Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of I Heart Radio
Speaker 1: and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. Hey,
Speaker 1: this is Danish Wartz. Thank you so much for listening
Speaker 1: to Noble Blood. Just a quick note before we begin.
Speaker 1: If you want to support the show, join the Noble
Speaker 1: Family over on Patreon, where I do monthly bonus episodes,
Speaker 1: drop episode scripts, and have an exclusive seasonal sticker club.
Speaker 1: We also have merched available at d F tb A
Speaker 1: dot com. Both of those are linked in the episode description.
Speaker 1: But honestly, as always, just thank you so much for listening.
Speaker 1: Let's get started, shall we. All? Throughout Cosbine, the capital
Speaker 1: of the Stuff of It Empire, it was rumored that
Speaker 1: Shaw Thomas the First was dying. The news came as
Speaker 1: no real surprise. The Shaw had been ill for more
Speaker 1: than two years, and he had come close to death
Speaker 1: several times. Know what people were talking about now was
Speaker 1: the fact that the Shah, even after those two years
Speaker 1: spent on the brink of death, still had not declared
Speaker 1: a successor. Successions are often the most vulnerable time for
Speaker 1: any government and things. In the souf of an empire
Speaker 1: which had a border extending past present day Iran were
Speaker 1: particularly fraught. In the spring of fifteen seventy six. Shah
Speaker 1: Tamas had spent much of his fifty two year reign
Speaker 1: quelling tribal uprisings. With his death, it seemed likely that
Speaker 1: such fighting could break out again, even worse, in the
Speaker 1: absence of a clear endorsement from the Shah. Tribal leaders
Speaker 1: in the empire had rallied behind two different candidates for
Speaker 1: their next leader, both sons of Tamas. If Tamas did
Speaker 1: not choose but between his sons before his death, if
Speaker 1: the transition didn't run smoothly, if a strong leader didn't
Speaker 1: immediately take the throne, many feared that civil war would
Speaker 1: break out. As whispers over the Shah's condition intensified, the
Speaker 1: two candidates, Prince Haydar and Prince Isma'il rallied their respective troops.
Speaker 1: Haidar was in the palace at Kasvin alongside his dying father,
Speaker 1: while Ismail was some three hundred miles away, imprisoned in
Speaker 1: qua Qua Castle. Despite his distance, many of his Mail's
Speaker 1: supporters were also in Kasveen, and the situation between his
Speaker 1: supporters and Heydair supporters grew tense and tenser throughout April fifteen,
Speaker 1: seventy six. On May the news that everyone had been
Speaker 1: anticipating finally came. Shah Tamasp had died the night before,
Speaker 1: and no successor had been chosen. We don't know why
Speaker 1: Tomas never publicly declared a successor, perhaps, having escaped death
Speaker 1: multiple times before, he mistakenly thought he would do so again.
Speaker 1: But one thing was clear. The Empire now stood on
Speaker 1: a precipice after seventy five years. Was the stuff of
Speaker 1: a dynasty going to descend into chaos? Would a battle
Speaker 1: between two brothers lead to ruin for the empire? Who
Speaker 1: would emerge victorious and take the seat of the Shah?
Speaker 1: With all eyes on Haidar and Ismail, many missed that
Speaker 1: it was not the princes who were pulling the strings
Speaker 1: at the palace. It was their sister, Princess Periannu. It
Speaker 1: was she who held the fate of the empire in
Speaker 1: her hands. Over the next two years, she would emerge
Speaker 1: as a force to be reckoned, with a political mastermind,
Speaker 1: mind whose decisions would shape the suff of a dynasty
Speaker 1: but eventually lead to her own untimely, tragic death. I'm
Speaker 1: Dana Schwartz, and this is noble blood. To understand Princess
Speaker 1: Pari khan Hanum's rise and fall, it's important to understand
Speaker 1: the world she lived in. The Safavi dynasty originated from
Speaker 1: a group of Sufi's or Islamic mystics who came from
Speaker 1: what is now northwestern Iran. The group became known as
Speaker 1: the Sofavides after their founder, a fourteenth century spiritual leader
Speaker 1: named Safi al Din. After Safi al Din's death in
Speaker 1: thirty four, leadership of the movement passed from father to son.
