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Shah Abbas – Pride goeth before a fall
With the Egyptian issue settled Abbas began planning for his invasion of eastern Europe. Even as some foolish courtiers thought his sanity was waning he proved he was still sharp – after a few days he declared he would need more money. Although the Safavid army was more advanced and larger then the nearby Polish and other eastern states the likelihood of them uniting to face Abbas’ horde was great. Therefore Abbas isolated two main ways in which he would raise the money he would need for an even larger army.
Firstly Samarkand would be removed as a hub of trade increasing the trading power of Isfahan and therefore the income of the Safavids.
Secondly a new tax would have to be produced to make the Safavid lands more profitable.
Abbas immediately had merchants, spies and common thugs to Samarkand. Their job – wreck trade and make it impossible for the city to function as the hub of trade which it did. After two years of banditry, violence and sabotage merchants feared Samarkand like the plague. The once bustling metropolis of merchants and market stalls was a ghost town. The trade of the region conveniently moved to Isfahan where Safavid merchants held a monopoly.
Next he imposed a new tax. While not as beneficial as he had hoped it did increase the income of the Safavids somewhat.
Abbas didn’t bargain for the hostile reaction it would receive from the peasantry though and soon found himself having to put down men with pitchforks rather then the armies of Poland.
After dealing with the rebels a new problem arose. The Uzbeks who had recently made large gains in northern territory after defeating Sibir in a war were growing tired of answering to the Safavids. The Uzbek people and nobility yearned for freedom from the Shiite yolk and began pressuring their Khan to demand an end to their status as vassals.
The Khan waited patiently for the time to make his plea. He had heard the rumours of Abbas growing more and more eccentric – not mad for he was still a genius of war and leadership but very, very eccentric. Eventually after mustering all his courage he had a messenger sent to Abbas’ court in Isfahan.
Abbas reacted in the way all who knew him well could have easily predicted. He ordered the emissary to be beheaded. After he was dead he had the body sent back to the Uzbek Khan with a note…
‘I asked for freedom and now I have it.’
The answer was clear and while the Uzbeks didn’t wish war Abbas intended to show them the meaning of the word. He immediately led his army north towards Uzbek territory. He met a 25,000 strong force on the way and crushed them utterly. That was the main body of the Uzbek army and left them on the verge of surrender. In the words of one Uzbek ‘In battle the man will live forever!’
Unfortunately for Abbas the eastern saying ‘One knife in the back can be more effective then 1000 swords’ proved true. A fanatical Uzbek from the UPF (Uzbek People’s Front) had infiltrated Abbas’ army and after his great victory plunged his blade into Abbas’ back as he scoured the battle field. The man was slain on the spot and Abbas’ soldiers wept around his corpse. The great man was dead… the man who would lead the Safavids to dominate the world… slain in cowardice.
Each family of the realm mourned his death as if they had lost a son. He was buried in a grand tomb but his dreams of marching the Safavid forces to Venice were buried with him.
Shah Abbas – Pride goeth before a fall (1625 – 1629)
With the Egyptian issue settled Abbas began planning for his invasion of eastern Europe. Even as some foolish courtiers thought his sanity was waning he proved he was still sharp – after a few days he declared he would need more money. Although the Safavid army was more advanced and larger then the nearby Polish and other eastern states the likelihood of them uniting to face Abbas’ horde was great. Therefore Abbas isolated two main ways in which he would raise the money he would need for an even larger army.
Firstly Samarkand would be removed as a hub of trade increasing the trading power of Isfahan and therefore the income of the Safavids.
Secondly a new tax would have to be produced to make the Safavid lands more profitable.
Abbas immediately had merchants, spies and common thugs to Samarkand. Their job – wreck trade and make it impossible for the city to function as the hub of trade which it did. After two years of banditry, violence and sabotage merchants feared Samarkand like the plague. The once bustling metropolis of merchants and market stalls was a ghost town. The trade of the region conveniently moved to Isfahan where Safavid merchants held a monopoly.
Bye bye Samarkand
Next he imposed a new tax. While not as beneficial as he had hoped it did increase the income of the Safavids somewhat.
Abbas finds a way to fund his conquest of Europe
Abbas didn’t bargain for the hostile reaction it would receive from the peasantry though and soon found himself having to put down men with pitchforks rather then the armies of Poland.
Dealing with the rebels
After dealing with the rebels a new problem arose. The Uzbeks who had recently made large gains in northern territory after defeating Sibir in a war were growing tired of answering to the Safavids. The Uzbek people and nobility yearned for freedom from the Shiite yolk and began pressuring their Khan to demand an end to their status as vassals.
The Khan waited patiently for the time to make his plea. He had heard the rumours of Abbas growing more and more eccentric – not mad for he was still a genius of war and leadership but very, very eccentric. Eventually after mustering all his courage he had a messenger sent to Abbas’ court in Isfahan.
Silly Uzbeks
Abbas reacted in the way all who knew him well could have easily predicted. He ordered the emissary to be beheaded. After he was dead he had the body sent back to the Uzbek Khan with a note…
‘I asked for freedom and now I have it.’
