TURKOMANS BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES: THE ... - Bilkent University

and arrived there before the Anatolian qizilbashes. 1372 He dispersed new comers to
several troops, and then summoned the leaders of the rebellion. 1373
After a cruel interrogation surprisingly the shah executed some leaders of the
rebellion. 1374 Hoca Saadeddin gives details of the interrogation of the Shah and his
execution of the leaders of the rebellion. He states that the Shah first dispersed the
Anatolian qizilbashes to different troops of his army, and then ordered to prepare for a
feast. Two great caldrons were filled with water and placed on a fire. The guests thought
they were boiling water to cook a meal, but did not know that these caldrons would
become the hell of the leader of the rebels and his assistant. 1375
Ismail’s attitude towards the rebels, as reported by Hoca Saadeddin, was quite
unexpected and is not easy to interpret. Especially the punishment superimposed on
these Safavid disciples was not something anticipated by the rebels. If we rely on Hoca
Saadeddin, Ismail called the leader of the rebellious group and his assistants (vezirs) to
his presence; his first question was that “Under the protection of my father Sultan
Bayezid, you were living with your families and children in peace. So what was the
reason why you became disobedient and revolted?” 1376 They replied, “Since he got
older, the disease of his body has caused the disorder of the country. He relinquished
from measures that would restore the order, and left state issues to his viziers.
Consequently oppression spread. We could no more stand their unjust practices and rose
1372
SLZ states that when Ismail learned in Iraq that such a crowded group was coming to his country his
troops were dispersed. Because of that he feared for they could cause turmoil in his country. He hurried to
gather soldiers and arrive in Tabriz before new-coming qizilbashes. See SLZ1, p. 454.
1373
IDRS, p. 88.
1374
HR, p. 155.
1375
HSE4, p. 66. Also regard SLZ1, p. 455.
1376
“Babam Sultan Bayezid Han hazretlerinin koruyucu gölgesinde bunca zamandan berü çoluk ve
çocuğunuzla ferahlık içinde yaşarken neden gerekdi ki boynunu bağlılık lālesinden çıkarub ayaklanma
doruğuna tırmandın?” HSE4, pp. 66-7.
406