Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim
Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. Hey, this
Speaker 1: is Danish Schwartz. Thank you so much for listening to
Speaker 1: Noble Blood. Just a quick note before we begin. If
Speaker 1: you want to support the show, join the Noble Family
Speaker 1: over on Patreon, where I do monthly bonus episodes, drop
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Speaker 1: also have merch available at DFTBA dot com. Both of
Speaker 1: those are linked in the episode description. But honestly, as always,
Speaker 1: just thank you so much for listening. Let's get started,
Speaker 1: shall we. All. Throughout Cosven, the capital of the Sofavid Empire,
Speaker 1: it was rumored that Shaw Tamas the First was dying.
Speaker 1: The news came as no real surprise. The Shaw had
Speaker 1: been ill for more than two years, and he had
Speaker 1: come close to death several times. No, what people were
Speaker 1: talking about now was the fact that the Shah, even
Speaker 1: after those two years spent on the brink of death,
Speaker 1: still had not declared a successor. Successions are often the
Speaker 1: most vulnerable time for any government and things. In the
Speaker 1: Sofovid Empire, which had a border extending past present day,
Speaker 1: Iran were particularly fraught in the spring of fifteen seventy six.
Speaker 1: Shah Tamasp had spent much of his fifty two year
Speaker 1: reign quelling tribal uprisings. With his death, it seemed likely
Speaker 1: that such fighting could break out again, even worse, in
Speaker 1: the absence of a clear endorsement from the Shah. Tribal
Speaker 1: leaders in the empire. Had rallied behind two different candidates
Speaker 1: for their next leader, both sons of Tamasp. If Tamasp
Speaker 1: did not choose but between his sons before his death,
Speaker 1: if the transition didn't run smoothly, if a strong leader
Speaker 1: didn't immediately take the throne, many feared that civil war
Speaker 1: would break out. As whispers over the Shah's condition intensified,
Speaker 1: the two candidates, Prince Hadar and Prince Ismail rallied their
Speaker 1: respective troops. Haidar was in the palace at Kasvin alongside
Speaker 1: his dying father, while Ismail was some three hundred miles away,
Speaker 1: imprisoned in Quaquah Castle. Despite his distance, many of Ismail's
Speaker 1: supporters were also in Kasvin, and the situation between his
Speaker 1: supporters and Haydair supporters grew tense and tenser throughout April fifteen,
Speaker 1: seventy six. On May fifteenth, the news that everyone had
Speaker 1: been 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: Tamasp 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 Safovid dynasty
Speaker 1: going to descend into chaos? Would a battle between two
Speaker 1: brothers lead to ruin for the empire? Who would emerge
Speaker 1: victorious and take the seat of the Shah? With all
Speaker 1: eyes on Haidar and Ismaeil, many missed that it was
Speaker 1: not the princes who were pulling the strings at the palace.
Speaker 1: It was their sister, Princess Peri ran Ranum. It was
Speaker 1: she who held the fate of the empire in her hands.
Speaker 1: Over the next two years, she would emerge as a
Speaker 1: force to be reckoned, with a political mastermind whose decisions
Speaker 1: would shape the Safavid dynasty but eventually lead to her
Speaker 1: own untimely tragic death. I'm Dana Schwartz and this is
Speaker 1: noble blood. To understand Princess Parikhanhanum's rise and fall, it's
Speaker 1: important to understand the world she lived in. The Safavid
Speaker 1: dynasty originated from a group of Sufi's or Islamic mystics,
Speaker 1: who came from what is now northwestern Iran. The group
Speaker 1: became known as the Safavids after their founder, a fourteenth
Speaker 1: century spiritual leader named Safi al Din. After Safi Aldin's
Speaker 1: death in thirteen thirty four, leadership of the movement passed
Speaker 1: from father to son. By the mid fifteenth century, the
Speaker 1: group had become more militant, intent on spreading Shia Islam
Speaker 1: through military conquest. Under Sheik Khidar, who led the Safavids
Speaker 1: from fourteen sixty through fourteen eighty eight, many members of
Speaker 1: the group adopted a tall, narrow scarlet hat with twelve
Speaker 1: sides to commemorate the twelve moms, who are the cornerstones
Speaker 1: of Shia Islam. This led their Turkish enemies to call
Speaker 1: them Kisbash or redheads, and name the group soon adopted
Speaker 1: as their own. I know it gets just a little
Speaker 1: complicated here, but Kiselbash, who were in fact an assortment
Speaker 1: of different tribes, served as the military backbone of the Safavids,
Speaker 1: and their leaders were enormously influential. When Haidar was killed
Speaker 1: in fourteen eighty eight, the Safavids retreated somewhat, only to
Speaker 1: experience a striking resurgence under the leadership of Haidar's thirteen
Speaker 1: year old son Ismaeil. Those names probably sound familiar, but
Speaker 1: this is all background happening about a century before our
Speaker 1: brothers Hadar and Ismaeil, So let's just do that quick clarifier.
