Murad Mirza
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Murād Mīrzā (‎; 1509-1514?-1574) was the 36th Imam of the Nizari Isma'ili Shi'a Muslim community. He succeeded his father Abu Dharr Ali, upon his death in 1509, at
Anjudan Anjudan (, also Romanized as Anjedān; also known as Andījān, Anjidān, and Injadān) is a village in Amanabad Rural District, in the Central District of Arak County, Markazi province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 446, in 154 ...
. A politically active Imam, Murad Mirza had a large following. He is also known to have had close relations with the founder of
Safavid Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...
,
Ismail I Ismail I (; 17 July 1487 – 23 May 1524) was the founder and first shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1501 until his death in 1524. His reign is one of the most vital in the history of Iran, and the Safavid period is often considered the beginn ...
.


Life

Ali Shah, surnamed Shah Murad or Murad Mirza lived in
Anjudan Anjudan (, also Romanized as Anjedān; also known as Andījān, Anjidān, and Injadān) is a village in Amanabad Rural District, in the Central District of Arak County, Markazi province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 446, in 154 ...
. He had also retained his close relations with Shah Ismail cemented by his father. His mode of living, his dress and food were characterised by a rare simplicity. He was a politically active Imam, possibly alongside the
Nuqtavi The Nuqtavi ( Nuqṭawiyyah) movement was founded by Mahmoud Pasikhani () when he proclaimed himself the Mahdi in 1397. The group is an offshoot of Hurufism, from which Pasīkhānī was expelled for arrogance. The group first arose in Anjudan n ...
Shia group, and had a large following. Murād Mīrzā did not always operate from the Nizari base of Anjudan. As a result of his activeness, he acquired followers in
Kashan Kashan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kashan County), Central District of Kashan County, in the northern part of Isfahan province, Isfahan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Earlies ...
and other central Persian areas. The
Ottoman sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...
Selim I Selim I (; ; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute (), was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite lasting only eight years, his reign is ...
(1512-1520) began his long march to
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
after putting 40,000 Shias to death in his dominions. He reached the plain of Chaldiran and the outbreak of war occurred in 920/1514. He inflicted a defeat to Shah Ismail in the
Battle of Chaldiran The Battle of Chaldiran (; ) took place on 23 August 1514 and ended with a decisive victory for the Ottoman Empire over the Safavid Empire. As a result, the Ottomans annexed Eastern Anatolia and Upper Mesopotamia from Safavid Iran. It marked ...
. Ottoman firepower, consisting of 200 cannon and 100 mortars was brought into play with devastating effect. After suffering heavy casualties, the Safavid artilleries were forced to break off the engagement. When Ismail left the battlefield, Salim did not pursue him. Later, he marched to
Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
, the Safavid capital, which he occupied in 922/1517.
Caterino Zeno Caterino Zeno (12 July 1418 – 1478) was an Italian politician and diplomat of Republic of Venice, known for having been ambassador to Aq Qoyunlu's ruler Uzun Hasan, Uzun Hassan. Biography Caterino Zeno was born in Venice (Republic of Venice) ...
, the Venetian ambassador writes in "Travels in Persia" (p. 61) that, "If the Turk had been beaten in the battle of Chaldiran, the power of Ismail would have become greater than that of Tamerlane, as by the fame alone of such a victory he would have made himself absolute lord of the East." Later, the
Mamluks Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-sold ...
of Syria and Egypt similarly remained wedded to their cavalry, and were also defeated by the Ottomans. The effect of the Safavid defeat at Chaldiran was the loss of the province of
Diyar Bakr Diyar Bakr () is the medieval Arabic name of the northernmost of the three provinces of the Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia), the other two being Diyar Mudar and Diyar Rabi'a. According to the medieval geographer al-Baladhuri, all three provinces were ...
