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

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

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Şadi Beg says that Ismail warned Dev Ali on that if he would hear about the<br />

advent of Selim then he would not enter Anatolia but wait for him [Ismail]. Otherwise<br />

Dev Ali and Murad were to go down to Anatolia and to conquer the lands in the name of<br />

the Shah. Shah Ismail had already allocated the provinces of Anatolia to his confidants,<br />

all of whom were included in the qizilbash army under the command of Dev Ali. In this<br />

distribution of the Shah, Sultan Murad was appointed as the beylerbey of Anatolia.<br />

Ismail also wrote a letter to Prince Ahmed advising him to go to Rum, to wait for his<br />

help, which would soon arrive. However, for the time being, Ismail said to Ahmed, his<br />

troops under the command of Dev Ali were ready to provide any support when he<br />

[Ahmed] needed. When Ahmed went down to Rum [from Darende], he sent a messenger<br />

to Dev Ali to demand military aid by reminding Ismail’s promise. The answer of Dev<br />

Ali, however, was not affirmative. He said that it was the strict order of their Shah that<br />

they were not to enter Rum while Selim was in Anatolia. At the same time, Dev Ali sent<br />

the messenger of Ahmed with his letter to the Shah and requested the majestic<br />

instructions. 1665<br />

Safavid chronicles also affirm Ismail’s intention to employ Murad in order to<br />

strengthen his power in Anatolia. After the execution of Ahmed, Murad continued to<br />

contest the succession with Selim on the support of the Shah. According to Tārikh-i<br />

Īlchī-yi Nizāmshāh, Ismail’s plan was to use Murad to provoke a rebellion against Selim.<br />

For this purpose, qizilbash troops under Div Sultan and Muhammed Han Ustaclu<br />

escorted Murad to Sivas. Nonetheless, since no support for him was materialized, this<br />

1665 TSA, document E 6478/2.<br />

492

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