Cheragh Khan Zahedi (Persian: چراغ خان زاهدی; also spelled Cherag), also known as Pirzadeh (پیرزاده), was an Iranian officer in Safavid Iran, who served as the head of the royal bodyguard (qurchi-bashi) from 1631 until his death in 1632.
Biography[]
Cheragh Khan was the son of a certain Shaikh Sharif and a descendant of Zahed Gilani, the prominent Iranian grandmaster (murshid), and the teacher of Safi-ad-din Ardabili, who was the eponymous ancestor of the Safavid dynasty.[1] Cheragh Khan was a supporter of the family of the qurchi-bashi Isa Khan Safavi, which was a cousin family to the ruling Safavid dynasty. However, in 1632/1633, he accused the sons of Isa Khan Safavi planning to stage a coup against Safi and then usurp the throne. Safi then had them executed, including Isa Khan Safavi himself.[1] Cheragh Khan was then given the qurchi-bashi post as a reward.[1][2]
However, Cheragh Khan was one year later accused of hiding his empathy for the family of Isa Khan Safavi, and was executed in July 1632.[1] He was succeeded by Amir Khan Zulqadr.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Savory 1991, p. 263.
- ↑ Babaie 2004, p. 140.
Sources[]
- Matthee, Rudi (2011). Persia in Crisis: Safavid Decline and the Fall of Isfahan. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-0857731814. https://books.google.com/books?id=fFaw4od7nfUC.
- Babaie, Sussan (2004). Slaves of the Shah: New Elites of Safavid Iran. I.B.Tauris. pp. 1–218. ISBN 9781860647215. https://books.google.com/books?id=2BMVnw9JQh8C.
- Savory, Roger M. (1991). "ČERĀḠ KHAN ZĀHEDĪ". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. V, Fasc. 3. pp. 263. http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/cerag-khan-zahedi-b.
The original article can be found at Cheragh Khan Zahedi and the edit history here.