Speaker 1: Like many royal dynasties, the Safavids liked to pass down
Speaker 1: royal names. The fourteen hundreds. Hadar and his son Ismaeil
Speaker 1: are the ancestors of our peri Chanhanum, who had brothers
Speaker 1: Hadar and Ismaeil living during the fifteen hundreds, the siblings
Speaker 1: with the dying father who didn't name a successor. But
Speaker 1: flashback back to their ancestors and background. Ismail is rallying
Speaker 1: thousands of Kisobasch troops in the summer of fifteen hundred
Speaker 1: to avenge his father. After defeating the group responsible for
Speaker 1: his father Heydar's death, Ismail continued on acquiring enormous Swatch's territory,
Speaker 1: including much of the land east of modern day Turkey
Speaker 1: and west of modern India. By fifteen oh one, Ismail
Speaker 1: had been crowned as Shah of Iran and the Safavi
Speaker 1: dynasty was born. The royal family was multi ethnic and
Speaker 1: multi lingual. Shas normally took multiple consorts, often from different
Speaker 1: ethnic groups such as the Georgians, Circassians, and Pontic Greeks.
Speaker 1: The Selfovi Chas 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 Peri Janranum
Speaker 1: was born in August fifteen forty eight. She was the
Speaker 1: second daughter of the second ruler of the Safavi dynasty,
Speaker 1: Shah Tamasp. The first Pari's mother, Sultan Aga Khanum, 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: Ranum is a term that can loosely translate as princess
Speaker 1: and so was a royal surname shared by many royal women.
Speaker 1: During her earliest years, perichran Rnum was raised under the
Speaker 1: guidance of a tutor Raliran, who provided her with an
Speaker 1: excellent education in a court that valued artistic skill and intellect.
Speaker 1: This upbringing served the princess well. Her intelligence soon caught
Speaker 1: the eye of her father, who made sure that she
Speaker 1: was trained in a range of fields, from poetry to jurisprudence.
Speaker 1: It became clear that this brilliant, clear headed princess was
Speaker 1: her father's favorite daughter. Mahmouda fuschay Natanzi, a Safavid historian
Speaker 1: who lived at the same time as perichran Hanum, recorded
Speaker 1: that quote the Shah would act according to her advice
Speaker 1: and at probation in affairs minor and major, financial and administrative.
Speaker 1: All the important affairs of the Shah, from politics and
Speaker 1: international relations to the rules and customs of monarchy, were
Speaker 1: carried out according to that wise and just Princess's opinion
Speaker 1: and recommendation, and nothing was done without her knowledge and
Speaker 1: consent end quote. She was also known as a talented
Speaker 1: poet and a passionate patron of the arts, who commissioned
Speaker 1: many works. When she was ten, she was betrothed to
Speaker 1: a cousin, Prince Badi al Zaman, but she never traveled
Speaker 1: to his home in Sistan. It was believed that her
Speaker 1: father wanted to keep his beloved daughter close. Despite the
Speaker 1: royal family's willingness to educate its daughters and the Shah's
Speaker 1: willingness to take political advice from them, it was still
Speaker 1: taken for granted that a man would succeed Shah Tamaspa
Speaker 1: on the throne. By fifteen seventy four, when the Shah
Speaker 1: well seriously ill for the first time, two of Parikranhanum's brothers,
Speaker 1: Haidar and Ismail, were seen as the front runners, each
Speaker 1: supported by different tribes within the Kizilbash. Shah Tamasp's eldest son,
Speaker 1: Muhammed Kodabanda, was blind by this point due to an illness,
Speaker 1: which in the Safavid culture disqualified him from ruling. Next
Speaker 1: in line would naturally be the second son, Ismael, but
Speaker 1: he faced a slight obstacle. He had been imprisoned since
Speaker 1: fifteen fifty four by his father for reasons that are
Speaker 1: not entirely clear, perhaps because his father thought that he
Speaker 1: was disloyal or perhaps because he was known to take
Speaker 1: male lovers. Nevertheless, Ismail had many supporters, including his sister
Speaker 1: perikran Ranum. Ismail's main opponent to the throne was his
Speaker 1: half brother Hadar, about whose early life not much is known.
