Which area was ruled by the Safavids?
The Safavid dynasty, (Persian: دودمان صفوی, romanized: Dudmâne Safavi) It was an Iranian dynasty, ruled Iran between 1501 and 1736 (or 1722 ), reasserting the Iranian identity of the region and establishing an independent Iranian state. The Safavid dynasty is descended from the Kurdish mystic Safi-ad-din Ardabili.
How did the Safavid Empire rise to power?
The empire of the Safavids was one of the three states that became politically prominent in the 16th century CE, the other two being the Mughal and the Ottoman empires. They were collectively called the Gunpowder Empires, since the widespread use of field artillery and shoulder fired muskets played a significant role in their rise to power.
Who founded the Safavid Empire?
The Safavid dynasty was founded about 1501 by Shāh Ismāʻil I. His background is disputed: the language he used is not identical with that of his "race" or "nationality" and he was bilingual from birth. Ismāʻil was of mixed Turkoman, Kurdish, Pontic Greek and Georgian descent, and was a direct descendant of Kurdish mystic Sheikh Safi al-Din.
How did Islam influence the government of the Safavid Empire?
How did Islam influence the government of the Safavid Empire? How did Islam influence the government of the Safavid Empire? Sunni Muslims within the Safavid Empire were forced to become Shia Muslims. The Safahids used force when persuasion to convert from being a Sunni muslim to embrace Shi’ism was not effective.
Who started the Safavid Empire and how did it originate?
The Safavid Empire dates from the rule of Shah Ismail (ruled 1501-1524). In 1501, the Safavid Shahs declared independence when the Ottomans outlawed Shi'a Islam in their territory. The Safavid Empire was strengthened by important Shi'a soldiers from the Ottoman army who had fled from persecution.
Who founded the Safavid Empire and when?
Ismāʿīl I, also spelled Esmāʿīl I, (born July 17, 1487, Ardabīl?, Azerbaijan—died May 23, 1524, Ardabīl, Safavid Iran), shah of Iran (1501–24) and religious leader who founded the Safavid dynasty (the first Persian dynasty to rule Iran in 800 years) and converted Iran from the Sunni to the Twelver Shiʿi sect of Islam.
Are Safavids Persian?
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (/ˈsæfəvɪd, ˈsɑː-/), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty.
What killed the Safavid Empire?
In 1722 Esfahan was invaded by Afghans who murdered Shah Sultan Hossein, and in turn the Ottomans and the Russians began seizing territories in Iran and the Safavid Empire came to a complete end in 1736.
When did the Safavid Empire start and end?
Safavid dynasty, (1501–1736), ruling dynasty of Iran whose establishment of Twelver Shiʿism as the state religion of Iran was a major factor in the emergence of a unified national consciousness among the various ethnic and linguistic elements of the country.
Who were the Safavids ruled by?
Safavid dynastyCountrySafavid IranFounded1501FounderIsmail I (1501–1524)Final rulerAbbas III (1732–1736)1 more row
When was the Ottoman Empire founded?
1299Ottoman Empire / FoundedOsman I, a leader of the Turkish tribes in Anatolia, founded the Ottoman Empire around 1299. The term “Ottoman” is derived from Osman's name, which was “Uthman” in Arabic. The Ottoman Turks set up a formal government and expanded their territory under the leadership of Osman I, Orhan, Murad I and Bayezid I.
Who was the leader of the Safavid Empire during its golden age?
Shah Abbas IShah Abbas I, also known as Abbas the Great, was born in 1571 and ruled the Safavid Empire from 1587 to his death in 1629.
What branch of Islam did the Safavid Empire practice?
Shia Islam
What was the collective name used by some historians to refer to the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires?
Gunpowder Empires
Define Shah .
Title for a ruler of Iran. The term is from Old Persian, meaning "king".
Who were the Qizilbash?
An Oghuz Turk Shia military group loyal to Shah Ishmael I.
What Ottoman enslaved military organization did the Safavid Ghulam imitate?
The Janissaries
What was the rule of Tajiks (people of Persian descent) in administering the Safavid Empire?
Persians took power in high-level governance positions, whereas the Turks took power in high-level military positions.
Was Persian culture embraced or suppressed under Safavid rule?
Embraced. Persian culture, language, and art were promoted within the Safavid administration.
What was a reason mentioned in the article that explained the downfall of the Safavid economy in the early 18th century?
