The writer mlu documented the most important of them in his history. [156], A proper term for the Safavid society is what we today can call a meritocracy, meaning a society in which officials were appointed on the basis of worth and merit, and not on the basis of birth. [194] Under Abbas, the eunuchs became an increasingly important element at the court. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. With his new army, Abbs defeated the Turks in 1603, forcing them to relinquish all the territory they had seized, and captured Baghdad. [244], Safavids also used Persian as a cultural and administrative language throughout the empire and were bilingual in Persian. [141], Due to his obsessive fear of assassination, Shah Abbas either put to death or blinded any member of his family who aroused his suspicion. In 1722, an Afghan army led by Mir Wais' son Mahmud advanced on the heart of the empire and defeated the government forces at the Battle of Gulnabad. Afterwards, Ismail went on a conquest campaign, capturing Tabriz in July 1501, where he enthroned himself the Shh of Azerbaijan,[51][52][53] proclaimed himself King of Kings (shahanshah) of Iran[54][55][56] and minted coins in his name, proclaiming Twelver Shsm as the official religion of his domain. Although the Arabic language was still the medium for religious scholastic expression, it was precisely under the Safavids that hadith complications and doctrinal works of all sorts were being translated to Persian. [73] Nevertheless, given the insecurity in Iraq and its northwest territory, Tahmsp moved his court from Tabriz to Qazvin. More problematic for the Safavids was the powerful neighboring Ottoman Empire. [134] For his part, Abbas declared that he "preferred the dust from the shoe soles of the lowest Christian to the highest Ottoman personage. Every office had a deputy or superintendent, whose job was to keep records of all actions of the state officials and report directly to the Shah. Also, there were the quazi-religious fraternities called futuvva, which were run by local dervishes. Crown prince Hamza Mirza, now 21 years old and director of Safavid affairs, led a force to confront the Ottomans, but in 1586 was murdered under mysterious circumstances. Iran weakened appreciably during the reign of Ismls eldest son, Shah ahmsp I (152476), and persistent and unopposed Turkmen forays into the country increased under his incompetent successors. They finally arrived at the court of Philip III of Spain in 1602. Except for Shah Abbas II, the Safavid rulers after Abbas I were largely ineffectual. The main imports were spice, textiles (woolens from Europe, cottons from Gujarat), metals, coffee, and sugar. "The Safavid Period" in Jackson, Peter; Lockhart, Laurence. [83] Therefore, in 1540, Shah Tahmsp started the first of a series of invasions of the Caucasus region, both meant as a training and drilling for his soldiers, as well as mainly bringing back massive numbers of Christian Circassian and Georgian slaves, who would form the basis of a military slave system,[84] alike to the janissaries of the neighbouring Ottoman Empire,[85] as well as at the same time forming a new layer in Iranian society composed of ethnic Caucasians. Blow; chapter: "English adventurers at the servise of Shah Abbas.". Usually neither Persian nor European authors mention in which language people communicated with each other. Second place was held by fencing, where the wrist had to be firm but flexible and movements agile. "Greeks and Trkmens: The Pontic Exception", Peter Charanis. What was the basis of their military strength?, Discuss the religious and political issues that separated the Ottoman Turks and the Safavid Turks, two neighboring Islamic states, in the sixteenth century., By what steps did Shah Abbas achieve a strong and unified Safavid . By choosing the central city of Isfahan, fertilized by the Zyande roud ("The life-giving river"), lying as an oasis of intense cultivation in the midst of a vast area of arid landscape, he both distanced his capital from any future assaults by the Ottomans and the Uzbeks, and at the same time gained more control over the Persian Gulf, which had recently become an important trading route for the Dutch and British East India Companies.[233]. Safavid military history had three phases. The Safavid dynasty under Shah Ismail (961/1501) adopted Persian and the Shiite form of Islam as the national language and religion. use of the Persian language. Whether Abbas had fully formed his strategy at the onset, at least in retrospect his method of restoring the shah's authority involved three phases: (1) restoration of internal security and law and order; (2) recovery of the eastern territories from the Uzbeks; and (3) recovery of the western territories from the Ottomans. The Mughal military was controlled by the emperor of the Mughal Empire. 