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Jahan Shah

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Not to be confused with Shah Jahan.
Jahan Shah
Padishah-i Iran (in Persian)[1]
King of Kings of Iran
Coinage of Jahan Shah, Wastan mint
Sultan of Qara Qoyunlu
Reign1438–1467
Coronation19 April 1438
PredecessorQara Iskander
SuccessorHasan Ali
Born1397[2] or 1405[3]
Khoy[2] or Mardin[3]
Died30 October or 11 November 1467 (aged 61–62 or 69–70)
Near Bingöl, Anatolia
Burial
Blue Mosque, Tabriz, Iran
Issue
FatherQara Yusuf
ReligionIslam
OccupationPoet
SignatureJahan Shah in golden letter, 1453

Muzaffar al-Din Jahan Shah ibn Yusuf (Persian: جهان شاه; Azerbaijani: Cahanşah جهان شاه; 1397 in Khoy or 1405 in Mardin[4] – 30 October or 11 November 1467 near Bingöl[4]) or Abu al-Muzaffar Jahan Shah was the leader of the Qara Qoyunlu Oghuz Turkic tribal confederacy in Azerbaijan and Arran who reigned c. 1438 – 1467. During his reign he managed to expand the Qara Qoyunlu's territory to its largest extent, including Eastern Anatolia, most of present-day Iraq, central Iran, and even eventually Kerman. He also conquered neighbouring states. He was one of the greatest rulers of the Qara Qoyunlu. He was also allegedly fond of drinking and entertainment. During his reign Jahan Shah had the Gökmedrese and Muzafferiye theological schools constructed in his capital city Tabriz.

Early life

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Jahan Shah was the son of Qara Yusuf. He had several brothers, some of whom ruled the Qara Qoyunlu before him: Pirbudag (r.1411–1414), Ispend bin Yusuf, Iskander (r.1421–1429, 1431-1436), Abu Said (r.1430). Jahan Shah was sent to retake Soltaniyeh and Qazvin just before his father's death.[5]

During reign of Qara Iskander

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Contemporary portrait of Qara Iskander, brother of Jahan Shah, circa 1430

Around 1420 Jahan Shah married the daughter of Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene,[6] part of the agreement being that Alexius would continue paying to the Qara Qoyunlu the tribute that Trebizond had formerly paid to Timur. During the reign of his brother Qara Iskander (1420–36), as a potential rival to the throne, Jahan Shah’s life was not safe and he took refuge with his other brother Ispend who was ruling Baghdad. In 1436 he obtained the help of the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh to defeat Qara Iskander and seize the throne for himself. Having been helped to power by Shah Rukh he ruled at first as a vassal of the Timurids. He was also adopted by Goharshad Begum and crowned on 19 April 1438, along taking epithet "Muzaffar al-Din".[4]

Campaigns against Georgia

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In 1440, King Alexander I of Georgia refused to pay tribute to Jahan Shah. In March Jahan Shah responded by invading Georgia with 20,000 troops, destroyed the city of Samshvilde and sacked Tbilisi before returning to Tabriz. He was accompanied by Shaykh Ibrahim, father of future Shaykh Junayd.[7] He also mounted a second military expedition against Georgia in 1444. His forces met those of Alexander’s successor, King Vakhtang IV at Akhaltsikhe, but the fighting was inconclusive and Jahan Shah returned to Tabriz once more.

Conquest of Baghdad

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Jahan Shah’s brother Ispend, who had ruled over Baghdad and its environs for twelve years, died in 1445 and he bequeathed the government of the state to his nephew Alvand Mirza since his son Fulad Mirza was too young at the time. However most of the emirs preferred Fulad. He decided to organise a military expedition against Baghdad with the backing of some of the emirs, who had sought refuge with him. After a siege of seven months, Baghdad was captured on 9 June 1446.[8][4] He also appointed his nephews Alvand Mirza, Rustam, Tarkhan and Mahmud to jointly govern Mosul. He appointed his son Mirza Muhammad to govern Baghdad in his name.

