Factional politics in early Safavid Iran

: political networks and the negotiation of the Shāh, the Qizilbāsh amīrs and the local notables (1501-1555)

Abstract

This thesis will examine the formation and development of political factions and factional politics from the establishment of the Safavid Dynasty to the conclusion of the Treaty of Amasya in 962AH/ 1555AD. Previous studies have focused on the Safavid military organization, specific administrative posts and the key officials in the court or in the local arena. However, these studies often treat them as isolated phenomena, failing to explain why Qizilbāsh amīrs retained significant influence and why they could cooperate with different groups of people to maintain their interests. This dissertation thus adopts an integrative approach, analysing how factional politics worked in the Safavid political system. Indeed, early Safavid political factions were fundamentally structured around powerful potentates—whether tribal leaders, members of the royal family, or the Shāh himself—and that factional politics revolved around the Shāh’s ability to dismantle rival networks while consolidating his own. In other words, what Shāh Ṭahmāsb did was to establish his own political network to rule the state effectively. The thesis will offer a new perspective on Safavid state formation, demonstrating that political stability depended not on the elimination of factionalism but on the Shāh’s capacity to dominate and reshape factional dynamics in his favour.

Date of Award	2 Dec 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of St Andrews
Supervisor	Andrew Peacock (Supervisor)