Draft:Tekeli Rebellion

Tekeli Rebellion
Part of Safavid Iran
Date 1531 Location Hamadan, Ganduman Result Chukha Sultan Tekali is killed. The Tekeli tribe is defeated. Some of them flee to Baghdad. The other part is killed by the order of the king.

Tekeli Rebellion — the uprising of Tekeli Khanate against Shah Tahmasp I in 1531. This rebellion is referred to as the "Afati-Tekeluyan" in historical literature.

Background

In 1527, at the instigation of Chuxa Sultan Tekeli, Div Sultan Rumlu was killed. Chuxa Sultan convinced Shah Tahmasp that Div Sultan was causing discord among the tribes. This led to the downfall of the Rumlu nobles' rule. Governance had fallen solely into the hands of Chuxa Sultan. Oktay Afandiyev writes that he wielded such power that under him, "only the name of the shah remained". He "divided most of the provinces among his Tekeli tribe relatives and elevated each of them to the rank of khan, and the degree of sultan".

Not long after, due to Chuxa Sultan Tekeli's independent actions in his roles as both Amir al-umara and Vizier, Shah Tahmasp decided to remove him from office. Soon, the influence of Chuxa Sultan and the Tekeli tribe dwindled significantly. In 1529, during the battle near Zirabad, when Tekeli commanders abandoned the battlefield, the Safavid army faced the danger of defeat.

Another event occurred during Ubeid Khan's attack on Herat. Ubeid Khan began looting and pressuring the people around Herat in order to prevent the entry of food supplies into the city, as he had done in previous sieges. Chuxa Sultan, realizing the likelihood of falling into the hands of Ubeid's Uzbeks and understanding the scarcity and delay of assistance from the Shah, sent Husayn Khan Khwaja Ishak Siavashani to Ubeid Khan, informing him that, on the condition of not harming Herat and its inhabitants, he would evacuate the Qizilbash and his family from the city. Ubeid Khan accepted this proposal and withdrew. Husayn Khan, along with Samli, Sam Mirza, and all the Qizilbash, left Herat and headed towards Sistan. Thus, Herat fell into the hands of the Uzbeks. One of the architects of the capture of Herat was Chuxa Sultan. Chuxa Sultan had forbidden the Qizilbash army from sending aid to those besieged in Herat.

Rebellion

In the month of Zulqadah of the year 937 AH (June 17, 1531 AD), Husayn Khan arrived with Sam Mirza at the Shah's headquarters near Isfahan. Chuxa Sultan and the Tekeli commanders and others who were present in the army welcomed them. According to Abdi Bey Shirazi in his work "Takmiletul-Ahbar," Chuxa Sultan, addressing Husayn Khan as "son," decided that he would host him at his residence the next day. "Finally, as night approached, Husayn Khan was granted permission to return to his army. Sam Mirza was not permitted to accompany him. Shah Tahmasib, who was expecting him, personally escorted him to the royal Haram so that his mother, Baim, and sisters could rejoice at seeing him. This gesture weighed heavily on Husayn Khan, and he changed his mind. Chuxa Sultan noticed that Husayn Khan, who went to the residence without Sam Mirza, was upset. Therefore, Mirza Safar Avachini, his vizier known as Ariq Vizir, and two or three trusted commanders of Tekeli were sent to him to soothe and entertain him. They were to ensure that he would come to Chuxa Sultan's residence in the morning without any resentment."

Hasan Bey Rumlu writes in "Ahsan al-Tavarikh" about Chuxa Sultan's plan:

"Chuxa Sultan, adopting a hypocritical attitude towards Husayn Khan, intended to assassinate him during a gathering. To this end, he busied himself with organizing a feast to invite them (Husayn Khan and his close associates) the next day. Some of the faithful followers of the Shah, aware of this plan, informed Husayn Khan of this situation."

Thus, Husayn Khan learned of this plan by Chuxa Sultan. He sent a group of armed men to Chuxa Sultan's residence when night fell. Chuxa Sultan fled to the audience hall in the hope of finding refuge. However, he could not obtain the support he sought from Shah Tahmasp. Husayn Khan attacked the Shamli state. A clash erupted between the Shamli and Tekeli factions in the presence of the Shah. During the confrontation, two arrows struck the Shah's crown. The Zulqadar guards were on the Shah's side. They allied with the Shamlis. Among the Zulqadar guards standing by the Shah, a man named Misir Qorquzlu severely wounded Chuxa Sultan. According to Abdi Bey, Chuxa Sultan's two close associates, his arrow and bow bearer Jamshid and his coat bearer Mustafa, found him lying on the ground. They carried him into the audience hall of the royal court. When the Shah saw him in that state, he ordered those two individuals to take him to the slope of the tent. He should rest for a while as he was injured. He also instructed them to keep his condition secret. In the battle that ensued, the Shamlis, despite being outnumbered, defeated the Tekelis and retreated to the Genduman plateau and then to Fars. Three hundred Shamlis were taken captive by the Tekelis.

