The Safavid Empire - The Rising Sun

[Fingal]

Probably right Skane but trying to play it less game like if you get me. Turks are our new allies and brothers in faith... for now at least

[chefportnen]

Can your alchemists discover the secret of gunpowder in time!?! Please let us find out soon...

[Fingal]

Not sure chefportnen but the military slider has been moved up fully and some spare ducats put into military research.

[Fingal]

Shah Ismail I – ‘I was born yesterday, I will die today’ (1520-1524)

Ismail had decided it was time for war. His eastern and western borders were both threatened by Sunni states - the Uzbeks and Chaigatai to the east and the Mamluks to the west. The loyalty of the Ottomans also had to be put to the test… east or west… west or east. Ismail just couldn’t decide…

The Uzbeks/Chaigatai alliance held Herat which was rightfully Persian and yet it would be a hard fight against both of them with the Ottomans so far away. On the other hand they must be dealt with at some point and his armies were far superior to theirs. In the west the Mamluks held Iraq… again rightfully Persian and they were closer so the Ottomans could assist. Ismail was however wary of the Ottomans benefiting too much from a potential conquest though.

Ismail was about to toss a coin when a messenger arrived. He brought a message from the Mamluks telling of how they were sick of Ismail’s ‘imperialistic heretical empire’ also known as the Safavids. It went on to state how they hoped Ismail and his children died in freak boating accidents leaving Persia free of his Shiite blasphemy. Ismail was displeased by this and in return sent a much more elegantly written reply…

I know the Truth as my supreme guide,
I would sacrifice myself in his way,
I was born yesterday, I will die today,
Come, whoever would die, here is the arena.

He also ordered his armies to move towards the Mamluk-Safavid border – his decision had been made for him.

The Mamluk State of Egypt

News also arrived about the rebellions across Portuguese Ormuz. Perhaps the riches of the Ormuz would be Safavid yet!

In the summer of 1521 Ismail ordered his forces into Mamluk lands, leading the Persian Army personally. Ismail himself won a hard fought victory in Allepo while the Qatar regiment flooded into Syria, slaughtering the small garrison. In Iraq however the Mamluk forces pushed back a 20,000 strong Safavid army from Khorasan.

1521 – Attack on the Mamluks

10,000 more men flooded into Iraq soon after the defeat however and drove the Mamluk forces out. A year later Damascus (Syria) and Allepo fell to Ismail’s forces. The Mamluks were desperately offering land and money for an end to the war as the Ottomans were also close to capturing Adana in the north. Ismail would have none of it though he ordered his men to march south… the Mamluks would be brought to their knees!

The march south

Judea, the Lebanon, Samaria and Jordan all fell with minimal resistance. Ismail started making preparations to assault the fortress at Sinai but after just 3 months rations were running short. The supplies needed simply couldn’t be brought in across the rocky desert that was the Sinai, filled with cut-throats and bandits. After council with his generals Ismail abandoned the siege there and marched on Cairo.

In the east a new threat was growing. From the ashes of the Timurid Empire a new force had a risen, the Mughals. Already they had run over the minor kingdoms on the eastern border and were preparing to flood over the Indus River and into India itself. The Mughals were Sunnis and would perhaps have to be dealt with sooner rather then later lest they grow into a major power.

Mughal (purple) expansion…

Such ponderings were fine while on the road but the great Mamluk capital of Cairo loomed on the horizon. Now was time to think of the present, the future could wait. The siege progressed well and nine months in the city looked as if it was about to fall. Ismail marched up to the walls of the city and demanded it surrender in the name of the Safavids and the true faith. The guards on the walls laughed and jeered. Ismail simply shrugged and began to ride back to his tent but as he did disaster struck. A stray arrow fired from the walls struck him in the back. Ismail fell from his horse. A few more arrows followed the first but his bodyguards had surrounded him and managed to drag him to safety, behind a palisade.

That night the doctor emerged from Ismail’s tent. He was alive but had a fever, only time would tell if he would live. Ismail survived the night and his condition was improving. Just a few days later the city fell. Ismail told his diplomats to settle for no less then a complete conversion of the Mamluks with Iraq being seceded to the Safavids. The Mamluk nobles begrudgingly accepted though three had to be executed before this happened. The Ottomans also gained control of Adana as a part of the treaty.

From his bed in Cairo Ismail also ordered that missionaries be sent to ‘Sunni Corner’ – the last Sunni area in the Safavid Empire.

’Sunni Corner’

In response to Ismail’s wish missionaries were sent to Kushka, Zanedan and Meched.

A week later on his deathbed in Cairo Ismail passed away in the night weak from the fever. His men took his body back to Azerbaijan where he was laid to rest. Ismail had been taken before his time but would forever be remembered as the Father of the Safavid Empire and all of Persia.

[Chief Ragusa]

Excellent results of the war. A good forced conversion, though how long they will remain Shia is anybody's guess.

Hopefully, Ismail's successor will take steps to nip the Mughal problem in the bud.

[chefportnen]

Bring the Mughals down now, before they actually pose a major threat!

[Fingal]

Mughals are moving up the to do list. Hard bit tends to be deciding whether to vassalise or force convert. Can only do one... if you vassalise any later attack costs 3 stab for breaking vassal... and if you force convert you lose 3 stab for no casus belli thing and same religion.

