Suleiman I of Persia

Suleiman I شاه سلیمان
Shahanshah of Iran
Artwork of Shah Suleiman I, painted by Aliquli Jabbadar in 1670.
8th Safavid Shah
Reign	1 November 1666 – 29 July 1694
Predecessor	Abbas II
Successor	Sultan Husayn
Born	1648
Died	29 July 1694 Isfahan
Burial	Qom
House	Safavid dynasty
Father	Abbas II
Mother	Nakihat Khanum

Sam Mirza (Persian: سام میرزا‎‎), later known by his first dynastic name of Safi II (شاه صفی), and thereafter known by his more famous second dynastic name of Suleiman I (شاه سلیمان), was the eighth Safavid shah (king) of Iran, ruling from 1 November 1666 to 29 July 1694.

Sam Mirza was born in February 1648 (or March); he was the elder son of the previous shah Abbas II and Circassian slave Nakihat Khanum. Sam Mirza had a younger brother named Hamza Mirza, as well as two other brothers named Ismail Mirza and Mirza Ali Naqi. He also had two unnamed sisters. He grew up isolated in the royal harem, where he was taken care of by a black eunuch named Agha Nazir. Because of this, his first language was and remained Azerbaijani; it is still not clearly known how much Persian he was able to speak. Furthermore, due to the way in which he raised, he was much less experienced and less energetic than his father, which had significant consequences for him during his reign, which was quite unsuccessful.

Abbas II died in Mazandaran on 25 September 1666, without revealing who should be his successor. Five days later, the word spread to Isfahan, which made the eunuchs, who took care of the palace, to take care of the succession. The majority of them preferred Hamza Mirza, who was only seven years old, which would make it easier for them to control the affairs of the state. However, in the end, Hamza Mirza's tutor made a statement in the court, where he supported Sam Mirza to be the successor.

One day later, on 1 October 1666, Sam Mirza was crowned as Safi II. The ceremony took place in the afternoon and was managed by Mohammad-Baqer Sabzavari, the shaykh al-Islam of Isfahan. Safi II was given the heads of some dead Uzbeks, and in turn rewarded those who had given him the heads. The first year of his reign was markedly unsuccessful. A series of natural disasters such as earthquakes (1667 Shamakhi earthquake) in Shirvan, spread of deadly diseases around Iran, combined with devastating raids by the Cossack Stenka Razin on the coast of the Caspian Sea, convinced court astrologers that the coronation had taken place at the wrong time, and the ceremony was repeated on March 20, 1667. The shah took the new name Suleiman I. He had little interest in the business of government, preferring retreat to the harem.