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Jan 27, 1571
Birth of a King
Abbas was born in Herat which is now in present day Afghanistan. He was born to the royal prince Mohammed Khodabanda and his wife Khayr al-Nisa Begum. At the time of his birth, his grandfather Tahmasp was king of the Safavid empire. -
Period: Jan 27, 1571 to
Shah Abbas Life
Shah Abbas was the great ruler of the Safavid Empire. -
A New Leader
Abbas had come under the power of one of the leaders of the Qizilbash in Khorasan. When a large army invaded,he decided the time was right to overthrow Shah Mohammed. He rode to the Safavid capital Qazvin with the young prince and proclaimed him king on October 1, 1587. Abbas was 16 years old. -
Free to Rule by His Own Rules
The Qizilbash leader that had put Abbas in power was controlling all of his power and using him like a puppet. The last straw for Abbas came when he begged his ''king maker" to aid a friendly city nearby who was under attack. No help was given and Abbas had him assassinated after a banquet. -
Peace
Abass decided he must establish order in Iran before taking on foreign enemies. He made a peace treaty with the Ottomans. This was very humiliating for him and it granted the Ottomans the providences of Azerbaijan, Karabagh, Ganja and Qarajadagh. -
Military Reform
Abass created a standing army of 40,000 ghulams (slaves) and Iranians to fight alongside the traditional, feudal force provided by the Qizilbash. Ruthless discipline was enforced and looting was severely punished. Abbas was also able to draw on military advice from a number of European envoys -
Moving the Capital
In 1598 Abbas moved his capital city from Qazvin to the more central city of Isfahan. New mosques, baths, colleges, and caravansarais in Isfahan made it one of the most beautiful cities in the world. -
War With the Uzbeks
Abbas's first attack with his reformed army was against the Uzbeks who had seized the former Safavid providence of Khorasan and were ravaging the province. In April, 1598 he went on the road to war. A bloody battle ensued until August when Abbas's troops finally won. This victory secured the north-east frontier and he could turn his attention to the Ottomans in the west. -
A Scorched Earth
Abbas implemented a "scorched earth" policy in the region to protect his north-western frontier against any invading Ottoman forces in 1604. This policy caused many Armenians to lose thier homeland. This was actually part of Abass's plan, because the Armenians were moved to a city near Isfahan were the merchant people boosted the ecomony of the empire. -
An Action of Regret
The Shah Abass had three sons that lived passed childhood. His son set to take the throne after him was Mohammed Baqir Mirza. Rumors began spreading that Mirza was plotting to overthrow his father. Abass had his son killed, but soon regretted the action and fell into depression. -
Death of a Leader
Abbas's health had declined greatly in his later years. He died in his palace and was buried in Kashan. His heir to the thrown was his grandson Sam Mirza, who later took the name Shah Safi.
