La instauración del shiismo como religión de Estado en Irán bajo los safávidas: del shiismo qizilbash al shiismo imamita

Shāh Ismā’il’s entrance to Tabriz in 907/1501, with Qizilbāsh (“red heds”) help, marks a true revolution in Islamic Iran’s history—characterised by the adoption of Shiism as State religion. Despite the huge spread of Shiism in Iran after the fall of the Seleucids (in 907/1501), Iran remained primarily Sunni; however, less than a century later, Sunni population became a minority. On the one hand, we will study the mechanisms the Safavid State used to “eradicate” Sunnism from Iran. On the other, we will emphasise Shiism evolution in Iran throughout the centuries of Safavid domination. After the imposition of Shiism, Safavid kings called upon Shiite ‘ulamā from Jabal ‘Amil (southern Lebanon) and Bahrain to consolidate the insertion of Shiism and to get rid of Qizilbāsh, who had become a nuisance. Their victorious ascend even allowed Mohammad Bāqer Majlisi (d. 1111/1699-1700) to become Iran’s real sovereign during the rule of Shāh Soltān Hoseyn (d. 1106-1135/1694-1722).