Ismail II

1. Qahqaheh Castle
   Dates unknown

Ismail II (Persian: اسماعیل دوم; born Ismail Mirza; 31 May 1537 – 24 November 1577) was the third shah of Safavid Iran from 1576 to 1577. He was the second son of Tahmasp I with his principal consort, Sultanum Begum of the Mawsillu clan of the Aq Qoyunlu confederation. On the orders of Tahmasp, Ismail spent twenty years imprisoned in Qahqaheh Castle; whether for his recurrent conflicts with the realm's influential vassals, or for his growing popularity with the Qizilbash tribes, resulting in Tahmasp becoming wary of his son's influence. Tahmasp died In 1576 without a designated heir. Ismail, with the support of his sister, Pari Khan Khanum, overcame his opponents and usurped the crown. In order to relieve himself of potential claimants, Ismail purged all the male members of the royal family, except for his full-brother, Mohammad Khodabanda and his three sons. In fear of the Qizilbash influence on the administration and the army, Ismail replaced them with people whom he trusted. Ismail belittled the Shi'ia Islam scholars and sought spiritual guidance from the Sunni Islam ulama. This was perhaps out of spite for his father, who was a devoted Shi'ia. Towards the end of his reign, Ismail shunned Pari Khan, and had her arrested, despite her efforts to make him king. On 24 November 1577, Ismail unexpectedly died from unknown reasons, but the general view was that he was poisoned by either Pari Khan Khanum or the Qizilbash leaders. He was succeeded by his brother, the blind Mohammad Khodabanda. Contemporary historians considered Ismail as an irrational, perverted, and inept ruler, who brought the Safavid dynasty to the brink of collapse. However, a number of contemporary chroniclers also portray him as a just king. Some modern historians regard his policies as disastrous and his personality as unusually ruthless, even by the period's standards.