Khan Ahmad Khan (
Gilaki/ fa, خان احمد خان), was the last king of the
Karkiya dynasty
The Kar-Kiya dynasty, also known as the Kiya'ids, was a local dynasty which mainly ruled over Biya-pish (eastern Gilan) from the 1370s to 1592. They claimed Sasanian ancestry as well. Lahijan was the dynasty's capital.
The Kar-Kiya dynasty help ...
in
Gilan, ruling from 1538 to 1592. In 1591, the
Safavid
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
shah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
Shah Abbas (r. 1588–1629) asked Khan Ahmad Khan's daughter
Yakhan Begum
Yakhan Begum ( fa, یاکهان بیگم) was a Karkiya princess, who was the daughter of the last Karkiya ruler Khan Ahmad Khan (r. 1538–1592), and the Safavid princess Maryam Begum.
In 1591, the Safavid prince Mohammad Baqer Mirza was engag ...
to marry his son
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 ...
, since Khan Ahmad Khan had no male successor. Khan Ahmad Khan disagreed due to the age of his daughter. This and some other economic factors caused a Safavid raid in 1591 and Khan Ahmad Khan escaped to
Ottoman territories, and spent the rest of his life in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
and
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
, spending fruitless attempts to return to power. He died in 1596 and was buried in
Najaf
Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...
, one of the holiest cities of
Shia Islam
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...
.
Biography
First reign
Khan Ahmad Khan's father,
Soltan-Hasan Kiya, died in 1538 because of plague. Khan Ahmad Khan, who was only an infant at the time of his father's death, was thereafter crowned as the new king of the Karkiya dynasty of Bia-pish (eastern
Gilan). He was shortly given Bia-pas (western Gilan), thus becoming the ruler of whole Gilan. However, the brutality of the Karkiya army in Bia-pas made its inhabitants invite a certain
Amira Shahrok to become the ruler of Bia-pas. This Amira Shahrok was a distant relative of Mozaffar Soltan, who was the former ruler of Bia-pas, but had been burned alive by the
Safavids
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
two years earlier.
Amira Shahrok first arrived to Bia-pas a few years later (January 1544), where he began minting coins in the name of the Safavid
shah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
Tahmasp I
Tahmasp I ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 to 1576. He was the eldest son of Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Ascending the throne after t ...
(r. 1524–1576). Seven years later, Khan Ahmad Khan managed to persuade Tahmasp I to have Amira Shahrok executed, who was unable to meet the demands of the
Qizilbash
Qizilbash or Kizilbash ( az, Qızılbaş; ota, قزيل باش; fa, قزلباش, Qezelbāš; tr, Kızılbaş, lit=Red head ) were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman Shia militant groups that flourished in Iranian Azerbaijan, Anatolia, the ...
chieftains. A certain Soltan Mahmud, who was a son of Mozaffar Soltan, was then appointed as the new ruler of Bia-pas. However, Khan Ahmad Khan once again complained to the court, stating that Soltan Mahmud was not unable to rule. Soltan Mahmud was shortly exiled to
Shiraz
Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As o ...
, where he was shortly poisoned under the orders of Khan Ahmad Khan. He thus became the sole ruler of Gilan once again.
Tahmasp I, in order to reduce the power of Khan Ahmad Khan, who had shown signs of misbehaviour and had not been at the court for 20 years, appointed a son of Soltan Mahmud and a relative of his,
Jamshid Khan, as the new ruler of Bia-pas. Furthermore, he also ordered Khan Ahmad Khan to give
Kuchesfahan
Kuchesfahan ( fa, كوچصفهان, , glk, Kochesfahan, script=Latn ; also Romanized as Kūcheşfahān and Kuch-i-Isfahān; also known as Kushk-Isfagan) is a city and capital of Kuchesfahan District, in Rasht County, Gilan Province, Iran . At t ...
back to its former ruler
Amira Sasan. Although Khan Ahmad Khan had accepted to cede Bia-pas, he refused to cede Kuchesfahan, which he claimed had always been a part of Bia-pish.
This resulted in the latter rebelling. Tahmasp I then sent an envoy under
Yulqoli Beg Zu'l-Qadr to Gilan in order to make peace. In June 1567, Khan Ahmad Khan's commander
Shah Mansur Lahiji inflicted a heavy defeat on Amira Sasan near
Siah-rudbar. Around the same time, Yulqoli Beg Zu'l-Qadr, who was at
Rasht
Rasht ( fa, رشت, Rašt ; glk, Rəšt, script=Latn; also romanized as Resht and Rast, and often spelt ''Recht'' in French and older German manuscripts) is the capital city of Gilan Province, Iran. Also known as the "City of Rain" (, ''Ŝahre B ...
, was killed and beheaded—his head was sent to Khan Ahmad Khan, who shortly entered Rasht in celebration.
Tahmasp I, still hoping to be able to make peace, sent an aggressive letter to Khan Ahmad Khan, reciting his crimes and rebellious behaviour, but promising to pardon him if he would visit the court. The latter shortly sent a letter back, making excuses for not visiting the court for 20 years, but stated he still refused to visit the court. Tahmasp I, already enraged at Khan Ahmad Khan for having Soltan Mahmud poisoned, and hiding the wanted Ghiyat al-Din Mansur from the Safavids, sent a group of troops under several Qizilbash chieftains to Gilan to capture him. Khan Ahmad Khan quickly assembled his men and prepared for battle, but his army under Kiya Rostam, the military governor of Rasht, was shortly defeated, forcing him to flee.
