safavid military strength

The Safavid Empire (1502-1736) was a Persian military state that dominated the region for two centuries and initiated one of Persia's golden ages. "Greeks and Trkmens: The Pontic Exception". The Safavid shahs ruled over one of the Gunpowder Empires. It was the Safavids who made Iran the spiritual bastion of Shiism, and the repository of Persian cultural traditions and self-awareness of Iranianhood, acting as a bridge to modern Iran. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Their rulers also focused a great deal of their attention on this. In 1588 Abbs I was brought to the throne. In return, they had to keep ready a standing army at all times and provide the Shah with military assistance upon his request. [165], The most precious accessory for men was the turban. Gunpowder Empires Activity .pdf - Focus Questions: The More problematic for the Safavids was the powerful neighboring Ottoman Empire. This Bakhtrioni Uprising was successfully defeated under personal direction of Shah Abbas II himself. After a long and bloody siege led by the Safavid grand vizier Hatem Beg, which lasted from November 1609 to the summer of 1610, the Kurdish stronghold of Dimdim was captured. His History of Shah Abbas the Great written a few years after its subject's death, achieved a nuanced depth of history and character. [121] Moreover, he planned to deport all nobles of Kartli. A year after his victory in Tabriz, Ismil I claimed most of Iran as part of his territory,[31] and within 10 years established a complete control over all of it. Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Mughal Empire - 818 Words | Cram Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The Safavids' archrivals, the neighbouring Ottomans, invaded western and northwestern Safavid Iran and took swaths of territory there, including the city of Baghdad. THE ULTIMATE MIXES. Despite falling revenues and military threats, later shahs had lavish lifestyles. The Safavid Empire, although driven and inspired by strong religious faith, rapidly built the foundations of strong central secular government and administration. By 1595, Allahverdi Khan, a Georgian, became one of the most powerful men in the Safavid state, when he was appointed the Governor-General of Fars, one of the richest provinces in Iran. [180], The Akhbari movement "crystalized" as a "separate movement" with the writings of Muhammad Amin al-Astarabadi (died 1627 AD). Which would be the most useful source of evidence to support McNeill's contention that "the Safavid [Safavid] empire remained a profoundly disturbing force in the Moslem [Muslim] world?" Units 3 - 4 practice test! [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. Trade with the West and industry expanded, communications improved. This meant that even the Prime Minister, who held the highest office in the state, had to work in association with the Nazir when it came to managing those transactions that directly related to the Shah.[190]. [30] The Safavid Shh Ism'l I established the Twelver denomination of Sha Islam as the official religion of the empire, marking one of the most important turning points in the history of Islam. Throughout the Ottomans expansion, they rapidly improved their military . The people of the Empire soon embraced the new faith with enthusiasm, celebrating Shi'ite festivals with great piety. [82], Tahmsp also planted the seeds that would, unintentionally, produce change much later. 1007 Words. [109] Abbas' own position seemed even more dependent on Qizilbash approval than Mohammad Khodabanda's was. His descriptions of the public appearance, clothes and customs are corroborated by the miniatures, drawings and paintings from that time which have survived. [229] Protected by Dutch naval power, competition from Bengali silk and Sino-Japanese porcelain contributed to the decline of the Safavid economy during the late 17th century.[230][231]. [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 Ilkhanid ruler ljait converted to Twelver Shiism in the 13th century. And since agriculture accounted for by far largest share of tax revenue, he took measures to expand it. After subsequent campaigns, the Safavids recaptured Baghdad in 1623 during the OttomanSafavid War (162339) yet lost it again to Murad IV in 1638 after Abbas had died. There were five main branches of military force - infantry, cavalry, fire-arms, elephants, and war boats. This led to power being exercised through the highest officials of the ulama, the Ayatollahs. Abbs I, byname Abbs the Great, (born Jan. 27, 1571died Jan. 19, 1629), shah of Persia from 1588 to 1629, who strengthened the Safavid dynasty by expelling Ottoman and Uzbek troops from Persian soil and by creating a standing army. They also placed jewels on their arms, such as on daggers and swords. Roemer, H.R. In 1501, the Safavid