Speaker 1: Many of hid Our supporters did so because of his
Speaker 1: Georgian heritage via his mother. As the Shah grew sicker,
Speaker 1: Haidar and his supporters worked to ingratiate themselves with the Shah.
Speaker 1: Haidar 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 fifteenth, whence news of the Shah's death had
Speaker 1: spread through Cosvin, Haidar decided he needed to take immediate action.
Speaker 1: Though Ismael was still imprisoned hundreds of miles away, Haidar
Speaker 1: needed to consolidate his own power. He did so by
Speaker 1: striking at the center of Ismail's support. He detained Princess
Speaker 1: perikan Ranum in the palace. It was a dangerous moment
Speaker 1: for the princess. Hadar could have easily killed or imprisoned
Speaker 1: her for her disloyalty. After all, she had openly supported
Speaker 1: his brother, but perifran Ranum saw an out. Haidar needed
Speaker 1: support and she could offer it to him. Exander Begmunci,
Speaker 1: another contemporary Safavit historian, wrote that Perigranranum threw herself on
Speaker 1: the ground before Hadar, 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, Haidar accepted Peri ran
Speaker 1: Ranum's apology on the condition that she secured the support
Speaker 1: of her brother Soleiman Mishra and her uncle sam Cal Sultan.
Speaker 1: Peri Chantanum agreed and said she needed to leave at
Speaker 1: once to convince her brother and uncle to join Haidar
Speaker 1: dark granted her permission to go, certain that he was
Speaker 1: now safe to proceed. Hadar placed his father's crown on
Speaker 1: his 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 tamasps. It
Speaker 1: was a dramatic step towards assuming the throne, but it
Speaker 1: was a short sighted one. Every night, the palace guards
Speaker 1: were selected from different tribes of the Kiselbasch. This measure
Speaker 1: assured that no one tribe would have dominant presence within
Speaker 1: the palace. On May fifteenth, the knight that Hadar made
Speaker 1: his immediate move. The guards were all from tribes that
Speaker 1: supp hoarded Ismael. Haidar might have been wearing the crown,
Speaker 1: but he was surrounded by enemies, one who then refused
Speaker 1: to open the palace gates to let Haidar's supporters in
Speaker 1: or Haidar himself out. Another dangerous force was gathering outside
Speaker 1: the palace. These men, supporters of Ismael, 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. Unbeknownst to Haidar, as soon as Peri Chantranum
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 Hadar's blood. Haidar, 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. Ismaeil's supporters
Speaker 1: captured Hadar 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 show for one full day. With
Speaker 1: Hadar dead, Ismael had an easy path to victory, but
Speaker 1: he was still on the road to Kasvin 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: Ismael was working his way toward the capital, Peri ran
Speaker 1: Ranum served as de facto regent, and her authority was unquestionable.
Speaker 1: Her position seemed secure. She was confident that her influence
Speaker 1: and power would only continue once Ismail arrived in Cosvin.
Speaker 1: After all, he owed her, didn't he. Ismail and his
Speaker 1: party came to the edge of Cosvin 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 Suffovit royals,
Speaker 1: he was a fervent believer in reading the signs of
Speaker 1: the stars, and he would only enter cosviin once his
Speaker 1: astrologer told him that the time was right for a coronation.
Speaker 1: While he camped out, Peri chran Ranum continued to serve
Speaker 1: as ruler, giving audiences to nobles who would meet first
Speaker 1: with the princess and then travel to Ismail's camp outside
Speaker 1: the city for an audience with the prince. Ismaeil's twenty
Speaker 1: year long imprisonment had left him paranoid and dist trustful.
