Shah Abbas I went down in history as the greatest ruler of the Safavid dynasty. Under him, the state’s lands stretched from the Tigris River in the west to the city of Kandahar in the east. During his reign, he achieved the revival of the power of the Safavid state, which was facilitated by the competent foreign and domestic policy conducted under his leadership.
early years
Abbas I was born on January 27, 1571 in Herat. He was the third son of Muhammad Khudabende and his wife Mahdi Uli, daughter of the hakim Mir Abdullah Khan. At the time of Abbas’s birth, the shah of Iran was his grandfather Tahmasp I. Muhammad Khudabende had been in poor health since childhood, so Tahmasp sent him to Shiraz, famous for its favorable climate. According to tradition, at least one prince of royal blood was to live in Khorasan, so Tahmasp appointed four-year-old Abbas the nominal governor of the province, and he remained in Herat.
In 1578, Abbas's father became the Shah of Iran. Abbas's mother soon concentrated power in her hands and began to express the interests of her older brother Hamza, but on July 26, 1579 she was killed. Dissatisfaction with the rule of Shah Muhammad grew, and as a result, in 1587, he voluntarily transferred power to his son Abbas I. As a result, on October 1, 1588, the young ruler was awarded royal insignia, and he officially became the Shahinshah of the Safavid state.
The beginning of the reign of Shah Abbas I
The kingdom Abbas inherited from his father was in decline. Internal contradictions weakened the empire, which took advantage of the rulers of neighboring states, seeking to expand their holdings by seizing foreign territories. The Ottomans captured vast territories in the west and northwest (including the main city of Tabriz), and the Uzbeks captured lands in the northeast.
The primary task of Shah Abbas was to restore order within the state. To this end, in 1590 he concluded a destructive treaty with the Ottomans, which went down in history as the Istanbul Peace Treaty. Under its terms, the entire Ottoman Empire was transferred to the Ottoman Empire . Both sides realized that this treaty was only a temporary delay before the outbreak of hostilities. Shah Abbas was forced to make peace with the Ottomans, as his empire was not yet ready for war.
The conclusion of an alliance with Russia
During the reign of Shah Abbas the Great, friendly relations were established between the Safavid state and Russia. On May 30, 1594, the Russian diplomat A.D. arrived in Persia. Zvenigorodsky. On behalf of Tsar Fedor Ivanovich, he expressed the desire of Russia to establish diplomatic relations with Persia. The meeting went well, and as a result of the meeting, the Shah expressed a desire to be with the Russian Tsar "in friendship, in brotherhood and in love."
Subsequently, Shah Abbas was the first to recognize the accession of a new dynasty in Russia and allocated a loan of 7 thousand rubles. In 1625, he sent generous gifts to the Russian Tsar: a fragment of the Robe of the Lord and the golden throne made by the best Persian masters. Currently, the throne is kept in the Armory.
The economic recovery of the state
The thoughtful domestic policy of Abbas I contributed to the economic recovery of the country, the development of cities and infrastructure. Under his rule, new roads and bridges were actively built. Realizing the high profitability of foreign trade, the Shah made efforts to revive trade relations with India and European states.
One of the consequences of the inept rule of Muhammad Hudabende was a violation of money circulation in the country. Abbas initiated a monetary reform and introduced a new coin. The coin of Shah Abbas was called “Abbasi”, its dignity was equal to one miscal.
The legend of the antelope spread around the world, from whose hooves precious stones and gold coins are strewed. The wonderful antelope belonged to padishah Jahangir. They claimed that it was thanks to her that he became the owner of countless riches. The golden antelope is not directly related to Shah Abbas. He became rich solely through his energetic activities.
Military reform
The military reform was dictated by the need to conduct military operations in order to recapture the lands lost as a result of the aggressive policy of the Ottoman Empire. The main goal of the reform was to strengthen the military organization of the state.