Shahs declared independence when the Ottomans outlawed Shi'a Islam in their territory. In private they usually wore a veil that only covered the hair and the back, but upon leaving the home, they put on manteaus, large cloaks that concealed their whole bodies except their faces. Power passed to the Shi'a ulama (a religious council of wise men) which eventually deposed the Shahs and proclaimed the world's first Islamic Republic in the eighteenth century. [171], Following the full implementation of this policy by Abbas I, the women (only Circassian and Georgian) now very often came to occupy prominent positions in the harems of the Safavid elite, while the men who became part of the ghulam "class" as part of the powerful third force were given special training on completion of which they were either enrolled in one of the newly created ghilman regiments, or employed in the royal household. This layer would be solely composed of hundreds of thousands of deported, imported, and to a lesser extent voluntarily migrated ethnic Circassians, Georgians, and Armenians. Among luminaries of this school of philosophy, the names of Iranian philosophers such as Mir Damad, Mir Fendereski, Shaykh Bahai and Mohsen Fayz Kashani standout. The Safavid Empire, based in Persia ( Iran ), ruled over much of southwestern Asia from 1501 to 1736. That is for the women and to get themselves in good form. The works of al-Razi (86592) (known to the West as Razes) were still used in European universities as standard textbooks of alchemy, pharmacology and pediatrics. The language chiefly used by the Safavid court and military establishment was Azerbaijani. This book was translated into French in 1681 by Angulus de Saint, under the name "Pharmacopoea Persica". [162], Since pre-Islamic times, the sport of wrestling had been an integral part of the Iranian identity, and the professional wrestlers, who performed in Zurkhanehs, were considered important members of the society. [32] Sam Mirza, the son of Shah Ismail as well as some later authors assert that Ismail composed poems both in Turkish and Persian but only a few specimens of his Persian verse have survived. The founder of the dynasty, Shah Isma'il, adopted the title of "King of Iran" (Pdiah- rn), with its implicit notion of an Iranian state stretching from Khorasan as far as Euphrates, and from the Oxus to the southern Territories of the Persian Gulf. Junayd was killed during an incursion into the territories of the Shirvanshah and was succeeded by his son Haydar Safavi. His primary job was to appoint and supervise all the officials of the household and to be their contact with the Shah. Indeed, this had been the situation throughout Persian history, even before the Safavids, ever since the Arab conquest. But Selim was an alcoholic and Hrrem's other son, Bayezid, had shown far greater military ability. [89] Ismail had been imprisoned at Qahqaha since 1556 by his father on charges of plotting a coup, but his selection was ensured when 30,000 Qizilbash supporters demonstrated outside the prison. In 1511, the ahkulu rebellion was a widespread pro-Shia and pro-Safavid uprising directed against the Ottoman Empire from within the empire. A Study of the Migration of Shii Works from Arab Regions to Iran at the Early Safavid Era. 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. 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. [73] Nevertheless, given the insecurity in Iraq and its northwest territory, Tahmsp moved his court from Tabriz to Qazvin. The majority were deported to Iran, while some were slaughtered. It continued until the end of the Qajar reign.[236]. Although Esml's predecessors had also formed troops of their followers, it is certain that the prototype for the military forces of the Safavid state was formed at that particular moment, for the partisans of the Safavid order had been dispersed after the defeat of Soln Al, Esml's brother, in . He was responsible for introducing all guests, receiving petitions presented to the Shah and reading them if required. [121], The following spring in 1614, Abbas I appointed a grandson of Alexander II of Imereti to the throne of Kartli, Jesse of Kakheti also known as "Is Khn". The implementation of this branch would be completed and significantly widened under Abbas the Great (Abbas I). [101], The palace intrigues reflected ethnic unrest which would soon erupt into open warfare. Read more. [244], Safavids also used Persian as a cultural and administrative language throughout the empire and were bilingual in Persian. Richard Wilson, When Golden Time Convents: Twelfth Night and Shakespeare's Eastern Promise, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFMunsh1978 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFSstn (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFJavakhishvili1970 (. The two wrestlers were covered in grease. 