Why Did The Battle of Chaldiran Occur?

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

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Why Did The Battle of Chaldiran Occur?

According to Saed News and quoted from Fars News:

The Battle of Chaldiran, considered one of the most important battles in Iranian history, took place at a location by the same name in northern West Azerbaijan, 20 kilometers from the city of Khoy. It was fought between the Ottoman forces, led by Sultan Selim, and the Safavid army from northwestern Iran, commanded by Shah Ismail Safavi. As a result, parts of northwestern Iran, including Hamadan, Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan, as well as regions like Diyar Bakr and Al-Bustan, were lost by the Safavids and joined the Ottoman Empire.

In this battle, the Qizilbash forces numbered about 40,000, while the Ottoman army was around 100,000 strong. The Qizilbash were defeated due to their smaller numbers and lack of firearms compared to the Ottoman forces.

The Qizilbash tribes had managed to establish the Safavid rule in Iran, with Shah Ismail being the founder of the Safavid dynasty. After establishing the Safavid state, Shah Ismail was at the height of his power. Due to religious pressure on the Shiite Muslims in the Ottoman Empire, Shah Ismail was motivated to support the Shiites. By gathering and providing refuge to experienced Ottoman soldiers known as Janissaries, Shah Ismail created a stronger army than the Ottomans.

Shah Ismail and his military commanders held a meeting to determine the battle strategy. Two of his commanders, Noor Ali Khalifa and Mohammad Khan Estajlu, who were familiar with the Ottoman's military tactics and their powerful artillery, suggested attacking the enemy from behind before they could form a defensive position.

However, this strategy faced opposition from Shah Ismail and Dourmish Khan Estajlu, resulting in a bitter defeat. With the use of artillery and the large number of attacking forces, the outcome of the battle quickly turned in favor of the Ottomans. Many Iranian soldiers, including commanders and officials, who had sworn to defend their country with their lives, were killed in the battle. Shah Ismail, upon realizing the situation, despite the insistence of his generals and scholars that he should not go to the battlefield, chose two commanders to replace him and headed to the battlefield himself. After swearing an oath on the Quran, with the help of Sheikh Shabestari and the sacrifice of several Qizilbash warriors, Shah Ismail survived with the remaining 85 soldiers.

After the Safavid retreat, Sultan Selim, the Ottoman Sultan, entered Tabriz a few days later, having suffered the loss of over four thousand Ottoman soldiers and part of their artillery. The Battle of Chaldiran had several significant outcomes, one of the most notable being the permanent separation of Western Kurdistan, which includes parts of current-day Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. Sultan Selim turned Tabriz, which was known as the "Bride of the East," into a ruin. The psychological blow of this defeat led Shah Ismail to never directly command in any battle again.