, which was annexed to the Ottoman Empire in 921/1516. Shah Ismail went into mourning after his defeat. During the remaining ten years of his reign, he never once led his troops into action in person. He did not devote his attention to the affairs of the state as in the past. On the contrary, he seems to have tried to drown his sorrows by wine. His abdication of his responsibilities in regard to the personal direction of the affairs of state gave certain officials the opportunity to increase their own power. The clash between the Qizilbash and the Iranian soldiers began to be a threat to the Safavid kingdom. Kizilbash were the Turkomans, who were distinguished for wearing red pointed caps, which they had begun to wear in the time of
Shaykh Haydar Shaykh Haydar or Sheikh Haydar ( ''Shaikh Ḥaidar''; 1459–9 July 1488) was the successor of his father ( Shaykh Junayd) as leader of the Safavid order from 1460 to 1488. Haydar maintained the policies and political ambitions initiated by his f ...
(1456-1488), the father of Shah Ismail; and thus they became known as
Qizilbash Qizilbash or Kizilbash (Latin script: ) ; ; (modern Iranian reading: ); were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman "The Qizilbash, composed mainly of Turkman tribesmen, were the military force introduced by the conquering Safavis to the Irani ...
"Red Heads". They shaved their beards but let their moustaches grow. The Kizilbash constituted the backbone of the Safavid army. It seems probable on that juncture that Shah Ismail had generated a close tie with the Ismaʾili Imams in Anjudan, and granted them the title of Amir al-Umra. There is its another reason that the Ismaʾilis had joined the Safavid army in
Khorasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West and Central Asia that encompasses western and no ...
, who had repulsed the aggressive advance of the
Uzbeks The Uzbeks () are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, being among the largest Turkic ethnic groups in the area. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, next to Kazakhs, Kazakh and Karakalpaks, Karakalpak ...
in 916/1510. Shah Ismail had most possibly planned to seek the martial aids from the Khorasani Ismaʾili warriors to crush the uprising in his military if required. He therefore, maintained cordial relation with the Imams of Anjudan. However, Ismaʾil died in 930/1524. It is said that
Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...
was an ideal month for the Ismaʾili pilgrims visiting Anjudan. They carried usually a small
ta'zieh Ta'zieh (; ; ) means comfort, condolence, or expression of grief. It comes from the roots ''aza'' (عزو and عزى) which mean mourning. It commonly refers to passion plays about the Battle of Karbala and its prior and subsequent events. S ...
(replica of Imam Hussain's tomb) and placed it in front of the caravan and passed through the teeth of the bitterest and aggressive places in Shiʿi garbs. They put the ta'zieh at the entrance of Anjudan, and took it again while leaving the town. Imam Murad Mirza died in 920/1574 in Anjudan and was succeeded by his son,
Khalil Allah I Khalīl Allāh I (Arabic: خليل الله الاول), known in Nizari Isma'ili tradition by the Sufi name Dhūʾl-Faqār ʿAlī (Arabic: ذو الفقار علي), was the 37th imam of the Qasim-Shahi branch of Nizari Isma'ilism. Khalil Allah ...
.


Capture and execution

In 1573, due to the threat posed by the Imam, the second Safavid emperor,
Tahmasp I Tahmasp I ( or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 until his death in 1576. He was the eldest son of Shah Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Tahmasp ascended the throne after the ...
, ordered the governor of
Hamadan Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...
, Amir Khan Musilu, to go to Anjudan to capture Murad Mirza. Amir Khan proceeded to Anjudan, and while killing a large number of the Imam's followers and taking much booty, was unable to capture him. However, the Imam was soon captured and imprisoned, but again escaped, this time with the aid of a sympathetic high-ranking Safavid official named Muhammad Muqim. With the help of his followers, the Imam was able to escape to
Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...
. However, while in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, he was once again captured by the Safavids. This time there would be no escape, and after being brought before Shah Tahmasp he was executed alongside Muhammad Muqim in 1574.''A Short History of the Ismailis: Traditions of a Muslim Community'', by Farhad Daftary, page 176.


References


Sources

* * http://www.ismaili.net/histoire/main.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Murad Mirza 16th-century Iranian people Nizari imams Iranian Ismailis Assassinated Shia imams 16th-century births 1574 deaths 16th-century Islamic religious leaders People from Markazi province 16th-century people from Safavid Iran People assassinated in the 16th century