Rostam Khan (sepahsalar under Suleiman I) explained
Rostam Khan (fl. second half of the 17th century) was a Safavid military commander, gholam, and official from the Georgian Saakadze family. He served as commander-in-chief (sepahsalar-e Iran), commander of the musketeer corps (tofangchi-aghasi), chancellor/chief justice (divanbegi), and governor (beglarbeg) of the Azerbaijan Province under king (shah) Suleiman I (1666-1694).
Rostam Khan was a son of Safiqoli Khan, and a namesake to his prominent grandfather, who also held the position of commander-in-chief and beglarbeg of Azerbaijan.
According to Italian traveller Gemelli Careri, when Rostam Khan's nephew Bijan Beg fell out of favor during Shaykh Ali Khan Zanganeh's vizierate, he was saved through Rostam Khan's intervention.
Sources
- Book: Floor. Willem. Safavid Government Institutions. 2001. Mazda Publishers. Costa Mesa, California. 978-1568591353. 19-22.
- Book: Floor. Willem M.. Titles and Emoluments in Safavid Iran: A Third Manual of Safavid Administration, by Mirza Naqi Nasiri. 2008. Mage Publishers. Washington, DC. 978-1933823232. 156.
- Maeda. Hirotake. On the Ethno-Social Background of Four Gholām Families from Georgia in Safavid Iran. Studia Iranica. 2003. 32. 1–278.
- Encyclopedia: GEORGIA vii. Georgians in the Safavid Administration . Matthee . Rudi . Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. X, Fasc. 5 . 493–496 . 2001 .
- Book: Matthee. Rudi. Persia in Crisis: Safavid Decline and the Fall of Isfahan. 2012. I.B.Tauris. 68. 978-1845117450.