially up until the rule of Shah Abbas I, Safavid government confronted the succession crisis piqued by various factors. Inefficient succession mechanisms and multitudinous governance claimantsprovoked different forces, including Qizilbash, to engage in the succession process. With their pivotal role in incorporation of Safavid rule, Qizilbash made attempts to leave impacts on election of king and orientation of this trend aligned with their own interests. Such interpositions caused crises in the issue of king succession. With its descriptive-analytical method, the present research is aimed at providing reply to the questions “What was the role played by Qizilbash—as one of the most important centers of power in Safavid rule—in the issue of succession and arousal of crisis ensuing therefrom?” and “What were the upshots of this issue in the Safavid rule?” According to the findings of this study, Qizilbash—as the chief ingredient of establishment of governance—played pivotal parts in the issue of succession and the crises ensuing therefrom.