Tekeli leaders sent an envoy to the Azerbaijan Amir al-Umara Ulama Sultan Tekeli. However, due to the long distance, the envoy could not reach Isfahan. In the meantime, to maintain the position of the representative within their ranks, they appointed Chuxa Sultan's eldest son, Shahqubad, without consulting him. While this information is confirmed by Hasan Bey Rumlu, Iskandar Bey Munshi Turkman, and Budaq Qazvini, according to Abdi Bey Shirazi, the Shah awaited calm and precisely appointed Shahqubad himself. Abdi Bey writes that the Shah replaced Chuxa Sultan's eldest son with his father. His younger son, Ali, was given the title of sultan and the rank of emir, which was the duty of Shahqubad. The efforts of the Tekeli emirs to preserve their own sovereignty were met with dissatisfaction by other Qizilbash tribes who were subjected to the oppression of the Tekeli feudal lords, including the Ustajlu, Rumlu, Zulqadar, and Afshar emirs. A few days later, in the battle around Imam Sahl Ali in the Genduman plateau, the Tekelis were defeated. Seeing that Shah Tahmasp had negative views towards them, the Tekelis decided to escape. For this purpose, they sent a person named Yanchi Qulu to the royal court to capture the Shah. However, Shah Tahmasib learned of this plan and ordered the killing of Yanchi Qulu. Under the Shah's command, members of the Tekeli tribe also began to be severely punished. Another reason for Shah Tahmasp's order was Chuxa Sultan's sons killing several members of the Ustajlu, Zulqadar, and Afshar tribes without consulting the Shah, and attacking the royal court with armed forces. These events are detailed in "Takhmīlat al-Akhbār."

Şah Tahmasib, after a 20-day break, decided to confront the accursed Tekelis. All tribes armed themselves and gathered at the gates of the royal court. When the Tekeli tribe arrived at the gate and assessed the situation, feeling completely hopeless, they turned towards the Baghdad road. The previous events repeated themselves. Other tribes began to pursue the Tekelis. From the Tekelis, the chief guard Duray Bey and the steward known as Kabe Khalife, whose name was Ibrahim Khalife, were killed. The notable figures and descendants of the Tekelis were each tied up and brought to the shrine. They were offered the sherbet, a drink of death, by the guards of the previous prison, and thus "Afet-i Tekeluyan" became the historical event. After a few days, all those who escaped and other Tekelis came to the shrine around Hamadan with the hope of "we are not personally guilty" and were subjected to the death penalty by the sword.

Thus, many famous Tekeli commanders were killed. Others fled to Baghdad, seeking refuge with Mohammed Khan Sharafuddin's son, Tekeli. However, Mohammed Khan did not release them in Baghdad to demonstrate his loyalty to Shah Tahmasib. Instead, he instructed Budaq Qazvini to deal with them. Budaq Qazvini reported that there were 1800 Tekelis. He provided food for the Tekelis and their horses. Mohammed Khan, on the other hand, killed Quduz Sultan Tekeli, one of the commanders of the Tekeli tribe, and several other Tekeli commanders, and sent their heads to Shah Tahmasib.

This event is famous in Safavid history as the "Tekelu disaster" or "Afet-i Tekeluyan."

Result

In August 1531, Shah Tahmasp sent an envoy to Shiraz inviting Hüseyin Khan Shamli to the palace. The Shah's aim was to maintain balance among the Qizilbash. For this purpose, Hüseyin Khan Shamli and Abdullah Khan Ustacılı were appointed as co-amirs al-umara. Thus, with the death of Chuxa Sultan, Hüseyin Khan Shamli succeeded him.

The rule of the Tekeli lords (1527–1531) was replaced by the rule of the Shamli feudal lords. After the death of Chuxa Sultan, Hüseyin Khan Shamli became the most powerful feudal lord and assumed the roles of deputy and amir al-umara. Hüseyin Khan, like his predecessor, focused initially on securing favorable positions for his tribe, dividing "the best provinces among the Shamli lords" and not allowing interference in state affairs. In 1531–1532, he had Amir Kıvameddin Cəfər Savəcini killed. Ahmed Bey Nurkamal İsfahani was appointed as the new vizier. The rise of Hüseyin Khan Shamli in the palace was not well received by Ulama Bey Tekeli, leading to a rebellion in 1531.

References

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Categories:

• Conflicts in 1531
• Rebellion