Table of Contents

Introduction Chapter 1: Patterns: Iran in the Late Safavid Period Chapter 2: Politics at the Safavid Court I: Shahs and Grand Viziers, 1629-1666 Chapter 3: Politics at the Safavid Court II; Shahs, Grand Viziers and Eunuchs, 1669-1699 Chapter 4: The Management of Money and the Disappearing Mints Chapter 5: From Perpetual War to Lasting Peace: The Safavid Army, 1600-1700 Chapter 6: Weakening Links: The Center and the Provinces Chapter 7: Minorities in Safavid Iran: Hospitality and Harassment Chapter 8: From Stability to Turmoil: The Final Decades, 1700-1722 Conclusion

Promotional Information

The decline and fall of Safavid Iran is traditionally seen as the natural outcome of the unrelieved political stagnation and moral degeneration which characterised late Safavid Iran. This book challenges this view. It takes a fresh look at Safavid Iran in the century preceding the fall of Isfahan in 1722, which brought down the dynasty.

About the Author

Rudi Matthee is Professor of History at the University of Delaware. His previous publications include The Pursuit of Pleasure: Drugs and Stimulants in Iranian History, 1500-1900 and The Politics of Trade in Safavid Iran: Silk for Silver, 1600-1730.