European intrusion into trade in the Middle East and the Indian Ocean (including the Arabian Sea).
What was the Safavid Dynasty?
The Safavid dynasty ( / ˈsæfəvɪd, ˈsɑː -/; Persian: دودمان صفوی , romanized : Dudmâne Safavi, pronounced [d̪uːd̪ˈmɒːne sæfæˈviː]) was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran from 1501 to 1736 .
What were the Safavids?
According to historians, including Vladimir Minorsky and Roger Savory, the Safavids were of Turkicized Iranian origin:
What legacy did the Safavids leave behind?
Despite their demise in 1736, the legacy that they left behind was the revival of Iran as an economic stronghold between East and West, the establishment of an efficient state and bureaucracy based upon " checks and balances ", their architectural innovations and their patronage for fine arts. The Safavids have also left their mark down to the present era by spreading Twelver Islam in Iran, as well as major parts of the Caucasus, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia .
What countries did the Safavids rule?
The Safavids ruled from 1501 to 1722 (experiencing a brief restoration from 1729 to 1736) and, at their height, they controlled all of what is now Iran, Azerbaijan Republic, Bahrain, Armenia, eastern Georgia, parts of the North Caucasus, Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Turkey, Syria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan .
What language did the Shahs speak?
By the time of the establishment of the Safavid empire, the members of the family were Turkicized and Turkish-speaking, and some of the Shahs composed poems in their then-native Turkish language. Concurrently, the Shahs themselves also supported Persian literature, poetry and art projects including the grand Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp, while members of the family and some Shahs composed Persian poetry as well.
Which dynasty established a national state in 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.
Where did the Azari family originate?
It is probable that the family originated in Persian Kurdistan, and later moved to Azerbaijan, where they adopted the Azari form of Turkish spoken there, and eventually settled in the small town of Ardabil sometimes during the eleventh century.
What was the Safavid Empire?
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia ( / ˈsæfəvɪd, ˈsɑː -/ ), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder empires. The Safavid shahs established the Twelver school of Shia Islam as the official religion of the empire, marking one of the most important turning points in Muslim history .
Who founded the Safaviyya?
Safavid history begins with the establishment of the Safaviyya by its eponymous founder Safi-ad-din Ardabili (1252–1334). In 700/1301, Safi al-Din assumed the leadership of the Zahediyeh, a significant Sufi order in Gilan, from his spiritual master and father-in-law Zahed Gilani. Due to the great spiritual charisma of Safi al-Din, the order was later known as the Safaviyya. The Safavid order soon gained great influence in the city of Ardabil, and Hamdullah Mustaufi noted that most of the people of Ardabil were followers of Safi al-Din.
What were the Safaviyya called?
By this time, the bulk of the Safaviyya were nomadic Oghuz Turkic-speaking clans from Asia Minor and Azerbaijan and were known as Qizilbash "Red Heads" because of their distinct red headgear. The Qizilbash were warriors, spiritual followers of Haydar, and a source of the Safavid military and political power.
How old was Abbas I when he was installed as a shah?
The 16-year-old Abbas I was installed as nominal shah in 1588, but the real power was intended to remain in the hands of his "mentor," Murshid Quli Khan, who reorganized court offices and principal governorships among the Qizilbash and took the title of wakīl for himself. Abbas' own position seemed even more dependent on Qizilbash approval than Mohammad Khodabanda's was. The dependence of Abbas on the Qizilbash (which provided the only military force) was further reinforced by the precarious situation of the empire, in the vice of Ottoman and Uzbek territorial plunder. Yet over the course of ten years Abbas was able, using cautiously-timed but nonetheless decisive steps, to affect a profound transformation of Safavid administration and military, throw back the foreign invaders, and preside over a flourishing of Persian art.
How long did the Qizilbash fight?
The tribal rivalries among the Qizilbash, which temporarily ceased before the defeat at Chaldiran, resurfaced in intense form immediately after the death of Ismāʻil, and led to ten years of civil war (930–040/1524–1533) until Shāh Tahmāsp regained control of the affairs of the state.
How many times did the Uzbeks invade Iran?
The Uzbeks, during the reign of Tahmāsp, attacked the eastern provinces of the kingdom five times, and the Ottomans under Soleymān I invaded Iran four times. Decentralized control over Uzbek forces was largely responsible for the inability of the Uzbeks to make territorial inroads into Khorasan. Putting aside internal dissension, the Safavid nobles responded to a threat to Herat in 1528 by riding eastward with Tahmāsp (then 17) and soundly defeating the numerically superior forces of the Uzbeks at Jām. The victory resulted at least in part from Safavid use of firearms, which they had been acquiring and drilling with since Chaldiran.
