MOZAFFARID DYNASTY

(c. 131493), Iranian dynasty that ruled over southern Iran. The founder of the dynasty was Sharaf od-Din Mozaffar, a vassal of the Il-Khanid rulers of Iran, who was governor of Meybod, a city lying between Esfahan and Yazd. In 1314 his son Mobarez od-Din Mohammad was made governor of Fars and Yazd by Abu Sa'id, the Il-Khanid ruler. After Abu Sa'id's death, Mohammad expanded his possessions. In 1340 he married the only daughter of Shah Jahan, the last ruler of the Qutlugh dynasty in Kerman, thus gaining possession of that region. By 1356, after a series of campaigns, Mohammad had become the undisputed ruler of southern Iran. In 1356 he attacked and captured Tabriz, but he was unable to hold it. In 1358 he was deposed by his two sons, Qotb od-Din Shah Mahmud (reigned 135875) and Jalal od-Din Shah Shoja' (reigned 135884), who divided the Mozaffarid territories between them. Shortly before his death in 1384, Shah Shoja' divided his possessions among his three sons. The Mozaffarid power was thus fragmented, and Shah Shoja''s sons were forced to become vassals of Timur, who in 1393 extinguished the dynasty by defeating and killing its last ruler, Mansur (reigned 138493).