Mohammad Beg ( fa, محمد بیگ; died 1672), was a
Muslim of
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
origin, who served as the
Grand Vizier of the
Safavid king (''
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 ...
'')
Abbas II (r. 1642–1666) from 1654 to 1661.
Origins
Mohammad Beg was born in
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
to an Armenian family, which originally served as a ''
ghulām'' ("military slave") of the
Safavid dynasty of
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, but later became tailors. Mohammad Beg's father was
Husayn Beg Tabrizi, who served as the court master tailor (''
qaychachi-bashi'') during the reign of
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 ...
(r. 1629–1642).
Biography
Mohammad Beg is first mentioned in 1643, when he was appointed as the city prefect of
New Julfa
New Julfa ( fa, نو جلفا – ''Now Jolfā'', – ''Jolfâ-ye Now''; hy, Նոր Ջուղա – ''Nor Jugha'') is the Armenian quarter of Isfahan, Iran, located along the south bank of the Zayande River.
Established and named after the ol ...
, a quarter in the Safavid capital of
Isfahan, which was populated by Armenians. During this period, Mohammad Beg was supported by another officer of Armenian origin named
Allahverdi Khan (not be confused with the powerful military officer
Allahverdi Khan, who was of
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
origin).
In 1646, Mohammad Beg was appointed as the port-master/harbourmaster (''
shahbandar'') of
Bandar Abbas
Bandar Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās ( fa, , , ), is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz (just across from Musand ...
. Two years later, he was appointed as the "controller of assay" (''
mu'ayyir al-mamalik''). With the help of Allahverdi Khan, Mohammad Beg became the steward of the royal household (''
nazer-e boyutat'') in 1651, thus succeeding
Mohammad Ali Beg. One year later, Mohammad Beg was appointed as the governor of
Kohgiluyeh. However, during the same year, Mohammad Beg's relations with Allahverdi Khan became bad, and the two became rivals. In 1654, Mohammad Beg was appointed by shah
Abbas II as his grand vizier. One of his first acts was dismissing the Georgian prefect of Isfahan,
Parsadan Gorgijanidze
P'arsadan Gorgijanidze ( ka, ფარსადან გორგიჯანიძე; or Giorgijanidze, გიორგიჯანიძე) (1626 – ) was a Georgian factotum and historian in the service of the Safavids. Early in his career ...
, due to his unpopularity among the inhabitants of the city. Mohammad Beg also had the empire more centralized by converting more land into the crown domain (
Hamadan
Hamadan () or Hamedan ( fa, همدان, ''Hamedān'') (Old Persian: Haŋgmetana, Ecbatana) is the capital city of Hamadan Province of Iran. At the 2019 census, its population was 783,300 in 230,775 families. The majority of people living in Ham ...
in 1654,
Ardabil
Ardabil (, fa, اردبیل, Ardabīl or ''Ardebīl'') is a city in northwestern Iran, and the capital of Ardabil Province. As of the 2022 census, Ardabil's population was 588,000. The dominant majority in the city are ethnic Iranian Azerbaija ...
in 1656/7,
Semnan in 1656/7 and
Kerman in 1658).
In 1661, Mohammad Beg, after having failed to diminish the power of his rivals, was forced to resign from the grand vizier office. He was then exiled to
Qom. In 1672, shah
Suleiman I (r. 1666–1694) offered Mohammad Beg to become grand vizier once again, which he agreed to, but while on his way to Isfahan, he died. According to the
French traveler
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 ...
, Mohammad Beg had been poisoned by Suleiman's grand vizier
Shaykh Ali Khan Zangana Shaykh Ali Khan Zanganeh ( fa, شیخ علی خان زنگنه, died 1689), was an Iranian statesman of Kurdish origin, who served as the grand vizier of the Safavid king (''shah'') Suleiman I (r. 1666–1694) from 1669 to 1689. Due to his efforts ...
.
Family
Mohammad Beg had a son named
Amin Beg, who would later serve as the ''mu'ayyir al-mamalik'' in Isfahan. Mohammad Beg's two brothers, Ughan Beg and Husayn Beg, both served as the ''shahbandar'' of Bandar Abbas. Their uncle, Shamshir Beg, also served in the office, and was succeeded by Mohammad Beg's cousin Isa Khan Beg. When Mohammad Beg was appointed as the ''nazer-e boyutat'' in 1651, he gave his previous office, ''mu'ayyir al-mamalik'', to one of his other brother, Hasan Beg. Furthermore, when Mohammad Beg was appointed grand vizier, he appointed Hasan Beg as the ''qaychachi-bashi''.
Furthermore, one of Mohammad Beg's nephews served as the vizier of the governor of
Gilan. During most of the reign of Abbas II, all of silver and silk commerce was controlled by the family of Mohammad Beg.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohammad Beg
Grand viziers of the Safavid Empire
Safavid prefects of New Julfa
People from Tabriz
Persian Armenians
Ethnic Armenian Shia Muslims
17th-century births
1672 deaths
17th-century people of Safavid Iran