Shah Abbas I went down in history as the greatest ruler of the Safavid dynasty. Under him, the lands of the state 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 pursued 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 Ulya, daughter of Hakim Mir Abdullah Khan. At the time of Abbas's birth, his grandfather Tahmasp I was the Shah of Iran. Muhammad Khudabende had been in poor he alth since childhood, so Tahmasp sent him to Shiraz, famous for its favorable climate. According to tradition, at least one prince of royal blood was supposed to live in Khorasan, so Tahmasp appointed four-year-old Abbas as the nominal governor of the province, and he remained in Herat.
In 1578, Abbas's father became Shah of Iran. Abbas's mother soon concentrated power in herhands 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 distinctions, and he officially became the Shahinshah of the Safavid state.
Beginning of the reign of Shah Abbas I
The kingdom Abbas inherited from his father was in decline. Internal contradictions weakened the empire, which was used by the rulers of neighboring states, seeking to expand their possessions by seizing foreign territories. The Ottomans captured vast territories in the west and northwest (including the main city of Tabriz), while the Uzbeks captured land in the northeast.
The primary task of Shah Abbas was to restore order within the state. To this end, in 1590, he concluded a devastating treaty with the Ottomans, which went down in history as the Istanbul Peace Treaty. According to its terms, the whole of Transcaucasia went to the Ottoman Empire. Both sides realized that this treaty was only a temporary reprieve before the outbreak of hostilities. Shah Abbas was forced to make peace with the Ottomans, as his empire was not yet ready for war.
Forging 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 Fyodor Ivanovich, he expressed Russia's desire to establish diplomatic relations with Persia. The meeting went well, and as a result, the Shah expressed his 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 in the amount of 7 thousand rubles. In 1625, he sent generous gifts to the Russian Tsar: a fragment of the Lord's Robe and a golden royal throne made by the best Persian craftsmen. The throne is currently kept in the Armory.
Economic recovery of the state
The well-thought-out domestic policy of Abbas I contributed to the economic recovery of the country, the development of cities and infrastructure. During his reign, 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 Khudabende was the 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 denomination was equal to one misqal.
The legend of an antelope has spread all over the world, from under whose hooves precious stones and gold coins are pouring. The wonderful antelope belonged to the padishah Jahangir. It was argued that it was thanks to her that he became the owner of untold we alth. The golden antelope is not directly related to Shah Abbas. He got rich exclusivelythanks to 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 resisting Ottoman and Uzbek enemies. The standing army consisted of ghulams, who were drawn from ethnic Georgians and Circassians, and to a much lesser extent from Iranians. The new army regiments were completely devoted to the Shah. The army numbered between 10,000 and 15,000 cavalry, armed with swords, spears and other weapons (at that time it was the largest cavalry in the world); musketeer corps (12,000 men) and artillery corps (12,000 men). In total, the number of permanent troops was about 40,000 soldiers.
Strict discipline was established in the army. Soldiers were punished for disobedience to the commander, and a ban on robberies in the conquered territory was also introduced. In the course of the military reform, the Persian Shah consulted not only with military leaders from his inner circle, but also with European envoys. It is known that Abbas spoke with the 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 consent of the Shah to enterPersia into anti-Ottoman alliance.
Fight against the Khanate of Bukhara
Having formed a strong combat-ready army, Shah Abbas began military operations against the Bukhara Khanate. In 1598, Khorasan was conquered, which was courageously defended by the warriors of the Uzbek Emir Abdullah. The further course of hostilities was marked by the annexation of Gilan, Mazanderan, Kandahar and the Lourestan region to Persia.
In the Battle of Balkh, the enemy troops 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 were able to consolidate their conquests in most of Khorasan. Only in 1613 did the talented Uzbek commander Yalangtush Bahadur Biya manage to recapture key outposts and cities, including Mashhad, Herat, Nishapur and others.
Wars with the Ottoman Empire
In 1601, part of Armenia and Georgia, as well as Shirvan, came under the rule of Abbas, who was called “great” even during his lifetime. In 1603-1604, Nakhichevan, Julfa and Yerevan were plundered by his troops. As a result of the hostilities of 1603-1607, Eastern Armenia became part of the Safavid Empire. A brutal policy was pursued against local residents. People were forcibly relocated deep into Iran, and the provinces were turned into a lifeless desert.
By 1612, Shah Abbas managed to subdue most of the territory of Transcaucasia and extend his influence to Ciscaucasia. In 1614-1617 the Turks againinvaded Iran, but their actions were not successful. Sultan Osman II concluded the Marandi peace with Shah Abbas, but the truce did not last long. In 1622, hostilities resumed, and Abbas's army even managed to conquer Baghdad.
Hiking in Georgia
Shah Abbas spoke negatively about Georgians, which is why some historians call him one of the main enemies of Georgians.
In 1614, the Persians attempted to conquer the territory of Georgia. Military operations were crowned with success, and Isa Khan was appointed the ruler of the conquered lands, who was educated at the court of Shah Abbas and was devoted to him. However, he failed to retain power, and in 1615 he was killed.
In September 1615, the rebels organized an uprising. To suppress it, Abbas sent a detachment of 15 thousand soldiers, who was defeated by the Kakhetian king. Realizing the danger of the uprising, in the spring of 1616 the Shah of Iran undertook a new campaign against the Georgian kingdoms, as a result of which the uprising 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, a Georgian princess and wife of Shah Abbas. But, unfortunately, very little information has been preserved about the marriage between Tinatin and Abbas.
Death of a ruler
The photo shows the tomb, which is located in the mausoleum of the Persian Shah Abbas.
S1621, the he alth 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 Sefi I as the heir to the empire. He was known as a tough man with a closed character. Lacking the virtues of his grandfather, he alienated the dynasty's loyal and talented associates and pursued a highly inept domestic and foreign policy.
