Safavid Dynasty

Born in Ardabil, Iranian Azerbaijan in 1487, Isma’il I, known in Persian as Shāh Ismāʿil, was Shah of Iran and the founder of the Safavid dynasty which survived until 1736. Isma’il was the last heir of the Grand Masters of the Safaviyeh Sufi order. This order was a Shia sect and known for their military skills. The Safavid dynasty was one of the major native dynasty to rule what is now modern day Iran. In 1488, Isma’il’s father was killed in a battle at Derbent against the armies of the Aq Qoyunlu, a Turkic (Sunni) federation which controlled most of modern Iran. In 1494, the Aq Qoyunlu captured Ardabil (Iranian city), killing Ali Mirza Safavi (Ismail’s older brother), and forcing 7-year old Isma’il to hide with the rest of his family. While
As the leader of the Safaviyeh, a Twelver Shia militant religious order, he unified all of Iran by 1509. He was the king (shah) of the Safavid dynasty from 1501 to 1524. The Safavid dynasty, founded and strengthened by Isma’il I, would rule for over two centuries, becoming one of the strongest Iranian empires. At the height of its power, it was one of the most powerful empires of its time, ruling all of Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, most of Georgia, the North Caucasus, Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, as well as parts of modern day Syria, Turkey, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and
Eventually Isma’il’s actions caused tension between the Safavids and the Ottomans. The Safavid armies recruited soldiers from the Turcoman tribes of Eastern Anatolia, who were Ottoman subjects. Also, by the early 1510s, Isma’il ‘s rapid expansion had made the Safavid border in Asia Minor shift farther westward toward the Ottoman Empire. In 1511, there was a large pro-Safavid rebellion in southern Anatolia by the Takkalu Qizilbash tribe, known as the Şahkulu Rebellion. An imperial Ottoman army was sent to end the rebellion and they were defeated. In 1514, Selim I, ruler of the Ottoman empire, attacked Isma’il ‘s kingdom and eventually defeated Isma’il at the battle of Chaldiran in 1514. Isma’il’s army was more mobile and their soldiers were better prepared but the Ottomans succeeded because they had better artillery, black powder and muskets. Isma’il was wounded in the battle and almost captured. However, a small rebellion among Selim’s troops who feared a counterattack by the Safavid reinforcements forced the triumphant Ottomans to withdraw. This allowed Isma’il to recover