Shah Muhammad (Qara Qoyunlu)
Shah Muhammad (died 5 August 1433) was a 15th‑century Qara Qoyunlu prince and the second son of Qara Yusuf. He served as the governor of Baghdad from around 1410/11 until 1433. He grew up in Erbil among a Christian community, and his Baghdad rule was generally uneventful. His son Shah Ali ruled Mosul as his subordinate.
During his career, Shah Muhammad expanded his power. In 1413 he defeated the Shahrizor ruler Muhammad Sāru Turkman and imprisoned him in Hit with his family brought to Baghdad. In 1415 he defeated the remaining Jalayirid forces at Shushtar but could not end Jalayirid rule elsewhere. He supported his father against the Timurids in 1414, but by 1417 he acted more independently, collecting his own taxes. In 1420 he even claimed his father had gone crazy and did not back him against Shahrukh. After his father’s death, he did not claim the sultanate and instead supported Qara Iskander in his struggle for the throne.
His family politics were turbulent. His son Shah Ali rebelled, and Shah Muhammad was deposed by his brother Ispend in 1421 and exiled to Hamadan. Baghdad was briefly captured by Uvais II of the Jalayirids, but Shah Muhammad recaptured the city on 3 May 1422 after Uvais was killed by Ispend. Ispend later forced Shah Muhammad out of Baghdad again on 9 April 1433. Muhammad tried to rally forces at Kadhimiya with his second son Shah Budaq and briefly controlled Mosul and Erbil, probably from Shah Ali, and even captured Baqubah, but he could not reconquer Baghdad. His army was defeated by Ispend, and he sought support elsewhere. He was murdered on the orders of Baba Haji Hamadani, governor of Gaverud, while Shah Ali fled to Qara Iskander. Ibn Taghribirdi described him as a godless unbeliever, an atheist, and a convert to Christianity.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:52 (CET).