WEBVTT - The Safavid Princess in Power 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:05.240 Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim 0:00:05.240 --> 0:00:10.400 and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. Hey, this 0:00:10.560 --> 0:00:13.440 is Danish Schwartz. Thank you so much for listening to 0:00:13.480 --> 0:00:16.120 Noble Blood. Just a quick note before we begin. If 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:18.919 you want to support the show, join the Noble Family 0:00:19.040 --> 0:00:22.720 over on Patreon, where I do monthly bonus episodes, drop 0:00:22.760 --> 0:00:27.360 episode scripts, and have an exclusive seasonal sticker club. We 0:00:27.520 --> 0:00:31.120 also have merch available at DFTBA dot com. Both of 0:00:31.120 --> 0:00:35.320 those are linked in the episode description. But honestly, as always, 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:38.320 just thank you so much for listening. Let's get started, 0:00:38.360 --> 0:00:51.279 shall we. All. Throughout Cosven, the capital of the Sofavid Empire, 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:55.240 it was rumored that Shaw Tamas the First was dying. 0:00:55.920 --> 0:00:59.319 The news came as no real surprise. The Shaw had 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:01.800 been ill for more than two years, and he had 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:06.120 come close to death several times. No, what people were 0:01:06.160 --> 0:01:09.720 talking about now was the fact that the Shah, even 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:12.720 after those two years spent on the brink of death, 0:01:13.120 --> 0:01:18.120 still had not declared a successor. Successions are often the 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:22.039 most vulnerable time for any government and things. In the 0:01:22.080 --> 0:01:26.240 Sofovid Empire, which had a border extending past present day, 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:31.720 Iran were particularly fraught in the spring of fifteen seventy six. 0:01:32.360 --> 0:01:35.600 Shah Tamasp had spent much of his fifty two year 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:40.800 reign quelling tribal uprisings. With his death, it seemed likely 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:44.959 that such fighting could break out again, even worse, in 0:01:45.000 --> 0:01:49.000 the absence of a clear endorsement from the Shah. Tribal 0:01:49.120 --> 0:01:53.480 leaders in the empire. Had rallied behind two different candidates 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:58.800 for their next leader, both sons of Tamasp. If Tamasp 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:01.880 did not choose but between his sons before his death, 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:05.760 if the transition didn't run smoothly, if a strong leader 0:02:05.840 --> 0:02:09.960 didn't immediately take the throne, many feared that civil war 0:02:10.080 --> 0:02:15.720 would break out. As whispers over the Shah's condition intensified, 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:20.560 the two candidates, Prince Hadar and Prince Ismail rallied their 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:25.400 respective troops. Haidar was in the palace at Kasvin alongside 0:02:25.440 --> 0:02:29.440 his dying father, while Ismail was some three hundred miles away, 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:35.880 imprisoned in Quaquah Castle. Despite his distance, many of Ismail's 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:40.400 supporters were also in Kasvin, and the situation between his 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:46.400 supporters and Haydair supporters grew tense and tenser throughout April fifteen, 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:51.079 seventy six. On May fifteenth, the news that everyone had 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:57.320 been anticipating finally came. Shah Tamasp had died the night before, 0:02:57.800 --> 0:03:03.000 and no successor had been chosen. We don't know why 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:08.640 Tamasp never publicly declared a successor, perhaps having escaped death 0:03:08.800 --> 0:03:13.080 multiple times before, he mistakenly thought he would do so again. 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:17.760 But one thing was clear. The empire now stood on 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:23.080 a precipice after seventy five years. Was the Safovid dynasty 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:27.200 going to descend into chaos? Would a battle between two 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:31.560 brothers lead to ruin for the empire? Who would emerge 0:03:31.639 --> 0:03:35.320 victorious and take the seat of the Shah? With all 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:39.040 eyes on Haidar and Ismaeil, many missed that it was 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:42.400 not the princes who were pulling the strings at the palace. 