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Period: Jan 1, 1450 to
Ismail I
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Jul 17, 1487
Birth of Ismail
Born to Martha and Shaykh Haydar. His father was the Sheikh of the Safaviyya Sufi order. Ismail was the last of the Grand Masters of the order. -
Jan 1, 1500
Out of Hiding
Ismail came out of hiding with a substantial number of followers. He began his fight toward making Shi'i Islam the official religion of Iran. 7000 of his Qizilbash conquered Baku. -
Jan 1, 1501
Safavid Empire Begins
Ismail became head of the Safavids as Shah of Azerbaijan. He claimed Tabriz as his capital. He was 14 or 15 years old when the came to power. -
Jan 1, 1502
Shah
Defeating the Aq Qoyunlu. He took the title of Shah of Iran. Claiming all of Iran as Safavid territory. -
Jan 1, 1510
Iran Conquered
Officially conquered the whole of Iran. 17,000 Safavids ambushed and defeated the Uzbeks numbering 28,000. Ismail captured the Uzbek leader and made his skull into a jewled drinking cup. -
Jan 1, 1514
Ottoman Attack
Ismail’s empire was attacked by the Ottomans. They were defeated in the Battle of Chaldrain, where Ismail was wounded and almost captured. The Ottomans took Tabriz but feared retaliation and withdrew. Ismail quickly regained almost all of his empire. -
Jan 1, 1514
Poetry
Ismail published his most famous poem describing the Ottoman presense in Safavid territories. Ismail was described as a skillful poet who portrayed themes and images with ease and originality. Who also used his poetry studies to name all 6 of his sons and 7 daughters. -
Jan 1, 1515
Powers in Decline
After being wounded in the battle Ismail lost his supernatural air and invincibility. He fell into heavy alcohol consumption and withdrew from active matters of his empire leaving them to his minister. -
May 1, 1524
Death
Died at the age of 36, very young. -
Empire
The empire which Ismail established fell. The empire lasted for over 200 years. Their influence still impacts the region including the religion being the official language of the Republic of Iran.
