Abbas the Great

Reformed the army and moved the capital to Isfahan, ushering in the Safavid golden age.

Life

Accession amid turmoil

Abbas the Great was Shah of the Safavid dynasty. Before his accession Persia was beset by fragmentation among internal tribal powers and by wars on two fronts against the Ottomans and the Uzbeks; royal authority was weak, and the loyalty of the Qizilbash tribal cavalry on which the dynasty had relied was uneven.

Military reform

Modeled on the Ottoman Janissaries, he formed a standing army of slave soldiers from the Caucasus, such as Georgians and Armenians, weakening the military power of local tribal chiefs, and recovered lands occupied by the Ottomans and Portugal. In 1598 he moved the capital to Isfahan, launching a building program of a royal square, mosques and bridges, and encouraged the silk trade, attracting European envoys and merchants.

Isfahan and later years

A Persian saying holds that "Isfahan is half the world," reflecting the splendor of his capital, but this prosperity rested on forceful suppression of local tribal power. In his later years he grew increasingly suspicious, executing or blinding several of his own sons to prevent usurpation, which left heirs poorly prepared and sowed the seeds of the Safavid dynasty's decline after his death.

Legacy

Abbas I, known as "Abbas the Great," rebuilt royal power and recovered lost territories, bringing the Safavid dynasty to its zenith; Isfahan became one of the most magnificent cities in the world at the time, and the silk trade, miniature painting and carpet weaving flourished. But he forcibly suppressed the tribal nobility and carried out large-scale forced deportations of Armenians and others, and in his later years his suspicion led him to kill his son, so the throne passed to an inexperienced successor and the dynasty gradually declined thereafter.

Major works & achievements

• Formed a standing army of Caucasian slave soldiers
• Recovered Tabriz and other lost territories
• Moved the capital to Isfahan in 1598 and built the Royal Square
• 1622: took Hormuz

Did you know? Isfahan's Imam Square (formerly the Royal Square) was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979.

Key dates

• 1587Became Safavid Shah
• 1590Made peace with the Ottomans, ceding some western territory
• 1598Moved the capital to Isfahan and began building the city
• 1602Recovered Azerbaijan and other lost lands
• 1603Went to war with the Ottomans and recaptured Tabriz
• 1622Allied with the English East India Company to take Hormuz
• 1629Died near Qazvin