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:47.800 It was their sister, Princess Peri ran Ranum. It was 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:51.160 she who held the fate of the empire in her hands. 0:03:52.040 --> 0:03:56.560 Over the next two years, she would emerge as a 0:03:56.640 --> 0:04:01.640 force to be reckoned, with a political mastermind whose decisions 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:06.720 would shape the Safavid dynasty but eventually lead to her 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:14.160 own untimely tragic death. I'm Dana Schwartz and this is 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:28.400 noble blood. To understand Princess Parikhanhanum's rise and fall, it's 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:32.480 important to understand the world she lived in. The Safavid 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:37.240 dynasty originated from a group of Sufi's or Islamic mystics, 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:41.560 who came from what is now northwestern Iran. The group 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:46.120 became known as the Safavids after their founder, a fourteenth 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:51.360 century spiritual leader named Safi al Din. After Safi Aldin's 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:55.880 death in thirteen thirty four, leadership of the movement passed 0:04:56.000 --> 0:05:00.680 from father to son. By the mid fifteenth century, the 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:05.000 group had become more militant, intent on spreading Shia Islam 0:05:05.200 --> 0:05:09.920 through military conquest. Under Sheik Khidar, who led the Safavids 0:05:09.960 --> 0:05:14.520 from fourteen sixty through fourteen eighty eight, many members of 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:19.239 the group adopted a tall, narrow scarlet hat with twelve 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:23.360 sides to commemorate the twelve moms, who are the cornerstones 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:27.120 of Shia Islam. This led their Turkish enemies to call 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:31.760 them Kisbash or redheads, and name the group soon adopted 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:34.719 as their own. I know it gets just a little 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:38.400 complicated here, but Kiselbash, who were in fact an assortment 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:42.880 of different tribes, served as the military backbone of the Safavids, 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:47.400 and their leaders were enormously influential. When Haidar was killed 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:51.760 in fourteen eighty eight, the Safavids retreated somewhat, only to 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:56.600 experience a striking resurgence under the leadership of Haidar's thirteen 0:05:56.680 --> 0:06:01.000 year old son Ismaeil. Those names probably sound familiar, but 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:04.599 this is all background happening about a century before our 0:06:04.760 --> 0:06:09.640 brothers Hadar and Ismaeil, So let's just do that quick clarifier. 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:14.320 Like many royal dynasties, the Safavids liked to pass down 0:06:14.520 --> 0:06:18.680 royal names. The fourteen hundreds. Hadar and his son Ismaeil 0:06:18.839 --> 0:06:23.320 are the ancestors of our peri Chanhanum, who had brothers 0:06:23.360 --> 0:06:27.360 Hadar and Ismaeil living during the fifteen hundreds, the siblings 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:30.440 with the dying father who didn't name a successor. But 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:35.440 flashback back to their ancestors and background. Ismail is rallying 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:39.719 thousands of Kisobasch troops in the summer of fifteen hundred 0:06:39.880 --> 0:06:44.320 to avenge his father. After defeating the group responsible for 0:06:44.440 --> 0:06:50.880 his father Heydar's death, Ismail continued on acquiring enormous Swatch's territory, 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:54.240 including much of the land east of modern day Turkey 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:59.040 and west of modern India. By fifteen oh one, Ismail 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:02.480 had been crowned as Shah of Iran and the Safavi 0:07:02.640 --> 0:07:07.600 dynasty was born. The royal family was multi ethnic and 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:13.160 multi lingual. Shas normally took multiple consorts, often from different 0:07:13.200 --> 0:07:17.560 ethnic groups such as the Georgians, Circassians, and Pontic Greeks. 