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Third Persian Empire

Third Persian Empire
1501–1925
Flag< Emblem
Capital	Tabriz (1501–1555) Qazvin (1555–1598) Isfahan (1598–1736) (1736-1796) Mashhad (1750-1794) Shiraz Tehran (1785-1925)
Common languages	Persian *Luri *Turkic
Government	Absolute Monarchy
Shahanshah
• 1501-1524	Ismail I
• 1730–1747	Nader Shah
• 1750-1779	Karim Khan Zand
• 1789-94	Lotf Ali Khan Zand
• 1794-1797	Mohammad Khan Qajar
• 1896–1907	Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar
• 1909–1921	Ahmad Shah Qajar
History
• Establishment Shah Ismail I	1501
• Established	1501
• Treaty of Turkmenchay	1828
• Anglo-Persian War	1856-1857
• 1921 Persian coup d'etat	1921
• Disestablished	1925
• Overthrow by Reza Khan	15 December 1925
Preceded by Succeeded by Timurid dynasty Pahlavi Dynasty Russian Empire

The Third Persian Empire also known as the Early Modern Persian Empire and sometimes referred to as Early Modern Persia was an Empire that existed from the early 16th century to the late 18th century. It began with the Safavids uniting the region of Persia and it ended with the Russian and British Empires taking over the Empire and carving it into spheres of influence followed by the overthrow of the last Persian Emperor by Reza Pahlavi in 1925. It was the last Imperial Empire of Iran. After 1925, Iran became a constitutional monarchy under the Pahlavi Dynasty until the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Foundation

The origins of the Third Persian Empire date back to the early 16th century with the decline of the Timurid Empire. When the Timurids began to lose power, there were various religious movements with the most prominent of them being the movement started by Shāh Ismāil I. His movement managed to unite the local regions into one vast empire. This was the very beginning of a new Empire that would last for centuries onward.

Rise to Prominance under the Safavid Dynasty

Main article: Safavid Dynasty

The first dynasty to rule the Third Persian Empire were the Safavids. This was the first native dynasty to rule Iran since the Sasanians. In 1501, Shāh Ismāil I was crowned Shah of Azerbaijan. Soon he would go on to conquer the local regions and make them part of his vast empire, starting with the conquest of the city of Tabriz. A year Tabriz's fall, Ismāil I claimed most of Iran as part of his empire and conquered most of Khorasan, pushing the Uzbeks as far north as Transoxiana. After Ismāil I ensured the borders of the empire, Iran had gained prominence in the middle east. This would later catch the attention of the Ottomans which would start recruiting Turkmen tribes due to seeing the Safavids as a major threat. After numerous wars with the Ottoman Empire, the Safavids became embroiled in internal conflicts that lead to a ten year civil war. More troubles would come under Shah Tahmasp, who had to fight two wars on two fronts. The Ottomans in the west and the Uzbeks in the east. Tahmasp would later form an alliance with the Mughal Empire as well as wage a few campaigns against the Ottomans and the Uzbeks before being overthrown by his successor Ismāil II, who brought stability to the empire. This stability would last for the next two centuries until the arrival of the European Colonists who would drain the Safavid Empire's resources. In 1722, the armies of Afghanistan under the rule of Malek Mahmud would come on to the scene. Malek Mahmud was overthrown by Nadir Shah who would later conquer establish a new dynasty in 1736 and bring the Third Persian Empire to it's zenith.

Turkic Rule and Dominance under the Afsharid Dynasty

Main article: Afsharid Dynasty

In 1730, Nader Shah had taken the throne of the Third Persian Empire. Reclaiming all of the territories the Safavid Empire had lost to the Ottomans and more in a span of 6 years. Two years later, the Afsharids invaded and massacred 30,000 of the inhabitants of Delhi and in a single campaign captured an incredible amount of wealth, including the legendary Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Nor diamond. In the process they conquered part of Northern India stretching as far as just a few miles within Dehli itself. At this point the Afsharids had brought the Third Persian Empire to it's pinnacle of power on all fronts. However, this would not last long. When Nader Shah and his forces returned from India, he was shocked to see that the last two Safavids were executed by his son. Nader was displeased by his son's behavior and removed him of his position as viceroy. A few years after Nader Shah returned to Iran he began to become tyrannical. Taxing his subjects and citizens heavily for his military campaigns followed by health decay, many revolts were provoked because of those actions and in 1747 when he was on his way to crush one of the revolts, two of his officers assassinated him. This brought civil war within Iran as well as a succession crisis. After Nader's death, his nephew Ali Qoli seized the throne of Iran and renamed himself Adil Shah. He ordered to have all of Nader Shah's sons and grandsons executed with the exception of Shahrokh, the son of Reza Qoli. Matters became worse for the empire as Ahmad Shah Abdali, former treasurer had declared his independence by founding the Durrani Empire in Khorasan. In the process, the eastern territories were lost and in the following decades became part of Afghanistan, the successor-state to the Durrani Empire. Soon the Afsharids would only rule the Northeastern portion of Iran and the Zands of the Zand Dynasty would enter the fray.