Reign

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Maximum extent of Qara Qoyunlu territory in 1458 under Jahan Shah

Upon the death of the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh in 1447, Jahan Shah became an independent ruler of the Qara Qoyunlu, and started to use the titles of sultan and khan. At the same time, the Timurid Empire took advantage of the struggles among the Turkoman princes and captured the cities of Sultaniya and Qazvin. Peace was made when Sultan Muhammad bin Baysonqor was married to a daughter of Jahan Shah. However, he retook lands he lost from Mirza Babur.

In 1452-1453, Jahan Shah seized the opportunity of the death of Sultan Muhammad bin Baysonqor, Timurid Governor of Fars, to further expand East and South, taking Savah, Qumm, Isfahan, Shiraz and Yazd. He was seconded by his son Pīr Būdāq, who became governor of Shiraz.[5][9]

In the summer of 1458, Jahan Shah advanced as far as Herat, leading to the occupation of Herat for six months, but finally had to turn back because of a revolt by his son Hasan Ali and also because Abu Said's march on Tabriz.[10]

Hasan Ali was kept in Maku prison for a while for his rebellious nature. He was defeated in winter 1458. But this time, his son Pirbudag rebelled, who was soon joined by Hasan Ali in Fars. However, he was spared at the request of his mother and replaced by Mirza Yusuf, another son of Jahan Shah.[5] Pirbudag was sent to govern Baghdad, his other sons Qasim beg was assigned to Kerman with Hasan Ali being imprisoned again. However, Pirbudag again rebelled, now controlling Baghdad. He was defeated in 1464 and was executed by Mirza Muhammad.

Conflict with the Aq Qoyunlu

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Battle of Chapakchur (1467). After a raid on the Qara Qoyunlu camp, a severed head, claimed to be Jahan Shah's, is being shown to Uzun Hasan. Folio 402v. Rawzat al-Safa, 1599, Turkey (British Library, Or. 5736)

Conflict with Jahangir

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From around 1447 Jahan Shah was involved in a struggle against the Ak Koyunlu who had always been sworn enemies of the Qara Qoyunlu. First of these battles happened when Alvand Mirza rebelled and fled to Jahangir, chief of Ak Koyunlu. Jahan Shah demanded his rebellious nephew, but Jahangir refused to hand him over. Jahan Shah invaded Erzincan and sent his commander – Rustem beg to subdue Jahangir. Hopeless Jahangir sent his mother Sara Khatun to Mamluk Egypt while Jahan Shah started to support his half-brother Sheikh Hasan.[11] While Sheikh Hasan was killed by Uzun Hasan, brother of Jahangir; Jahan Shah hasted to offer peace to Ak Koyunlu, in return to accept their submission. Jahangir accepted and also wed his daughter to Mirza Muhammad.

Conflict with Uzun Hasan

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Uzun Hasan did not acknowledge his elder brother's submission and rebelled against him, capturing Amid in 1457. Jahangir fled to Jahan Shah. Uzun Hasan was also supported by Safavids, their leader Shaykh Junayd being brother-in-law to Uzun Hasan.[12] He was replaced by Shaykh Jafar – his uncle.

Jahan Shah set out from Tabriz with a great army on 16 May 1466, and came to the basin of Lake Van. While there, he was furious to learn that Uzun Hasan was raiding his lands with 12,000 cavalry. Meanwhile, Uzun Hasan, suspecting that Jahan Shah was planning to attack him, had carefully guarded the mountain passes. Envoys went back and forth between them, but because of Jahan Shah’s heavy demands, an agreement could not be reached. Having advanced as far as Muş, Jahan Shah had to postpone his attack because of the onset of winter. As his troops began to complain, he decided to withdraw to a winter residence. Uzun Hasan caught his army by surprise and totally defeated them in a sudden attack. Mirza Yusuf and Mirza Muhammad was captured on 30 October or 11 November 1467 at the Battle of Chapakchur. Jahan Shah was killed in battle while fleeing. and with his death the great era of Qara Qoyunlu history came to an end. He was succeeded by his son Hasan Ali. Jahan Shah had been buried in southern part of Blue Mosque, Tabriz.

