Role of Military Elite in Managing Iran’s Rebellions of Safavid Shah Safi’s Time (1629-1642)

The Safavids are Iran’s first national government after the fall of the Sasanids, i.e. since the Islamic conquest until 1501. Shah Safi was the 6th Safavid king (1629-1642). He was the grandson and successor of Shah Abbas the first. At the beginning of his reign, he faced some rebellions. These rebellions had various causes. The route of these rebellions could be assumed to be in the reforms done by Shah Abbas which lead to the discontent of a number of the elite ruling groups. Of the most important of these rebellions were Shah Gharib’srebellion in Gilan, Shir Khan’s in Kandahar, and Davood Khan’s in Georgia which occurred in the first four years of Shah Safi’s reign. When acceding to power, Shah Safi was a young king. Thus he could not overcome the rebellions without the assistance of astute advisers. In order to overcome the rebellions, he used the military elite who were a strong arm to him all through his reign. Saroo Khan, Alimardan Khan, And Rostam Khan were three elite military commanders who managed to assist the young king and help strengthen his power. No doubt these elite were very precious to the king because without their assistance the king could not overcome the various problems he was facing at the beginning of his reign. This study attempts to identify the role of the military elite in overcoming and managing the rebellions which occurred at the beginning of Shah Safi’s reign.