Ismail I: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Shah Ismail I (1501-1524) was the founder of the Safavid Dynasty, Iran's greatest, to date, since the Achamaneids

A descendant of the Sufi Sheik Safi od-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 Juneyd, belligerent leader of a swelling shia followership 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 the shia faith the official religion of Iran. He found overwhelming acclaim among the people of northern Iran as well as large parts of Ottoman Anatolia. Centuries of sunnite or infidel oppression by rulers of Mongolian Origin lent fertile ground for opponent shia teachings. In 1501 Ismail proclaimed himself Shah (King), choosing Tabriz in southern Azerbaijan as his Capital.

Soon after, Sultan Selim I, Calif and Supreme protector of the sunnite faith, attacked Ismail's Kingdom, fearing the shia movement could spread further across Ottoman realms.

The armies of Sultan Selim and Shah Ismail met in Chaldiran (in Iran) and fought a decisive battle. Despite Iranian efforts to prevail, the Ottomans proved supreme on the battle field, due to their early possession of artillery and black powder propelled muskets. In contrast, the Iranian troops fought valiantly with conventional arms such as lances, swords, bow and arrow, as well as maces. 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. His reign was marked by enormous conquests, reuniting the ancient realm and shaping the map of Iran up to the present day. Baghdad and the holy shia shrines of Najaf and Kerbela where conquered from the Ottoman Turks and lost again; only to be reconquered and finally lost by Shah Ismail's successors.