[Chief Ragusa]

If you can take the BB, take out the Mughals,don'yt bother to force convert or vassilize. Depends whether you have other conquest plans and possibly if you have cores on the them.

Your Ottoman allies should assist- just tell them you'll be fighting Timurids who just gave themselves a new name hoping people would not remember who they really are..

Then there are the Mamluks to force vassilise.

[Fingal]

No cores on the Mughal lands but I can take the BB hit. Haven't taken a none core province since Kara Koyunlu times so removing the Mughals altogether might be a good plan. As for the Mamluks I'm hoping the Turks will attack allowing me to come in as their honourable allies, smash the Mamluks, vassalise and pull them into the alliance.

[Fulcrumvale]

Great job in converting your massive empire to the One True Faith. I can’t imagine how much it cost but...it’ll be worth it.

[Fingal]

Get some help from events but I've still placed about 1000 ducats worth of missionaries and had erm... 1 success.

There will be a little blip in updates seen as my computer seems to be having problems in that it says system boot failure or something similar whenever I turn it on

Should be able to get the file off it though if its not fixable and probably screenshots too but it might take a week or so. Might be a few screenshotless updates afterwards too but that leaves room for more interesting pictures.

[Duke of Wellington]

Nice to see you continue this as the Safavids. Your empire looks great. I like seeing you beat up Poland.

[Fingal]

Shah Tahmasp I – He Can Fight (1524 – 1530)

Tahmasp I – he can fight but that’s about it

The sun glinted off Tammy’s sword as he whirled it around in the training yards of the palace. He fought well and always had and most thought he would make a worthy successor to Ismail. He did however have a weakness… Tammy was greedy, very greedy. He wanted everything he saw and being Shah he normally got it and it was this vice which led him to turn his attention to the south. Here the lands of Oman, now under the rule of Portugal but in open rebellion for years declared themselves independent.

The newly formed kingdom had once been a vassal of the great Empire of the Safavids and perhaps if Tammy were more cunning he would have used this as an excuse for war, as it happened Tammy wasn’t more cunning. He donned his armour and scimitar and riding at the head of the Persian Army marched on Oman. The fledgling state was marched on and destroyed in a year. Tammy took the centre of trade in Mascate as war spoils and left Oman to her fate.

Tammy eyeing a gift greedily

Only a month later the Portuguese arrived and reasserted their control over the region but the centre of trade and the riches which flowed through it were under the Shah's control. His thirst for wealth was quenched and his advisors pressed a less pleasant issue – the Mughals.

The eastern part of the Empire and the Mughals

Before he dealt with the worries of his advisors another opportunity for wealth presented itself. Inside the cities of Oman Tammy found Portuguese maps, he was about to burn them for a fuel but a soldier/part time cartographer noticed the maps and their true worth. He begged Tammy not to burn them and took them the capital in Azerbaijan. Here they were examined and new lands called ‘America’ the ‘Caribbean’ were noted, also the complete coast of Africa. Some religious advisors wished to attempt to claim some of these African lands in an attempt to curb Christian expansion in the continent. After the Portuguese interference on the Arabian Peninsula this idea interested Tammy. Negotiations took place with some of the Muslim states of east Africa who agreed to help in the colonisation attempts. Colonists were sent to set up trading posts on the southern most tip of Africa. With the aid of the Muslims of east Africa the adventure was a tremendous success and led to the start of a Shiite South Africa – how long it would last was anyone’s guess.

The colonies of the Safavids

Secondly and not surprisingly, the Ottomans attacked Venice.

The Ottomans make annoying allies

Not content with merely attacking one European power the Ottomans dutifully attacked Austria. At this point Ismail would have dashed to the aid of his Shiite brothers, keen not to see any Shiite lands fall to the Christian menace. Tammy on the other hand resolved to let the Ottomans and the Christians batter their heads, or swords in this case against each other while he dealt with more pressing issues – like planning the attack on the Mughal lands. He offered diplomatic support just no Safavids troops were moved even an inch closer to the fighting.

[Fingal]

There we go an update at last

Thats the screenies from before my computer died so it may be a little while till the next one. Half way through the Mughal war in the game just need to get EU2 working and finish it now!

[Fulcrumvale]

Congrats on the colonies.

[Chief Ragusa]

Watch out for that Venetian fleet unloading troops to destroy your trading posts - if they know where they are.

[chefportnen]

Shiite America, here we come. I hope.

[Fnuco]

I like this AAR a lot, playing as a Shiite country really makes for a lot of fun, especially the force-conversion.
Instead of focusing West, i think greedy Tammy will want to get the rich Indian provinces. Perhaps you could force-convert the Mughals, letting them gobble up India, since they have cores on it, sponsor them so they convert it, and later vassalize(diplo or force) and annex them.

[Fingal]

Thanks Fulcrumvale I like the colonies just not sure how long they'll last. I get about one colonist every 4 years

As for Shiite America that might be a bit tricky but as time goes on a Shiite spice islands on the way to Australia might be on the cards.

Good call on the Venetians Ragusa - never thought of that. Might have to send some troops there soonish.

Also really like the idea for the Mughals Fnuco. A force conversion followed by a swift force vassalisation when I can take the bboy hit should work. Then pulling them into our allliance and letting them take over India and sucking up the income seen as they're vassals! I like it and to think I was planning on just wiping them out

[Duke of Wellington]

You have gained a good deal of knowledge from the Portuguese, how will it be put to use?