Safavid Empire
Origins Religious and Political
The Safavid Empire was founded in Iran by Safi-ad-din Ardabili in 1301 when he became leader of the Zahediya. The Zahediya was a Sufi order, and, due to Safi-ad-din Arbabili’s popularity, the name of the order was changed to the Safaviyya Order. The Order was primarily Sunni at the time. Sufi is a form of Islamic mysticism. Once Sadr al-Din Musa became leader of the Safaviyya Order, the order began to put out religious propaganda. Eventually, Ismail I would become leader of the Safaviyya Order, and he would be the founder of the Safavid Empire.
Shia Sufis
Sufism arose during the Umayyad Caliphate. Sufism is typically seen as the Islamic asceticism. Most Sufis belong to the Sunni sect of Islam. Sunni Muslims believe any good, scholarly Muslim can
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He is often regarded as the greatest shah of the Safavid Empire. Abbas came to power at age 16 during a period of political turmoil within Iran. Under Shah Abbas I, the Treaty of Istanbul was signed with the Ottoman Empire. This treaty gave the Ottoman Empire the areas of Azerbaijan, Qarajadagh, Kurdistan, Tabriz, Ganja, Georgia, Karabagh, Dagestan, and Luristan. By adding slaves to the army, Abbas was able to lessen the power of the Qizilbash. Abbas had to play the long game against the Ottomans and Uzbeks in order to regain lost Iranian territory. Once the time came, he defeated many different armies in battle.
Qizilbash
The Qizilbash were a group of militant Shia Muslims. They were originally organized by Shaykh Haydar, leader of Safaviyya Sufis, in the 1400s. Within the Qizilbash, there were seven main tribes: Ustajlu, Shamlu, Qajar, Afshar, Zulkadar, Tekelu, and Rumlu. The Qizilbash are often identified as extremists. The Qizilbash were typically Turkic and often clashed with Persian nobility which caused many problems during the Safavid Empire.