Department of History,Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Iran
10.22059/jhic.2024.380394.654507
Abstract
With the establishment of the Safavid state in the year 1501, Lala Hüseyin Bey emerged as the de facto most powerful figure in the Safavid state, as the vakil and Amir al-umera. Simultaneously, Zakariyya Kojaji, a former vizier of the Aqqoyunlu, was appointed to the position of grand vizier. Thus, in accordance with tradition, the institution of grand vizierate, which was the highest position in the official hierarchy after the ruler, transitioned from its place in the Safavid example to the institution of vekalet. During this period, although the grand vizierate managed to maintain its existence, it had lost its significance and had essentially become a divan office primarily dealing with financial matters. After eight years of service, Lala Hüseyin Bey was dismissed from this position by the Shah, but the institution of regency continued to exist. Shah did not abolish the regency after Lala Hüseyin Bey; instead, he appointed five individuals, all of them Tajik, to serve as vakils. By consecutively appointing bureaucrats of Tajik origin to the office of vekalet, Shah sought to limit the power of the Qizilbash, which he perceived as a significant threat to the authority of the shahdom. However, the Qizilbash elites opposed the shah's policy and consistently expressed their opposition to this policy on various ways. This article aims to illuminate the role, nature, and changes undergone by the institution of regency in the Safavid state during the mentioned period by examining the careers of these regents.
Şen, M. (2024). THE INSTITUTION OF VAKALET (REGENCY) IN THE SAFAVID STATE ADMINISTRATION DURING THE REIGN OF SHAH ISMAIL (1501-1524). Iranian Journal for the History of Islamic Civilization, 56(2), 179-201. doi: 10.22059/jhic.2024.380394.654507
MLA
Muhammet Şen. "THE INSTITUTION OF VAKALET (REGENCY) IN THE SAFAVID STATE ADMINISTRATION DURING THE REIGN OF SHAH ISMAIL (1501-1524)", Iranian Journal for the History of Islamic Civilization, 56, 2, 2024, 179-201. doi: 10.22059/jhic.2024.380394.654507
HARVARD
Şen, M. (2024). 'THE INSTITUTION OF VAKALET (REGENCY) IN THE SAFAVID STATE ADMINISTRATION DURING THE REIGN OF SHAH ISMAIL (1501-1524)', Iranian Journal for the History of Islamic Civilization, 56(2), pp. 179-201. doi: 10.22059/jhic.2024.380394.654507
VANCOUVER
Şen, M. THE INSTITUTION OF VAKALET (REGENCY) IN THE SAFAVID STATE ADMINISTRATION DURING THE REIGN OF SHAH ISMAIL (1501-1524). Iranian Journal for the History of Islamic Civilization, 2024; 56(2): 179-201. doi: 10.22059/jhic.2024.380394.654507
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