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 . Safavid Dynasty - wikishia [83] Despite that Tahmsp could nullify and neglect some of his consternations regarding potential issues related to his family by having his close direct male relatives such as his brothers and sons routinely transferred around to various governorships in the empire, he understood and realized that any long-term solutions would mainly involve minimizing the political and military presence of the Qezelb as a whole. In addition the shah's personal bodyguard, made up exclusively of Caucasian ghulms, was dramatically increased to 3,000. The Safavid Empire was strengthened by important Shi'a soldiers from the Ottoman army who had fled from persecution. Military & Wartime Collectibles (3642) Musical Instruments & Equipment (506) . As Vladimir Minorsky put it, friction between these two groups was inevitable, because the Qizilbash "were no party to the national Persian tradition". Under Shah Abbas I the empire reached the height of its strength and prosperity Turkic chiefs were changed into . The discovery of oil early in the twentieth century and the interest of it to the British and then the Americans determined the style and role of the second Pahlavi Shah. An angry mob gathered and Tahmasp had Bayezid put into custody, alleging it was for his own safety. Tobacco grew all over the country and was as strong as that grown in Brazil. Since the earliest days of the Safavid dynasty, the Qizilbash generals had been appointed to most of these posts. It was certainly not an oligarchy, nor was it an aristocracy. The Safavids were descended from Sheikh af al-Dn (12531334) of Ardabl, head of the Sufi order of afaviyyeh (afawiyyah). Read more. use of the Persian language. Slavery, Freedom Suits, and Legal Praxis in the Ottoman Empire, ca [190] The Chief Physician (Hakim-bashi) was a highly considered member of the Royal court,[192] and the most revered astrologer of the court was given the title Munajjim-bashi (Chief Astrologer). "[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. After Uzun Hassan's death, his son Ya'qub felt threatened by the growing Safavid religious influence. Two years later in 1587, the massive invasion of Khorasan by the Uzbeks proved the occasion whereby Murshid Quli Khan would make a play for supremacy in Qazvin. From 1540 and onwards, Shah Tahmasp initiated a gradual transformation of the Iranian society by slowly constructing a new branch and layer solely composed of ethnic Caucasians. Chardin specifically noticed the rank of doctors and astrologers and the respect that the Shahs had for them. When Abbas had a lively conversation in Turkish with the Italian traveller Pietro Della Valle, in front of his courtiers, he had to translate the conversation afterwards into Persian for the benefit of most of those present. Thirdly there was horsemanship. They appointed an official (the Sadr) to co-ordinate this elite - and ensure that it did what the Shah wanted. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Initially founded by Shah Ismail I, the Safavid Empire grew out of a much older Shi'a Muslim religious order with roots in Sufism. The highest level in the legal system was the Minister of Justice, and the law officers were divided into senior appointments, such as the magistrate (darughah), inspector (visir), and recorder (vakanevis). It was just a brief setback, however, as Abbas had already been making long-term plans to prevent further incursions. According to historian Roger Savory, "Sheikh Junayd was not content with spiritual authority and he sought material power. The Mughal Empire had a very powerful military that had a large impact in Mughal history. People met there to drink liqueurs or coffee, to smoke tobacco or opium, and to chat or listen to poetry. Stanford Jay Shaw. [183] It remains only a small minority in the Shii world. [216] The Italian traveler Pietro Della Valle was impressed by an encounter with one of these road guards:[217]. [224][225][226], In the long term, however, the seaborne trade route was of less significance to the Persians than was the traditional Silk Road. One of Tahmsp's sisters married a Circassian, who would use his court office to team up with Tahmsp's daughter, Pari Khn Khnum to assert themselves in succession matters after Tahmsp's death. 