Defectors, Dissidents, and Refugees

Chapter Five delves into one of the major aspects of the Ottoman response to Safavid actions and actors, in both ideological and practical realms: encouraging migration from Safavid lands. Examining numerous cases involving both well-known and lesser-known individuals and groups who were receptive to the Ottoman invitation, this chapter addresses two key questions. (1) To what extent and how did Istanbul and its agents actively strive to directly engage with Safavid subjects, especially as a response to ongoing Safavid propaganda within Ottoman territories and its resonance among local sympathizers? (2) To what extent did Safavid immigrants contribute to the evolution, articulation, and dissemination of an official narrative that increasingly leaned toward a pro-Sunni and anti-Qizilbash/Shiʿi/Safavid stance in the sixteenth century? From the perspective of the Ottoman state, communication with Safavid subjects counteracted the Safavid court’s efforts to garner sympathy and support for its ideological agenda in Ottoman territory. From the viewpoint of Safavid subjects, this communication represented a significant avenue by which they hoped to alleviate the political, religious, or financial challenges they faced under Safavid rule in Iran.