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:22.280 The Selfovi Chas were patrons of the arts. The dynasty's 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:29.480 artists created marvels of mosaics and mirror tiles, stunning illustrated manuscripts, 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:35.000 and beautiful calligraphy. They valued education and religious piety, beauty 0:07:35.160 --> 0:07:40.800 and tradition, military prowess and strategic thinking. So now we 0:07:40.960 --> 0:07:45.560 fast forward. It was in that environment that Peri Janranum 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:49.640 was born in August fifteen forty eight. She was the 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:53.480 second daughter of the second ruler of the Safavi dynasty, 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:59.000 Shah Tamasp. The first Pari's mother, Sultan Aga Khanum, was 0:07:59.080 --> 0:08:02.760 the second wife of the Shah. If you're wondering about 0:08:02.800 --> 0:08:07.160 the shared matrilineal last name, it's a little bit misleading. 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:11.320 Ranum is a term that can loosely translate as princess 0:08:11.440 --> 0:08:14.960 and so was a royal surname shared by many royal women. 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:19.560 During her earliest years, perichran Rnum was raised under the 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:23.520 guidance of a tutor Raliran, who provided her with an 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:28.960 excellent education in a court that valued artistic skill and intellect. 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:33.600 This upbringing served the princess well. Her intelligence soon caught 0:08:33.640 --> 0:08:36.200 the eye of her father, who made sure that she 0:08:36.320 --> 0:08:40.720 was trained in a range of fields, from poetry to jurisprudence. 0:08:41.360 --> 0:08:45.800 It became clear that this brilliant, clear headed princess was 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:51.840 her father's favorite daughter. Mahmouda fuschay Natanzi, a Safavid historian 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:55.479 who lived at the same time as perichran Hanum, recorded 0:08:55.520 --> 0:08:59.480 that quote the Shah would act according to her advice 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:05.080 and at probation in affairs minor and major, financial and administrative. 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:08.800 All the important affairs of the Shah, from politics and 0:09:08.920 --> 0:09:13.640 international relations to the rules and customs of monarchy, were 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:18.120 carried out according to that wise and just Princess's opinion 0:09:18.240 --> 0:09:21.960 and recommendation, and nothing was done without her knowledge and 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:26.280 consent end quote. She was also known as a talented 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:29.760 poet and a passionate patron of the arts, who commissioned 0:09:29.840 --> 0:09:33.160 many works. When she was ten, she was betrothed to 0:09:33.200 --> 0:09:36.560 a cousin, Prince Badi al Zaman, but she never traveled 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:40.000 to his home in Sistan. It was believed that her 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:45.360 father wanted to keep his beloved daughter close. Despite the 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:49.319 royal family's willingness to educate its daughters and the Shah's 0:09:49.360 --> 0:09:52.880 willingness to take political advice from them, it was still 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:56.199 taken for granted that a man would succeed Shah Tamaspa 0:09:56.280 --> 0:09:59.720 on the throne. By fifteen seventy four, when the Shah 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:04.840 well seriously ill for the first time, two of Parikranhanum's brothers, 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:08.960 Haidar and Ismail, were seen as the front runners, each 0:10:09.080 --> 0:10:14.840 supported by different tribes within the Kizilbash. Shah Tamasp's eldest son, 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:19.239 Muhammed Kodabanda, was blind by this point due to an illness, 0:10:19.280 --> 0:10:24.160 which in the Safavid culture disqualified him from ruling. Next 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:27.720 in line would naturally be the second son, Ismael, but 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:32.880 he faced a slight obstacle. He had been imprisoned since 0:10:32.960 --> 0:10:36.360 fifteen fifty four by his father for reasons that are 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:40.800 not entirely clear, perhaps because his father thought that he 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:44.200 was disloyal or perhaps because he was known to take 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:49.720 male lovers. Nevertheless, Ismail had many supporters, including his sister 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:54.600 perikran Ranum. Ismail's main opponent to the throne was his 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:58.880 half brother Hadar, about whose early life not much is known. 