Speaker 1: Though perigran Ranum was responsible for his victory, Ismael did
Speaker 1: not fully believe in her loyalty. After all, she was
Speaker 1: the most beloved daughter of their father. The same father,
Speaker 1: who had sent Ismael to prison, and his suspicions only
Speaker 1: deepened in his weeks spent on the outskirts of town
Speaker 1: as he watched his sister's influence grow. After more than
Speaker 1: a month as regent, perigran Ranum had set up a
Speaker 1: court of sorts replete with the same regal rituals and
Speaker 1: customs that her father's court had Followed. Nobles and servants
Speaker 1: alike behaved with deference to the princess, accorded her respect,
Speaker 1: performed ceremonies on her behalf, and obeyed her decisions. Ismael,
Speaker 1: seeing all of this, was furious. The historian Xander Begmundchi
Speaker 1: records that Ismael gathered all of the nobles around and
Speaker 1: berated them, quote, have you not understood, my friends, that
Speaker 1: interference in matters of state by women is demeaning to
Speaker 1: the King's honor, and that for men to associate with
Speaker 1: women of the Safavid royal house is an abominable crime.
Speaker 1: End This censure quickly shut down the nobles practice of
Speaker 1: visiting perchrand Renum. 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 Perigranranum that Ismael was
Speaker 1: suspicious of. Early on in his reign, he became convinced
Speaker 1: that the only way to secure his grasp on the
Speaker 1: throne was to eliminate all competition, and he quickly set
Speaker 1: about doing so mercilessly. On one day alone, he had
Speaker 1: 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 Hussian, who was first
Speaker 1: blinded and then put to death. Next was Prince Mahmoud,
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 Mahmud'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 Thadi
Speaker 1: al Zaman and his royal son Bahram, and then Prince Hasan,
Speaker 1: son of Ismail's brother. By this this point, only one
Speaker 1: prince who had been blinded but whose life had been spared,
Speaker 1: and the already blind Mohammed Kodabanda, survived. Its thought that
Speaker 1: Ismael was less concerned with Mohammed Kodabanda because he had
Speaker 1: gone blind long ago, and because his remaining sons were
Speaker 1: still very young. Ismail perhaps also felt a sense of
Speaker 1: loyalty to his blind older brother, since they shared the
Speaker 1: same mother. But neither motivation proved quite strong enough. Soon
Speaker 1: the Shah ordered Mohammad and his sons to be placed
Speaker 1: under house arrest, and it was rumored that Ismael was
Speaker 1: planning on having them put to death. But before that
Speaker 1: could happen, Ismail died suddenly on November fifth, fifteen seventy seven.
Speaker 1: The Shah had been in good health. He had spent
Speaker 1: the night before in the company of his close confident
Speaker 1: Hassan Bek, wandering the streets of Kasvin together smoking opium
Speaker 1: and eating sweets. The two men returned to Hassan Beg's
Speaker 1: room sometime in the early hours. In the morning, these
Speaker 1: Shah's attendants gathered outside the room, waiting for Ismaul to
Speaker 1: awaken and begin his day, but by late morning there
Speaker 1: was still no sign of him. Too frightened to disturb
Speaker 1: the Shah, the servants hovered nervously around the door until noon,
Speaker 1: at which point a physician was summoned. When the physician
Speaker 1: called through the door, Hassan Beg replied, as MUNCHI tells it, quote,
Speaker 1: I cannot move to open the door. Open the door
Speaker 1: from the outside in whatever way you can and come
Speaker 1: in for an astonishing event has occurred. Unquote. What was
Speaker 1: found when the door was finally opened was indeed astonishing.
Speaker 1: Hassan Beg was immobilized, with no sensation in his lower half,
Speaker 1: and he had a stuttering voice. The Shah himself was motionless.
Speaker 1: He was already dead. Hassan Beg haltingly recounted the events
Speaker 1: of the night. Returning from their walk, the Shah requested
Speaker 1: that his box of herbal medicines be brought to him.
Speaker 1: When the box arrived, Hassan Beg noticed that it was
Speaker 1: not sealed as it usually was, and he pointed it
Speaker 1: out to Ismail, who shook off his concerns. The Shah
Speaker 1: took some medicine and convinced Hassan to as well, though
Speaker 1: his companion took less than he had In the morning,
Speaker 1: when Hassan woke, he found himself unable to move his legs.
Speaker 1: Ismael was unable to speak. He stopped moving his arms.
