Ismail I

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Shah Ismail I was born 17 July, 1487 was the founder of the Safavid Dynasty (r. 12 March, 1502-17 July, 1524)

A descendant of the Sufi Shaikh Safi Al-Din (1252-1334) of Ardebil, Ismail Safavi was the founder of the Safavid Dynasty. As a young boy of seven, he had lost his father Haydar, belligerent leader of a swelling Shi'a Islam community in northwestern Iran who was killed in battle. As legend has it, infant Ismail went into hiding for several years. With his followers, he finally returned to Tabriz, vowing to make Shi'a Islam the official religion of Iran.

Ismail found overwhelming acclaim among the people of northern Iran as well as large parts of Ottoman Anatolia. Centuries of Sunni or pagan oppression by rulers of Mongolian origin lent fertile ground for new teachings. In 1501, Ismail I proclaimed himself Shah, choosing Tabriz in what is now southern Azerbaijan as his capital.

Soon after, Sultan Selim I, Sunni Khalif, attacked Ismail's Kingdom, fearing Shi'a Islam might spread further across Ottoman realms.

The armies of Sultan Selim and Shah Ismail met in Chaldiran (in modern-day Iran) and fought a decisive battle. Despite Iranian efforts to prevail, the Ottomans proved supreme on the battlefield, due to their early possession of artillery and black powder muskets. In contrast, the Iranian troops fought valiantly with conventional arms such as lances, swords, maces and bows. Sultan Selim I also took Ismail's favorite wife hostage, demanding huge concessions for her release. Ismail refused to cede to the Ottoman demands, and is said to have died of a broken heart in 1524 at the early age of thirty-six, never having seen his beloved spouse again.

Ismail's reign was marked by enormous conquests, shaping the map of Iran up to the present day. Baghdad and the holy Shi'a shrines of Najaf نجف and Karbalā' كربلاء were seized from the Ottoman Turks, lost and reconquered again.