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Turk Kulturu ve Haci Bektas Veli - Arastirma Dergisi, no.113, pp.227-246, 2025 (Scopus)
Many leadership structures in different fields, which are believed to have extraordinary qualities by their supporters and established their legitimacy on this basis, have been analyzed within the context of the concept of “charismatic authority” put forward by the German sociologist Max Weber. The appearance of the first Safavid Shah, Ismail, on the stage of history also corresponds to the definition of “charismatic authority”. Starting from the mid-15th century, the sheikhs of the Safavid sect, based in Ardabil, broke away from their traditional Islamic teachings and following and became the holy warrior-sheikhs of the masses with messianic beliefs, mostly of Anatolian and largely of nomadic origin, who were reactive to the socioeconomic applications and official religious understanding of the existing administrations. These groups, called “Qizilbash”, also sanctified Sheikh Ismail as their savior leader. Sheikh Ismail entered Tabriz in 1501 with his army of Qizilbash disciples and declared the establishment of the Safavid State, which was one of the rare occasions in history for a religious movement to become a state. The attempt of Ismail, now Shah, to construct a state organization that would establish his authority corresponds to the process that Weber defines as the “routinization of charisma”.Weber states that in this process, the charismatic leader who begins to rely on daily institutions and routine practices would lose the appeal based on his extraordinary qualities. Moreover, Shah Ismail declared Ithna ͑Ashariyya the official sect of the new state in the context of religious institutionalization. Resorting to Ithna ͑Ashariyya, which considers the “Hidden Imam” as the real possessor of political and religious authority, was a very risky step for the political and religious legitimacy of a ruler who rose with the messianic expectations of his supporters. However, despite this, Shah Ismail was able to maintain his charismatic authority based on the cult of “holy Shah”. The reason for this must be searched in the unique routinization process of Shah Ismail’s charisma, on the basis of Qizilbash religious ideology. This study aims to reveal the basic features of the routinization process that ensured the continuity of Shah Ismail’s charismatic authority. These features would also provide important clues as to how the loyalty of the independent Qizilbash tribes was ensured during the foundation period of the state, despite Ithna ͑Ashariyya, and how the charismatic authority of Shah Ismail was able to maintain its influence, which has reached today’s Turkey.