Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• Jamshid noroozi ¹
• mozhgan sadeghifard ²

¹ Associate Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.(corresponding Author)

² PhD in Iranian History, Islamic Period, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The period of time between collapse of Ilkhānids and the rise of Timūrid is called interregnum. Lack of a central government and the rise of several local dynasties had adverse outcomes for Iran and its people. Such chaotic political situation and tendency of local dynasties for consolidation of their power and development of their territory made people tolerate war, massacre, plunder, destruction, famine, and starvation during those turbulent decades. Southern and central regions of Iran being under the rule of Muzaffarids (718-795/1318-1336) experienced five famines. This descriptive-analytical study has been done relying on library resources especially local histories. It aimed at answering the following question: why did such famines happen? And what were their outcomes? The findings show that some natural causes including drought or heavy rainfalls and some unnatural or human causes such as continuous wars and military campaigns, laying prolonged siege to cities, incompetent rulers and their irresponsibility were some of main causes for occurrence of five famines in geographical scope of Muzaffarids government. Weakening people’s livelihood, population downgrade, increase in morality, immigration, poverty, and starvation, malnutrition, and moral degradation were some of consequences of these famines

Keywords

• famine
• Al-e Muzaffar
• drought
• starvation
• migration

Main Subjects

• Social history