Speaker 1: By the mid fifte century, the group had become more militant,
Speaker 1: intent on spreading Shia Islam through military conquest. Under Shaikhidar,
Speaker 1: who led the Safavids from fourteen sixty through four eight,
Speaker 1: many members of the group adopted a tall, narrow scarlet
Speaker 1: hat with twelve sides to commemorate the twelve and moms,
Speaker 1: who are the cornerstones of Shia Islam. This led their
Speaker 1: Turkish enemies to call them kiss Bash or redheads, a
Speaker 1: name the group soon adopted as their own. I know
Speaker 1: it gets just a little complicated here, but Kisobash, who
Speaker 1: were in fact an assortment of different tribes, served as
Speaker 1: the military backbone of the Safavides and their leaders were
Speaker 1: enormously influential. When Haydar was killed in fourteen eighty eight,
Speaker 1: the Safavids retreated somewhat, only to experience a striking resurgence
Speaker 1: under the leadership of Heydar's thirteen year old son Ismail.
Speaker 1: Those names probably sound familiar, but this is all background,
Speaker 1: happening about a century before our brothers Heydar and Isma'il,
Speaker 1: So let's just do that quick clarifier. Like many royal dynasties,
Speaker 1: the Safavits liked to pass down royal names. The fourteen hundreds.
Speaker 1: Haydar and his son Isma'il are the ancestors of our
Speaker 1: Peri Khan Hanum, who had brothers Haydar and Isma'il living
Speaker 1: during the fifteen hundreds, the siblings with the dying father
Speaker 1: who didn't name a successor. But flashback back to their
Speaker 1: ancestors and background. Ismail is rallying thousands of Kislbash troops
Speaker 1: in the summer of fifteen hundred to avenge his father.
Speaker 1: After defeating the group responsible for his father Heydar's death,
Speaker 1: Ismael continued on acquiring enormous swatches territory, including much of
Speaker 1: the land east of modern day Turkey and west of
Speaker 1: modern India. By fifteen oh one, Ismail had been crowned
Speaker 1: as Shah of Iran and the self of the dynasty
Speaker 1: was born. The royal family was multi ethnic and multi lingual.
Speaker 1: Shaw's normally took multiple consorts, often from different ethnic groups
Speaker 1: such as the Georgians, Circassians and Pontic Greeks. The self
Speaker 1: of each Shaws were patrons of the arts. The dynasty's
Speaker 1: artists created marvels of mosaics and mirror tiles, stunning illustrated manuscripts,
Speaker 1: and beautiful calligraphy. They valued education and religious piety, beauty
Speaker 1: and tradition, military prowess and strategic thinking. So now we
Speaker 1: fast forward. It was in that environment that Perry Num
Speaker 1: was born in August fifteen. She was the second daughter
Speaker 1: of the second ruler of the suff of the dynasty,
Speaker 1: Shah to Moss. The first Pari's mother, Sultan Agaum, was
Speaker 1: the second wife of the Shah. If you're wondering about
Speaker 1: the shared matrilineal last name, it's a little bit misleading.
Speaker 1: Num is a term that can loosely translate as princess,
Speaker 1: and so it was a royal surname shared by many
Speaker 1: royal women. During her earliest years, Perry Chum was raised
Speaker 1: under the guidance of a tutor, Kali Ran, who provided
Speaker 1: her with an excellent education in a court that valued
Speaker 1: artistic skill and intellect. This upbringing served the princess well.
Speaker 1: Her intelligence soon caught the eye of her father, who
Speaker 1: made sure that she was trained in a range of fields,
Speaker 1: from poetry to jurisprudence. It became clear that this brilliant,
Speaker 1: clear headed princess was her father's favorite daughter. Mahmuda Fuschnatanzi,
Speaker 1: a Safovite historian who lived at the same time as Perry,
Speaker 1: recorded that quote. The Shaw would act according to her
Speaker 1: advice and apt probation in affairs minor and major, financial
Speaker 1: and administrative. All the important affairs of the Shah, from
Speaker 1: politics and international relations to the rules and customs of monarchy,
Speaker 1: were carried out according to that wise and just Princess's
Speaker 1: opinion and recommendation, and nothing was done without her knowledge
Speaker 1: and consent end quote. She was also known as a
Speaker 1: talented poet and a passionate patron of the arts who
Speaker 1: commissioned many works. When she was ten, she was betrothed
Speaker 1: to a cousin, Prince Badi al Zaman, but she never
Speaker 1: traveled to his home in Sistan. It was believed that
Speaker 1: her father wanted to keep his beloved daughter close. Despite
Speaker 1: the royal family's willingness to educate its daughters and the
Speaker 1: Shah's willingness to take political advice from them, it was
Speaker 1: still taken for granted that a man would succeed Shah
Speaker 1: Tamas found the throne. By fifteen seventy four, when the
Speaker 1: Shah seriously ill for the first time, two of Parikhanum's brothers,
Speaker 1: Hidar and Ismail, were seen as the front runners, each
Speaker 1: supported by different tribes within the Kisilbash. Shah Tamasp's eldest son,
Speaker 1: Muhammad Koda Banda, was blind by this point due to
Speaker 1: an illness, which in the Safavid culture disqualified him from ruling.