It took Abbas ten years to form a powerful and cohesive army capable of withstanding the Ottoman and Uzbek enemies. The standing army consisted of ghulam, who were called up from ethnic Georgians and Circassians, and to a much lesser extent - Iranians. The new army regiments were completely devoted to the shah. The army numbered from 10,000 to 15,000 cavalrymen armed with swords, spears and other weapons (at that time it was the largest cavalry in the world); musketeer corps (12,000 people) and artillery corps (12,000 people). In total, the number of permanent troops was about 40,000 soldiers.
The army established strict discipline. Soldiers were punished for disobeying the commander; a ban was also imposed on robberies in the conquered territory. During the military reform, the Persian Shah consulted not only with the military leaders from his inner circle, but also with the European envoys. It is known that Abbas spoke with English adventurers Sir Anthony Shirley and his brother Robert Shirley, who arrived on an unofficial mission in 1598 as envoys of the Earl of Essex. The purpose of their visit was to get the Shah’s consent for Persia to join the anti-Ottoman alliance.
The fight against the Bukhara Khanate
Having formed a strong combat-ready army, Shah Abbas began military operations against the Bukhara Khanate. In 1598, Khorasan was conquered, which was bravely defended by the soldiers of the Uzbek emir Abdullah. The further course of hostilities was marked by the annexation of Gilyan, Mazanderan, Kandahar and the region of Lurestan to Persia.
In the battle of Balkh, the enemy forces defeated the Persian army, thanks to which they managed to maintain the independence of Maverannahr. But this victory could not change the general course of hostilities. The forces of the Uzbek army were running out, and the Persians managed to consolidate their conquests in most of Khorasan. Only in 1613, the talented Uzbek military leader Yalangtush Bahadur Biya managed to recapture key outposts and cities, including Mashhad, Herat, Nishapur and others.
Ottoman Wars
In 1601, part of Armenia and Georgia, as well as Shirvan, passed under the power of Abbas, who was called the “great” even during his lifetime. In 1603-1604, his troops plundered Nakhichevan, Julfa and Yerevan. As a result of hostilities of 1603-1607, Eastern Armenia became part of the Safavid empire. In relation to local residents, a brutal policy was pursued. People were forcibly relocated deep into Iran, and the provinces turned into a lifeless desert.
By 1612, Shah Abbas managed to subjugate most of the territory of Transcaucasia and spread his influence in the Ciscaucasia. In the years 1614-1617, the Turks again invaded Iran, but their success was not successful. Sultan Osman II made the Marand peace with Shah Abbas, but the truce did not last long. In 1622, hostilities resumed, and the army of Abbas even managed to conquer Baghdad.
Campaigns in Georgia
Shah Abbas spoke about the Georgians in a negative way, so some historians call him one of the main enemies of the Georgians.
In 1614, the Persians attempted to conquer the territory of Georgia. The military operations were successful, and Isa Khan was appointed ruler of the conquered lands, who was educated at the court of Shah Abbas and was devoted to him. However, he failed to maintain power, and in 1615 he was killed.
In September 1615, the rebels staged an uprising. To suppress it, Abbas sent a detachment of 15 thousand soldiers, which was defeated by the Kakhetian king. Aware of the danger of the uprising, in the spring of 1616, the Iranian Shah launched a new campaign against the Georgian kingdoms, as a result of which the rebellion was finally crushed. After the ruin of Kakheti, the Persians invaded Kartli. In general, it should be noted that the aggression of Abbas I led to grave consequences for the region he conquered.
Against the background of such a foreign policy situation, it is interesting to recall the personality of Tinatin, the Georgian princess and wife of Shah Abbas. But, unfortunately, very little information has been preserved about the marriage between Tinatin and Abbas.
Death of the ruler
The photo shows the tomb, which is located in the mausoleum of the Persian Shah Abbas.
Since 1621, the health of the ruler gradually began to deteriorate. In 1629, he died in his palace in Farahabad on the coast of the Caspian Sea and was buried in the city of Kashan. Abbas appointed his grandson Safi I as heir to the empire. He was known as a tough man with a closed character. Not possessing the advantages of his grandfather, he pushed away loyal dynasty and talented comrades-in-arms and pursued an extremely inept domestic and foreign policy.