Historical Studies

Historical Studies

The Shadow of Power: A Psychoanalytical Analysis of the Succession Problem in the Safavid Era Based on Jung’s Shadow Theory

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Hossein Afshar 1
Mohammad Kalhor 2
Sina Foroozesh 3
1 PhD Candidate in Iranology, Shahid Beheshti University (Institute of Iranology), Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of History, Islamic Azad University, Yadegar-e-Imam Khomeini Branch, Rey, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of History, Islamic Azad University, Science & Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
10.30465/hcs.2025.51921.3033
Abstract
Abstract
One of the fundamental problems in the political history of the Safavid dynasty is the question of succession and the cultivation of royal heirs. Despite the relative consolidation of authority during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Safavid monarchy, much like many dynasties before it, failed to establish a coherent and stable model for the transmission of power. Consequently, many princes were eliminated as a result of intra-dynastic rivalries, the monarch’s fears, and embedded structural violence. Drawing on Carl Gustav Jung’s theory of the “Shadow,” this study demonstrates that Safavid princes, notwithstanding the apparent stability and continuity of Safavid governance, were represented in the political and psychological unconscious of the monarch not as legitimate successors, but rather as existential threats to royal authority. This argument is contextualized through both internal historical precedents, such as the Sasanian dynasty of pre-Islamic Iran, and comparative cases like the Ottoman Empire, the Safavids’ contemporary rival. The analysis suggests that the succession crisis in the Safavid polity can be interpreted as a failed confrontation between monarchy and its psychological shadow, leading ultimately to a gradual erosion of legitimacy and dynastic decline.
Keywords: Safavid dynasty, Succession, Monarchy, Shadow, Jung, Analytical psychology.
 
Introduction
The Safavid dynasty (1501–1736) occupies a crucial place in the history of early modern Iran and the broader Middle East. By establishing Shiʿism as the official religion of the state and consolidating political authority over diverse ethnic and tribal groups, the Safavids laid the foundation for a centralized Iranian identity that has endured in various forms into the modern era. While the dynasty achieved notable success in cultural, military, and administrative domains, its political architecture remained vulnerable to crises of succession.
Unlike polities that created institutionalized mechanisms for royal inheritance, such as primogeniture in parts of Europe, the Safavid monarchy relied upon an ambiguous and often contested system of designation and competition among princes. This ambiguity was compounded by the intervention of power brokers such as the Qizilbash military elite, the bureaucracy, and the royal harem. As a result, succession became a highly destabilizing process, producing cycles of intrigue, imprisonment, and fratricide.
The present research seeks to reinterpret these patterns through the lens of analytical psychology, particularly Jung’s concept of the “Shadow.” This theoretical framework enables an exploration of the unconscious dimensions of political behavior, revealing how the monarch’s anxieties about his heirs were projected onto them as threats rather than recognized as continuities. Situating the Safavid experience within a comparative frame—drawing parallels with the Sasanians in pre-Islamic Iran and the Ottomans as contemporaneous rivals—this study argues that the dysfunction of Safavid succession was not merely political but also deeply psychological.
 
Materials and Methods
The research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, grounded in the methodology of historical studies. Sources include Persian chronicles, court records, royal decrees, and the writings of contemporary observers, as well as modern historiographical works on Safavid politics. The data were collected primarily through library-based and documentary research.
The central analytical tool is Jung’s theory of the Shadow, which posits that the unconscious dimensions of the self—those elements denied, repressed, or feared—often manifest in destructive ways when projected onto others. In applying this framework to the Safavid monarchy, the study explores how the unconscious fears of rulers shaped both political practice and institutional development. The interdisciplinary nature of the method allows for a richer understanding of succession as not only a structural and legal issue but also a psychological phenomenon.
 
Discussion and Results
The results of the study indicate that the Safavid succession crisis was fundamentally shaped by the interplay between psychological anxieties and political structures. Safavid monarchs routinely perceived their heirs less as the future guarantors of dynastic continuity than as potential conspirators and usurpers. This perception fostered a political culture dominated by suspicion, hesitation, and violent preemptive action.
Several historical episodes illustrate these dynamics. Under Shah Abbas I, for example, the systematic blinding and elimination of his sons reflected an extreme manifestation of the monarch’s fear of usurpation, thereby ensuring short-term stability but undermining long-term continuity. Shah Safi and Shah Abbas II likewise governed under the shadow of unresolved succession anxieties, often influenced by the rivalries of the Qizilbash and the political maneuverings of the harem. The recurrent imprisonment, surveillance, or execution of princes illustrates the monarchy’s inability to reconcile authority with continuity, revealing the projection of the “shadow” onto the very figures who symbolized dynastic survival.
Comparative analysis reinforces this interpretation. The Ottomans institutionalized fratricide as a brutal yet systemic mechanism to contain succession disputes, while the Sasanians often faced debilitating conflicts rooted in succession rivalries. The Safavids, however, neither developed a coherent institutional solution nor managed to integrate the psychological dimensions of succession into a sustainable political framework. The result was a cycle of instability that, over time, eroded legitimacy, weakened administrative structures, and contributed to the eventual collapse of the dynasty.
The findings thus highlight both psychological and structural variables: paranoia and fear within the royal psyche; rivalry and intrigue among court factions; and the absence of codified succession practices. These factors combined to create an enduring shadow over the monarchy, transforming succession from a process of continuity into a recurring crisis.
 
Conclusion
The study concludes that the Safavid dynasty’s crisis of succession was not merely an incidental weakness but a central factor in its gradual decline. By applying Jung’s theory of the Shadow, the research reveals how unconscious fears and projections of Safavid monarchs were internalized into political practices that undermined both legitimacy and stability. Princes, rather than serving as embodiments of dynastic future, were construed as embodiments of the shadow—unacknowledged fears that, when projected outward, became destructive forces.
This interpretation contributes to a broader understanding of political decline in monarchical systems by emphasizing the psychoanalytic dimensions of power alongside institutional and structural analyses. It suggests that the study of dynastic politics benefits from interdisciplinary approaches that integrate history, psychology, and comparative analysis. The Safavid case, in particular, illustrates the tragic consequences of a monarchy unable to reconcile authority with continuity, legitimacy with succession, and the conscious exercise of power with the unconscious dynamics of fear.
Ultimately, the failure of Safavid succession practices serves as a reminder that political institutions cannot be fully understood without acknowledging the psychological realities that underpin them. The dynasty’s decline was not only a story of political intrigue and military defeat but also a narrative of unresolved shadows within the very psyche of kingship.
Keywords
Safavid dynasty
Succession
Monarchy
Shadow
Jung
Analytical psychology
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Historical Studies
Volume 17, Issue 1 - Serial Number 33
Spring and Summer 2026-2027
April 2026
Pages 255-290

  • Receive Date 11 May 2025
  • Revise Date 01 July 2025
  • Accept Date 16 September 2025