Bahram Mirza Safavi
Bahram Mirza (Persian: بهرام میرزا) was a Safavid prince, governor of Khorasan, Gilan and Hamadan. He is also known to be a calligrapher, painter, poet, musician and patron of arts.
| Bahram Mirza | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor of Khorasan | |||||
| Reign | 1530 - 1533 | ||||
| Successor | Sam Mirza Safavi | ||||
| Regent | Ghazi Khan Takalu | ||||
| Governor of Gilan | |||||
| Reign | 1536 - 1537 | ||||
| Regent | Hasan agha | ||||
| Governor of Hamadan | |||||
| Reign | 1546 - 1549 | ||||
| Regent | Chirag sultan Karampah | ||||
| Born | 7 September 1517 Surluq, near Maragha | ||||
| Died | 11 October 1549 (aged 32) | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| |||||
| House | Safavid dynasty | ||||
| Father | Ismail I | ||||
| Mother | Tajlu Khanum | ||||
Life
He was born in 1517 to Ismail I and his Turcoman wife Tajlu Khanum in meadows of Surluq near Maragha, a place Ismail loved to spend time[1] as his youngest son. He was a full brother of future shah Tahmasp I. His public service started in 1530 when he was just 13 years old by an appointment to Khorasan governorate with Ghazi Khan Takalu as his guardian or lala with capital province of Herat. This experience proved very hard for the young prince as he had to face Ubaydullah Khan of Shaybanids. However, as soon as Ubaydullah retreated, Tahmasp arrived in Khorasan in 1533 to fight against Uzbeks. Bahram accompanied his brother in central flank in the battle near Jam.[2] However, since Takalu contingents fled from the battle, governorship of Khorasan was revoked from Ghazi Khan Takalu and Bahram Mirza by Tahmasp, who granted it to another brother Sam Mirza.
He participated in Ottoman-Safavid war with Alqas Mirza in 1534 where he proved his military valour.[3] After a while, he was named governor of Gilan by Tahmasp who planned to annex lands of Karkiya Hasan (father of Khan Ahmad Khan). However, he couldn't manage to impose central authority and fled to Qazvin after a while. According to Colin Mitchell, this led to disapproval of his brother.[3]
His next appointment was to governorate of Hamadan in 1546. This was also the place where he started to support many artists including Dust Muhammad,[4] Rustam Ali (nephew of Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād) and Budaq Monshi Qazvini. He joined yet another war later, this time against his half-brother Alqas who was supporter by Ottoman Empire. However, Alqas sacked Hamadan while capturing Bahram's family too. It was Bahram who obtained surrender of Alqas in 1549 in Marivan. He died on 11 October 1549.[3]
Family
He was married to Zeynab Sultan, sister of certain Imad ud-Din Shirvani. Had at least 4 issues:
- Hasan Mirza
- Hussayn Mirza (d. 1576) — Governor of Sistan (1555-1557), Kandahar (1557-1576), Zamindawar and Garmsir (1558-1566)
- Ibrahim Mirza — Governor of Mashhad (1555-1562/1565-1567), Ardabil (1562), Qa’en (1562-1565), Sabzawar (1567-1574), Grand Master of Ceremonies (1574-1577) and Keeper of the Royal Real (Mohrdār) (1576-1577)
- Badi-al Zaman Mirza Safavi — Governor of Sistan (1558-1577)
References
- Harvard. "From the Harvard Art Museums' collections Courtiers with a Horse and Attendant, folio from an album". www.harvardartmuseums.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
- M.Dickson, Shah Tahmasb and the Uzbeks. The Duel for Khurasan with ʿUbayd Khan: 930-946/1524-1540, PhD dissertation, Princeton, 1958.
- Mitchell, Colin. ""Bahram Mirza" (Encyclopedia of Islam, 3rd edition)". Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - Roxburgh, David J. (2001). Prefacing the Image: The Writing of Art History in Sixteenth-century Iran. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-11376-3.
Further reading
- Weis, Friederike (2020). "How the Persian Qalam Caused the Chinese Brush to Break: The Bahram Mirza Album Revisited". Muqarnas Online. 37 (1): 63–109. doi:10.1163/22118993-00371P04.