Ali-Qoli Khan Shamlu (; died 1589) was a Safavid officer of Turkoman origin. He is mostly remembered for leading a rebellious coalition against then-incumbent kings (shahs) Ismail II and Mohammad Khodabanda. This rebellion guaranteed the survival of the young prince Abbas (later Abbas I or Abbas the Great; 1588–1629), for whom he was guardian (laleh). Biography Early years Ali-Qoli Khan was a son of Soltan Hossein Khan, and a grandson of Durmish Khan. In October 1577 Ali-Qoli Khan left the royal capital of Qazvin for Herat, being appointed as its new governor by King IsmailII (1576–1577). However, he was sent to Herat not merely to assume his new position, but also to present orders for the execution of the young prince Abbas, who was only six years old at the time. Abbas had been left alone at Herat after Shah-Qoli Ustajlu (his first guardian) was killed on the orders of IsmailII. Ismail II promised Ali-Qoli Khan a reward for accepting the governorship: he was allowed to marry Tahmasp I's daughter, Zeynab Begum, thus tying him directly to the Safavid royal house. The marriage took place sometime before 7December 1577 but apparently was never consummated, for Zeynab Begum continued to live in the royal harem in the Safavid capital of Qazvin. Finding himself now in Herat, Ali-Qoli Khan delayed Abbas' execution, giving as a reason that it would be "inappropriate" to execute an "innocent" descendant of a seyed on the day of Shab-e-Qadr. Thereafter, it was delayed until after Eid-e Fetr (which in 1577 fell on 12December). This postponement was the reason that the young Abbas managed to live on; IsmailII had died on 24 November, and the courier who was bringing the news reportedly only arrived in the city on 13December. Defying orders In the ensuing period, Ali-Qoli Khan took the role of guardian (laleh) over prince Abbas. The new Safavid king, Mohammad Khodabanda (1578–1587), repeatedly sent orders for Abbas to be brought to the capital in Qazvin, but every single time, Ali-Qoli Khan ignored the king. Ali-Qoli Khan affirmed that sending Abbas away would drastically endanger the "interests" of the state, as it would "encourage" the Uzbeks to carry out attacks on Khorasan province. Eventually, Mohammad Khodabanda and his queen, Khayr ol-Nesa Begum, decided to step up the pressure on Ali-Qoli Khan Shamlu. They sent Soltan Hossein Khan Shamlu, Ali-Qoli Khan's own father, to Herat and gave him an