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. Traditional architecture evolved in its patterns and methods leaving its impact on the architecture of the following periods. The Safavids were often artists themselves. She did not last much longer than Mohammad's installation at Qazvin, where she was murdered. 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. [3] The Safavids have also left their mark down to the present era by establishing Twelver Shsm as the state religion of Iran, as well as spreading Sha Islam in major parts of the Middle East, Central Asia, Caucasus, Anatolia, the Persian Gulf, and Mesopotamia. The 'Amili (Shiite scholars of what is know South Lebanon) operating through the Court-based religious posts, were forced to master the Persian language; their students translated their instructions into Persian. The Safavid Empire also differed from the Ottoman and Mughal Empires because it was an official Shi'ite empire. There was a private seller from Western Europe . how did spain rule its colonies differently than england It covered all of Iran, and parts of Turkey and Georgia, All other religions, and forms of Islam were suppressed, The Empire's economic strength came from its location on the trade routes, The capital, Isfahan, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, The Empire declined when it became complacent and corrupt. Rml and Kopek Sultn Ustajlu (who had been Ismail's last wakl) established themselves as co-regents of the young shah. Not only did the invasions bring about the end of the Abbasid empire and leave the centre of eastern Islamdom fractured, but the arrival of new Turkic peoples and dynasties throughout much of Islamdom shifted the axes of power into the hands of Turkic clans. The Safavid Empire was based in what is today Iran. An important feature of the Safavid society was the alliance that emerged between the ulama (the religious class) and the merchant community. The Shirley brothers arrived in 1598 and helped reorganize the Iranian army, which proved to be crucial in the OttomanSafavid War (160318), which resulted in Ottoman defeats in all stages of the war and the first clear pitched Safavid victory of their archrivals. The Safavid Empire of Early Modern Persia Distinctive monuments like the Sheikh Lotfallah (1618), Hasht Behesht (Eight Paradise Palace) (1469) and the Chahar Bagh School (1714) appeared in Isfahan and other cities. In addition to fighting its perennial enemies, their archrival the Ottomans and the Uzbeks as the 17th century progressed, Iran had to contend with the rise of new neighbors. [235] The ingenuity of the square, or Maidn, was that, by building it, Shah Abbas would gather the three main components of power in Iran in his own backyard; the power of the clergy, represented by the Masjed-e Shah, the power of the merchants, represented by the Imperial Bazaar, and of course, the power of the Shah himself, residing in the Ali Qapu Palace. Ferrier, R. W.; A Journey to Persia: Jean Chardin's Portrait of a Seventeenth-century Empire; pp 7171. Immediately after Nader Shah's assassination in 1747 and the disintegration of his short-lived empire, the Safavids were re-appointed as shahs of Iran in order to lend legitimacy to the nascent Zand dynasty. Omissions? It is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder empires. They also reduced the importance of the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), replacing it with pilgrimage to Shi'ite shrines. Physiology was still based on the four humours of ancient and mediaeval medicine, and bleeding and purging were still the principal forms of therapy by surgeons, something even Thevenot experienced during his visit to Iran. Georgians in the Safavid Administration", The Politics of Trade in Safavid Iran: Silk for Silver, 16001730, "The Safavids and Mughal Relations with the Deccan States", "Persians and Shi'ites in Thailand: From the Ayutthaya Period to the Present", "Cetbang, Teknologi Senjata Api Andalan Majapahit", "CHINESE-IRANIAN RELATIONS iv. [91] While the murderous actions of Ismail might be explained by political prudence (Ottoman sultans occasionally purged the bloodline to prevent succession rivals[92]), his actions against Shia suggest retaliation against his father, who saw himself as a pious practitioner. [243], The Safavids by the time of their rise were Azerbaijani-speaking although they also used Persian as a second language. History of the Ottoman Empire. Infantry was largest. Iranian rule had been fully restored over eastern Georgia, but the Georgian territories would continue to produce resistance to Safavid enroachments from 1624 until Abbas' death. [136][137] Henceforward, the number of diplomatic missions to and fro greatly increased. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. He expanded commercial links with the English East India Company and the Dutch East India Company. Members of the Safavid Dynasty likely were of Kurdish Persian descent and belonged to a unique order of Sufi -infused Shi'a Islam called Safaviyya. At the height of their reign, the Safavids controlled not . Everything is either over-simplified or reduced to a wearisome incomprehensibility. The problems of this division of spiritual and political authority is something that Iran is still working out today. Safavid Iran - Wikipedia The Safavid dynasty had its origin in the Safavid order of Sufism, which was established in the city of Ardabil in the Iranian Azerbaijan region. The loss of Anatolia is a turning point for Safavid history. According to official Safavid history, before passing away, Ali had designated his young brother Ismail as the spiritual leader of the Safaviyya.[31]. To uphold the standard, another source of revenue was needed, and road toll, that were collected by guards (rah-dars), were stationed along the trading routes. Women from the provinces and slaves pierced their left nostrils with rings, but well-born Persian women would not do this. But the reverse seems not to have been true. The Safavid dynasty lasted until 1135/1722 when Isfahan was occupied by Afghan riots. In the Safavid era, there was remarkable military, jurisprudential, and artistic . In any event, he was ultimately killed (according to some accounts) by his Circassian half-sister, Pari Khn Khnum, who championed him over Haydar. Roemer, H.R. This form of Turkish was also the mother-tongue of Shah Abbas, although he was equally at ease speaking Persian. Many were attracted by the brotherhood's allegiance to Ali, and to the 'hidden Imam'. In day-to-day affairs, the language chiefly used at the Safavid court and by the great military and political officers, as well as the religious dignitaries, was Turkish, not Persian; and the last class of persons wrote their religious works mainly in Arabic. Travelling was valued only for the specific purpose of getting from one place to another, not interesting themselves in seeing new places and experiencing different cultures. [220][221] With the later end of the Portuguese Empire, the British, Dutch and French in particular gained easier access to Persian seaborne trade, although they, unlike the Portuguese, did not arrive as colonisers, but as merchant adventurers. The Shumlu leader, Ali Quli Khan, however, holed himself inside Herat with Abbas. The Shah had a dozen of each in his service and would usually be accompanied by three doctors and three astrologers, who were authorized to sit by his side on various occasions. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The Safavid Empire (1501-1722) was based in what is today Iran. Chardin also noted that bringing cases into court in Iran was easier than in the West. They in turn provided for the safety of the travelers, and both Thevenot and Tavernier stressed the safety of traveling in 17th century Iran, and the courtesy and refinement of the policing guards. [96] She was done in by intrigues by the vizier Mirza Salman Jaberi (who was a holdover from Ismail II's reign) and Mohammad's chief wife Khayr al-Nisa Begum, known as Mahd-i Uly. Although they lasted a long time it was necessary to have changes for different occasions like weddings and the Nowruz, while men of status never wore the same turban two days running. In fact, it was the founder of the Safavid Empire, Shah Ismail I, who forcibly converted Iran . Seven years later Shah ahmsp II recovered Efahn and ascended the throne, only to be deposed in 1732 by his Afshrid lieutenant Nadr Qol Beg (the future Ndir Shh). And, just as the higher levels of the social hierarchy was divided between the Turkish "men of the sword" and the Persian "men of the pen"; so were the lower level divided between the Turcoman tribes, who were cattle breeders and lived apart from the surrounding population, and the Persians, who were settled agriculturalists. The Afghan Shahs controlled the state and foreign policy, and could levy taxes and make secular laws. In 1588 Abbs I was brought to the throne. "[254] Rudolph Matthee concluded that "though not a nation-state, Safavid Iran contained the elements that would later spawn one by generating many enduring bureaucratic features and by initiating a polity of overlapping religious and territorial boundaries. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Safavid-dynasty, Khan Academy - The Safavids, an introduction, Efahn, Iran: Masjed-e Shaykh Luf Allh (Sheikh Lofollh Mosque), Efahn, Iran: interior of Masjed-e Shaykh Luf Allh (Sheikh Lofollh Mosque). [187] To ensure transparency and avoid decisions being made that circumvented the Shah, a complex system of bureaucracy and departmental procedures had been put in place that prevented fraud. They ruled one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Iran . When he reached the capital with Abbas a public demonstration in the boy's favor decided the issue, and Shah Mohammad voluntarily handed over the insignia of kingship to his son, who was crowned Abbas I on October 1, 1588. GIMME SOME TRUTH. Moreover, Shah Abbas's conversion to a ghulam-based military, though expedient in the short term, had, over the course of a century, weakened the country's strength by requiring heavy taxation and control over the provinces. The first two years of Tahmsp's reign was consumed with Div Sultns efforts to eliminate Ustajlu from power. Mulla Sadra has become the dominant philosopher of the Islamic East, and his approach to the nature of philosophy has been exceptionally influential up to this day. The Safavid Empire, 1501-1736 - Brewminate: A Bold Blend of News and Ideas His primary job was to appoint and supervise all the officials of the household and to be their contact with the Shah. The second most senior appointment was the Grand Steward (Ichik Agasi bashi), who would always accompany the Shah and was easily recognizable because of the great baton that he carried with him. Except for Shah Abbas II, the Safavid rulers after Abbas I were largely ineffectual. Zabiollah Safa (1986), "Persian Literature in the Safavid Period". The series of campaigns that Tahmsp subsequently waged after realising this in the wider Caucasus between 1540 and 1554 were meant to uphold the morale and the fighting efficiency of the Qizilbash military,[169] but they brought home large numbers (over 70,000)[170] of Christian Georgian, Circassian and Armenian slaves as its main objective, and would be the basis of this third force; the new (Caucasian) layer in society. [194] As Prof. David Blow states, foremost among the courtiers were the old nobility of Turkoman Qizilbash lords and their sons. Greece vs France | vs | total Military Strength | 2023 Mohammad was selected and received the crown on February 11, 1579. Astrakhan came under Russian rule, nearing the Safavid possessions in Dagestan. And since the Safavid society was meritocratic, and successions seldom were made on the basis of heritage, this meant that government offices constantly felt the pressure of being under surveillance and had to make sure they governed in the best interest of their leader, and not merely their own. The Ottoman Turks and Safavids fought over the fertile plains of Iraq for more than 150 years. The Safavid Empire, although driven and inspired by strong religious faith, rapidly built the foundations of strong central secular government and administration. No act of the Shah was valid without the counter seal of the Prime Minister. The Safavid dynasty (/sfvd, s-/; Persian: , pronounced [dudmne sfvi]) was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran, often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history. [83] Although the first slave soldiers would not be organized until the reign of Abbas I, during Tahmasp's reign, Caucasians already became important members of the royal household, Harem and in the civil and military administration,[86][87] and were on their way of becoming an integral part of society. It was certainly not an oligarchy, nor was it an aristocracy. Blow, David; Shah Abbas: The ruthless king who became an Iranian legend, pp. Siege of Isfahan. [6] It was an Iranian dynasty of Kurdish origin, [7] but during their rule they intermarried with Turkoman, [8] Georgian, [9] Circassian, [10] [11] and Pontic Greek [12] dignitaries, nevertheless they . The Safavid Empire began in 1501 BC when the Safavid leader Esma'il conquered Persia. Poetry stagnated under the Safavids; the great medieval ghazal form languished in over-the-top lyricism. Tahmasp I's successor, Ismail II, brought another 30,000 Circassians and Georgians to Iran of which many joined the ghulam force. This action coincided with the accession to the Ottoman throne in 1512 of Sultan Selim I, Bayezid II's son, and it was the casus belli leading to Selim's decision to invade neighbouring Safavid Iran two years later.