Speaker 1: Hassan recounted, but after a while he ceased to move
Speaker 1: and his breathing stopped. As soon as the news of
Speaker 1: the strange circumstances of Ismael's death emerged, everyone seemed to
Speaker 1: have a theory. Some thought it was a simple matter
Speaker 1: of over consumption. Ismael was known to use excessive amounts
Speaker 1: of opium and eat until he was ill. Others thought
Speaker 1: it was a severe recurrence of an occasional stomach problem
Speaker 1: that the Shah suffered. But more cynical observers pointed to poison,
Speaker 1: and when court physicians examined the Shah's body, they found
Speaker 1: symptoms that seemed to be signs of poisoning. Given Ismael's
Speaker 1: wholesale execution of nearly all of his close male relatives,
Speaker 1: he had no shortage of enemies, but there was one
Speaker 1: name that seemed to come up most often in the
Speaker 1: discussions of suspects, the name of a family member who
Speaker 1: had been betrayed by Ismail, who had given him the
Speaker 1: throne and been rewarded with banishment, the Princess Periranranum. Contemporaries
Speaker 1: and some historians alike have contended that Periandraanum, furious at
Speaker 1: Ismaeil's treatment of her, had indeed conspired with maid servants
Speaker 1: in Ismail's household to poison him. We'll never know for
Speaker 1: sure exactly who or what caused the death of Shah
Speaker 1: Ismail the Second in November of fifteen seventy seven, but
Speaker 1: we do know what happened next whether or not peri
Speaker 1: Rankranum was responsible for the death of Ismael. She played
Speaker 1: the circumstances to her advantage. When a group of nobles
Speaker 1: approached her asking her to take the throne, she demurred,
Speaker 1: saying that it would be improper given that her older
Speaker 1: brother Mohammed still lived, a statement no doubt influenced by
Speaker 1: her understanding that society at large at the time would
Speaker 1: be hesitant about a woman in power, but even nobles
Speaker 1: who were uncomfortable with the idea of a woman formally
Speaker 1: taking the throne recognized the princess's power. After the leaders
Speaker 1: of the various tribes and political alliances met to discuss
Speaker 1: the next Shah, they went to Perrankranum's house to get
Speaker 1: her final approval on their proposal. Their proposal was to
Speaker 1: put Mohammed Kodabundan the throne. It was a proposal that
Speaker 1: suited Perkranranum well. Mohammed Kodubanda was known to pursue pleasure
Speaker 1: more than political power. With a weak willed and not
Speaker 1: particularly politically minded man on the throne, Pekandranum thought she
Speaker 1: could rule in the shadows. But what she hadn't counted
Speaker 1: on was another player in the equation, someone who, like Periandranum,
Speaker 1: had been overlooked on account of her sex, but who
Speaker 1: was keenly ambitious, and perhaps just as clever as the
Speaker 1: princess herself. It was Mohammed Kudbanda's wife, Hira al Nisabegum.
Speaker 1: Hira al Nisabegum was born in Mazandaran, a province in
Speaker 1: the north of the Empire on the southern shores of
Speaker 1: the Caspian Sea. Born to a ruler of the province.
Speaker 1: Her childhood was likely a luxurious one, but the privilege
Speaker 1: didn't last in fifteen. In sixty five, her cousin killed
Speaker 1: her father and hire on Ni Sabagun was forced to flee.
Speaker 1: She took refuge with the Sapavid court, and though she
Speaker 1: was quickly swept up in the activities of the court,
Speaker 1: her desire for revenge against her cousin never left her.
Speaker 1: She was eventually married to Mohammed Kodabanda, the son of
Speaker 1: the shah Tamas the first. Given Mohammed Kodabanda's blindness, the
Speaker 1: family had determined that he would never take the throne,
Speaker 1: and so their family ended up living a relatively low
Speaker 1: profile life in the city of Shiraz, where Mohammad nominally
Speaker 1: served as governor, spending most of his time with a
Speaker 1: group of artists and poets. But with his brother Ismael's death,
Speaker 1: their family status rose meteorically. As the court awaited the
Speaker 1: arrival of their new Shah. Perry Khanhanum assumed the same
Speaker 1: role of unofficial regent that she had between the death
Speaker 1: of Hadar and the coronation of Isma. This period of
Speaker 1: control would last, this time for nearly three months. Her
Speaker 1: most notable accomplishment during this time was the liberation of
Speaker 1: a large number of political prisoners, including those jailed for
Speaker 1: supporting Hadar. But even as Perichranranum maintained order in the empire,
Speaker 1: trouble was brewing within the royal family. It began when
Speaker 1: Ismaeil's former Vizir or political adviser, rode out to Shiraz
Speaker 1: to warn Mohammed Kodabanda and his wife of Peri Ranranum's ambitions.
