The Safavid Shahanshahs of Persia

**Yoghurt** · 24-09-2003 17:56

Im playing Age of Explorer on latest beta version. I let the game run, until Persia revolted and formed from the Ak Koyunlou, then I took over...

Been a while since I wrote any AAR so be gentle with me

**Yoghurt** · 24-09-2003 17:58

Persia had finally been able to rise against its opressor, Ak Koyunlu. Under Ismail I, the Safavid dynasty came to power. Ismail was a great ruler ( DIP = 8 MIL = 8 ADM = 9 ) aswell as a very respectable commander ( Movement = 4 Fire = 4 Shock = 4 Siege = 0 ).

Ismail I of Persia

He was born in 1487 as the third and youngest son of 'Abu'l Wilayat Sultan Haidar Safawi, Grand Master of the Safawi Order. The Safawi order went back to Sheikh Safi ud-din 'Abdu'l Fath Ishaq, founder and Grand Master of a Sufi religious order at Ardabil in 1301. Converting from the Sunni to the Shi'ite sect, his descendant Junaid became a zealous propagator of the Shi'ite faith. Ever since then the Safawi order have confessing itself to the Shiite branch of Islam. Ismail was nominated Grand Master of the Safawi Order in 1494 upon his fathers death. This story begins in 1499 when Ismail succesfully have succesfully led a rebellion against Ak Kouynlu and created Persia with shiitism as state religion...

Ismail had just crowned himself Shahanshah of Persia, King of Kings in his newlie found capital Isfahan, when he recieved the message that the former opressor, the Khan of Ak Kouynlou had ceded the provinces Tabriz, Tabaristan, Khorasan and Mekran to Persia, with hopes of a ever lasting friendship and a stop of the violence between the arche-enemies. Except for these territories, Ismail now ruled over a vast empire of 15 provinces. It was the year 1499 on the christian calender and Persias story was to begin.

**Yoghurt** · 24-09-2003 18:01

Ismails first act as Shah was to tighten his controll over his realms by centralisation. His next to increase tolerance for both sunni as shia muslims to maximum, lowering all christian branches as a result. He then gathered all his forces to the province of Awhaz, where he estimated them to reach a number of 13.000 in infantery and 8.000 riders. As such a force wouldnt be sufficent for Ismails plans he begun to melt down all silver and gold the state obtained and mint coins of it. He send 10.000 of his soldiers to Azerbadjan, from the gathered army in Awhaz, and recruited another 7.000 infanterists in Isfahan, which where send to Azerbadjan aswell. Well in position, Ismail recruited another force of 15.000 men in Isfahan. A force he positioned in Tabriz. In februari 1501 he dispatched a rider to the Khan of Ak Kouynlou... war was declared...

As 7.000 more men where recruited in Isfahan, small armies invaded every province of Ak Koyunlo. The Khan had no own standing forces to his disposal so no battles occured, while the persian armies marsched forward. How ever, the war decleration wasnt looked kindly upon by the persians as the friendship decleration from the Khan the year before had led them to believe that no more wars was to be fought between the Khan and there new Shah. Persia suffered from a stability decreas by 2.

The Khan did try to raise some forces, in Kirkuk, Iraq and Armenia, but these minor departments was no matched for the forces sieging the provinces. How ever a group of fleeing Ak Koyunlous took possesion of Hamadan, that had no fortress. In August another problem occured to, rebels revolted in Birjand and took controll of that defenceless province to. The rebels quikly moved on to Hormuz wich didnt have any fortress either, then moved on to Kerman, Meched and Elbruz. Meanwhile the Ak Kouynlu occupation force in Hamadan had been defeated and Hamadan had been returned to the Shahs controll. Also the Ak Koyunlu capital in Iraq had fallen into the hands of the Shah.

Siege of Bagdad

Strenghten by these victories a force of 13.000 men began to hunt the rebells down.

**Amric** · 24-09-2003 20:30

Nice to see you in the EUII forum, Yoghurt! Does this mean you are no longer sole defender of EUI?

**J. Passepartout** · 24-09-2003 23:51

No, Yoghurt, no, you're losing yoourself to the evil of EU2!

Been a while since I wrote any AAR so be gentle with me

You were the best AAR writer in the EU forun when you were writing. (Were you writing stuff when Morlac was still there? That might make me rectify my statement because of 1st language/2nd language issues, but everyone on the forum writes better in English than I do in, say, French, which is one of the languages I comprehend.)