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:01.960 Many of hid Our supporters did so because of his 0:11:02.120 --> 0:11:06.199 Georgian heritage via his mother. As the Shah grew sicker, 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:11.000 Haidar and his supporters worked to ingratiate themselves with the Shah. 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:14.560 Haidar attended to his father closely and made sure to 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:17.800 be at his side on the night of May fourteenth, 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:21.960 comforting the Shah as he slipped away. On the morning 0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:26.000 of May fifteenth, whence news of the Shah's death had 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:31.120 spread through Cosvin, Haidar decided he needed to take immediate action. 0:11:31.760 --> 0:11:36.120 Though Ismael was still imprisoned hundreds of miles away, Haidar 0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:39.679 needed to consolidate his own power. He did so by 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:44.640 striking at the center of Ismail's support. He detained Princess 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:49.680 perikan Ranum in the palace. It was a dangerous moment 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:54.320 for the princess. Hadar could have easily killed or imprisoned 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:58.719 her for her disloyalty. After all, she had openly supported 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:04.080 his brother, but perifran Ranum saw an out. Haidar needed 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:08.520 support and she could offer it to him. Exander Begmunci, 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:14.520 another contemporary Safavit historian, wrote that Perigranranum threw herself on 0:12:14.600 --> 0:12:19.199 the ground before Hadar, saying, quote, women are foolish creatures. 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:23.240 If in my stupidity and shortsightedness, I have been guilty 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:26.400 of any misdemeanor, I beg you to pardon me and 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:30.040 spare my life. In that event, I will follow the 0:12:30.080 --> 0:12:33.320 path of obedience to you, and will not deviate by 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:36.920 so much as a hair's breadth from the court of conduct, 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:41.120 which is pleasing to your highness end quote. Then she 0:12:41.200 --> 0:12:44.920 bent over and kissed her brother's feet, laying it on 0:12:45.000 --> 0:12:48.720 a little thick but effective. Moved by her words and 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:53.679 recognizing the importance of her support, Haidar accepted Peri ran 0:12:53.840 --> 0:12:57.600 Ranum's apology on the condition that she secured the support 0:12:57.720 --> 0:13:02.000 of her brother Soleiman Mishra and her uncle sam Cal Sultan. 0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:06.120 Peri Chantanum agreed and said she needed to leave at 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:09.480 once to convince her brother and uncle to join Haidar 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:13.360 dark granted her permission to go, certain that he was 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:17.200 now safe to proceed. Hadar placed his father's crown on 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:21.960 his head and declared himself Shah. To back up his claim, 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:26.560 he presented a document that named him successor. The document 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:30.560 bore what looked like the royal seal, but opponents noted 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:34.640 that the handwriting did not quite look like tamasps. It 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:38.320 was a dramatic step towards assuming the throne, but it 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:43.240 was a short sighted one. Every night, the palace guards 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:47.520 were selected from different tribes of the Kiselbasch. This measure 0:13:47.600 --> 0:13:51.320 assured that no one tribe would have dominant presence within 0:13:51.360 --> 0:13:55.439 the palace. On May fifteenth, the knight that