Reconquest Abbas I of Persia

1 reconquest

1.1 war against uzbeks
1.2 war against ottomans

1.2.1 quelling georgian uprising


1.3 kandahar , mughals
1.4 war against portuguese

reconquest
war against uzbeks

abbas first campaign reformed army against uzbeks had seized khorasan , ravaging province. in april 1598 went on attack. 1 of 2 main cities of province, mashhad, recaptured uzbek leader din mohammed khan safely behind walls of other chief city, herat. abbas managed lure uzbek army out of town feigning retreat. bloody battle ensued on 9 august 1598, in course of uzbek khan wounded , troops retreated (the khan murdered own men during retreat). however, during battle, farhad khan had fled after being wounded , later accused of fleeing due cowardice. nevertheless forgiven abbas, wanted appoint him governor of herat, farhad khan refused. according oruch beg, farhad khan s refusal made abbas feel had been insulted. due farhad khan s arrogant behaviour , suspected treason, seen threat abbas, abbas had him executed. abbas converted gilan , mazandaran crown domain (khasseh), , appointed allahverdi khan new commander-in-chief of safavid army.

by 1599, abbas had conquered not herat , mashhad, had moved far east balkh. short-lived victory , have settle on controlling of conquest after new ruler of khanate of khiva, baqi muhammad khan attempted retake balkh , abbas found troops still no match uzbeks. 1603, battle lines had stabilized, albeit loss of majority of persian artillery. abbas able hold onto of khorassan, including herat, sabzavar, farah, , nisa.

abbas north-east frontier safe time being , turn attention ottomans in west. after defeating uzbeks, moved capital qazvin isfahan.

war against ottomans


abbas king of persia , seen thomas herbert in 1627.

the safavids had not yet beaten archrival, ottomans, in battle. after particularly arrogant series of demands turkish ambassador, shah had him seized, had beard shaved , sent master, sultan, in constantinople. declaration of war. in resulting conflict, abbas first recaptured nahavand , destroyed fortress in city, ottomans had planned use advance base attacks on iran. next year, abbas pretended setting off on hunting expedition mazandaran men. merely ruse deceive ottoman spies in court – real target azerbaijan. changed course qazvin assembled large army , set off retake tabriz, had been in ottoman hands time.

drawing of capture of tabriz , parading before shah abbas of severed heads of ottoman soldiers. drawn european traveller, 1603.

for first time, iranians made great use of artillery , town – had been ruined ottoman occupation – fell. abbas set off besiege yerevan, town had become 1 of main turkish strongholds in caucasus since safavids had ceded in 1590. fell in june 1604 , ottomans lost support of armenians, georgians , other caucasians. abbas unsure how new sultan, ahmed i, respond , withdrew region using scorched earth tactics. year, neither side made move, in 1605, abbas sent general allahverdi khan meet ottoman forces on shores of lake van. on 6 november 1605 iranians, led abbas, scored decisive victory on ottomans @ sufiyan, near tabriz. in caucasus, during war abbas managed capture kabardino-balkaria. persian victory recognised in treaty of nasuh pasha in 1612, granting them suzerainty on of caucasus.

several years of peace followed ottomans planned response. secret training manoeuvres observed iranian spies. abbas learnt ottoman plan invade iran via azerbaijan, take tabriz move on ardabil , qazvin, use bargaining chips in exchange other territories. shah decided lay trap. allow ottomans enter country, destroy them. had tabriz evacuated of inhabitants while waited @ ardabil army. in 1618, ottoman army of 100,000 led grand vizier, invaded , seized tabriz. vizier sent ambassador shah demanding make peace , return lands taken since 1602. abbas refused , pretended ready set fire ardabil , retreat further inland rather face ottoman army. when turkish vizier heard news, decided march on ardabil right away. abbas wanted. army of 40,000 hiding @ crossroads on way , ambushed ottoman army in battle, ended in complete victory iranians.

in 1623, abbas decided take mesopotamia, had been lost grandfather tahmasp through ottoman-safavid war (1532-1555). profiting confusion surrounding accession of new ottoman sultan murad iv, pretended making pilgrimage shi ite shrines of kerbala , najaf, used army seize baghdad. however, abbas distracted rebellion in georgia in 1624 led giorgi saakadze allowing ottoman force besiege baghdad, shah came relief next year , crushed turkish army decisively. in 1638, however, after abbas death, ottomans retook baghdad , iranian–ottoman border finalised same current iran - turkey , iran - iraq borders.

quelling georgian uprising

teimuraz of kakheti (also known tahmuras khan).




rostom (also known rustam khan), viceroy of kartli, eastern georgia, 1633-1658.

between 1614 , 1616, during ottoman-safavid war, abbas suppressed rebellion led formerly loyal georgian subjects luarsab ii , teimuraz (also known tahmuras khan) in kingdom of kakheti. in 1613, abbas had appointed these trusted georgian gholams on puppet thrones of kartli , kakheti, iranian safavid ruled areas of georgia. later year, when shah summoned them join him on hunting expedition in mazandaran, did not appear feared either imprisoned or killed. forming alliance, 2 sought refuge ottoman forces in ottoman ruled imereti.

this defection of 2 of shah s trusted subjects , gholams infuriated abbas, reported safavid court historian iskander beg munshi. following spring of 1614, abbas appointed grandson of alexander ii of imereti throne of kartli, jesse of kakheti (also known isā khān ). raised @ court in isfahan , muslim, loyal shah. subsequently, shah marched on kutaisi, capital of imereti, , punished peoples harbouring defectors. returned kartli, , in 2 punitive campaigns devastated tblisi, killed 60–70,000 kakheti georgian peasants, , deported between 130,000-200,000 georgian captives iran. after having secured region, executed rebellious luarsab ii of kartli , later had georgian queen ketevan, had been sent shah negotiator, tortured death when refused renounce christianity, in act of revenge recalcitrance of teimuraz. kakheti lost two-thirds of population in these years result of abbas punitive campaign either through deportation iran or lesser extent being killed.

teimuraz did return eastern georgia in 1615 defeated safavid force. brief setback abbas made plans such revolt not happen again. abbas successful in making eastern georgian territories integral part of safavid provinces. in 1619 appointed loyal simon ii (or semayun khan) puppet ruler of kakheti, while placing series of own governors rule of districts rebellious inhabitants located.

by end of 1616, iranian rule had been restored on eastern georgia, georgian territories continue resistant safavid encroachments 1624 until abbas death.

kandahar , mughals

the safavids traditionally allied mughals in india against uzbeks, coveted province of khorasan. mughal emperor humayun had given abbas grandfather, shah tahmasp, province of kandahar reward helping him throne. in 1590, profiting confusion in iran, humayun s successor akbar seized kandahar. abbas continued maintain cordial relations mughals, while asking return of kandahar. finally, in 1620, diplomatic incident in iranian ambassador refused bow down in front of emperor jahangir led war. india embroiled in civil turmoil , abbas found needed lightning raid take far easternmost town of kandahar in 1622.

after conquest, conciliatory jahangir, claiming had taken rightly , disavowing further territorial ambitions. jahangir not appeased unable recapture province. childhood friend of abbas named ganj ali khan appointed governor of city, govern until death in 1624/5.

war against portuguese


the island of hormuz captured anglo-persian force in 1622 capture of ormuz.

during 16th century portuguese had established bases in persian gulf. in 1602, iranian army under command of imam-quli khan undiladze managed expel portuguese bahrain. in 1622, of 4 english ships, abbas retook hormuz portuguese. replaced trading centre new port, bandar abbas, nearby on mainland, never became successful.