Shah ‘Abbās I: The Myth, the Monarch, and the Man
Date
2025-03-27
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Iranian Studies
Abstract
This essay considers the “great” status of Shah ‘Abbās I, the most consequential Safavid ruler, by comparing European descriptions to his portrayal in the Persian-language sources. While both depict him as energetic, resolute, and unadorned in attire and demeanor, European sources present him primarily as an empire builder while Persian-language works focus on his role as a warrior on horseback, fighting external enemies and putting down domestic revolts. Neither accounts ignore the violence that came with absolute power, but while Europeans viewed such violence as an unfortunate byproduct of power, Persian chronicles celebrate ‘Abbās as a ghāzi warrior, merciless in his efforts to root out heretics and unbelievers. The surviving image of the shah as a “great” ruler was first reported by European visitors and is primarily a composite of the way they depicted him – as a Renaissance prince and determined empire builder who remained close to his subjects and their concerns.
Description
This article was originally published in Iranian Studies. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/irn.2025.1.
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Association for Iranian Studies.
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Keywords
Iran, Safavids, Shah ‘Abbas I, kingship
Citation
Matthee, Rudi. “Shah ‘Abbās I: The Myth, the Monarch, and the Man.” Iranian Studies, 2025, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1017/irn.2025.1.