The Safavid Empire

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The Safavid I. Geography a. Land at highest point in history stretched from The Caucasus Mountains in the North-West, to the Arabian Sea in the South. b. The land was very arable, which consisted of fruits and vegetables that Europeans had never seen before, but much of the land was not irrigated. c. Bordered the Ottoman and Mughal Empires II. Duration a. The Safavid Dynasty was founded by Shah Ismael, which lasted from approximately 1501 to 1736 III. The Rise a. Safavid dynasty arose from the struggles of the rival Turkic nomadic groups and they were prominence as the frontier warrior champions of a highly militant strain of Islam (Shi’a). IV. The Military a. 14-year-old Isma’il i. Leader of “redheads” ii. Brilliant warrior iii. Seized most of present-day Iran b. Son, Tahmasp expanded through conquest to Caucasus Mountains and brought Christians under Safavid rule c. Rise and sustenance through conquest d. Strong military: force to be reckoned with e. Used for conquest and protection from enemies (mainly Sunni Islam empires) and religious persecution f. Military reforms during Safavid Golden Age of reformation and innovation under Shah Abbas g. Creation of two additional armies under Shah Abbas consisting of Persians, and recruits from the Christian North h. Importance on artillery/ firearms V. Islam in Growth and Maintenance a. Part of Shi’a branch of Islam b. Strengthened Empire c. Unified country under religious ideology d. Countered influence of the Sunni Ottomans e. Shi’a branch led rise of an individual Shi’a empire VI. The High Point a. Conversion to Shi’a Islam: i. Sunni Muslims, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, & followers of Sufi preachers converted to Shi’ism. ii. Most were pressured into conversion iii. Became support for their identity iv. Distinguished them from Ottomans, who had different religions

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