Abbas II was undoubtedly the most capable and energetic Safavid shah after his great-grandfather Shah Abbas I the Great (r. 1588–1629), whom he in many aspects bore resemblance to. Albeit Abbas II ascended the throne at the age of merely 9 years old, he showed considerable toughness and resolve—in 1645, no longer than three years after his succession, the grand vizier Saru Taqi was murdered by a faction of the Qizilbash led by the "qurchi-bashi" Jani Beg Khan Shamlu, one of the most influential administrators of the country; in the ensuing days, Abbas II had all the perpetrators put to death.