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. Thus Abbas was able to break dependence on the Qizilbash for military might indefinitely, and therefore was able to fully centralize control for the first time since the foundation of the Safavid state. They were the continuers of the classical tradition of Islamic thought, which after Averroes died in the Arab west. [69], The Uzbeks, during the reign of Tahmsp, attacked the eastern provinces of the kingdom five times, and the Ottomans under Soleymn I invaded Iran four times. . The Safavid Empire was based in what is today Iran. [48], Shah Abbas realized that in order to retain absolute control over his empire without antagonizing the Qizilbash, he needed to create reforms that reduced the dependency that the shah had on their military support. Eskandar Beg, pp. The Safavids, an introduction - Smarthistory As the former represented the "people of the sword" and the latter, "the people of the pen", high-level official posts would naturally be reserved for the Persians. 1800 Time Period ( remember : 18th century = 1700s , and so on ) DOCUMENT WORK ( preliminary ) Main Idea Outside Evidence HAPP ( HIPP ) Document 1 Safavid military and militia were well trained and knew how to handle gunpowder weapons Document 2 Mughal empire invested a lot of money into different expenditures , paying a lot to their military Audience : Austrian Emperor Document 3 Ottoman . Despite this, he was disappointed when travelling the country and witnessing the abundance of land that was not irrigated, or the fertile plains that were not cultivated, something he thought was in stark contrast to Europe. 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. After the death of Haydar, the Safaviyya gathered around his son Ali Mirza Safavi, who was also pursued and subsequently killed by Ya'qub. Concurrently, the Shahs themselves also supported Persian literature, poetry and art projects including the grand Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp,[26][27] while members of the family and some Shahs composed Persian poetry as well.[28][29]. Increasingly, members of the religious class, particularly the mujtahids and the seyyeds, gained full ownership of these lands, and, according to contemporary historian Iskandar Munshi, Iran started to witness the emergence of a new and significant group of landowners. Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (/sfvd, s-/), also referred to as the Safavid Empire,[c] 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. [150], The country was repeatedly raided on its frontiersKerman by Baloch tribes in 1698, Khorasan by the Hotakis in 1717, Dagestan and northern Shirvan by the Lezgins in 1721, constantly in Mesopotamia by Sunni peninsula Arabs. Mir Damad is considered the founder of this school. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. "Iran and Pre-Independence Lebanon" in Houchang Esfandiar Chehabi. The Sunni ulama (a religious council of wise men) either left or were killed. The crown prince (the vizier's son-in-law) meekly turned him over, and the Qizilbash executed him and confiscated his property. Murder was punishable by death, and the penalty for bodily injuries was invariably the bastinado. In earlier times, the Shah had been closely involved in judicial proceedings, but this part of the royal duty was neglected by Shah Safi and the later kings. 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. Safavid dynasty, (1501-1736), ruling dynasty of Iran whose establishment of Twelver Shiism 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. Much of the early art was devoted to celebrating the glories of the earlier Iranian kingdom, and thus, by implication, making legitimate the Safavids as that kingdom's current heirs. The longest-lasting of the Gunpowder Empires, the Ottoman Empire in Turkey was first established in 1299, but it fell to the conquering armies of Timur the Lame (better known as Tamerlane, 1336-1405) in 1402. By travelling across the Caspian sea to the north, they would reach Russia. Mohammad's younger sister, who had a hand in elevating and deposing Ismail II and thus had considerable influence among the Qizilbash, was the first. Safavid culture is often admired for the large-scale city planning and architecture, achievements made during the reign of later shahs, but the arts of persian miniature, book-binding and calligraphy, in fact, never received as much attention as they did during his time. This was surprising, since the Safavids owed their origins to a Sufi order and to a form of Shi'ism that they now banned. The Safavid Empire, 1501-1736 - Brewminate: A Bold Blend of News and Ideas They are present on the level ground, and a small drum is always playing during the contest for excitement. (2009). [205] But the creation of this large standing army, that, for the first time in Safavid history, was serving directly under the Shah, significantly reduced their influence, and perhaps any possibilities for the type of civil unrest that had caused havoc during the reign of the previous shahs. They would thus retain the official ownership and secure their land from being confiscated by royal commissioners or local governors, as long as a percentage of the revenues from the land went to the ulama. Those who wrote in Persian were either lacking in proper tuition in this tongue, or wrote outside Iran and hence at a distance from centers where Persian was the accepted vernacular, endued with that vitality and susceptibility to skill in its use which a language can have only in places where it truly belongs. 