Shah Suleiman Safavi of Iran

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On November 1, 1666 AD, Shah Suleiman was crowned as the eighth Emperor of the Safavid Dynasty of Iran, with the title Shah Safi II, after the traditional 7 days of mourning for his father, Shah Abbas II.
His mother was a Circassian, and being brought up in the harem he had little experience of the world outside. He also suffered from poor health. The first year of his reign was markedly unsuccessful. A series of natural disasters, combined with devastating raids by the Cossack Stenka Razin on Iran’s Caspian Sea coast, convinced court astrologers that the coronation had taken place at the wrong time, and the ceremony was repeated on March 20, 1667, with the Shah taking the new name of Suleiman I.
He had little interest in administrative affairs, and left political decision-making to his grand viziers, whose power increased during his long reign of 28 years. As a result, corruption became widespread and discipline in the army was dangerously lax. The Shah made no attempt to exploit the weakness of Safavid Iran’s traditional rival, the Ottoman Empire after the Ottomans suffered a serious defeat at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. During his reign, Iran also suffered raids by the Uzbeks and Kalmyks. He was succeeded by his elder son, Sultan Hussain, a pious person.