Khosrow Soltan Armani

Khosrow Soltan Armani, also known as Khosrow Khan (died 1653), was a 17th-century Safavid official, military commander, and gholam of Armenian origin. He held numerous posts at various times. First, he served as the prefect of the Bakhtiari tribe for a lengthy period (darughah-ye il-e Bakhtiyar). Then, he served as a steward of the Javanshir tribe in Karabagh (hakem-e il-e Javanshir). Later, he held the post of "master of the hunt" (mīr shekār-bāshi) and was given the governorship of Abhar (Soltaniyeh). Lastly, he also served as the governor (beglarbeg) of Shirvan from 1643 to 1653. During his governorship in Shirvan, Khosrow participated in the successful Safavid offensive during the Russo-Persian War of 1651–1653, which resulted in the Russian fortress on the Iranian side of the Terek River being destroyed and its garrison expelled.

To denote that he was a convert, in the then contemporary sources Khosrow was referred to as being "new to Islam" (jadid ol-eslam). His sons Allahverdi Khan (not to be mistaken with the Georgian Allahverdi Khan) and Emamverdi Beg would hold several influential positions as well.

Sources

• Baghdiantz-McCabe, Ina (2008). "Caucasian Elites and Modern State-Building in Safavid Iran". In Chaudhury, Shushil; Kévonian, Kéram (eds.). Les Arméniens dans le commerce asiatique au début de l'ère moderne. Maison des Sciences de l'Homme. p. 99. ISBN 978-2735112043.
• Fleischer, C. (1985). "ALLĀHVERDĪ KHAN (2)". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 8. p. 892.
• Floor, Willem (2001). Safavid Government Institutions. Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publishers. p. 117. ISBN 978-1568591353.
• Floor, Willem M.; Faghfoory, Mohammad H. (2007). The Dastur Al-moluk: A Safavid State Manual, by Mohammad Rafi' al-Din Ansari. Mazda Publishers. pp. 187–188. ISBN 978-1568591957.
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• Matthee, Rudi (2012). "Facing a Rude and Barbarous Neighbor: Iranian Perceptions of Russia and the Russians from the Safavids to the Qajars". In Amanat, Abbas; Vejdani, Farzin (eds.). Iran Facing Others: Identity Boundaries in a Historical Perspective. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 104. ISBN 978-1137013408.