The Rule of theSafavids

The Rule of theSafavids

Chapter 15-2

The Safavid EmpireThe Safavid Empire

• Prior to the sixteenth century much of Persia, modern day Iran, as well as central Asia was in chaos

• A new dynasty known as the Safavids would come in & take control

• The Safavids were ardent Shia Muslims, as compared to the majority of the Muslims who were Sunnis

• This dynasty was founded by Shah Esma il

• While still in his teens Esma seized much of Iran & Iraq in 1501

• He called himself shah or king of the new Persian state

• He sent preachers to the Ottoman Empire to convert the Sunni Muslims there

• When people refused they were massacred

The Safavid EmpireThe Safavid Empire

• Alarmed by the activities of the Safavid’s the Ottomans attacked them in Persia at the battle of Tabriz

• The Ottomans won the battle but Selim could not maintain control allowing Esma to regain control a few years later

• In subsequent years the Safavids attempted to consolidate their rule but ran into problems when they attempted to integrate the Turkish peoples with the Persian speaking population of the urban centers

• To remedy this the Shia faith was used as a unifying force as it was made mandatory for the largely Sunni Turks

The Safavid EmpireThe Safavid Empire

• Those that opposed the conversion were exiled or killed

• Like the Turkish Sultan the Shah claimed to be the religious leader of all Islam

• By 1580 the Turks had had enough & went on attack capturing Azerbaijan forcing the Shah to sign a peace treaty in which he conceded a large amount of territory in the northwest

• The Safavid capital was moved from Tabriz to Esfahan where it became on of the worlds largest cities

Glory and DeclineGlory and Decline

• Under the rule of Shah Abbas the Safavids reached their high point

• As did the Ottomans Abbas used trained administrators to run the country as well as strengthen the army by supplying them with the latest technology when it came to weapons

• In the early seventeenth century Abbas moved against the Ottomans in an attempt to regain lost territory

• The Safavids had some early success but could not hold all their gains so they signed a peace agreement that returned Azerbaijan to the Safavid empire

Glory and DeclineGlory and Decline

• After the death of Abbas in 1629 the Safavids began to lose its power

• Future leaders did not have the talent or political skills of Abbas to lead as the power of Shia religious groups began to increase within the court

• There was also pressure to conform to traditional religious beliefs

• Safavid territory was invaded & lost

• The Safavid capital of Esfahan was invaded & seized by the Afghan army

• The Turks also seized territory along its western border

• Persia sank into a period of political & social anarchy

Life Under the SafavidsLife Under the Safavids

• Persia under the Safavids was a mixed society of combination of Persian & Turkish elements

• The Safavid rulers were generally supported by the Shia’s in return for the Shia religion being declared the state religion

• The shahs were strong minded & firmly controlled the power of the landed aristocracy

• In addition positions in the bureaucracy was based on merit rather than birth

• When it came to trade the shahs maintained an active role in marinating trade routes & protecting goods from thieves

• Safavid culture or knowledge of science, medicine, & mathematics was equal to other societies of the region

• In the arts Persia witnessed extraordinary growth especially when it came to silk & carpet weaving