Document Type : Scientific-Research
Authors
1 PhD student in Iranian History, University of Isfahan
2 Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Isfahan, and member of the Scientific Center for the Study of Shiite Culture and Civilization in the Safavid Period
Abstract
Studies on the first years of the reign of the Safavids mostly focus on the establishment of Shia as the official religion, the concentration of political power, and fighting against the Ottomans and the Uzbeks. But the fact that how different groups inside the Safavid kingdom dealt with new circumstances, and how the Safavid empire affected their life has not been addressed. As far as we are concerned, Seyeds were assigned to official positions by the government from the very beginning, so much so that chancellery was exclusively assigned to them. Sufi sheikhs were not trusted, since they were potentially considered to be rivals of the Safavid kings in religious matters and some in political power as well. Since the Shia was the official religion, everybody was suspected only on the grounds of not believing in this ideology. This was also specially the case, because the Ottomans and the Uzbeks always explained their armed conflicts based on religious beliefs. Having mentioned these facts, this paper aimed at tracing the changes the Laleh family went through in the 16th century which was an unrestful century. The Laleh family was one of the famous families in Tabriz in the 16th century and they had the honorific title of “Seyed”. Badr al-Din Ahmad was the patriarch of the family, who was a Sufi sheikh. He was assigned to be the caliph in Azerbaijan by Seyed Abdullah Barzeshabadi. His father was a disciple of Khaje Ali Safavi, and one of his sons was assigned to be the chancellor of Shah Ismail. In the late 16th century, the Laleh family was accused of being Sunni. Probably it was the reason why they got suspected and were exiled to Isfahan. All these show that the case study of this family is very helpful in understanding the changes that took place in that period.
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