Governmental Regulations in the Safavid Era: An Analysis of the Evolution of Political and Military Ordinances
Keywords:
Safavid ordinances, administrative regulations, Iranian bureaucracy, Shah Abbas I, political structure, military order, historical discourse analysisAbstract
This article explores the evolution of governmental ordinances during the Safavid era and analyzes their role in structuring the political and military organization of the Safavid state. Using a historical-analytical approach and the theoretical framework of historical discourse analysis, the study relies on primary sources such as Tadhkirat al-Muluk, Alam-ara-ye Abbasi, royal decrees, and administrative treatises to trace the transformation of administrative and military ordinances from the early Safavid period to the reign of Shah Abbas II. The findings indicate that early ordinances were largely informal, personal, and rooted in tribal-ethnic networks, but gradually, especially under Shah Abbas I’s reforms, evolved into professional, written, and bureaucratically structured tools for centralizing power, institutionalizing bureaucratic order, and enforcing military discipline. These texts not only organized executive behavior but also played an active role in shaping royal discourse, legitimizing authority, and reproducing a politico-religious order. The article further argues that Safavid ordinances, influenced by Sasanian, Islamic, and Shi‘i traditions, laid the foundation for a centralized bureaucratic model that influenced later Iranian dynasties, particularly the Qajar period. The study concludes by suggesting that future research should undertake a comparative analysis of Safavid ordinances with those of contemporary Islamic empires, such as the Ottomans and Timurids, and later Iranian regimes, to better understand their institutional, legal, and discursive dimensions.
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References
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