Speaker 1: Next in line would naturally be the second son, Isma'il,
Speaker 1: but he faced a slight obstacle. He had been imprisoned
Speaker 1: since fifteen fifty four by his father for reasons that
Speaker 1: are not entirely clear, perhaps because his father thought that
Speaker 1: he was disloyal, or perhaps because he was known to
Speaker 1: take male lovers. Nevertheless, Ismail had many supporters, including his
Speaker 1: sister Peri. Ismail's main opponent to the throne was his
Speaker 1: half brother Hydar, about whose early life not much is known.
Speaker 1: Many of had Our supporters did so because of his
Speaker 1: Georgian heritage via his mother. As the Shah grew sicker,
Speaker 1: Haydar and his supporters worked to ingratiate themselves with the Shah.
Speaker 1: Haydar attended to his father closely and made sure to
Speaker 1: be at his side on the night of May fourteenth,
Speaker 1: comforting the Shah as he slipped away. On the morning
Speaker 1: of May fifteen, once news of the Shah's death had
Speaker 1: spread through Kasbin, Haydar decided he needed to take immediate action.
Speaker 1: Though Ismael was still imprisoned hundreds of miles away, Haydar
Speaker 1: needed to consolidate his own power. He did so by
Speaker 1: striking at the center of Ismael's support. He detained Princess
Speaker 1: Perihan Rahnum in the palace. It was a dangerous moment
Speaker 1: for the princess. Haydar could have easily killed or imprisoned
Speaker 1: her for her disloyalty, after all, she had openly supported
Speaker 1: his brother, But perry Chum saw an out. Heydar needed support,
Speaker 1: and she could offer it to him. Alexander Beg Munci,
Speaker 1: another contemporary Sophovite historian, wrote that Perry threw herself on
Speaker 1: the ground before Haydar, saying, quote, women are foolish creatures.
Speaker 1: If in my stupidity and shortsightedness, I have been guilty
Speaker 1: of any misdemeanor, I beg you to pardon me and
Speaker 1: spare my life. In that event, I will follow the
Speaker 1: path of obedience to you, and will not deviate by
Speaker 1: so much as a hair's breadth from the court of conduct,
Speaker 1: which is pleasing to your highness. End quote. Then she
Speaker 1: bent over and kissed her brother's feet, laying it on
Speaker 1: a little thick but effective. Moved by her words and
Speaker 1: recognizing the importance of her support, Haydar accepted Perry Rannum's
Speaker 1: apology on the condition that she secured the support of
Speaker 1: her brother Solomon Misra and her uncle some called Sultan.
Speaker 1: Perry Chum agreed and said she needed to leave at
Speaker 1: once to convince her brother and uncle to join Hydarhydar
Speaker 1: granted her permission to go, certain that he was now
Speaker 1: safe to proceed. Heydar placed his father's crown on his
Speaker 1: head and declared himself Shah to back up his claim,
Speaker 1: he presented a document that named him successor. The document
Speaker 1: bore what looked like the royal seal, but opponents noted
Speaker 1: that the handwriting did not quite look like to Mosps.
Speaker 1: It was a dramatic step towards assuming the throne, but
Speaker 1: it was a short sighted one. Every night, the palace
Speaker 1: guards were selected from different tribes of the Kiselbash. This
Speaker 1: measure assured that no one tribe would have dominant presents
Speaker 1: within the palace. On May fifteenth, the night that Heydar
Speaker 1: made his immediate move, the guards were all from tribes
Speaker 1: that's hoarded Ismail. Heydar might have been wearing the crown,
Speaker 1: but he was surrounded by enemies. One to then refused
Speaker 1: to open the palace gates to let Hydar's supporters in
Speaker 1: or Haydar himself out. Another dangerous force was gathering outside
Speaker 1: the palace. These men, supporters of Ismail, possessed a secret
Speaker 1: tool that would soon change the balance of power, and
Speaker 1: it had been provided to them by the very woman
Speaker 1: who had just kissed her brother's feet in a show
Speaker 1: of loyalty, unbeknown to Haydar. As soon as Peri Channum
Speaker 1: had gotten outside the palace gates. She had run to
Speaker 1: Ismail's supporters and presented them with a set of keys
Speaker 1: to the palace. Soon the men stormed through the gates,
Speaker 1: calling for Heydar's blood. Heydar, hearing the cries, dressed in
Speaker 1: women's clothing and hid among a group of women leaving
Speaker 1: the palace, but he was quickly found out. Ismail's supporters
Speaker 1: captured Haydar and executed him. His severed head was thrown
Speaker 1: out of the palace for his supporters to see. He
Speaker 1: had not even been shah for one full day. With
Speaker 1: Haydar dead, Ismail had an easy path to victory, but
Speaker 1: he was still on the road to Cousvene at this point,
Speaker 1: and in the meantime, the work of the state had
Speaker 1: to continue. The various nobles and government officials needed someone
Speaker 1: to make decisions on administrative and financial issues. In other words,
Speaker 1: they needed someone to rule, and who better than the
Speaker 1: woman who had, in essence, determined the outcome of the
Speaker 1: succession crisis. For the next month and a half. While
Speaker 1: Ismail was working his way toward the capital, Perry Ranum
Speaker 1: served as de facto regent, and to her authority was unquestionable.
