Abstract
The objective of this article is to find out to what extent a Safavid prince could threaten the stability of the Safavid imperial crown. To this end, the article analyses the case of Rustam Mirza (1565–1642) who belonged to a secondary branch of the imperial dynasty and who ruled autonomously over a Central Asian territory. Due to regional and imperial conflicts, the Safavid prince had to go into exile in the Mughal Empire from where he continued to impact the internal stability and the borders of the Safavid Empire. The article analyses various aspects of Rustam Mirza’s journey abroad and we will see what interest the Mughals might have had in welcoming him; what Rustam Mirza represented for the imperial Safavid centre; who was involved in the negotiations; how this welcoming process was interpreted; what benefits the prince received; and what influence his stay abroad had on the domestic and foreign policy of the sending and receiving states.
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