Hadar made 0:13:55.480 --> 0:13:59.600 his immediate move. The guards were all from tribes that 0:13:59.640 --> 0:14:03.920 supp hoarded Ismael. Haidar might have been wearing the crown, 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:08.559 but he was surrounded by enemies, one who then refused 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:12.280 to open the palace gates to let Haidar's supporters in 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:18.960 or Haidar himself out. Another dangerous force was gathering outside 0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:23.560 the palace. These men, supporters of Ismael, possessed a secret 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:26.960 tool that would soon change the balance of power, and 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:30.200 it had been provided to them by the very woman 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:33.520 who had just kissed her brother's feet in a show 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:39.400 of loyalty. Unbeknownst to Haidar, as soon as Peri Chantranum 0:14:39.440 --> 0:14:42.640 had gotten outside the palace gates, she had run to 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:46.760 Ismail's supporters and presented them with a set of keys 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:51.400 to the palace. Soon the men stormed through the gates, 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:56.760 calling for Hadar's blood. Haidar, hearing the cries, dressed in 0:14:56.840 --> 0:15:00.480 women's clothing and hid among a group of women leaving 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:04.960 the palace, but he was quickly found out. Ismaeil's supporters 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:09.720 captured Hadar and executed him. His severed head was thrown 0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:12.760 out of the palace for his supporters to see. He 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:16.920 had not even been show for one full day. With 0:15:17.040 --> 0:15:21.480 Hadar dead, Ismael had an easy path to victory, but 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:24.360 he was still on the road to Kasvin at this point, 0:15:24.480 --> 0:15:27.240 and in the meantime, the work of the state had 0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:32.160 to continue. The various nobles and government officials needed someone 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:37.560 to make decisions on administrative and financial issues. In other words, 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:40.800 they needed someone to rule, and who better than the 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:44.880 woman who had, in essence, determined the outcome of the 0:15:44.920 --> 0:15:49.320 succession crisis. For the next month and a half. While 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:52.840 Ismael was working his way toward the capital, Peri ran 0:15:53.000 --> 0:15:58.880 Ranum served as de facto regent, and her authority was unquestionable. 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:03.800 Her position seemed secure. She was confident that her influence 0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:08.160 and power would only continue once Ismail arrived in Cosvin. 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:17.120 After all, he owed her, didn't he. Ismail and his 0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:20.480 party came to the edge of Cosvin after twenty days 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:24.720 of traveling in late spring fifteen seventy six, but he 0:16:24.800 --> 0:16:28.960 did not enter the city immediately. Like many Suffovit royals, 0:16:29.120 --> 0:16:32.320 he was a fervent believer in reading the signs of 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:35.440 the stars, and he would only enter cosviin once his 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:39.080 astrologer told him that the time was right for a coronation. 0:16:40.000 --> 0:16:43.760 While he camped out, Peri chran Ranum continued to serve 0:16:43.800 --> 0:16:48.280 as ruler, giving audiences to nobles who would meet first 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:51.840 with the princess and then travel to Ismail's camp outside 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:56.480 the city for an audience with the prince. Ismaeil's twenty 0:16:56.560 --> 0:17:00.920 year long imprisonment had left him paranoid and dist trustful. 