Speaker 1: Her position and seemed secure. She was confident that her
Speaker 1: influence and power would only continue once Ismail arrived in Cosbin.
Speaker 1: After all, he owed her, didn't he. Ismail and his
Speaker 1: party came to the edge of Kasvin after twenty days
Speaker 1: of traveling in late spring fifteen seventy six, but he
Speaker 1: did not enter the city immediately. Like many stuff of
Speaker 1: It royals, he was a fervent believer in reading the
Speaker 1: signs of the stars, and he would only enter Cosvein
Speaker 1: once his astrologer told him that the time was right
Speaker 1: for a coronation. While he camped out, Perry continued to
Speaker 1: serve as ruler, giving audiences to nobles who would meet
Speaker 1: first with the princess and then traveled to Ismael's camp
Speaker 1: outside the city for an audience with the prince. Ismael's
Speaker 1: twenty year long imprisonment had left him paranoid and distra RESTful.
Speaker 1: Though Perichnum was responsible for his victory, Ismael did not
Speaker 1: fully believe in her loyalty. After all, she was the
Speaker 1: most beloved daughter of their father, the same father who
Speaker 1: had sent Ismail to prison, and his suspicions only deepened
Speaker 1: in his weeks spent on the outskirts of town as
Speaker 1: he watched his sister's influence grow. After more than a
Speaker 1: month as regent, peri Chanum had set up a court
Speaker 1: of sorts replete with the same regal rituals and customs
Speaker 1: that her father's court had Followed. Nobles and servants alike
Speaker 1: behaved with deference to the princess, accorded her respect, performed
Speaker 1: ceremonies on her behalf, and obeyed her decisions. Ismael, seeing
Speaker 1: all of this, was furious. The historian Alexander beg mun.
Speaker 1: She records that Ismael gathered all of the nobles around
Speaker 1: and braided them, quote, have you not understood, my friends,
Speaker 1: that interference in matters of state by women is demeaning
Speaker 1: to the King's honor, and that for men to associate
Speaker 1: with women of the Safavide Royal house is an abominable crime?
Speaker 1: End quote. This censure quickly shut down the nobles practice
Speaker 1: of visiting Perichum. In fact, it shut down all practice
Speaker 1: of anyone visiting her. From that point on, she was
Speaker 1: kept in isolation in her home, with only royal guards
Speaker 1: for company. It was not only peri Renum that Ismael
Speaker 1: was suspicious of. Early on in his reign, he became
Speaker 1: convinced that the only way to secure his grasp on
Speaker 1: the throne was to eliminate all competition, and he quickly
Speaker 1: set about doing so mercilessly. On one day alone, he
Speaker 1: had six princes murdered. First was Prince Ibrahim, an artist, poet,
Speaker 1: and musician, who was strangled. His wife was so distraught
Speaker 1: by the death that she destroyed Ibrahim's entire library and
Speaker 1: precious art collection so that the Shah could not have
Speaker 1: his treasures, and she worked herself into such a frenzy
Speaker 1: while destroying her husband's possessions that she herself died later
Speaker 1: that month. Then came Prince Mohammed Hossien, who was first
Speaker 1: blinded and then put to death. Next was Prince Mahmud,
Speaker 1: who was thought dead after strangulation, but awoke as whose
Speaker 1: corpse was being prepared for burial, and so then he
Speaker 1: was killed again. Then the Shah had Mahummud's infant son
Speaker 1: killed two Two more princes were brought to the palace
Speaker 1: and put to death later that same day. Ismael's killingsbury
Speaker 1: didn't end there. He ordered the deaths of nearly all
Speaker 1: remaining male members of the immediate royal family. Prince Badi
Speaker 1: al Zaman and his royal son Bahram, and then Prince Hassan,
Speaker 1: son of Ismael's brother. By point, only one prince who
Speaker 1: had been blinded but whose life had been spared, and
Speaker 1: the already blind Mohammed Koda Banda, survived. It's thought that
Speaker 1: Ismail was less concerned with Mohammed Koda Banda because he
Speaker 1: had gone blind long ago, and because his remaining sons
Speaker 1: were still very young. Isma'il perhaps also felt a sense
Speaker 1: of loyalty to his blind older brother, since they shared
Speaker 1: the same mother, but neither motivation proved quite strong enough.
