The Royal Council () was the highest governing authority in

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 ...

, led by the

grand vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

. Royal Council meetings frequently took place, under the supervision of the

shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

. Except in times of civil war (1525–1532 and 1577–1582), when the

vakil Vekil or Vakil was the term used for the deputies and ''de facto'' prime ministers of the Mughal Emperor in Mughal administration. He was considered the most powerful person after Emperor in the Mughal Empire. ''Vakil'' was one of the highest posi ...

and

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 ...

leaders were the '' de facto'' rulers of the state, the members had no decision-making power. The dominance of the Qizilbash was eradicated under

Shah Abbas I Abbas I (; 27 January 1571 – 19 January 1629), commonly known as Abbas the Great (), was the fifth Safavid shah of Iran from 1588 to 1629. The third son of Shah Mohammad Khodabanda, he is generally considered one of the most important rulers ...

(), and the Royal Council was taken over by bureaucrats the shah personally selected. Another council also existed at the same time, known as the ''janqi'', which functioned as a privy council and was limited to the most powerful statesmen. The English traveller

Robert Shirley Sir Robert Shirley (or Sherley; c. 1581 – 13 July 1628) was an English traveller and adventurer, younger brother of Sir Anthony Shirley and Sir Thomas Shirley. He is notable for his help modernising and improving the Persian Safavid ...

wrote about the Royal Council, noting that each morning, the grand vizier, accompanied by the shah's advisors and secretaries, reviewed the condition of the provinces. Matters were discussed, and opinions were documented by the secretaries. Afterward, the Royal Council presented the recorded documents to the shah, who selected which issues to pursue and which to reject. On Wednesdays, the shah would hold a public council session where people from all social backgrounds could present their petitions. The shah reviewed these, choosing some for further consideration and recording them in a book. If a petition was chosen, it was not allowed to be resubmitted. Due to the indecisiveness of Shah Soltan Hoseyn (), the Royal Council gathered frequently to discuss important and state problems, but typically no meaningful choices were made. Rather than taking responsibility and addressing the internal and foreign dangers to the safety of the state and its population, the various groups within the Royal Council instead attempted to compete with each other. Threats were once made during a Royal Council meeting as a result of the hostility between the Royal Council members. Previously, similar situations would have resulted in the execution of councilors, but during this period it only caused damage to their self-image.

References

Sources

* {{cite book, last1=Floor, first1=Willem, authorlink=Willem Floor, title=Safavid Government Institutions, date=2001, publisher=Mazda Publishers, isbn=978-1568591353 Executive branches of government Advisory councils for heads of state Monarchy Royal and noble courts