The Safavid succession seems secure, as three…
1615 CE
The Safavid succession seems secure, as three of Abbas' five sons have survived past childhood.
Abbas is on good terms with the crown prince, Mohammed Baqir Mirza (born 1587; better known in the West as Safi Mirza).
During a campaign in Georgia in 1614, however, the shah had heard rumors that the prince was conspiring against his life with a leading Circassian, Fahrad Beg.
Shortly after, Mohammed Baqir had broken protocol during a hunt by killing a boar before the shah had had the chance to put his spear in.
This had seemed to confirm Abbas’ suspicions and he sunk into melancholy; he no longer trusts any of his three sons.
He decides in 1615 he has no choice but to have Mohammed killed.
A Circassian named Behbud Beg executes the Shah’s orders and the prince is murdered in a hammam (the Turkish variant of a sauna, distinguished by a focus on water, as opposed to steam) in the city of Resht.
The shah almost immediately regrets his action and is plunged into grief.
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