Battle of Chaldiran
1514 · Chaldiran Plain (present-day West Azerbaijan Province, Iran) · World · Modern
The Safavid Qizilbash cavalry charged the Ottoman wagon fort and failed; Ismail was wounded and retreated, and the Ottoman army occupied Tabriz.
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire
- Commanders
- Selim I
- Strength
- c. 60,000 to 100,000 (estimated)
Safavid dynasty
- Commanders
- Ismail I
- Strength
- c. 40,000 horsemen (estimated)
Background
The Safavid dynasty spread Shia Islam among the Turkmen tribes of eastern Anatolia and backed anti-Ottoman uprisings. After taking the throne, Selim I crushed Qizilbash sympathizers within his realm and then marched east.
Course of the battle
- Wagon fort and artilleryThe Ottoman army formed up behind wagons chained together and artillery, with Janissary musketeers in the center.
- Cavalry chargeThe Safavid cavalry charged on both flanks and for a time routed the Ottoman left, but suffered heavy losses under salvo fire from cannons and muskets.
- Occupation of TabrizIsmail was wounded and retreated; Selim I entered Tabriz but soon withdrew because his troops were unwilling to winter there.
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 1514 |
|---|---|
| Place | Plain of Chaldiran (in today's West Azerbaijan Province, Iran) |
| Result | The Safavid Qizilbash cavalry charged the Ottoman wagon fort and failed; Ismail was wounded and retreated, and the Ottoman army occupied Tabriz. |
| Winner | Ottoman Empire |
| Casualties | Both sides suffered casualties in the thousands; exact figures vary widely between records. |
| Territorial change | The Ottomans gained eastern Anatolia and most of Kurdistan; Tabriz was soon abandoned, and the Safavids kept the Iranian heartland. |
Impact
The battle established the superiority of firearms on West Asian battlefields and set the pattern of a long Ottoman-Safavid standoff and the division between the Sunni and Shia camps.
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