Speaker 1: Soon the Shah ordered Mohammed and his sons to be
Speaker 1: placed under house arrest, and it was rumored that Ismael
Speaker 1: was planning on having them put to death. But before
Speaker 1: that could happen, Ismail died suddenly on November five, fifteen
Speaker 1: seventy seven. The Shah had been in good health. He
Speaker 1: had spent the night before in the company of his
Speaker 1: close confident Hassan Beg, wandering the streets of Kasmin together,
Speaker 1: smoking opium and eating sweets. The two men returned to
Speaker 1: Hassan Beg's room sometime in the early hours in the morning.
Speaker 1: These Shaw's attendants gathered outside the room, waiting for his
Speaker 1: moil to awaken and begin his day, but by late
Speaker 1: morning there was still no sign of him. Too frightened
Speaker 1: to disturb the Shaw, the servants hovered nervously around the
Speaker 1: door until noon, at which point a physician was summoned.
Speaker 1: When the physician called through the door, Hassan Beg replied,
Speaker 1: as MUNCHI tells it, quote, I cannot move to open
Speaker 1: the door. Open the door from the outside in whatever
Speaker 1: way you can, and come in for an astonishing event
Speaker 1: has occurred. Unquote. What was found when the door was
Speaker 1: finally opened was indeed astonishing. Hassan Beg was immobilized, with
Speaker 1: no sensation in his lower half, and he had a
Speaker 1: stuttering voice. The Shah himself was motionless. He was already dead.
Speaker 1: Hassan Beg haltingly recounted the events of the night. Returning
Speaker 1: from their walk, the Shah requested that his box of
Speaker 1: herbal medicines be brought to him. When the box arrived,
Speaker 1: Hassan Beg noticed that it was not sealed as it
Speaker 1: usually was, and he pointed it out to a Smail,
Speaker 1: who shook off his concerns. The Shaw took some medicine
Speaker 1: and convinced Hassan to as well, though his companion took
Speaker 1: less than he had. In the morning, when Hassan woke,
Speaker 1: he found himself unable to move his legs. Ismael was
Speaker 1: unable to speak. He stopped moving his arms. Hassan recounted,
Speaker 1: but after a while he ceased to move and his
Speaker 1: breathing stopped. As soon as the news of the strange
Speaker 1: circumstances of Ismael's death emerged, everyone seemed to have a theory.
Speaker 1: Some thought it was a simple matter of over consumption.
Speaker 1: Ismail was known to use excessive amounts of opium and
Speaker 1: eat until he was ill. Others thought it was a
Speaker 1: severe recurrence of an occasional stomach problem that the Shah suffered.
Speaker 1: But more cynical observers pointed to poison, and when court
Speaker 1: physicians examined the Shah's body, they found symptoms that seemed
Speaker 1: to be signs of poisoning. Given Ismael's wholesale execution of
Speaker 1: nearly all of his close male relatives, he had no
Speaker 1: shortage of enemies. But there was one name that seemed
Speaker 1: to come up most often in the discussions of suspects,
Speaker 1: the name of a family member who had been betrayed
Speaker 1: by Ismael, who had given him the throne and been
Speaker 1: rewarded with banishment the princess, Perry Num contemporaries and some
Speaker 1: historians alike, have contended that Perry Chum, furious at Ismael's
Speaker 1: treatment of her, had indeed conspired with maid servants in
Speaker 1: Ismael's household to poison him. We'll never know for sure
Speaker 1: exactly who or what caused the death of Shah Ismael
Speaker 1: the Second in November of fifty seven, but we do
Speaker 1: know what happened next whether or not Perry was responsible
Speaker 1: for the death of Ismael. She played the circumstances to
Speaker 1: her advantage. When a group of nobles approached her asking
Speaker 1: her to take the throne, she demurred, saying that it
Speaker 1: would be improper given that her older brother Mohammed still lived,
Speaker 1: a statement no doubt influenced by her understanding that society
Speaker 1: at large at the time would be hesitant about a
Speaker 1: woman in power, But even nobles who were uncomfortable with
Speaker 1: the idea of a woman formally taking the throne recognized
Speaker 1: the princess's power. After the leaders of the various tribes
Speaker 1: and political alliances met to discuss the next shot, they
Speaker 1: went to pery Chum's house to get her final approval
Speaker 1: on their proposal. Their proposal was to put Mohammed Cotabanda
Speaker 1: on the It was a proposal that suited per well.
