Schah, the Great, was third son of Codahendi, seventh king of Persia of the race of the Sophis. Succeeding to his father in 1585, at the age of 18, he found the affairs of Persia at a low ebb, occasioned by the conquests of the Turks and Tartars. He regained several of the provinces they had seized; but death put a stop to his victories in 1629, after a reign of 44 years. He was the greatest prince who had reigned in Persia for many ages; and it was he who made Ispahan the metropolis of Persia; but his memory is stained with many atrocities.

Schah, his great-grandson, ninth king of Persia of the race of the Sophis, succeeded his father Sesi at 13 years of age. He was but 18 when he made himself master of the city of Candahar, which had surrendered in his father's reign to the Great Mogul, and all the province about it; and he preserved it afterwards against this Indian emperor, though he besieged it more than once with an army of 300,000 men. He was a very merciful prince, and openly protected the Christians. He had formed a design of extending the limits of his kingdom toward the north, and for that purpose had levied a powerful army; but death put a stop to all his great designs, at 37 years of age, A.D. 1666.