Why did Shah Abbas put his son to death?
Due to his obsessive fear of assassination , Shah Abbas either put to death or blinded any member of his family who aroused his suspicion. His oldest son, the crown prince Mohammad Baqer Mirza, was executed following a court intrigue in which several Circassians were involved, while two others were blinded. Since two other sons had predeceased him, the result was a personal tragedy for Shah Abbas. When he died on 19 January 1629, he had no son capable of succeeding him.
Where did the Safavid Empire live?
She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.S. and South Korea. The Safavid Empire, based in Persia ( Iran ), ruled over much of southwestern Asia from 1501 to 1736.
Who was the Safavid Empire?
The Safavid Empire of Persia. Dr. Kallie Szczepanski is a history teacher specializing in Asian history and culture. She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.S. and South Korea. The Safavid Empire, based in Persia ( Iran ), ruled over much of southwestern Asia from 1501 to 1736. Members of the Safavid Dynasty likely were of ...
What was the role of the Safavids in Persia?
As one of the powerful " gunpowder empires " of the age, the Safavids re-established Persia's place as a key player in economics and geopolitics at the intersection of the eastern and western worlds.
Who was the greatest Safavid ruler?
The greatest Safavid ruler was Shah Abbas I (r. 1587 - 1629), who modernized the Persian military, adding musketeers and artillery-men; moved the capital city deeper into the Persian heartland; and established a policy of tolerance towards Christians in the empire. However, Shah Abbas was fearful to the point of paranoia about the assassination and executed or blinded all of his sons to prevent them from replacing him. As a result, the empire began a long, slow slide into obscurity after his death in 1629.
Who converted Iran to Shi'a Islam?
In fact, it was the founder of the Safavid Empire, Shah Ismail I, who forcibly converted Iran from Sunni to Shi'a Islam and established Shi'ism as the state religion.
Where did the Safavid Empire come from?
By tradition, the Safavids traced their origins back to a Sufi order (a mystical sect within Islam) associated with Sheikh Safi al-Din (1252-1334).
What was the Safavid Empire?
Safavid Empire aka Persia. Over the millennia, kingdoms and empires have come and gone in the area roughly corresponding to present-day Iran. The scale/scope of what was once called "Persia" changed dramatically over the centuries--remember that we have noted the great Achaemenid Empire (559 - 330 bce) which was a rival ...
How did Shah Abbas transform the empire into a commercial powerhouse?
Finally, Shah Abbas transformed the empire into a commercial powerhouse by opening Persia to the wider world and using his base on the Persian Gulf to negotiate lucrative trade treaties with England and Holland. The reign of Shah Abbas I also marked a cultural high point for the empire.
What was the name of the country that Safavid conquered in 1501?
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.
What was Shah Abbas's reform program?
Like both Louis XIV and Peter the Great later, Shah Abbas undertook a reform program intended to strengthen his personal power and expand the central power of the state administration at the expense of regional and local nobles and officials.
What is the history of Iran?
History of Iran (Persia) Shi'a: The Safavids. The Islamic World to 1600: Rise of the Great Islamic Empires ( The Safavids) Iran, Safavids and Ottoman Expansion, to 1700. History of Iran: Women in the Safavid era. The Long Fall of the Safavid Dynasty: Moving beyond the Standard (pdf)
Where did Abbas move his capital?
In 1598 Abbas moved his capital from Tabriz to Isfahan, a location more securely in the center of his empire and better situated on major trade routes. He then undertook a major building program to turn the city into a glorious focal point of his empire: the Masjid-i-Jami, Ali Qapu (the royal palace), the Masjid-i-Shah (royal mosque) ...
Overview
The Safavid dynasty was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder empires. The Safavid Shāh Ismā'īl I established the Twelver denomination of Shīʿa Islam as the official religion of the Persian Empire, marking one of the most important turning points in the history …
Genealogy—ancestors of the Safavids and its multi-cultural identity
The Safavid Kings themselves claimed to be sayyids, family descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, although many scholars have cast doubt on this claim. There seems now to be a consensus among scholars that the Safavid family hailed from Iranian Kurdistan, and later moved to Iranian Azerbaijan, finally settling in the 11th century CE at Ardabil. Traditional pre-1501 Safavid manuscripts trace the lineage of the Safavids to the Kurdish dignitary, Firuz-Shah Zarrin-Kolah.
