Mohammad Khodabanda (also spelled Khodabandeh; Persian: محمد خدابنده, born 1532; died 1595 or 1596) was the fourth Safavid shah of Iran from 1578 until his overthrow in 1587 by his son Abbas I. Khodabanda had succeeded his brother, Ismail II. Khodabanda was the son of Shah Tahmasp I by a mother from the Turcoman Mawsillu clan of the Aq Qoyunlu confederation, Sultanum Begum Mawsillu, and a grandson of Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty. After the death of his father in 1576, Khodabanda was passed over in favour of his younger brother Ismail II. Khodabanda had an eye affliction that rendered him nearly blind, and so in accordance with Persian royal culture he could not contend for the throne. However, following Ismail II's short and bloody reign Khodabanda emerged as the only heir and became Shah in 1578 with the backing of the Qizilbash tribes.
Khodabanda's reign was marked by a continued weakness of the crown and tribal infighting as part of the second civil war of the Safavid era. An important figure in the early years of Khodabanda's reign was his wife Khayr al-Nisa Begum, who helped secure her husband's reign. However, her efforts to consolidate central power brought about opposition from the powerful Qizilbash tribes, who had her murdered in 1579. Khodabanda has been described as "a man of refined tastes but weak character". As a result, Khodabanda's reign was characterised by factionalism, with major tribes aligning themselves with Khodabanda's sons and future heirs. This internal chaos allowed foreign powers, especially the rivalling and neighboring Ottoman Empire, to make territorial gains, including the conquest of the old capital of Tabriz in 1585. Khodabanda was finally overthrown in a coup in favour of his son Shah Abbas I.