Imprisonment
The Safavid army in Gilan brought horror to its inhabitants by looting and destroying estates and killing people while searching for Khan Ahmad Khan, who was in the end captured and imprisoned in the
Qahqaheh Castle Qahqaheh Castle ( fa, قلعه قهقهه) is a castle located 85 kilometres away from Meshginshahr in Ardabil Province, Iran. This castle was built in the mountains and was used as a jail for anti-kingdom politicians during the Safavid dynasty. ...
in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
. During his time there, he befriended Tahmasp's son
Ismail
Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...
. Tahmasp, worrying that a rebellion would occur in the castle, sent Khan Ahmad Khan to a fortress in
Estakhr
Istakhr (Middle Persian romanized: ''Stakhr'', fa, اصطخر, translit=Istakhr also spelt استخر in modern literature) was an ancient city in Fars province, north of Persepolis in southwestern Iran. It flourished as the capital of the Pers ...
in
Fars, where he would remain for 10 years.
When Tahmasp died in 1576, Ismail was freed by his Qizilbash supporters, who shortly killed his brother
Haydar Mirza Safavi
Haydar Mirza Safavi ( fa, حیدر میرزا صفوی, also spelled Haidar Mirza Safavi) was a Safavid prince, who declared himself as the king (shah) of Iran on 15 May 1576, the following day after his father Tahmasp I had died. He was, however, ...
, due to his claim to the throne. They thereafter crowned him as the new shah. After his accession, he ordered Khan Ahmad Khan to be released, an order, which, however, was not executed by his men. Ismail II was assassinated the following year, and was succeeded by his older but weaker brother
Mohammad Khodabanda
Mohammad Khodabanda (also spelled Khodabandeh; fa, شاه محمد خدابنده, born 1532; died 1595 or 1596), was the fourth Safavid shah of Iran from 1578 until his overthrow in 1587 by his son Abbas I. Khodabanda had succeeded his brothe ...
, who, at the proposal of his queen
Khayr al-Nisa Begum
Khayr al-Nisa Begum (Persian: خیرالنساء بیگم; known under the royal title Mahd-i Ulya (مهد علیا), "the highest-ranked cradle") (died 26 July 1579) was an Iranian Mazandarani princess from the Marashi dynasty, who was the wife ...
(who was a close relative of Khan Ahmad Khan) had Khan Ahmad Khan released. He was thereafter taken to
Qazvin
Qazvin (; fa, قزوین, , also Romanized as ''Qazvīn'', ''Qazwin'', ''Kazvin'', ''Kasvin'', ''Caspin'', ''Casbin'', ''Casbeen'', or ''Ghazvin'') is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. Qazvin was a capital of the ...
, where Mohammad Khodabanda gave him one of his sisters (
Maryam Begum
Maryam Begum ( fa, مریم بیگم) was a Safavid princess, who was a daughter of shah Tahmasp I
Tahmasp I ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 to 1576. He ...
) in marriage and restored him as the ruler of Bia-pish.
Second reign
Khan Ahmad Khan's return to Gilan was the start of a new period of fierce conflicts that would last for 15 years and would even involve the governor of
Shirvan
Shirvan (from fa, شروان, translit=Shirvān; az, Şirvan; Tat: ''Şirvan''), also spelled as Sharvān, Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical Iranian region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both pre-Islam ...
. Right when Khan Ahmad Khan arrived in Gilan, he invaded Bia-pas, but was routed by Jamshid Khan, who had the captives slaughtered and their heads put together so it looked like a
minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
. This, however, did not stop Khan Ahmad Khan's hopes of conquering Bia-pas, which he would invade several more times.
Aftermath
Shah Abbas arrived in Lahijan a few days later, where he had Khan Ahmad Khan's palace totally destroyed, and appointed
Mehdi Qoli Khan Shamlu as the governor of Bia-pish, while Ali Beg Soltan was appointed as the governor of Bia-pas. Khan Ahmad Khan's former ''
vizier
A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...
'' Khvajeh Masih Gilani, who had earlier fled to the Safavid court, played a major role in the invasion of Gilan, and was for that awarded with the title of ''rish-safīd'' ("the elder") of Bia-pish.
A few years later—in 1594/5—the Safavid
grand vizier
Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...
Hatem Beg Ordubadi
Hatem "Beg" Ordubadi ( fa, حاتم بیگ اردوبادی), was an Iranian aristocrat from the Ordubadi family, who served as the grand vizier of the Safavid king (''shah'') Abbas I (r. 1588–1629) from 1591 to 1610/1.
Biography Background ...
, together with a group of administrators and accountants, were sent to Gilan, where they improved the structure of tax charge and contribution, which, supposedly, was done at the demand of the residents who were discontent with the oppressive governorship of Mehdi Qoli Khan Shamlu. More likely, however, this reform took place due to the economic capability the province offered—its rich silk manufacture, tea,
caviar
Caviar (also known as caviare; from fa, خاویار, khâvyâr, egg-bearing) is a food consisting of salt-cured roe of the family Acipenseridae. Caviar is considered a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or a spread. Traditionally, the ter ...
, and lumber encouraged Abbas I to dispatch his most prominent officers to overhaul the economic system of the province in a just approach.
References
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{{Karkiya Rulers
16th-century Iranian people
People from Lahijan
1537 births
1596 deaths
Prisoners held at Qahqaheh Castle
Rebellions against Safavid Iran
Iranian emigrants to the Ottoman Empire