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Abbas the Great

1571 CE – 1629 CE

Retrace Abbas the Great's life across the map — 19 events in chronological order, from a cinematic flythrough to a full timeline.

Life journey

1. Ottoman–Safavid War1578 CE
   The Ottoman–Safavid War of 1578–1590 was one of the many wars between the neighboring arch-rivals of the Safavid Empire and the Ottoman Empire.
2. Battle of Herat1598 CE
   Battle of Herat took place on August 9, 1598, between the Shaybanid Khanate and the Safavid Empire for Khorasan and Balkh. The battle resulted in the complete defeat of the Uzbeks and Safavid Empire fully restored its power in Khorasan and got back the region.
3. Safavid capture of Tabriz1603 CE
   The siege of Tabriz was a military conflict during the Ottoman–Safavid war of 1603–1612. As a result of a successful Persian siege initiated by Shah Abbas the Great, Tabriz was returned to the Safavids after 18 years of Ottoman rule.
4. Ottoman–Safavid War1603 CE
   The Ottoman–Safavid war of 1603–1612 consisted of two wars between Safavid Iran under Shah Abbas I and the Ottoman Empire under Mehmed III and his son Ahmed I. The first war began in 1603 and ended with a Safavid victory in 1612, when they regained and reestablished their suzerainty over the Caucasus and Western Iran, which had been lost at the Treaty of Constantinople in 1590.
5. Battle of Urmia1605 CE
   The Battle of Urmia was fought near Lake Urmia in north-western Persia between the Safavid and Ottoman empires and resulted in a decisive Safavid victory. The Ottomans were fooled into an ambush by the Iranian army where many of them were killed or captured in an encirclement manoeuvre. Over the next three years all of western and northern Persia was recaptured and the Safavids even re-established their suzerainty over their former vassals in the Caucasus.
6. Siege of Kandahar1605 CE
   The siege of Kandahar lasted from November 1605 to January 1606 and was led by the Persians to capture the Mughal frontier city of Kandahar. After two months of constant assaults, the relief army forced the Persians to retreat. Thus, resulted in a decisive victory for the Mughal Empire.
7. Siege of Ganja1606 CE
   The siege of Ganja took place in 1606 during the Ottoman–Safavid War of 1603–1618. The Safavids had lost the city to the Ottomans by the Treaty of Constantinople of 1590. Three months after the victorious Battle of Sufiyan (1605), Safavid king (shah) Abbas I of Persia invested Ganja, and reconquered it after a six-month siege. After Ganja was recaptured, Abbas I and his men proceeded to Tiflis (Tbilisi), retaking control of the city in the same year.
8. Siege of Shamakhi1607 CE
   The siege of Shamakhi was a phase in the Ottoman–Safavid war (1603–1612) that resulted in the Safavid army's success and Shamakhi's return to Iranian rule after 28 years. During the siege, Baku and Derbent also surrendered to the Iranian army, allowing the Safavid state to regain control of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. As a result, the Safavids were able to regain all the lands they had lost during the Ottoman-Safavid War of 1578–1590 between 1603 and 1607.
9. Battle of DimDim1609 CE
   The siege of Dimdim was an operation orchestrated by the Safavid ruler Shah Abbas I, in which his forces besieged the Dimdim Castle of the rebellious Kurdish Emirate of Bradost from November 1609 to the summer of 1610. The siege was led by the grand vizier Hatem Beg Ordubadi, who captured the castle and massacred its garrison.
10. Abbas I's Kakhetian and Kartlian campaigns1614 CE
    Abbas I’s Kakhetian and Kartlian campaigns refers to the four campaigns Safavid Shah Abbas I led between 1614 and 1617, in his East Georgian vassal kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti during the Ottoman–Safavid War (1603–18). The campaigns were initiated as a response to the shown disobedience and subsequently staged rebellion by Abbas' formerly most loyal Georgian ghulams, namely Luarsab II of Kartli and Teimuraz I of Kakheti. After the complete devastation of Tbilisi, the quelling of the uprising, the massacre of up to 100,000 Georgians, and the deportation of between 130,000 and 200,000 more to mainland Iran, Kakheti, and Kartli were temporarily brought back under the Iranian sway.
11. Siege of Erivan1616 CE
    The Siege of Erivan was a siege during the Ottoman-Safavid War. During this time, the Ottomans were trying to take control of Yerevan Castle, which was under Safavid control.
12. Portuguese–Safavid War1621 CE
    The Portuguese–Safavid War (1621–1630) was a series of military conflicts between the Portuguese State of India and the Safavid Empire over control of ports and islands in the Persian Gulf. The war began after the Portuguese constructed a fort on Qeshm, provoking Shah Abbas I to expel the Portuguese from Hormuz and Qeshm. Despite losing Hormuz in 1622, the Portuguese raided the Persian Gulf and repelled Safavid invasions of Basra. Hostilities ended with a peace agreement around 1630.
13. Siege of Kandahar1622 CE
    The Mughal–Safavid war of 1622–1623 was fought over the important fortress city of Kandahar, now located in Afghanistan, between the Safavid Empire and the Mughal Empire.
14. Safavid capture of Mesopotamia1623 CE
    The Capture of Mesopotamia by the Safavids is a military campaign of Shah Abbas I against the Ottomans. It is part of the 5th Ottoman-Safavid War of 1623-1639.
15. Ottoman–Safavid War1623 CE
    The Ottoman–Safavid War of 1623–1639 was a conflict fought between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Iran, then the two major powers of Western Asia, over control of Mesopotamia.
16. Capture of Baghdad (1624)1624 CE
    The Capture of Baghdad was a military operation by the Safavid army under Abbas the Great. It occurred on 14 January 1624, and was part of the ongoing war between Sultan Murad IV and Shah Abbas I. In the aftermath, fighting extended to other key cities in Ottoman Iraq, including Mosul, Kirkuk, and Basra.
17. Safavid invasions of Basra1624 CE
    The Safavid invasions of Basra were a series of military campaigns undertaken by the Safavid Empire between 1624 and 1629, during their campaign in Ottoman Iraq, in an attempt to capture the city of Basra. Despite two attempts, the Safavids were unable to capture the city. Upon learning of the death of Shah Abbas I, the Safavids retreated, bringing the campaigns to an end.
18. Siege of Baghdad1625 CE
    The siege of Baghdad began as an Ottoman re-conquest attempt against the Safavids. The Safavids took Baghdad in 1624, leading to the Ottoman Grand Vizier Hafız Ahmed Pasha forming an expedition to retake Baghdad in 1625 in Ottoman Iraq. Although they breached the outer fortifications, Persian reinforcements under Shah Abbas stopped them. Unsuccessful assaults and supply issues led to the Ottomans lifting the siege in July 1626 and retreating to Mosul, resulting in a strategic Persian victory.
19. Siege of Yerevan1636 CE
    The Ottoman–Safavid War of 1623–1639 was a conflict fought between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Iran, then the two major powers of Western Asia, over control of Mesopotamia.

Event data from Wikipedia/Wikidata (CC-BY-SA). Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].