Speaker 1: Quote as long as Peigranranum was mistress in the palace
Speaker 1: and controlled affairs of the state. When she records the
Speaker 1: Vizier saying the Shah would possess nothing but the title
Speaker 1: of king and his wife would not be admitted to
Speaker 1: the hero. The royal couple made it clear that they
Speaker 1: would not tolerate any usurpation. When news of this declaration
Speaker 1: made it back to Perry Chankranum, she and her supporters
Speaker 1: began to take actions to solidify her power. Guards patrolled
Speaker 1: the palace, ready to take on any threat to the princess.
Speaker 1: In response, the Vizier sent guards of his own to
Speaker 1: the state treasury, which was under Perichranhranum's control at that point,
Speaker 1: tensions mounted and several skirmishes ensued between the supporters of
Speaker 1: Perry Krankranum and those of Mohammed Codebanda and Chira al Nisabagum.
Speaker 1: Peri Franchranum's treatment of the couple upon their arrival in
Speaker 1: Kasvin did nothing to help matters. As Mohammed and his
Speaker 1: wife rode up to the city on February ninth, fifteen
Speaker 1: seventy eight, Perichrankranum came out to greet them in an
Speaker 1: opulent litter surrounded by a huge crowd of supporters. It
Speaker 1: was a bold statement of authority, and one that certainly
Speaker 1: rankled the already insecure royal incomers. One story recounted by
Speaker 1: Munchi alleges that Peri Krankranum snubbed the future empress. The
Speaker 1: chier Alni Sabegum kissed perikran Karanum's hand, the princess refused
Speaker 1: to reciprocate with any gesture of respect. Despite this tension,
Speaker 1: Peri kran Kranum and her brother Mohammed were able to
Speaker 1: conduct a cordial meeting in which they mourned the loss
Speaker 1: of their father Chatamas and the deaths of their male
Speaker 1: relatives at the hands of Shah Ismael, but this conversation
Speaker 1: was not enough to fix the rupture growing in the family.
Speaker 1: Perry Krankranum was too powerful and her very existence was
Speaker 1: a threat to the power of Mohammed Kodibanda and his
Speaker 1: wife chier Alni Sabegum. Two days later, Mohammed Kodibanda entered
Speaker 1: the palace in Kasvin and officially took the throne, becoming
Speaker 1: Shah of the Safavid Empire. All of the nobles were
Speaker 1: in the attendants to watch his ascension, including Peri Grankranum.
Speaker 1: When the ceremony ended, Perry Krankranum boarded her litter and
Speaker 1: set off for her home, surrounded by attendants. The roads
Speaker 1: of Cosvin were crowded with the city's citizens out in
Speaker 1: droves to celebrate the new Shah, and so the princess's
Speaker 1: attendants turned to re enter the palace grounds, planning to
Speaker 1: cut through the harem gardens to reach Parikranranum's house more quickly,
Speaker 1: But as the party neared her home, they were intercepted
Speaker 1: by a group of men who attempted to seize the litter.
Speaker 1: Parikranranum's attendants fought back inside the litter. The princess was
Speaker 1: thrown back and forth as the two groups battled for control.
Speaker 1: Peace only came when the attackers revealed that they were
Speaker 1: acting on the orders of the Shah, and Perikranranum, realizing
Speaker 1: what was happening, surrendered herself. In a particularicularly cruel twist.
Speaker 1: She saw that the leader of the group was none
Speaker 1: other than her old tutor and guardian, Kalikran. He had
Speaker 1: been promised Peri Chranranum's entire estate in exchange for orchestrating
Speaker 1: her death. Peri Chranranum was taken to Khalilchhan's house and
Speaker 1: kept as a prisoner. Later that evening, a group of
Speaker 1: Khalilchran's men entered the room and strangled the princess to death.
Speaker 1: She was twenty nine years old. In the centuries since
Speaker 1: her death, Peri Ranranum's legacy has been debated by historians.
Speaker 1: Some see her as a powerful leader, others as a
Speaker 1: conniving backstabber. The truth, as always, is somewhere, probably in
Speaker 1: the middle and definitely more complicated, but her influence and
Speaker 1: power between fifteen seventy six and fifteen seventy eight are undeniable.
