2/6/2017
World History: The Modern Era ­ Safavid Empire
From ABC-CLIO's World History: The Modern Era website
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SAFAVID EMPIRE
The Safavid Empire of Iran, which lasted from 1501 until 1722, was one of the most
important political forces of the early modern Middle East, both in terms of Iranian
national identity as well as regional aईairs. At the heart of the Safavids' legacy was
their success at making Shiite Islam the state religion of Iran, which clearly marked
Iran as distinct from its largely Sunni Muslim neighbors.
In the late 13th century, members of the Safavid tribe founded a Sunni Suई religious brotherhood in Azerbaijan
under the leadership of Shaykh Saई al-Din. Either Turkish or Kurdish themselves, the Safavids gained a large
following among Turkish tribes in the region. They paired religious fervor with increased military might and
expanded their inईuence west into Syria and Anatolia. By 1494, the Safavids were one of the most powerful
factions in the area, and in that year, a seven-year-old boy named Ismail became the leader of the Safavid Suई
order and ultimately became the founder of the empire bearing his family name.
Ismail's remarkable personality deईed his youth, and by July 1501, his troops had captured Tabriz. He was
proclaimed the shah of Azerbaijan and in the next year, shah of Iran. Within 10 years, Shah Ismail had control of
most of Iran as well as the Iraqi provinces of Baghdad and Mosul. Equally as important as his temporal
conquests, however, was Ismail's religious faith. Already a convert to Shiite Islam in his youth despite his family's
strong Sunni traditions, in 1501, he proclaimed Shiite Islam the state religion of his empire and tied his own
genealogy to the cosmology of the faith. That connection gave Ismail and his successors divine authority to rule
over Iran, and that authority was used to successfully convert the majority of Iranians to Shiism throughout the
reign of the Safavids.
Although increasingly shared beliefs in Shiite theology served to unite disparate elements within Safavid territory,
the power of the Safavid Army coupled with a conईicting religious ideology pitted the Shiite Safavids against their
Sunni Muslim neighbors. In particular, the Ottoman Empire to the west was an arch rival of the Safavids, and
tensions between the two powers escalated into a series of battles throughout the 16th century despite a
temporary peace achieved in 1590. One of the primary reasons for the Safavids' weakness against the Ottomans
was their own inability to bring independent Turkish tribal leaders in the hinterland under the increased
bureaucratic control of the Safavid Empire. The Ottomans also had superior military tactics and made use of
gunpowder.
After repeatedly trading control over the city of Baghdad with the Ottomans, Shah Abbas I reorganized his
military along European lines with the help of English advisers, and in 1603, the Safavids recaptured Baghdad
from the Ottomans. However, it was their permanent capital of Isfahan that gained the most international
acclaim. At the height of Abbas' power, Isfahan was renowned for its stunning architecture, active cultural and
religious life, and toleration of minority religions. After Abbas' death in 1629, however, the Safavids began to
decline militarily and ईnancially. By 1722, the capital of Isfahan was conquered by Afghans, and the Safavid
Empire came to an end.
ABC-CLIO
Further Reading
Hutchinson Dictionary of World History. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1993; Williams, Brian. The Kingईsher
Reference Atlas: An A-Z Guide to Countries of the World. New York: Kingईsher Books, 1993.
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Image Credits
Imam Mosque in Iran: Matejh Photography/iStockphoto.com
MLA Citation
"Safavid Empire." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2017, worldhistory.abc-clio.com. Accessed 6 Feb.
2017.
http://worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/308687?sid=308687&cid=0&view=print&lang=
Entry ID: 308687
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