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:05.359 Though perigran Ranum was responsible for his victory, Ismael did 0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:09.240 not fully believe in her loyalty. After all, she was 0:17:09.320 --> 0:17:12.720 the most beloved daughter of their father. The same father, 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:16.879 who had sent Ismael to prison, and his suspicions only 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:20.639 deepened in his weeks spent on the outskirts of town 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:26.160 as he watched his sister's influence grow. After more than 0:17:26.200 --> 0:17:30.159 a month as regent, perigran Ranum had set up a 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:34.399 court of sorts replete with the same regal rituals and 0:17:34.520 --> 0:17:39.040 customs that her father's court had Followed. Nobles and servants 0:17:39.040 --> 0:17:43.879 alike behaved with deference to the princess, accorded her respect, 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:49.520 performed ceremonies on her behalf, and obeyed her decisions. Ismael, 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:54.359 seeing all of this, was furious. The historian Xander Begmundchi 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:58.280 records that Ismael gathered all of the nobles around and 0:17:58.359 --> 0:18:02.600 berated them, quote, have you not understood, my friends, that 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:06.600 interference in matters of state by women is demeaning to 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:09.480 the King's honor, and that for men to associate with 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:13.119 women of the Safavid royal house is an abominable crime. 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:18.040 End This censure quickly shut down the nobles practice of 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:22.639 visiting perchrand Renum. In fact, it shut down all practice 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:26.480 of anyone visiting her. From that point on, she was 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:30.560 kept in isolation in her home with only royal guards 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:35.240 for company. It was not only Perigranranum that Ismael was 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:39.159 suspicious of. Early on in his reign, he became convinced 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:41.919 that the only way to secure his grasp on the 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:46.200 throne was to eliminate all competition, and he quickly set 0:18:46.240 --> 0:18:50.880 about doing so mercilessly. On one day alone, he had 0:18:51.040 --> 0:18:56.240 six princes murdered. First was Prince Ibrahim, an artist, poet, 0:18:56.320 --> 0:19:01.360 and musician, who was strangled. His wife was so distraught 0:19:01.520 --> 0:19:05.680 by the death that she destroyed Ibrahim's entire library and 0:19:05.760 --> 0:19:08.680 precious art collection so that the Shah could not have 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:12.040 his treasures, and she worked herself into such a frenzy 0:19:12.080 --> 0:19:16.240 while destroying her husband's possessions that she herself died later 0:19:16.359 --> 0:19:20.520 that month. Then came Prince Mohammed Hussian, who was first 0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:24.399 blinded and then put to death. Next was Prince Mahmoud, 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:28.640 who was thought dead after strangulation, but awoke as whose 0:19:28.680 --> 0:19:31.800 corpse was being prepared for burial, and so then he 0:19:31.920 --> 0:19:35.800 was killed again. Then the Shah had Mahmud's infant son 0:19:36.080 --> 0:19:40.000 killed two Two more princes were brought to the palace 0:19:40.080 --> 0:19:44.960 and put to death. Later that same day, Ismael's Killingsbury 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:48.960 didn't end there. He ordered the deaths of nearly all 0:19:49.000 --> 0:19:53.240 remaining male members of the immediate royal family, Prince Thadi 0:19:53.280 --> 0:19:56.960 al Zaman and his royal son Bahram, and then Prince Hasan, 0:19:57.440 --> 0:20:01.440 son of Ismail's brother. By this this point, only one 0:20:01.480 --> 0:20:04.480 prince who had been blinded but whose life had been spared, 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:09.400 and the already blind Mohammed Kodabanda, survived. Its thought that 0:20:09.440 --> 0:20:13.480 Ismael was less concerned with Mohammed Kodabanda because he had 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:17.280 gone blind long ago, and because his remaining sons were 0:20:17.320 --> 0:20:21.480 still very young. Ismail perhaps also felt a sense of 0:20:21.520 --> 0:20:25.000 loyalty to his blind older brother, since they shared the 0:20:25.040 --> 0:20:30.320 same mother. But neither motivation proved quite strong enough. Soon 0:20:30.400 --> 0:20:33.440 the Shah ordered Mohammad and his sons to be placed 0:20:33.560 --> 0:20:37.199 under house arrest, and it was rumored that Ismael was 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:40.480 planning on having them put to death. But before that 0:20:40.520 --> 0:20:46.159 could happen, Ismail died suddenly on November fifth, fifteen seventy seven. 