Safavid Shahs of Iran
• Ismail I 1501–1524
• Tahmasp I 1524–1576
• Ismail II 1576–1578
• Mohammad Khodabanda 1578–1587
Culture
The Safavid family was a literate family from its early origin. There are extant Tati and Persian poetry from Shaykh Safi ad-din Ardabili as well as extant Persian poetry from Shaykh Sadr ad-din. Most of the extant poetry of Shah Ismail I is in Azerbaijani pen-name of Khatai. Sam Mirza, the son of Shah Ismail as well as some later authors assert that Ismail composed poems both in Turk…
See also
• Khanates of the Caucasus
• List of Shi'a Muslim dynasties
• Persianate states
• Safavid art
• Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam
Bibliography
• Blow, David (2009). Shah Abbas: The Ruthless King Who Became an Iranian Legend. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-0857716767.
• Jackson, Peter; Lockhart, Laurence, eds. (1986). The Timurid and Safavid Periods. The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 6. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521200943.
Further reading
• Christoph Marcinkowski (tr.),Persian Historiography and Geography: Bertold Spuler on Major Works Produced in Iran, the Caucasus, Central Asia, India and Early Ottoman Turkey, Singapore: Pustaka Nasional, 2003, ISBN 9971-77-488-7.
• Christoph Marcinkowski (tr., ed.),Mirza Rafi‘a's Dastur al-Muluk: A Manual of Later Safavid Administration. Annotated English Translation, Comments on the Offices and Services, and Facsimile of the Unique Persian Manuscript, Kuala …
External links
• History of the Safavids on Iran Chamber
• "Safavid dynasty", Encyclopædia Iranica by Rudi Matthee
• The History Files: Rulers of Persia
• BBC History of Religion
Overview
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia , also referred to as the Safavid Empire, was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder empires. The Safavid Shāh Ismā'īl I established the Twelver denomin…
Background
Safavid history begins with the establishment of the Safaviyya by its eponymous founder Safi-ad-din Ardabili (1252–1334). In 700/1301, Safi al-Din assumed the leadership of the Zahediyeh, a significant Sufi order in Gilan, from his spiritual master and father-in-law Zahed Gilani. Due to the great spiritual charisma of Safi al-Din, the order was later known as the Safaviyya. The Safavid order soon gai…
History
After the decline of the Timurid Empire (1370–1506), Iran was politically splintered, giving rise to a number of religious movements. The demise of Tamerlane's political authority created a space in which several religious communities, particularly Shiʻi ones, could come to the fore and gain prominence. Among these were a number of Sufi brotherhoods, the Hurufis, Nu…
Society
While large in terms of land area, the large proportion of deserts and mountains in its territory meant density was very low; the empire's population is estimated to have probably numbered between eight to ten million in 1650, as compared to c. 20 million for the Ottoman Empire in 1600.
A proper term for the Safavid society is what we today can call a meritocracy, …
Government
The Safavid state was one of checks and balance, both within the government and on a local level. At the apex of this system was the Shah, with total power over the state, legitimized by his bloodline as a sayyid, or descendant of Muhammad. So absolute was his power, that the French merchant, and later ambassador to Iran, Jean Chardin thought the Safavid Shahs ruled their land wi…
Economy
The growth of Safavid economy was fuelled by the stability which allowed the agriculture to thrive, as well as trade, due to Iran's position between the burgeoning civilizations of Europe to its west and India and Islamic Central Asia to its east and north. The Silk Road which led through northern Iran was revived in the 16th century. Abbas I also supported direct trade with Europe, particularl…
Culture
Abbas I recognized the commercial benefit of promoting the arts—artisan products provided much of Iran's foreign trade. In this period, handicrafts such as tile making, pottery and textiles developed and great advances were made in miniature painting, bookbinding, decoration and calligraphy. In the 16th century, carpet weaving evolved from a nomadic and peasant craft to a well-executed i…
The languages of the court, military, administration and culture
The Safavids by the time of their rise were Azerbaijani-speaking although they also used Persian as a second language. The language chiefly used by the Safavid court and military establishment was Azerbaijani. But the official language of the empire as well as the administrative language, language of correspondence, literature and historiography was Persian. The inscriptions o…