The Tofangchi-aghasi, also spelled Tufangchi-aqasi, and otherwise known as the Tofangchi-bashi, was the commander of the Safavid Empire's musketeer corps. The tofangchi-aghasi was assisted by numerous officers, i.e. minbashis, yuzbashis, dahbashis, as well as an administrative staff (i.e. vizier, mostoufi). Though the tofangchi-aghasi was considered to be a high-ranking office on paper, de facto, it was one of the lowest on the "military totem-pole" compared to the other commanding offices. Nevertheless, the post was generally held by scions of noble families.
List of Tofangchi-aghasis
[edit]
- Kur Hasan (1529)
- ?
- Mir Saheb-e Qoshun (1576)
- Mir Saheb-e Qoshun (1576)
- ?
- Esma'il Beg (1614-1615)
- Zaman Beg (1629)[a]
- Rostam Beg (1630)
- Mir Fatteh Qumesheh'i (1634-1635)
- Aqa Taher (1635-1643)[b]
- Aqa Taher (1635-1643)
- Qalander Soltan Chuleh (1643-1661)[c]
- Budaq Soltan (1661-1668)
- Eshaq Khan (?)
- Musa Khan (1711-1715)
- Hosein Ali Khan (1717-1720)[e]
- Mohammad Ali Khan Mokri (1720-1722)
- Ahmad Khan (1723)
- Shahverdi Khan Cheshmkazik (1724)[f]
- ^ Held the posts of nazer and tofangchi-aghasi.
- ^ Brother of his predecessor. Also known as Mir Fattah-e Thani.
- ^ Tofangchi-aghasi and tupchi-bashi in 1660-1661. "He also received Aberqu as a teyul, which, since then, always has been bestowed on the tofangchi-aghasi."
- ^ Eldest son of his predecessor, Sheikh 'Ali Khan Zanganeh. Later became mīr shekār-bāshi ("master of the hunt") as well.
- ^ Appointed on 27 September 1715. Was disgraced in the "alleged conspiracy" of 1720.
- ^ Also referred to as Shahverdi Khan Kivanlu by Mostoufi.