Legacy

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Northern iwan of Darb-e Imam, Isfahan, 1453
Eastern iwan of the Jameh Mosque of Yazd, 1457

In the year 1462, Abd al-Razzaq described Jahan-shah's rule in the following terms: "Owing to the benevolent administration (husn-i 'inayat va lutf-i atifat) of Mirza Jahan-shah, Azarbaijan was a highly thriving state. That well-meaning sovereign was anxious to practice justice, to secure prosperity of the country, and to treat his subjects honourably. The capital, Tabriz, by its numerous population and the prevalence of tranquility, emulated Egypt (misr-i jami). The rumours of the good behaviour of that felicitous king spread throughout the world. The inhabitants of his God-protected kingdom, indifferent to the arrows of events, enjoyed peace".[13]

Jahan Shah, along with being a poet, promoted culture, learning and architecture.[14] Using the pseudonym "Haqiqi",[14] Jahan Shah wrote poetry in Azerbaijani Turkic[15] and Persian.[14] In 1447 he married his daughter to a descendant of the famous mystic Shah Nimatullah Vali whom the Shia revered as a saint and a worker of miracles.

Architecture

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Jahan Shah is known for several architectural contributions through western Iran. The Northern Iwan of Darb-e Imam is attributed to him. He commissioned and dedicated the monument in 1453, two years after conquering the city.[16] The gate is considered as "a masterpiece of tile decoration",[17] and "among the finest specimens of such work in Persia".[18] It has a monumental inscription in Persian recording the rule of Jahanshah and the local governorship of his son Moḥammad: “When the ruler of the greatest domain, lord of the mightiest realm, and sovereign protector of the world Abu’l-Moẓaffar Mīrzāda Jahānšāh, may God perpetuate his stewardship, entrusted the government of this province to the care and direction of the prince, the support of the pillars of the religion of Moḥammad Abu’l-Fatḥ Moḥammadī...”.[19]

Jahanshah is also known for renovation work on the Eastern entrance iwan of the Jameh Mosque of Yazd in 1457. The portal has a central dedication in the name of Jahanshah: "the structure of this lofty arch (taf) was restored during the reign of . . . Abu’l-Muzaffar Sultan Jahanshah, Nizam al Dawlah wa’l-Din al-Hajj Qanbar, in Dhu’l-Hijjah 861." It is thought that the contribution was specifically related to the muqarnas of the portal.[20]

The Blue Mosque in Tabriz was started in 870 AH (1465/1466 CE) through a foundation established by the wife of Jahanshah, and was completed during the reign of the Āq Qoyunlu in the 1480s.[21][22]

18th century portrait by Abu'l-Hasan Mostawfi Ghaffari

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Imaginary portrait of Jahan Shah, wearing 18th century clothes and weapons, by Abu'l-Hasan Mostawfi Ghaffari, dated 1780 or 1795.[23]

An imaginary portrait of Jahan Shah, attributed to the Persian painter Abu'l-Hasan Mostawfi Ghaffari and dated 1780 or 1795, is located in the Louvre Museum (Louvre MAO 599) and labelled by the museum "Portrait de Mirza Jahanshah Qara Qoyunlu (r. 1501-1524)".[24]

The artist Abu'l-Hasan Mostawfi Ghaffari (died 1797/98) was active at the court the Zand dynasty and is known for several watercolors of historical subjects.[25]

The identification of Jahan Shah is based on an inscription in Arabic in the Thuluth calligraphical style, appearing in a row of blue tiles behind the subject: "The Great Sultan, the Most Honorable Khagan Abu al-Muzaffar, Amir Jahanshah Turkman, may God perpetuate his kingdom and his authority." (السلطان الاعظم الخاقان الاكرم ابو المظفر امير جهانشاه تركمان خلد الله ملكه و سلطانه, al-sulṭān al-aʿẓam al-ẖāqān al-akram abū al-muẓaffar amīr ǧahānšāh Turkmān ẖalada Allāh mulkahu wa sulṭānahu).[26] In several of his works, Abu'l Hasan uses epigraphic panels in Thuluth script, incorporated into arched bays (designed after the Khodakhaneh in Shiraz).[27]

The subject in the painting wears a costume with flower patterns, as well of the dagger and the sabers decorated with precious stones, which are designs of the 18th century.[23]

The original signature of the portrait was imperfectly erased in modern times, and replaced by the signature "Khalil Musawir, year 841" (خليل مصوير سنه ۸۴۱) in an apparent attempt to claim that the painting was much more ancient, corresponding to the period of Jahan Shah (1437), and a production of the famous painter of Shahrukh named Khalil Musawir, in the year 841 (1437 CE).[28][29]