The answer was clear and while the Uzbeks didn’t wish war Abbas intended to show them the meaning of the word. He immediately led his army north towards Uzbek territory. He met a 25,000 strong force on the way and crushed them utterly. That was the main body of the Uzbek army and left them on the verge of surrender. In the words of one Uzbek ‘In battle the man will live forever!’
Abbas in battle
Unfortunately for Abbas the eastern saying ‘One knife in the back can be more effective then 1000 swords’ proved true. A fanatical Uzbek from the UPF (Uzbek People’s Front) had infiltrated Abbas’ army and after his great victory plunged his blade into Abbas’ back as he scoured the battle field. The man was slain on the spot and Abbas’ soldiers wept around his corpse. The great man was dead… the man who would lead the Safavids to dominate the world… slain in cowardice.
Each family of the realm mourned his death as if they had lost a son. He was buried in a grand tomb but his dreams of marching the Safavid forces to Venice were buried with him.
The Uzbeks have made another eternal enemy in the Safavids. Somehow, over the next few generations his heirs will eradicate the Uzbeks. It will give them something to do, though driving the Portuguese and others from East Africa and India would be more useful.
Fantastic to see the Uzbeks getting what they deserve. Despite my one AAR as them I swear I still do not like them. Was that event your own? Either way excellent choice.
A damn shame that the Uzbeks should succeed in felling Abbas though. I trust the next Shah will be vengeful.
By the way this AAR is great.
A damn shame that the Uzbeks should succeed in felling Abbas though. I trust the next Shah will be vengeful.
By the way this AAR is great.
I suspect that's a custom event. Regardless, I enjoyed it very much. 
So Abbas paid for being aggressive to the poor, helpless Uzbeks. Soon all will tremble in terror before the Uzbek hordes.
So Abbas paid for being aggressive to the poor, helpless Uzbeks. Soon all will tremble in terror before the Uzbek hordes.
Uzbeks, the eternal thorn in one's back. Or knife. Or sharp object. Or killing implement.
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Yup own event. I'm still not 100% happy with events though. Sometimes I write them out set them up and they just refuse to happen. Shah Sufi I had better do something to sort the Uzbeks out or I'm doubting his life span. Thankyou all for the replies!
Thankyou all for the replies!
great AAR im playing as the qara kuloku or koykulu or koykulo (the black sheep) at the moment but i lost azabajan by event and now have to fight for it back.
Shah Safi – The Yellow Shah
Shah Safi was the grandson of Abbas. Despite Abbas being a great ruler he did develop an unpleasant habit towards the end of his career (as he was becoming ‘eccentric’). He began blinding and banishing potential threats to his throne. Now this was all good and well while Abbas was in charge but while securing his rule it also meant the number of suitable, skilled heirs was limited.
Safi was a nice enough sort of chap, considerate but not particularly skilled in running a country, especially one the size of the Safavid Empire. Previous Shahs such as Tahmasp made up for this with a strong will and intelligent advisors… or in the case of the non-Shahs (as declared by Abbas the Great) by being removed by the assassins blade. Safi couldn’t really be compared to Tahmasp and was more like a non-Shah in truth but he did have one talent. He was absolutely brilliant at avoiding assassins. He wasn’t brilliant in a cunning kind of way but more in an…
‘Oh I just tripped over as that man shot that arrow at me and instead of penetrating my skull it killed my advisor behind me’
Despite many attempts Safi was apparently just too lucky to fall to the assassin’s knife, or bow, or rock slide or deadly sharpened quill. Aside from his personal security Safi also had a war against the Uzbeks to conduct. He refused to lead the army, claiming it wasn’t safe came up and instead came up with the ‘master plan’.
Safi intended to have all of his 80,000 men available in the north stand on the Uzbek border and not let them in. Safi went on to explain how eventually the Uzbeks would grow weary of the many defeats they would suffer.
…so for two years, despite his generals pleas to let them march on the Uzbek capital and punish them for the loss of Abbas Safi refused. He claimed it was too dangerous but rumours were spreading Safi was nothing but a nasty little yellow coward. After two years, over 20,000 dead Uzbeks and no sign of surrender Safi’s generals – all appointed by Abbas – marched on the Uzbek capital and Bukhara without orders.
The attack went well and the Uzbeks began offering a white peace. The generals laughed heartily at the idea but not Safi oh no. Safi claimed that after the Uzbeks had annexed the Chagatai Khanate to the east the Safavids couldn’t continue their war. The Uzbeks had land uncharted by the Empire so they couldn’t be defeated (and may even be much much larger then the Safavids belived). For this reason Safi decided it was wisest to accept the Uzbek offer – in fact the Safavids were getting of lightly if anything! (No one really believed Safi)
Next something positive happened. The Uzbek Khanate split into two. A good Shah would take advantage of this but Safi just proclaimed how fortunate the Safavids were to have two smaller enemies to the north rather then one huge one!
Fortunately for Safi by some combination of luck and a tiny bit of good judgement he managed to vassalise the Kakheti in Georgia.
Could this be the sign of a revival for Safi? Perhaps he wasn’t going to be that bad a Shah after all just more in favour of diplomacy rather then war!
