The Memoirs of Shah Tahmasp I: Safavid Ruler of Iran

by Shah Tahmasp I, Andrew Peacock (Editor), Andrew Peacock (Translator)

Overview

A remarkable first-person narrative by a sixteenth-century Iranian ruler, the Memoirs of Shah Tahmasp I, Safavid Ruler of Iran (1514-1576), originally written in Persian, represent a vitally important primary source for the history of the Middle East in the period. In particular, the Memoirs shed light on the Safavid conflict with the Uzbeks and Ottomans, which played a decisive role in shaping the modern frontiers of the region. The Memoirs also represent an invaluable source for the internal political and religious life of the Safavid court, and the ways in which Shah Tahmasp, one of the most important rulers in Iranian history, wished to be remembered and viewed. This book represents the first English translation of this important text, and is furnished with an extensive introduction and notes that situate the work in its literary and historical context.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780755653560
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/11/2025
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.43(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Shah Tahmasp I (1514-1576) was the second ruler of the Safavid dynasty of Iran (1501-1722).


A.C.S. Peacock is Bishop Wardlaw Professor of Islamic History, University of St Andrews, UK, and Fellow of the British Academy. He has published widely on Iranian and Ottoman history, including The Great Seljuk Empire (2015) and the edited volume Frontiers of the Ottoman World (2009).

Table of Contents

List of Figures
List of Maps
List of Tables
Preface and Acknowledgements
Note on the translation

Introduction
Chronology
Translation of the Memoirs

Chapter One: Introduction and the Affair of Ulama
Chapter Two: A Brief Account of the Affair of Ghazi Khan
Chapter Three: The Affair of Alqas Mirza
Chapter Four: The Account of Iskender Pasha
Chapter Five: The Affair of Beyazid

Glossary
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

This meticulously annotated translation of Shah Tahmasp's Memoirs reveals the core of the Ottoman-Safavid conflict through a key protagonist's perspective. Offering unique insights into the early modern Middle East, this work is a vital addition to scholarship, making an important historical ego document accessible to English readers for the first time.” —Philip Bockholt, Professor, University of Münster, Germany

“Though generally recognized as an important source for Safavid Iran, Shah Tahmasb's memoirs, his Tazkereh, have long languished in defective editions little used even by specialists in the field of Iranian Studies. Andrew Peacock has done an outstanding job bringing this rare ego document out of obscurity with a fluent translation based on three manuscripts and preceded by an exemplary introduction that puts the work in its proper historical context.” —Rudolph P. Matthee, Professor, University of Delaware, USA

“The memoirs of Shah Tahmasp appeared as part of a growing trend in Persian autobiographical writings from the sixteenth-century onwards. Peacock has a done a great service to the field by offering this first English translation that is based on five manuscripts, including a transcription of probably the best one: MS Dorn 302 (St Petersburg, National Library of Russia)” —Ali Anooshahr, Professor, University of California, USA

From the Publisher