Battle of Chaldiran
Chaldiran plain, Azerbaijan, Safavid Iran
What happened
Sultan Selim I of the Ottoman Empire fought Shah Ismail I, founder of the Safavid Empire of Iran. Selim marched east to fight Ismail. On the Chaldiran plain in northwest Iran, the Safavid horsemen charged the Ottoman army. The Ottomans, with many cannons and janissary soldiers with muskets sheltered behind carts, won the battle, because the Safavids had no artillery.
Why it matters
Result: Ottoman victory. Leaders: Selim I / Bıyıklı Mehmed Pasha against Ismail I / Abd al-Baqi Yazdi. Why it matters: The battle stopped the Safavids from expanding west. It was the beginning of 41 years of war between the two empires.
What came next
The Ottomans briefly occupied Ismail's capital, Tabriz. The long war ended with the Peace of Amasya in 1555.
Did you know?
Shah Ismail was also a poet who wrote in Turkish and Persian under the pen name Khatai.
Timeline
- 1501 CEIsmail founds the Safavid state.
- 23 August 1514 CESelim I defeats Ismail at Chaldiran.
- 1514 CEThe Ottomans briefly occupy Tabriz.
- 1524 CEIsmail I dies.
- 1555 CEThe Peace of Amasya ends the long war.