Pir Budaq was the oldest son of Jahan Shah of the Qara Qoyunlu dynasty, descended from a group of Turkmen pastoralists who had migrated west with the Mongol invasions of the 1200s.

In 1453, Pir Budaq, the bravest of the sons, conquered Kum,[6] while his father seized Fars, Isfahan and Shiraz.

[9] Pir Budaq fought alongside his father on many of the successful military campaigns; for instance, when he annexed Isfahan, Shiraz and Abarquh in 1452–53.

[10] It was probably on these military campaigns that Pir Budaq was first exposed to Persian illustrated manuscripts and developed his passion for book art.

Contemporary accounts paint Jahanshah as a blood-thirsty, tyrant who had little regard for Sacred Law, and who passed his nights in revelry and drunkenness.

[13] In spite of his military success, his rule was plagued by persistent rebellions, particularly from his sons, Pir Budaq and Hassan Ali as well as the semi-autonomous Qara Qoyunlu leaders.

[14] In 1459, Hasan Ali led a mutiny of nomadic feudal lords in Azerbaijan at the same time as Jahanshah was fighting with the Timurid, Abu Seyyid.

[16] Several emissaries from Jahanshah's court visited Pir Budaq and pleaded with him to drop his rebellious attitude, but when it became clear that he would not listen, his father attacked and re-established his authority over the city.

Pir Budaq's mother interceded and negotiated terms, which saw him banished from Shiraz, and replaced as governor with a younger brother, Yusuf.

[28] Prior to his arrival in Baghdad, local production of manuscripts had dwindled due to an uncertain economic and political environment.

[31] Manuscripts produced during Pir Budaq's Baghdad tenure exhibit an "ostentatious use of lapis lazuli and gold".