Speaker 1: Mohammed Koubanda was known to pursue pleasure more than political power.
Speaker 1: With a weak willed and not particularly politically minded man
Speaker 1: on the throne, thought she could rule in the shadows.
Speaker 1: But what she hadn't counted on was another player in
Speaker 1: the equation, someone who, like Perry, had been overlooked on
Speaker 1: account of her sex, but who was keenly ambitious, and
Speaker 1: perhaps just as clever as the princess herself. It was
Speaker 1: Mohammed kuld Banda's wife, Hira al Nissa Begum. Hira al
Speaker 1: Nissa Begum was born in Mazandaran, a province in the
Speaker 1: north of the Empire on the southern shores of the
Speaker 1: Caspian Sea. Born to a ruler of the province, her
Speaker 1: childhood was likely a luxurious one, but the privilege didn't last.
Speaker 1: In fifteen sixty, her cousin killed her father and hire
Speaker 1: on the Sabagoon was forced to flee. She took refuge
Speaker 1: with the Safavid court, and though she was quickly swept
Speaker 1: up in the activities of the court. Her desire for
Speaker 1: revenge against her cousin never left her. She was eventually
Speaker 1: married to Mohammed Koda Banda, the son of the shah
Speaker 1: Tamas the first. Given Mohammed Kodabanda's blindness, the family had
Speaker 1: determined that he would never take the throne, and so
Speaker 1: their family ended up living a relatively low profile life
Speaker 1: in the city of Sharaz, where Mohammed nominally served as governor,
Speaker 1: spending most of his time with a group of artists
Speaker 1: and poets. But with his brother Ismail's death, their family
Speaker 1: status rose meteorically. As the court awaited the arrival of
Speaker 1: their new Shah, Perry Khannum assumed the same role of
Speaker 1: unofficial regent that she had between the death of Hadar
Speaker 1: and the coronation of Ismae. This period of control would last,
Speaker 1: this time for nearly three months. Her most notable accomplishment
Speaker 1: during this time was the liberation of a large number
Speaker 1: of political prisoners, including those jailed for supporting Hidar. But
Speaker 1: even as Peri ch Kanum maintained order in the empire,
Speaker 1: trouble was brewing within the royal family. It began when
Speaker 1: Ismail's former vizier or political advisor, rode out to Sharaz
Speaker 1: to warn Mohammed Kodabanda and his wife of Peri Chan
Speaker 1: Khanum's ambitions quote as long as peich Kanum was mistress
Speaker 1: in the palace and controlled affairs of the state. When
Speaker 1: she records the Vizier saying the Shah would possess nothing
Speaker 1: but the title of king and his wife would not
Speaker 1: be admitted to the heron, the royal couple made it
Speaker 1: clear that they would not tolerate any usurpation. When news
Speaker 1: of this declaration and made it back to Peri chan Khanum,
Speaker 1: she and her supporters began to take actions to solidify
Speaker 1: her power. Guards patrolled the palace ready to take on
Speaker 1: any threat to the princess. In response, the Vizier sent
Speaker 1: guards of his own to the state treasury, which was
Speaker 1: under Perry Khanum's control at that point. Tensions mounted and
Speaker 1: several skirmishes ensued between the supporters of Peri and those
Speaker 1: of Mohammed Codebanda and Chira al Nissa begun. Perry Chum's
Speaker 1: treatment of the couple upon their arrival in Kasvine did
Speaker 1: nothing to help matters, as Mohammed and his wife rode
Speaker 1: up to the city on February ninth, seventy eight. Peri
Speaker 1: Chan Khanum came out to greet them in an opulent
Speaker 1: litter surrounded by a huge crowd of supporters. It was
Speaker 1: a bold statement of authority and one that certainly rankled
Speaker 1: the already insecure royal incomers. One story recounted by Munchi
Speaker 1: alleges that Perry k snubbed the future empress. The higher
Speaker 1: Al Nissa Begum kissed Perry Kanum's hand, the princess refused
Speaker 1: to reciprocate with any gesture of respect. Despite this tension,
Speaker 1: Perry Khan Khanum and her brother Mohammed were able to
Speaker 1: conduct a cordial meeting in which they mourned the loss
Speaker 1: of their father, Shah Tamas and the deaths of their
Speaker 1: male relatives at the hands of Shah Ismail. But this
Speaker 1: conversation was not enough to fix the rupture growing in
Speaker 1: the family. Perry kan Kanum was too powerful and her
Speaker 1: very existence was a threat to the power of Mohammed
Speaker 1: Kudabanda and his wife Higher Al Nissabagum. Two days later,
Speaker 1: Mohammed Kulda Banda entered the palace in Kasmen and officially
Speaker 1: took the throne, becoming Shah of the Safavid Empire. All
Speaker 1: of the nobles were in the tendants to watch his ascension,
Speaker 1: including Perry. When the ceremony ended, Perry Chum boarded her
Speaker 1: litter and set off for her home, surrounded by attendants.