Family

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He was married several times. Known marriages include: a daughter of Alexios IV of Trebizond[6][30] and Jan Begüm (daughter Tajuddin Rajab bin Afridun):

Sons

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Contemporary depiction of Pir Budaq, son of Jahan Shah, as Governor of Shiraz. Shiraz miniature, c. 1455–1460

Daughters

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References and notes

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  1. ^ Fragner, Bert G. (1998). "Shah Isamil's Fermans and Sanads: Tradition and Reform in Persophone Administration and Chancellery Affairs". Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. 1 (1). Khazar University Press. ISSN 1027-3875. Subsequently, lahanshah (sic) Qara-Qoyunlu presented himself as padishah-i Iran immeuiately after the takeover of Tabriz (...)
  2. ^ a b Macit, M., "Cihanşah ve Türkçe Şiirleri", Ahmet Yesevi Üniversitesi Türk Dünyası Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi (bilig), bilig-13, ppː10, 2000.
  3. ^ a b YINANÇ, Mükrimin H.(1945), Cihânşâh, İslam Ansiklopedisi, Istanbul
  4. ^ a b c d "CİHAN ŞAH- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi". islamansiklopedisi.org.tr. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
  5. ^ a b c Minorsky, V. (1955). "The Qara-Qoyunlu and the Qutb-Shahs". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 17 (1): 50–73. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00106342. ISSN 1474-0699. S2CID 162273460.
  6. ^ a b Kuršanskis, Michel (1979). "La descendance d'Alexis IV, empereur de Trébizonde. Contribution à la prosopographie des Grands Comnènes". Revue des études byzantines (in French). 37 (1): 239–247. doi:10.3406/rebyz.1979.2098. ISSN 0766-5598.
  7. ^ Metsopʻetsʻi, Tʻovma (1987). Tʼovma Metsobetsʼi's History of Tamerlane and his successors. Translated by Bedrosian, Robert. Sources of the Armenian Tradition. OCLC 17261212.
  8. ^ Minorsky 1954, p. 275.
  9. ^ Brend, Dr Barbara (5 November 2013). Perspectives on Persian Painting: Illustrations to Amir Khusrau's Khamsah. Routledge. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-136-85418-7.
  10. ^ Baumer, Christoph (2018-04-18). History of Central Asia, The: 4-volume set. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-83860-868-2.
  11. ^ ÇAKMAK, Mehmet Ali (2014-11-21). "Fights Between Akkoyunlu and Karakoyunlu". Gazi Üniversitesi Gazi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi (in Turkish). 25 (3).
  12. ^ Newman, Andrew J. (2009). Safavid Iran : rebirth of a Persian empire (Paperback ed.). London: I.B. Tauris. p. 129. ISBN 9781441616050. OCLC 430224867.
  13. ^ Minorsky 1954, p. 277.
  14. ^ a b c Sumer 1997, p. 588.
  15. ^ Minorsky 1954, p. 283.
  16. ^ Durand-Guedy, David (1 January 2018). Isfahan during the Turko Mongol period (11th-15th centuries). Brill. p. 2999. The entrance of Darb-i Imām, commissioned by Jahān-Šāh Qara-qoyunlu in 857/1453 {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  17. ^ Durand-Guedy, David (1 January 2018). Isfahan during the Turko Mongol period (11th-15th centuries). Brill. p. 2999. The entrance of Darb-i Imām, commissioned by Jahān-Šāh Qara-qoyunlu in 857/1453 ... In Isfahan, the Darb-i Imām, commissioned by Jahān-Šāh Qara-qoyunlu in 857/1453 to contain the tombs of Ibrāhim Baṭḥā and Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, is a masterpiece of tile decoration {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  18. ^ "DARB -E EMĀM". Encyclopaedia Iranica.
  19. ^ "DARB -E EMĀM". Encyclopaedia Iranica.