0:20:46.760 --> 0:20:49.160 The Shah had been in good health. He had spent 0:20:49.240 --> 0:20:51.960 the night before in the company of his close confident 0:20:52.119 --> 0:20:56.639 Hassan Bek, wandering the streets of Kasvin together smoking opium 0:20:56.720 --> 0:21:00.399 and eating sweets. The two men returned to Hassan Beg's 0:21:00.440 --> 0:21:04.080 room sometime in the early hours. In the morning, these 0:21:04.080 --> 0:21:08.040 Shah's attendants gathered outside the room, waiting for Ismaul to 0:21:08.080 --> 0:21:11.920 awaken and begin his day, but by late morning there 0:21:12.000 --> 0:21:15.560 was still no sign of him. Too frightened to disturb 0:21:15.640 --> 0:21:19.600 the Shah, the servants hovered nervously around the door until noon, 0:21:19.920 --> 0:21:23.440 at which point a physician was summoned. When the physician 0:21:23.560 --> 0:21:27.680 called through the door, Hassan Beg replied, as MUNCHI tells it, quote, 0:21:28.080 --> 0:21:30.880 I cannot move to open the door. Open the door 0:21:30.960 --> 0:21:33.960 from the outside in whatever way you can and come 0:21:34.000 --> 0:21:39.159 in for an astonishing event has occurred. Unquote. What was 0:21:39.240 --> 0:21:43.800 found when the door was finally opened was indeed astonishing. 0:21:44.160 --> 0:21:48.760 Hassan Beg was immobilized, with no sensation in his lower half, 0:21:49.000 --> 0:21:53.080 and he had a stuttering voice. The Shah himself was motionless. 0:21:53.359 --> 0:21:58.520 He was already dead. Hassan Beg haltingly recounted the events 0:21:58.560 --> 0:22:02.360 of the night. Returning from their walk, the Shah requested 0:22:02.400 --> 0:22:05.480 that his box of herbal medicines be brought to him. 0:22:05.880 --> 0:22:09.159 When the box arrived, Hassan Beg noticed that it was 0:22:09.240 --> 0:22:12.480 not sealed as it usually was, and he pointed it 0:22:12.520 --> 0:22:16.280 out to Ismail, who shook off his concerns. The Shah 0:22:16.359 --> 0:22:20.200 took some medicine and convinced Hassan to as well, though 0:22:20.200 --> 0:22:23.640 his companion took less than he had In the morning, 0:22:23.760 --> 0:22:27.760 when Hassan woke, he found himself unable to move his legs. 0:22:28.359 --> 0:22:32.240 Ismael was unable to speak. He stopped moving his arms. 0:22:32.359 --> 0:22:35.840 Hassan recounted, but after a while he ceased to move 0:22:36.040 --> 0:22:39.600 and his breathing stopped. As soon as the news of 0:22:39.680 --> 0:22:44.639 the strange circumstances of Ismael's death emerged, everyone seemed to 0:22:44.680 --> 0:22:48.120 have a theory. Some thought it was a simple matter 0:22:48.280 --> 0:22:52.920 of over consumption. Ismael was known to use excessive amounts 0:22:52.960 --> 0:22:57.080 of opium and eat until he was ill. Others thought 0:22:57.200 --> 0:23:01.560 it was a severe recurrence of an occasional stomach problem 0:23:01.720 --> 0:23:07.040 that the Shah suffered. But more cynical observers pointed to poison, 0:23:07.480 --> 0:23:11.879 and when court physicians examined the Shah's body, they found 0:23:12.000 --> 0:23:17.080 symptoms that seemed to be signs of poisoning. Given Ismael's 0:23:17.160 --> 0:23:21.760 wholesale execution of nearly all of his close male relatives, 0:23:22.000 --> 0:23:25.240 he had no shortage of enemies, but there was one 0:23:25.320 --> 0:23:28.240 name that seemed to come up most often in the 0:23:28.280 --> 0:23:31.960 discussions of suspects, the name of a family member who 0:23:32.000 --> 0:23:35.520 had been betrayed by Ismail, who had given him the 0:23:35.600 --> 0:23:43.880 throne and been rewarded with banishment, the Princess Periranranum. Contemporaries 0:23:44.000 --> 0:23:49.320 and some historians alike have contended that Periandraanum, furious at 0:23:49.359 --> 0:23:53.600 Ismaeil's treatment of her, had indeed conspired with maid servants 0:23:53.840 --> 0:23:58.520 in Ismail's household to poison him. We'll never know for 0:23:58.760 --> 0:24:02.600 sure exactly who or what caused the death of Shah 0:24:02.640 --> 0:24:06.520 Ismail the Second in November of fifteen seventy seven, but 0:24:06.600 --> 0:24:10.760 we do know what happened next whether or not peri 0:24:10.920 --> 0:24:14.720 Rankranum was responsible for the death of Ismael. She played 0:24:14.720 --> 0:24:19.240 the circumstances to her advantage. When a group of nobles 0:24:19.280 --> 0:24:23.080 approached her asking her to take the throne, she demurred, 0:24:23.320 --> 0:24:26.520 saying that it would be improper given that her older 0:24:26.520 --> 0:24:30.560 brother Mohammed still lived, a statement no doubt influenced by 0:24:30.600 --> 0:24:34.360 her understanding that society at large at the time would 0:24:34.400 --> 0:24:37.960 be hesitant about a woman in power, but even nobles 0:24:37.960 --> 0:24:41.040 who were uncomfortable with the idea of a woman formally 0:24:41.080 --> 0:24:46.000 taking the throne recognized the princess's power. After the leaders 0:24:46.040 --> 0:24:49.800 of the various tribes and political alliances met to discuss 0:24:49.840 --> 0:24:53.880 the next Shah, they went to Perrankranum's house to get 0:24:53.920 --> 0:24:58.000 her final approval on their proposal. Their proposal was to 0:24:58.080 --> 0:25:02.360 put Mohammed Kodabundan the throne. It was a proposal that 0:25:02.520 --> 0:25:07.680 suited Perkranranum well. Mohammed Kodubanda was known to pursue pleasure 0:25:07.920 --> 0:25:11.639 more than political power. With a weak willed and not 0:25:11.800 --> 0:25:17.280 particularly politically minded man on the throne, Pekandranum thought she 0:25:17.400 --> 0:25:21.080 could rule in the shadows. But what she hadn't counted 0:25:21.119 --> 0:25:27.119 on was another player in the equation, someone who, like Periandranum, 0:25:27.280 --> 0:25:30.720 had been overlooked on account of her sex, but who 0:25:30.840 --> 0:25:35.520 was keenly ambitious, and perhaps just as clever as the 0:25:35.560 --> 0:25:42.240 princess herself. It was Mohammed Kudbanda's wife, Hira al Nisabegum. 0:25:42.880 --> 0:25:47.119 Hira al Nisabegum was born in Mazandaran, a province in 0:25:47.160 --> 0:25:50.040 the north of the Empire on the southern shores of 0:25:50.080 --> 0:25:53.840 the Caspian Sea. Born to a ruler of the province. 0:25:53.920 --> 0:25:58.040 Her childhood was likely a luxurious one, but the privilege 0:25:58.080 --> 0:26:02.240 didn't last in fifteen. In sixty five, her cousin killed 0:26:02.280 --> 0:26:05.560 her father and hire on Ni Sabagun was forced to flee. 0:26:06.000 --> 0:26:09.280 She took refuge with the Sapavid court, and though she 0:26:09.400 --> 0:26:12.080 was quickly swept up in the activities of the court, 0:26:12.480 --> 0:26:16.040 her desire for revenge against her cousin never left her. 0:26:16.440 --> 0:26:20.240 She was eventually married to Mohammed Kodabanda, the son of 0:26:20.320 --> 0:26:25.399 the shah Tamas the first. Given Mohammed Kodabanda's blindness, the 0:26:25.440 --> 0:26:28.320 family had determined that he would never take the throne, 0:26:28.680 --> 0:26:32.080 and so their family ended up living a relatively low 0:26:32.160 --> 0:26:36.359 profile life in the city of Shiraz, where Mohammad nominally 0:26:36.480 --> 0:26:39.720 served as governor, spending most of his time with a 0:26:39.720 --> 0:26:44.119 group of artists and poets. But with his brother Ismael's death, 0:26:44.600 --> 0:26:49.679 their family status rose meteorically. As the court awaited the 0:26:49.800 --> 0:26:54.359 arrival of their new Shah. Perry Khanhanum assumed the same 0:26:54.520 --> 0:26:58.120 role of unofficial regent that she had between the death 0:26:58.160 --> 0:27:01.560 of Hadar and the coronation of Isma. This period of 0:27:01.600 --> 0:27:05.680 control would last, this time for nearly three months. Her 0:27:05.720 --> 0:27:09.560 most notable accomplishment during this time was the liberation of 0:27:09.600 --> 0:27:13.960 a large number of political prisoners, including those jailed for 0:27:14.040 --> 0:27:20.040 supporting Hadar. But even as Perichranranum maintained order in the empire, 0:27:20.680 --> 0:27:27.480 trouble was brewing within the royal family. It began when 0:27:27.600 --> 0:27:32.359 Ismaeil's former Vizir or political adviser, rode out to Shiraz 0:27:32.480 --> 0:27:37.040 to warn Mohammed Kodabanda and his wife of Peri Ranranum's ambitions. 0:27:37.760 --> 0:27:41.840 Quote as long as Peigranranum was mistress in the palace 0:27:41.960 --> 0:27:45.480 and controlled affairs of the state. When she records the 0:27:45.560 --> 0:27:49.320 Vizier saying the Shah would possess nothing but the title 0:27:49.359 --> 0:27:52.119 of king and his wife would not be admitted to 0:27:52.160 --> 0:27:55.760 the hero. The royal couple made it clear that they 0:27:55.800 --> 0:28:00.000 would not tolerate any usurpation. When news of this declaration 0:28:00.240 --> 0:28:03.920 made it back to Perry Chankranum, she and her supporters 0:28:03.960 --> 0:28:09.040 began to take actions to solidify her power. Guards patrolled 0:28:09.040 --> 0:28:12.760 the palace, ready to take on any threat to the princess. 0:28:13.720 --> 0:28:16.520 In response, the Vizier sent guards of his own to 0:28:16.640 --> 0:28:21.840 the state treasury, which was under Perichranhranum's control at that point, 0:28:21.880 --> 0:28:26.720 tensions mounted and several skirmishes ensued between the supporters of 0:28:26.760 --> 0:28:31.440 Perry Krankranum and those of Mohammed Codebanda and Chira al Nisabagum. 0:28:32.040 --> 0:28:35.600 Peri Franchranum's treatment of the couple upon their arrival in 0:28:35.720 --> 0:28:39.480 Kasvin did nothing to help matters. As Mohammed and his 0:28:39.560 --> 0:28:43.040 wife rode up to the city on February ninth, fifteen 0:28:43.120 --> 0:28:46.680 seventy eight, Perichrankranum came out to greet them in an 0:28:46.720 --> 0:28:51.680 opulent litter surrounded by a huge crowd of supporters. It 0:28:51.880 --> 0:28:55.640 was a bold statement of authority, and one that certainly 0:28:55.840 --> 0:29:01.640 rankled the already insecure royal incomers. One story recounted by 0:29:01.760 --> 0:29:07.120