Speaker 1: As the historian Shariah Golshorki put it in her definitive
Speaker 1: work on the Princess, quote, it is time to grant
Speaker 1: recognition to such Safavid women as Peri gran Ranum, who
Speaker 1: took leadership roles and entered the forbidden and formidable realm
Speaker 1: of power and intrigue at the court. That's the story
Speaker 1: of Pari ran Ranum. To learn more about the fate
Speaker 1: of the woman who helped organize her downfall, chier Alni Sabagum,
Speaker 1: listen after a quick commercial break. Once Peri Ranranum was dead,
Speaker 1: hier Al Ni Sabagum, the new Empress, became the real
Speaker 1: power behind the throne. Like other Safavid empresses, she would
Speaker 1: eventually become known as Madhi Julia, which translated to as
Speaker 1: sublime cradle or the highest ranking credle. It's as Madiulia
Speaker 1: that she is most commonly referred to today. As Empress,
Speaker 1: Modulia 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: Safavid Empire, she thought constantly of her home province of Mazadaran,
Speaker 1: which was now ruled by the son of the man
Speaker 1: who had killed her father. This man, Mizra Khan, had
Speaker 1: come to court when Madulia and Mohammed Kodabanda 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. Modiulia grudgingly
Speaker 1: granted both, but her forgiveness was only a facade. Some
Speaker 1: time later, she appointed a new governor, an uncle of her,
Speaker 1: and declared Murzahan's authority to be illegitimate. Murzahan, understanding the
Speaker 1: potentially deadly implications of this move, hold up in the
Speaker 1: fortress of Fijah to try to protect himself, but even
Speaker 1: a fortress was no match for Modiulia's power. She sent
Speaker 1: a number of troops to the fort determined to starve
Speaker 1: Mirzakhan 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, Murzahan 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 Modiulia. When Modiulia learned of the deal, she was furious,
Speaker 1: since she certainly intended to harm Mirzakhan and now she
Speaker 1: would have to work against her own men to do it.
Speaker 1: As the group transporting Mirzarkhan made their way to Kasvin,
Speaker 1: Modulia sent out another group of warriors with orders to
Speaker 1: capture Murzakhan and to kill him. When this second group
Speaker 1: met up with the first, the officers who had sworn
Speaker 1: to protect Murzakhan on the terms of the surrender, were
Speaker 1: 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 Murzakhan. The officers
Speaker 1: present were furious, and though they had been loyal to Modiulia,
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 Madiulia. 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 was some deep resentment among tribal leaders towards taking
Speaker 1: orders from a woman. In mid fifteen seventy nine, a
Speaker 1: group of Kiselbash 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. Maniulia's power and influence in the government of
Speaker 1: the realm is objectionable to all the Kiselbash 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 Muhammad 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 cosviin exiling her from the workings of court,
Speaker 1: or he himself would abdicate and allow the Kisobash to
Speaker 1: choose a new Shah. Mate Elulia provided a more fiery rebuke,
Speaker 1: declaring that she would never back down even if it
Speaker 1: would cost her her life. Ultimately it did. On July
Speaker 1: twenty sixth, fifteen seventy nine, only eighteen months after the
Speaker 1: death of Peigrandranum, Modulia was strangled to death in the
Speaker 1: palace grounds by a number of Kisobash warriors, who also
Speaker 1: killed her elderly mother, who was present. Without Modiulia's guiding hand,
Speaker 1: Mohammed Kodabanda's reign quickly fell into disarray. Four years later,
Speaker 1: Kisobash leaders executed his vizier, the man who had warned
Speaker 1: Mohammed and his wife about Perichrandranum's power rise five years earlier.
Speaker 1: In fifteen eighty seven, several Kisobash tribes initiated full fledged coups,
Speaker 1: which ultimately succeeded in October of that year. Eventually, Mohammed
Speaker 1: Kodubunda was replaced by one of his sons, a man who,
Speaker 1: breaking the family bad luck streak, would go down in
Speaker 1: history as the most successful Safavid ruler, the Shah who
Speaker 1: would become known as Avas the Great. Noble Blood is
Speaker 1: a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky.
Speaker 1: Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz. Additional writing
Speaker 1: and researching done by Hannah Johnston, hannah's Wick, Mira Hayward,
Speaker 1: Courtney Sender, and Lori Goodman. The show is produced by
Speaker 1: rima Il Kayali, with supervising producer josh Thaan and executive
Speaker 1: producers air Manke, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more
Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.