**Alexandru H.** · 25-09-2003 00:50

Let's not be hard on Yoghurt! He writes pretty good stuff in HoI AAR section and I seem to remember a EU2 AAR as well

**J. Passepartout** · 25-09-2003 02:41

If I was being hard on him I didn't mean to.

I'll have to look at this HOI AAR, since I generally don't read the HOI forum.

**Yoghurt** · 25-09-2003 07:50

Originally posted by Amric
Nice to see you in the EUII forum, Yoghurt! Does this mean you are no longer sole defender of EUI?

In my heart... always

but yes I have lowered my commitment on the EU 1 forum, but have instead increased it considerably on the RPG forums. Due to this lack of "interest" I didnt feel worthy enough to carry the title "Sole Defender of EU 1", that was invested in me by the All Gracious Carolus Rex

So I degraded myself into "Caliph of Shahs and Sultans" instead, wich fits my RPG profile better

**Yoghurt** · 25-09-2003 07:58

*Ismail listens to JP and Alexandru*

"Well thank you Alexandru for defending my storytellers honor..."

*Ismail then turns to JP with a big smile*

"The storyteller do enjoys seeing you once again J.P, but you if annyone should know the punishment for critizise the All-Mighty One... Especially as you know him from the EU 1 AAR section..."

*Ismail waves to a guard to draw his sword*

"The words "be gentle with me" is not there to protect Yoghurt from ill accusations, as writing in both 1st as 2nd person... Is it there for your own safety!"

*A sword strikes, a sound is made, a head falls of*

Always nice to see ya JP

Now back to the story

**Yoghurt** · 25-09-2003 08:02

In February 1501 also Kirkuk had fallen to Persian controll and Ismail also decided to send 5 merchants to Isfahan, after that he delegated it to a certain Diwan to make all trade related decisions. A year later all provinces under the Khan of Ak Koyunlous rule was in Persian hands and also the rebells had been fought efficiently. The Khan ahd no other choise then cedeing all provinces except for Iraq to Ismail, namely Basrah, Kirkuk, nuyssaybin, Kurdistan, Armenia and Daghestan. The Shah stopped minting coins, the armies maintenace was cut to half...

In May 1502 a Reformation of the Army event raised the investments in landtechnology by 750 and the same month Ismail arranged royal marriages with both Baluchistan as Oman. The following month he created an alliance, with persia as leader with the both neighbours. He also made sure of that shiite missinoaries preached in Armenia. Armenia was a rich province with many gold mines, but its greatest draw back was its population, the orthodox armenians. Ismail invested 160 gold from the state treasury and hoped it would pay of.

In 1503 Imsail send a personal gift to the Baluchistanian ruler. The relations got up to +175 and by later send more gifts Baluchistan agreed to swear loyalty as a vassal to Persia in July the same year.

**J. Passepartout** · 25-09-2003 12:28

I remember the first time I played as Persia, some months after they gain those provinces I finally noticed...

*Gack*

**Judge** · 25-09-2003 12:51

Nice start and good writing

Smack the Ottomans

**haaf** · 25-09-2003 15:31

GORGEOUS!
Beautiful too...

something about it feels so clean and stylish
thank you for writing this

**Yoghurt** · 25-09-2003 21:59

Thanks Judge and haaf

I´ll try work on the Ottomans but unfortunally my arch-enemies, as for now, seems to have alot more in land tech tehn me

**MAlexander06** · 26-09-2003 03:42

Very well written. Nice start.

And down with the infidels!

**Yoghurt** · 26-09-2003 11:51

A minor update

The time passed and Ismail enjoyed his status as Shahanshah. He build a fortress in Hormuz in 1504 and a Reformation of Army event strucked once again in July that same year. The following year fortresses in Elbruz was raised aswell and this was also the year when a corruption event hit Persia. Ismail choised to pay 100 gold and take a stability decreas by 1, forcing Persia to take a loan of 200 gold. In 1506 the convertation attempt in Armenia proved to be effectless, causing a rebellion wich was swiftly dealt with. Ismail decided to not give up and send another despatchment of mullahs.

In October 1506 a Unhappines among the Peasantry hit Persia and the stability decresed by 2. A revolt did also start in Basrah, but this was swiftly dealt with by a 25.000 men strong army, led by Ismail himself.

**Lord British** · 26-09-2003 14:16

This AAR is really engaging, great work Yoghurt!
Looking forward to more...

LB

**Stroph1** · 26-09-2003 15:10

I like the way this one reads. You are doing well, so far. Time to smack the weaker states around a bit and then go for the big dogs....

**Amric** · 26-09-2003 16:03

Although getting the stability up might be good too...

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