Shah Safi – The Yellow Shah (1629 – 1633)
Well after Abbas this just makes me sad
Shah Safi was the grandson of Abbas. Despite Abbas being a great ruler he did develop an unpleasant habit towards the end of his career (as he was becoming ‘eccentric’). He began blinding and banishing potential threats to his throne. Now this was all good and well while Abbas was in charge but while securing his rule it also meant the number of suitable, skilled heirs was limited.
Safi was a nice enough sort of chap, considerate but not particularly skilled in running a country, especially one the size of the Safavid Empire. Previous Shahs such as Tahmasp made up for this with a strong will and intelligent advisors… or in the case of the non-Shahs (as declared by Abbas the Great) by being removed by the assassins blade. Safi couldn’t really be compared to Tahmasp and was more like a non-Shah in truth but he did have one talent. He was absolutely brilliant at avoiding assassins. He wasn’t brilliant in a cunning kind of way but more in an…
‘Oh I just tripped over as that man shot that arrow at me and instead of penetrating my skull it killed my advisor behind me’
Despite many attempts Safi was apparently just too lucky to fall to the assassin’s knife, or bow, or rock slide or deadly sharpened quill. Aside from his personal security Safi also had a war against the Uzbeks to conduct. He refused to lead the army, claiming it wasn’t safe came up and instead came up with the ‘master plan’.
Shah Safi’s ‘master plan’
Safi intended to have all of his 80,000 men available in the north stand on the Uzbek border and not let them in. Safi went on to explain how eventually the Uzbeks would grow weary of the many defeats they would suffer.
…so for two years, despite his generals pleas to let them march on the Uzbek capital and punish them for the loss of Abbas Safi refused. He claimed it was too dangerous but rumours were spreading Safi was nothing but a nasty little yellow coward. After two years, over 20,000 dead Uzbeks and no sign of surrender Safi’s generals – all appointed by Abbas – marched on the Uzbek capital and Bukhara without orders.
The generals go to sort out the Uzbeks
The attack went well and the Uzbeks began offering a white peace. The generals laughed heartily at the idea but not Safi oh no. Safi claimed that after the Uzbeks had annexed the Chagatai Khanate to the east the Safavids couldn’t continue their war. The Uzbeks had land uncharted by the Empire so they couldn’t be defeated (and may even be much much larger then the Safavids belived). For this reason Safi decided it was wisest to accept the Uzbek offer – in fact the Safavids were getting of lightly if anything! (No one really believed Safi)
The Khiva Khanate (brown) forms
Next something positive happened. The Uzbek Khanate split into two. A good Shah would take advantage of this but Safi just proclaimed how fortunate the Safavids were to have two smaller enemies to the north rather then one huge one!
Fortunately for Safi by some combination of luck and a tiny bit of good judgement he managed to vassalise the Kakheti in Georgia.
Something good happens while Safi is in charge! It only took 4 years too.
Could this be the sign of a revival for Safi? Perhaps he wasn’t going to be that bad a Shah after all just more in favour of diplomacy rather then war!
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Ouch Sean I wouldn't like to lose Azerbaijan early. That centre of trade combined with the gems in Kurdistan is what kept me afloat early on.
As for the events Yoda its more getting them to trigger on my save game. I can get them to play in a new campaign set up as I often don't give them triggers just dates but getting them into my game can be a little trickier.
As for the events Yoda its more getting them to trigger on my save game. I can get them to play in a new campaign set up as I often don't give them triggers just dates but getting them into my game can be a little trickier.
I'm not sure how much longer I can suffer Safi.It's a problem I think the generals and their 80,000 irate soldiers share.
I do lot like this Safi at all. That was some terrible leadership in the war. I think the Uzbeks might be protecting him more than his own men will.
Nice AAR you've got here Fingal, I haven't really seen the Safavid's that much ingame so this is really interesting, I think I might have to try a campaign with them later on when I got time. I'll definitely follow this!
Keep up the good work.
Keep up the good work.
Glad your fond of our new Shah Duke and Ragusa
Hes a pain but after disrespecting Abbas the oh so great he can't last long!
Thanks Freddan. I'd give them a go in the campaign but the 1520 start leaves you in the tricky situation bit due to the Ottomans having their huge empire. Starting as the Ak/Kara Koyunlu takes a little while longer but felt more rewarding in the end for me at least. On the flip side though retaking all those provinces from the Ottomans could be great fun. The lack of Ottoman conflicts has been one thing I've regretted.
Hes a pain but after disrespecting Abbas the oh so great he can't last long!
Thanks Freddan. I'd give them a go in the campaign but the 1520 start leaves you in the tricky situation bit due to the Ottomans having their huge empire. Starting as the Ak/Kara Koyunlu takes a little while longer but felt more rewarding in the end for me at least. On the flip side though retaking all those provinces from the Ottomans could be great fun. The lack of Ottoman conflicts has been one thing I've regretted.
Silly me. I only just realised this is the continuation of the Black Sheep. Now i have to catch up on the reading . Keep up the good work.
. Keep up the good work.