Shah Ismail

Persian:شاه اسماعیل ، شاه اسماعیل ختایی

Other Forms:Shah Esmael Safavi

Ismail I (born July 17, 1487, died May 23, 1524, Ardabil)
Shah of Iran (1501-1524) and founder of the Safavid dynasty.
His father was Sheikh Heydar and his mother was Alamshah (daughter of Uzun Hasan Ak Koyunlu) Born into a Shiite family with close ties to the Sufi tradition, he became head of a Shiite military force, the Kizilbash, at age 14. He captured Tabriz in 1501 and proclaimed himself shah of Iran, bringing the whole country and portions of modern-day Iraq under his control. In 1510 his troops defeated the Sunni Uzbeks. His proclamation of Shia faith as the official creed prompted the staunchly Sunnite sultan of the Ottoman Empire to order an invasion of Iran in 1514. Ismail lost the Battle of Chaldoran, but mutiny among the Ottoman troops forced their withdrawal. The conflict between the Safavids and their Sunni neighbours continued for over a century.