  20. ^ Golombek, Lisa; Wilber, Donald Newton (1988). The Timurid Architecture of Iran and Turan, Vol. 1. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Pr. p. 416. ISBN 978-0691035871. 9. Dhu'l-Hijjah 861 /October 1457 (p. 126, 3/4). Mosaic faience surrounding the rectangular frame of the doorway of the portal: ". . . the structure of this lofty arch (taf) was restored during the reign of . . . Abu'l-Muzaffar Sultan Jahanshah, Nizam al Dawlah wa'l-Din al-Hajj Qanbar, in Dhu'l-Hijjah 861. Written by Muhammad al-Hakim." The vault in question is probably the muqarnas of the portal.
  21. ^ Aube, Sandra (2020). "TABRIZ x. MONUMENTS x(1). The Blue Mosque". Encyclopædia Iranica Online. Brill. doi:10.1163/2330-4804_EIRO_COM_10934.
  22. ^ Burch, Heike; Burch, Gerd (15 February 2024). "Iran - Tabriz and the Blue Mosque" (includes extensive images of the mosque). Leben pur! On the way. Münchenwiler, Switzerland: MOLIRI. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  23. ^ a b "The gold brocade costume, decorated with numerous florets, appeared to be from the 18th century, not the 15th, as did the weapons, the dagger and the sabre, whose sleeves are decorated with precious stones." ("Le costume de brocart d'or, orné de nombreuses fleurettes, semblait être du XVIIIe siècle, non du XVe, de même que les armes, le poignard et le sabre, donc les manches sont ornés de pierres précieuses.") in Iran : pièces du musée de Téhéran, du musée du Louvre et de collections particulières, cat. exp. (Paris, Musée Cernuschi), Paris, Musée Cernuschi, 1948, p. 74-75, n° 152
  24. ^ "Portrait de Mirza Jahanshah Qara Qoyunlu (r. 1501-1524)".
  25. ^ Diba, Layla (1 January 1998). Royal Persian Paintings : The Qajar Epoch 1785 - 1925. pp. 147–148. The chronicler Muhammad Asaf (...) records the names of (...) Mirza Hasan (...) as court painter. (...) Mirza Hasan may be indentified with the painter Abu'l Hasan Mustawfi Ghaffari Kashani (active 1780s-1790s), known from a number of extant watercolors of historical subjects.
  26. ^ "Portrait de Mirza Jahanshah Qara Qoyunlu (r. 1501-1524)".
  27. ^ Diba, Layla (1 January 1998). Royal Persian Paintings : The Qajar Epoch 1785 - 1925. pp. 148, page 167 note 5.
  28. ^ "Portrait de Mirza Jahanshah Qara Qoyunlu (r. 1501-1524)".
  29. ^ According to Musée Cernuschi, the original signature by Abu al-Hasan Ghaffari Mustawfi al-Kashani was erased, and a new inscription was then fabricated to claim a more ancient production of the painting by the famous painter of Shahrukh named Khalil Musawir, in the year 841 (1437 CE): "Encore qu'on l'ait affublé récemment du nom d'un peintre célèbre de la cours de Shah Rukh, Kalil Mosawwar, et d'une date, 841 (1437), qui est celle de l'avènement de Shah Jahan. (...) Nous nous aperçûmes aussi que le portrait de Djahan Shah avait bien été signé par son véritable auteur, comme celui de Shah Safi, mais que la signature avait été lavée, pour qu'elle ne contredise pas l'attribution de cette oeuvre à Kalil Mosawwar." in Iran : pièces du musée de Téhéran, du musée du Louvre et de collections particulières, cat. exp. (Paris, Musée Cernuschi), Paris, Musée Cernuschi, 1948, p. 74-75, n° 152
  30. ^ Nicol, Donald M. (1993). The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261-1453. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 404. ISBN 978-0-521-43991-6.
  31. ^ Savory, Roger (1987). Studies on the History of Ṣafawid Iran. London: Variorum Reprints. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-86078-204-9.

Sources

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  • Minorsky, V. (1954). "Jihān-Shāh Qara-Qoyunlu and His Poetry (Turkmenica, 9)". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 16 (2): 271–97. doi:10.1017/s0041977x00105981. JSTOR 609169. S2CID 154352923.
  • Sumer, F. (1997). "Kara Koyunlu". In van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B.; Pellat, C.; Bosworth, C.E. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. IV. Brill. pp. 584–588.
Preceded by Sultan of Qara Qoyunlu
1436–67 		Succeeded by
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