Qazaq Khan Cherkes was a military commander in Safavid Iran of Circassian origin, who also served as the governor (beglarbeg) of Shirvan (1624–1633) and Astarabad (1639–1640). A high-ranking member of the gholam military corps, he was furthermore appointed head of the Qaramanlu and Keneslu Qizilbash troops by then incumbent king Abbas I (r. 1588–1629) as part of the latter's policy to diminish the political influence of the Qizilbash. In 1632, during king Safi's (r. 1629–42) bloody purges, his relative, the prominent Circassian courtier Yusuf Agha was murdered, while Qazaq Khan Cherkes was deposed and imprisoned in 1633. He nevertheless later returned on the political scene in the last years of Safi's reign, when he was given a new governorship in 1639. His son Najafqoli Khan Cherkes would hold several influential positions as well.

Qazaq Khan Cherkes
Governor of Shirvan
In office
1624–1633
MonarchsAbbas the Great, Safi of Persia
Preceded byYusuf Khan
Succeeded byFarrokh Khan
Governor of Astarabad
In office
1639–1640
MonarchSafi of Persia
Preceded byKhosrow Khan Cherkes
Succeeded byHoseyn Khan b. Zaman Beg Mazandarani
Personal details
ChildrenNajafqoli Khan Cherkes
OccupationMilitary leader, official
Military service
Allegiance Safavid Iran

Sources

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  • Floor, Willem M. (2008). Titles and Emoluments in Safavid Iran: A Third Manual of Safavid Administration, by Mirza Naqi Nasiri. Washington, DC: Mage Publishers. pp. 153, 286. ISBN 978-1933823232.
  • Manz, Beatrice; Haneda, Masashi (1990). "ČARKAS". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. IV, Fasc. 7. pp. 816–819. Archived from the original on 2014-11-02.
  • Matthee, Rudolph P. (1999). The Politics of Trade in Safavid Iran: Silk for Silver, 1600–1730. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0521641319.
Preceded by Governor of Shirvan
1624–1633
Succeeded by
Farrokh Khan
Preceded by
Khosrow Khan Cherkes
Governor of Astarabad
1639–1640
Succeeded by
Hoseyn Khan b. Zaman Beg Mazandarani