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. Traditional pre-1501 Safavid manuscripts trace the lineage of the Safavids to the Kurdish dignitary, Firuz-Shah Zarrin-Kolah. Despite the Safavid Shii zeal, Christians were tolerated and several missions and churches were built. Their religious policies, patronage . [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. The carpets of Ardabil were commissioned to commemorate the Safavid dynasty. R Savory, "Ebn Bazzaz" in. Af first, Kopek Sultn's Ustajlu tribe suffered the heaviest, and he himself was killed in a battle. 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. Military - Mughal Empire With their major enemy keeping quiet, the Safavid Shahs became complacent, and then corrupt and decadent. According to traveller Jean Chardin, for example, farmers in Iran had higher living standards than farmers in the most fertile European countries. In 1545 a combined IranianMughal force managed to seize Kandahar and occupy Kabul. 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 . Jan 20, 2017. Sir E. Denison Ross, Sir Anthony Sherley and his Persian Adventure, pp. William L. Cleveland and Martin P. Bunton. Astrakhan came under Russian rule, nearing the Safavid possessions in Dagestan. [196], On a local level, the government was divided into public land and royal possessions. [49] According to Arnold J. Toynbee,[245], In the heyday of the Mughal, Safawi, and Ottoman regimes New Persian was being patronized as the language of litterae humaniores by the ruling element over the whole of this huge realm, while it was also being employed as the official language of administration in those two-thirds of its realm that lay within the Safawi and the Mughal frontiers. . Blow, David; Shah Abbas: The ruthless king who became an Iranian legend, pp. This class is granted special privileges because they have aided the Ottoman Empire with expansion efforts. IRAQ iv. RELATIONS IN THE SAFAVID PERIOD - Encyclopaedia Iranica Ali was also venerated. It was perhaps this sort of attitude towards the rest of the world that accounted for the ignorance of Persians regarding other countries of the world. [213], Under the governance of the strong shahs, especially during the first half of the 17th century, traveling through Iran was easy because of good roads and the caravanserais, that were strategically placed along the route. [48] Although Ismil was defeated and his capital was captured, the Safavid empire survived. By the time of the orders fourth leader, Sheikh Junayd, it had become explicitly Shii. What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Safavid Empire? The Judge is seated at one end of the room having a writer and a man of law by his side. From 1553 for forty years the shah was able to avoid being ensnared in tribal treacheries. The main imports were spice, textiles (woolens from Europe, cottons from Gujarat), metals, coffee, and sugar. He then went on to completely reduce the number of Qizilbash provincial governorships and systematically moved qizilbash governors to other districts, thus disrupting their ties with the local community, and reducing their power. But the decade of civil war had exposed the empire to foreign danger and Tahmsp had to turn his attention to the repeated raids by the Uzbeks. It was from this time that the division of the Shia world into mujtahid (those who could follow their own independent judgment) and muqallid (those who had to follow the rulings of a mujtahid) took place. Women with slender waists were regarded as more attractive than those with larger figures. The Empire was founded by the Safavids, a Sufi order that goes back to Safi al-Din (1252-1334). He was perhaps the closest advisor to the Shah, and, as such, functioned as his eyes and ears within the Court. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. [172] The rest of the masses of deportees and importees, a significant portion numbering many hundreds of thousands, were settled in various regions of mainland Iran, and were given all kinds of roles as part of society, such as craftsmen, farmers, cattle breeders, traders, soldiers, generals, governors, woodcutters, etc., all also part of the newly established layer in Iranian society.[173]. The Afghan Shahs controlled the state and foreign policy, and could levy taxes and make secular laws. They became rich on the growing trade between Europe and the Islamic civilisations of central Asia and India. [45] There were many local states prior to the Iranian state established by Ismil.

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