Speaker 1: The roads of Kasvine were crowded with the city's citizens
Speaker 1: out in droves to celebrate the new Shah, and so
Speaker 1: the princess's attendants turned to re enter the palace grounds,
Speaker 1: planning to cut through the harem gardens to reach Pari
Speaker 1: Chum's house more quickly. But as the party neared her home,
Speaker 1: they were intercepted by a group of men who attempted
Speaker 1: to seize the litter. Paris attendants fought back inside the litter,
Speaker 1: the princess was thrown back and forth as the two
Speaker 1: groups battled for control. Peace only came when the attackers
Speaker 1: revealed that they were acting on the orders of the Shah,
Speaker 1: and Perry Chum, realizing what was happening, surrendered herself. In
Speaker 1: a particular pcularly cruel twist, she saw that the leader
Speaker 1: of the group was none other than her old tutor
Speaker 1: and guardian Kalichhan. He had been promised perry Channum's entire
Speaker 1: estate in exchange for orchestrating her death. Perry Chum was
Speaker 1: taken to Khaliochhan's house and kept as a prisoner. Later
Speaker 1: that evening, a group of Calliochhan's men entered the room
Speaker 1: and strangled the princess to death. She was twenty nine
Speaker 1: years old. In the centuries since her death, perry Chum's
Speaker 1: legacy has been debated by historians. Some see her as
Speaker 1: a powerful leader, others as a conniving backstabber. The truth,
Speaker 1: as always, is somewhere, probably in the middle and definitely
Speaker 1: more complicated. But her influence and power between fifteen seventy
Speaker 1: six and fifteen seventy eight are undeniable. As the historian
Speaker 1: sharek O Shorki put it in her definitive work on
Speaker 1: the Princess, quote, it is time to grant recognition to
Speaker 1: such sophovid women as Peri chan Ranum, who took leadership
Speaker 1: roles and entered at the forbidden and formidable realm of
Speaker 1: power and intrigue at the court. That's the story of
Speaker 1: Pari ran Ranum. To learn more about the fate of
Speaker 1: the woman who helped organize her downfall. Higher Al Nissa
Speaker 1: Begum listen after a quick commercial break. Once Peri Chanranum
Speaker 1: was dead, higher on Ni Sabagum, the new empress became
Speaker 1: the real power behind the throne. Like other Safavid empresses,
Speaker 1: she would eventually become known as mad Julia, which translates
Speaker 1: as sublime cradle or the highest ranking cradle. It's as
Speaker 1: Madiulia that she's most commonly referred to today. As Empress,
Speaker 1: Madiola built out her network of influence, appointing family members
Speaker 1: and friends to important positions, gathering information, and dictating political
Speaker 1: and military strategy. Even as she worked to strengthen the
Speaker 1: Sapphovit Empire, she thought constantly of her home province of Mazadran,
Speaker 1: which was now ruled by the son of the man
Speaker 1: who had killed her father. This man, Major Khan, had
Speaker 1: come to court when Madiulia and Mohammed Codebanda first ascended
Speaker 1: to the throne to seek forgiveness for his father's actions
Speaker 1: and get confirmation of his position as governor. Madiulia grudgingly
Speaker 1: granted both, but her forgiveness was only a facade. Sometime later,
Speaker 1: she appointed a new governor an uncle of hers and
Speaker 1: declared Mirzakhan's authority to be illegitimate. Mirzakhan, understanding the potentially
Speaker 1: deadly implications of this move, hold up in the fortress
Speaker 1: of Furjah to try to protect himself, but even a
Speaker 1: fortress was no match for Madiolia's power. She sent a
Speaker 1: number of troops to the fort determined to starve Mirza
Speaker 1: Khan out, But when the troops arrived at the fortress,
Speaker 1: they realized that the siege would be a costly one,
Speaker 1: and so their commanding officer decided to try to negotiate.
