Who was the leader of the Safavid Empire?
Shah Ismāīl I (1487-1524) is usually considered as the starting point for the Safavid dynasty. With devoted support from his followers, in 1499–Isma’il was twelve–he led his army in a war of conquest. In 1501, after the capture of Tabriz, he assumed the title of shah of Azerbaijan and declared his independence from the Ottoman Empire.
Why was the Safavid dynasty important to Iran?
From their base in Ardabil, the Safavids established control over parts of Greater Iran and reasserted the Iranian identity of the region, thus becoming the first native dynasty since the Sasanian Empire to establish a national state officially known as Iran.
When did the Safavids gain independence from the Ottoman Empire?
In 1501, after the capture of Tabriz, he assumed the title of shah of Azerbaijan and declared his independence from the Ottoman Empire. With his military conquests continuing, he expanded Safavid control of territory south of the Caucasus (most of present-day Iran fell under his control by 1510) and assumed the title of shah of Persia.
When did the Safavid Empire become a theocracy?
Sometime around 1400, they adopted an affiliation with Shi’ism and undertook to spread their Shi’ite faith by force of arms. Thus, Shi’ite Islam became the state religion of what evolved into the Safavid Empire, making the empire technically a theocracy. (Note on Shi’ism.
What was the religion of the Safavids?
Upon his accession, Shi‘a Islam became the official religion of the new Safavid state, which as yet consisted only of Azerbaijan. But within ten years, all of Iran was brought under Safavid dominion.
What was the war between the Ottomans and the Safavids?
The Ottoman–Safavid War of 1623–1639 was the last of a series of conflicts fought between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia, then the two major powers of Western Asia, over control of Mesopotamia.
What was the outcome of the Safavid War?
After the Battle of Chaldiran eliminated Safavid influence in Anatolia, during the war of 1532–55 the Ottomans conquered Arab Iraq, taking Baghdad in 1534 and securing recognition of their gains by the Treaty of Amasya in 1555. Peace lasted for two decades before another war began in 1578.