Safavid Empire

Bulliet et. al. – “The Safavid
Empire, 15021722” , pp. 541-545

 “The Safavid Empire of Iran resembled its long time Ottoman foe in many ways: It initially relied militarily on cavalry paid through land grants; its population spoke several different languages; and it was oriented inward away from the sea. It also had distinct qualities that to this day set Iran off from its neighbors: it derived part of its legitimacy from the pre-Islamic dynasties of ancient Iran, and adopted the Shi’ite form of
Islam” (Bulliet, p. 541)

 Ismail was the ultimate victor in the region during and intense and complicated power struggle
 He was a boy of Kurdish, Iranian and Greek ancestry who proclaimed himself Shah at the age of 16
 Declared allegiance to Shi’ite Islam, which revered the family of Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali
 This decision created a deep divide between
Iran and its Sunni neighbors
 The actions of Ismail turned Iran into a separate country for the first time since the Islamic caliphate in the 7 th century

 Differences between Iran and its neighbors were long in the making
 Persian – written in Arabic script from the 10 th century emerged as a second Islamic language
 Iranian scholars and writers normally read
Arabic, as well as Persian, and used Arabic phrases in their writing
 The Arabs were less inclined to learn Persian
 Iran became known for painted and molded mosaic tiles and carpet design and production

 After the Mongols destroyed Baghdad, the capital of the Islamic caliphate, in 1258,
Iran developed largely on its own, having more extensive contacts with India – where Muslim rulers favored the Persian language – than with the Arabs.

 Shi’ite doctrine taught that all worldly rulers, regardless of title, are temporary stand ins for the “Hidden Imam”
 The Hidden Imam was said to be the 12 th descendent of
Ali, the prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, who disappeared as a child in the 9 th century
 Some believed the faithful should calmly and quietly accept the world as it was and wait for the return of the
Hidden Imam
 Some claimed they should have a greater leadership role in political affairs because they were best qualified to fulfill the wishes of the Hidden Imam
 As a result of this idea, religious scholars played a prominent role in Iranian society (and still do today) and they have never become subordinate to the secular government

 The Safavids, much like the Ottomans found it difficult to pay and supply troops armed with firearms
 Cannons were needed in greater supply by the late 16 th century to hold off the Ottoman and Uzbeks enemies
 Like the Ottoman cavalry the Safavid warriors were not willing to exchange their traditional bow and arrow for modern weaponry
 Shah Abbas was forced to create an army of slaves armed with guns able to fight year round – this army was initially made up of Christian converts to Islam who were taken during raids on Georgia in the Caucasus

 Inflation caused by the influx of cheap silver
 Overland trade through the empire declined due to mismanagement of the silk monopoly after the death of
Shah Abbas in 1629
 There was no money left to pay for the military, as well as, the government bureaucracy
 The government was unable to remove the nomads from their lands as a means to regain control of the taxes
 1722 – the government was so weak and ineffective that it was overrun by an army of Afghans who were able to capture Isfahan and end Safavid rule