Speaker 1: After prolonged negotiations, Mirzakhan agreed to leave the fort on
Speaker 1: the condition that the officers present, all of whom held
Speaker 1: prominent positions at court, would help him plead his case
Speaker 1: to Madiolia. When Madiulia learned of the deal, she was furious,
Speaker 1: since she certainly intended to harm Mirza Khan and now
Speaker 1: she would have to work against her own men to
Speaker 1: do it. As the group transporting Merzokhan made their way
Speaker 1: to Kasvin, Madiulia sent out another group of warriors with
Speaker 1: orders to capture Mirzakhan and to kill him. When this
Speaker 1: second group met up with the first The officers, who
Speaker 1: had sworn to protect Mirzakhan on the terms of the surrender,
Speaker 1: were reluctant to hand him over, but eventually they did so,
Speaker 1: fearful of disobeying a royal order and also believing that
Speaker 1: the men wouldn't actually kill the prisoner. They were wrong.
Speaker 1: Later that night, the second group killed Mirzakhan. The officers
Speaker 1: present were furious, and though they had been loyal to Madiula,
Speaker 1: their loyalty began to waver after what they saw as
Speaker 1: a betrayal. The assassination was the beginning of the end
Speaker 1: for Madiula. It was not the only factor, of course.
Speaker 1: She made a number of bold moves, some of which
Speaker 1: were politically imprudent, and it additionally cannot be denied that
Speaker 1: there were some deep resentment among tribal leaders towards taking
Speaker 1: orders from a woman. In mid fifteen seventy nine, a
Speaker 1: group of Kislbash leaders issued a shocking threat against the
Speaker 1: Empress to the Emperor, revealing the extent of their anger.
Speaker 1: It read, in part, quote, your Majesty knows well that
Speaker 1: women are notoriously lacking in intelligence, weak in judgment, and
Speaker 1: extremely obstinate. Maniolia's power and influence in the government of
Speaker 1: the realm is objectionable to all the Kisabash tribes. If
Speaker 1: she is not removed from power, in all probability, revolts
Speaker 1: will occur that will be to the detriment of both
Speaker 1: religion and the state. Removed from power in this case
Speaker 1: meant killed. Shah Mohammad Kodabanda had no interest in revolt,
Speaker 1: but he also had no interest in executing his wife.
Speaker 1: He offered two solutions. Either he would say and his
Speaker 1: wife away from cous been, exiling her from the workings
Speaker 1: of court, or he himself would abdicate and allow the
Speaker 1: Kiselbash to choose a new shop. Madelola provided a more
Speaker 1: fiery rebuke, declaring that she would never back down, even
Speaker 1: if it would cost her her life. Ultimately it did.
Speaker 1: On July fifteen seventy nine, only eighteen months after the
Speaker 1: death of Perich, Madiola was strangled to death in the
Speaker 1: palace ground by a number of Kiselbash warriors, who also
Speaker 1: killed her elderly mother, who was present. Without Madiolia's guiding hand,
Speaker 1: Mohammed could have Banda's reign quickly fell into disarray. Four
Speaker 1: years later, Kiselbash leaders executed his vizier, the man who
Speaker 1: had warned Mohammed and his wife about Perichnus power rise
Speaker 1: five years earlier. In fifteen eighty seven, several kiss Abash
Speaker 1: tribes initiated full fledged coups, which ultimately succeeded in October
Speaker 1: of that year. Eventually, Mohammed Codabanda was replaced by one
Speaker 1: of his sons, a man who, breaking the family bad
Speaker 1: luck streak, would go down in history as the most
Speaker 1: successful Sophavid ruler, the Shaw, who would become known as
Speaker 1: Avas the Great. Noble Blood is a production of I
Speaker 1: Heart Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. Noble
Speaker 1: Blood is hosted by me Danis Shportz. Additional writing and
Speaker 1: researching done by Hannah Johnston, hannah's Wick, Mira Hayward, Courtney
Speaker 1: Sunder and Laurie Goodman. The show is produced by rema
Speaker 1: Il Kali, with supervising producer Josh Thane and executive producers
Speaker 1: Earn Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts
Speaker 1: from I Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app,
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