[64]. [104] The following year the loyal Qizilbash forces (the Turkmen and Takkalu who controlled Qazvin), with vizier Mirza Salman and crown prince Sultan Hamza Mirza at their head, confronted the rebelling Ustajlu-Shamlu coalition which had assumed control of Khorasan under the nominal rule of young Abbas. Not taken care of accordingly, these were a serious threat to the ruler, or worse, could bring the fall of the former or could lead to unnecessary court intrigues. The status of physicians during the Safavids stood as high as ever. Military Slavery in Safavid Persia - oeaw.ac.at Under Shah Abbas I the empire reached the height of its strength and prosperity Turkic chiefs were changed into . "Iran and Pre-Independence Lebanon" in Houchang Esfandiar Chehabi. In response, a Ghilzai Afghan chieftain named Mirwais Hotak revolted and killed Gurgin Khan, the Safavid governor of the region, along with his army. As a result of the Mongol conquest and the relative religious tolerance of the Ilkhanids, Shii dynasties were re-established in Iran, Sarbedaran in Khorasan being the most important. "The Safavid Period" in Jackson, Peter; Lockhart, Laurence. Abbas offered trading rights and the chance to preach Christianity in Iran in return for help against the Ottomans. [197], In 16th and 17th century Iran, there existed a considerable number of local democratic institutions. "IRAN ix. Comparing the Ottoman, Safavid & Mughal Empires - Study.com [106] The siege of Herat thus ended in 1583 without Ali Quli Khan's surrender, and Khorasan was in a state of open rebellion. [90] Shortly after the installation of Ismail II on August 22, 1576, Haydar was beheaded. In 1726 an Afghan group destroyed the ruling dynasty. RELIGIONS IN IRAN (2) Islam in Iran (2.3) Shiism in Iran Since the Safavids: Safavid Period", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Safavid_Iran&oldid=1148421245, Shahsevans: these were 12,000 strong and built up from the small group of, Ghulams: Tahmasp I had started introducing huge amounts of, Musketeers: realizing the advantages that the Ottomans had because of their firearms, Shah Abbas was at pains to equip both the qurchi and the ghulam soldiers with up-to-date weaponry. The Safavids ruled from 1501 to 1722 (experiencing a brief restoration from 1729 to 1736 and 1750 to 1773) and, at their height, they controlled all of what is now Iran, Republic of Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Armenia, eastern Georgia, parts of the North Caucasus including Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Turkey, Syria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. [3][5], The Safavid Kings themselves claimed to be sayyids,[16] family descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, although many scholars have cast doubt on this claim. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. [80] Humayun handed over Kandahar, but Tahmsp was forced to retake it in 1558, after Humayun seized it on the death of the Safavid governor. Struggles began, 3 Safavid . Alireza Shapur Shahbazi (2005), "The History of the Idea of Iran", in Vesta Curtis ed., Birth of the Persian Empire, IB Tauris, London, p. 108: "Similarly the collapse of Sassanian Eranshahr in AD 650 did not end Iranians' national idea. Anthony Bryer. Although the Uzbeks continued to make occasional raids into Khorasan, the Safavid empire was able to keep them at bay throughout its reign. When the young Shah Tahmsp took the throne, Iran was in a dire state. As a quote relating to Shah Abbas the Great . Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Second to the Prime Minister post were the General of the Revenues (mostoufi-ye mamalek), or finance minister,[189] and the Divanbegi, Minister of Justice. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Tasmsp at the same time removed his son Ismail from his Qizilbash followers and imprisoned him at Qahqaha. Chardin was present at some feasts in Isfahan were there were more than fifty different kinds of fruit. Bandit chiefs and feudal lords plundered it at will, further weakening the Empire, and people yearned for strong central rule and stability. 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. Since two other sons had predeceased him, the result was a personal tragedy for Shah Abbas. The rise of the Pahlavis (1925 -79) saw the reaffirmation of a strong central authority in Iran and the re-emergence of the dynastic principle.

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