Anna Khanum (died 9 September 1647; fa, آنا خانم) was the consort of the Safavid king
Safi (r. 1629–1642). She was the mother of her husband's successor, King
Abbas II (r. 1642–1666).
Early life
Anna Khanum was of
Circassian origin. She was given as slave concubine to
Shah Safi
Sam Mirza ( fa, سام میرزا) (161112 May 1642), better known by his dynastic name of Shah Safi ( fa, شاه صفی), was the sixth Safavid shah (king) of Iran, ruling from 1629 to 1642.
Early life
Safi was given the name Sam Mirza when ...
, the son of
Mohammad Baqer Mirza
Mohammad Baqer Mirza better known in the West as Safi Mirza (15 September 1587, Mashhad – 2 February 1614, Rasht) was the oldest son of king (shah) Abbas the Great (r. 1588-1629), and the crown prince of the Safavid dynasty during Abbas' reig ...
, the eldest son of
Abbas I (r. 1588–1629). She became the mother of
Abbas II. The Safavid kings did not marry, but reproduced by use of slave concubines, who became their consorts.
As Queen mother
After Safi's death in 1642, his son Abbas II ascended the throne. A triumvirate consisting of
Saru Taqi
Mirza Mohammad Taqi (c. 1579 – 11 October, 1645) ( fa, میرزا محمد تقی), better known as Saru Taqi (, meaning "Taqi the blond") was an eunuch in Safavid Iran, who served as the Grand Vizier of the Safavid king (''shah'') Safi (r. ...
, Mohammad Ali Khan and Jani Khan Shamlu, worked in alliance with Anna Khanum and effectively wielded power at the court for the first three years of Abbas's reign. Saru Taqi maintained his position as grand vizier. Anna Khanum was his ally and the one to consolidate power within his faction.
Jean Chardin
Jean Chardin (16 November 1643 – 5 January 1713), born Jean-Baptiste Chardin, and also known as Sir John Chardin, was a French jeweller and traveller whose ten-volume book ''The Travels of Sir John Chardin'' is regarded as one of the finest ...
, a French jeweller and traveller, noted their friendship and collaboration in his discussion after Abbas's accession to the throne in 1645. He said the following about them:
Saru Taqi was assassinated by Jani Khan, probably with Abbas's consent who was attempting to gain his independence from his mother and her slave allies. Anna Khanum was extremely angry at Jani Khan. She sent one of her principal eunuchs, probably the eldest, ''rish sefid'' of the harem to Jani Khan, asking him to explain his actions. He responded rudely calling Saru Taqi a dog and a thief, and then proceeded to insult Anna Khanum personally.
Following the murder, Jani Khan himself was betrayed by the royal sommelier, Safi Qoli Beg (son of
Amir Beg Armani Amir Beg Armani was a 17th-century Safavid official, courtier, and '' gholam'' of Armenian origin. He served during the reign of the kings Safi (r. 1629–1642) and Abbas II (r. 1642–1666), and functioned as the royal sommelier
A sommelier ( ...
), who feared that the ultimate objective of the conspiracy was the overthrow of the Shah himself. But the real inspiration behind the terrible revenge that followed was Anna Khanum. Jani Khan was assassinated four days after he executed Saru Taqi.
Sponsorships
Anna Khanum is known to have sponsored the construction of a mosque and a school in the
Abbasabad suburb of the royal capital
Isfahan
Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...
.
Death
Anna Khanum died on 9 September 1647.
References
Sources
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*{{cite book, first=Rudi, last=Matthee, title=Persia in Crisis: Safavid Decline and the Fall of Isfahan, publisher=I.B.Tauris, year=2012, isbn=978-1-845-11745-0
Iranian people of Circassian descent
Safavid concubines
17th-century Iranian women
1647 deaths
17th-century people of Safavid Iran
17th-century slaves