The Safavid dynasty was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder empires. The Safavid Shāh Ismā'īl I established the Twelver denomination of Shīʿa Islam as the official religion of the Persian Empire, marking one of the most important turning points in the history of Islam. The Safavid dynasty had its origin in the Safavid order of Sufism, which was established in the city of Ardabil in the Iranian Azerbaijan region. It was an Iranian dynasty of Kurdish origin, but during their rule they intermarried with Turkoman, Georgian, Circassian, and Pontic Greek dignitaries, nevertheless they were Turkic-speaking and Turkified. From their base in Ardabil, the Safavids established control over parts of Greater Iran and reasserted the Iranian identity of the region, thus becoming the first native dynasty since the Sasanian Empire to establish a national state officially known as Iran.
Abbas I, commonly known as Abbas the Great, was the fifth shah of Safavid Iran from 1588 to 1629. The third son of Shah Mohammad Khodabanda, he is generally considered one of the greatest rulers of Iranian history and the Safavid dynasty.
Ismail I was the founder and first shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1501 until his death in 1524. His reign is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder empires. The rule of Ismail I is one of the most vital in the history of Iran. Before his accession in 1501, Iran, since its conquest by the Arabs eight-and-a-half centuries earlier, had not existed as a unified country under native Iranian rule. Although many Iranian dynasties rose to power amidst this whole period, it was only under the Buyids that a vast part of Iran properly returned to Iranian rule (945–1055).
Suleiman I was the eighth Shah of Safavid Iran from 1666 to 1694. He was the eldest son of Abbas II and his concubine, Nakihat Khanum. Born as Sam Mirza, Suleiman spent his childhood in the harem among women and eunuchs and his existence was hidden from the public. In 1666, after the death of his father, the nineteen-year-old Sam Mirza was crowned king under the regnal name, Safi II, after his grandfather, Safi I. He had a troublesome reign as Safi II, which convinced his court astrologers that he should undergo a coronation once again. Thus, in 20 March 1668, simultaneously with Nowruz, he was crowned king with a new name, Suleiman I.
Abbas II was the seventh Shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1642 to 1666. As the eldest son of Safi and his Circassian wife, Anna Khanum, he inherited the throne when he was nine, and had to rely on a regency led by Saru Taqi, the erstwhile grand vizier of his father, to govern in his place. During the regency, Abbas received formal kingly education that, until then, he had been denied. In 1645, at age fifteen, he was able to remove Saru Taqi from power, and after purging the bureaucracy ranks, asserted his authority over his court and began his absolute rule.
Constantine I, also known as Constantine Khan, Constantin(e) Mirza, or Konstandil / Kustandil Mirza, of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from March to October 1605.
Shaykh Ali Khan Zanganeh, was an Iranian statesman of Kurdish origin, who served as the grand vizier of the Safavid king (shah) Suleiman I from 1669 to 1689. Due to his efforts in reforming the declining Iranian economy, he has been called the "Safavid Amir Kabir" in modern historiography.
The Khorshidi dynasty, Abbasi dynasty or Shahs of Little Lorestan (1184–1597) was a Lur dynasty that ruled Little Lorestan in the later Middle Ages from their capital Khorramabad.
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia, also referred to as the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and long-standing Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder empires. The Safavid Shāh Ismā'īl I established the Twelver denomination of Shīʿa Islam as the official religion of the empire, marking one of the most important turning points in the history of Islam.
The Ordubadi family, otherwise known as the Nasiri family, was an Iranian family, which was descended from the medieval philosopher and polymath Nasir al-Din al-Tusi. The family was from Ordubad, a town which lay on the banks of the Araxes river, and is first mentioned during the Mongol invasions and conquests. The family thereafter disappears from sources, and is first mentioned several decades later when the Safavid dynasty conquered Iran and its surroundings in the 15th century. The leader of the family Bahram Khan Ordubadi, began serving the Safavid king (shah) Ismail I, who appointed him as the civil administrator (kalantar) of Ordubad.
Farhād Khān Qarāmānlu, also known by his honorific title of Rokn al-Saltana, was a Turkoman military officer from the Qaramanlu family, and was the last member of the Qizilbash to serve as commander-in-chief (sipah-salar) of the Safavid Empire.
The Military of Safavid Iran covers the military history of Safavid Iran from 1501 to 1736.
Teresa Sampsonia was an Iranian-English noblewoman of the Safavid Empire of Iran. She was the wife of Elizabethan English adventurer Robert Shirley, whom she accompanied on his travels and embassies across Europe in the name of the Safavid King (Shah) Abbas the Great.
The Khalifeh family, also known as the Khalifeh sayyids, were a branch of the Marashi dynasty of Mazandaran, whose ancestor, Amir Nezam al-Din, had settled in the Golbar quarter of Isfahan in the 15th century.
The qurchis or qorchis were the royal bodyguard of the Safavid shah. The head of the qurchis was known as the qurchi-bashi.
The province of Georgia was a velayat (province) of Safavid Iran located in the area of present-day Georgia. The territory of the province was principally made up of the two subordinate eastern Georgian kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti and, briefly, parts of the Principality of Samtskhe. The city of Tiflis was its administrative center, the base of Safavid power in the province, and the seat of the rulers of Kartli. It also housed an important Safavid mint.
The province of Daghestan was a province of Safavid Iran, centred on the territory of the present-day Republic of Dagestan. Numerous high-ranking Safavid figures originally hailed from the province, or had roots there.
The region of Talish was a governorate of Safavid Iran (1501–1736), located in the greater Talish, presently divided between Iran and Azerbaijan. The territory of the governorate was principally made up of the two subordinate governorates of Astara and Lankaran. The city of Astara was its administrative center, the base of Safavid power in the region.
The province of Khuzestan was a southwestern province of Safavid Iran, corresponding to the present-day province of Khuzestan.
The province of Lorestan was a western province of Safavid Iran, corresponding to the present-day provinces of Ilam and Lorestan. It was one of the five velayats of the country, and was thus ruled by a vali.
European painting of Shah Ismail I with the title Sophy
European engraving of Shah Abbas II with the title Grand Sophy de Perse