Fracture under the Zand Dynasty

Main article: Zand Dynasty

Unlike the first two Persian Empires, the Third Persian Empire was the only empire that was divided between two dynasties. Out of both of the two dynasties that ruled the divided Persian Empire, the Zand Dynasty would be the most dominant of the two ruling dynasties of Iran from 1750 and onward. The Zand Dynasty began when Karim Khan Zand had his tribe take back Lakestan after Nader Shah's death. Karim Khan declared Shiraz his capital. He gained control of central and southern parts of Iran. In order to add legitimacy to his claim, Karim Khan placed the infant Shah Ismail III, the grandson of the last Safavid king in 1757 on the throne of Iran. Ismail was only figurehead king whereas real power Karim Khan had all of the real power. Karim Khan chose to be the military commander and Alimardan Khan was the civil administrator. Soon Karim Khan eliminated both his partner as well as Shah Ismail III and in 1760, he founded his own dynasty. The dynasty would not last long however as Karim Khan's death in 1779 left his territory vulnerable to all enemies. Karim Khan's son and successor Abu al-Fath was an incompetent ruler who was heavily influenced by his half uncle (and Karim Khan's commander), Zaki Khan. Other rulers such as Ali Morad and Jafar Khan also failed to follow the policies of Karim Khan and soon enough, the country was under attack from all sides. The Zands greatest enemies, the Qajars, led by the former hostage, Agha Mohammad Khan, were advancing fast against the declining kingdom. Finally in 1794, the Qajars had completely conquered both the Zands an the Afshars and reunited the once divided Third Persian Empire.

Decline under the Qajar Dynasty

Main article: Qajar Dynasty

After the reunification of the Third Persian Empire by Mohammad Khan Qajar from 1794-1796, much of Iran was decimated during his campaigns for reunifying Iran. Cities were razed, entire populations were massacred, and approximately 20,000 men were blinded in the city of Kerman because the local populace had chosen to defend the city against Mohammad Khan's siege. It was due to his cruelty that his reign only lasted for 3 years and was assassinated by his nephew Fath-Ali Shah Qajar in Shusha, the capital of Karabakh Khanate. In 1803, the Qajars set out to wage war against the Russian Empire culminating in the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813 due to fear of Russian expansion into the Caucasus which was a domain of Iran. During the war for the Caucasus, Iran suffered a string of defeats which ended with Russia annexing all of Georgia and most of the Caucasus. The second Russo-Persian War of the late 1820s was the most disastrous loss for Qajar Iran with temporary occupation of Tabriz and the signing of Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, acknowledging Russian sovereignty over the entire South Caucasus, the area north of the Aras River. Fath-Ali's successor, Mohammad Shah came under Russian influence and made two unsuccessful attempts to capture Herat. In 1848, Mohammad Shah died and his son Nasser-e-Din, who proved to be the ablest and most successful of the Qajar sovereigns succeeded him. During Nasser-e-Din Shah's reign, Western science, technology, and educational methods were introduced into Persia and the country's modernization was begun. He also began to exploit the distrust of Russia and Britain in order to preserve Iran's independence, but his efforts faltered as foreign interference and territorial encroachment increased during his reign. This resulted the Anglo-Persian War, to which Britain prevented Persia from reasserting control over Herat. The city had been part of Persia in Safavid times, but Herat had been under non-Persian rule since the mid-18th century. Matters only got worse for the Third Persian Empire from here on out. By 1881, Russia had completed its conquest of present-day Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, bringing Russia's frontier to Persia's northeastern borders and severing historic Persian ties to the cities of Bukhara and Samarqand. The Persian Empire was losing territory on all fronts. It's economic and military had declined even further with the encroaching influence of Russia and Britain had caused the empire itself to decline even further. Several trade concessions by the Persian government put economic affairs largely under British control. By the late 19th century, many Persians believed that their rulers were beholden to foreign interests. It was at this point in time that the Third Persian Empire became a shadow of it's former self.

Fall of the Empire to Reza Pahlavi

Main article: Iranian coup of 1921

The fall of the Third Persian Empire began on 21 February 1921 when Reza Khan entered Tehran with Cossack Brigade, seizing control of the capital in the coup d'état. He forced the dissolution of the previous government and demanded that Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee be appointed Prime Minister. Reza Khan's first role in the new government was as Commander of the Iranian Army to which he combined with the post of minister of war. He took the title Sardar Sepah or Commander-in-Chief of the Army, by which he was known until he became the Shah of Iran.

While Reza Khan and his Cossack brigade secured Tehran, the Persian envoy in Moscow negotiated a treaty with the Bolsheviks for the removal of Soviet troops from Iran. Article IV of the Russo-Persian Treaty of Friendship allowed the Soviets to invade and occupy Iran, should they believe foreign troops were using it as a staging area for an invasion of Soviet territory. As Soviets interpreted the treaty, they could invade should events in Persia prove threatening to Soviet national security. This treaty would cause enormous tension between the two nations until the Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Iran.

The coup d'état of 1921 was partially assisted by the British government, which wished to put a halt to the Bolsheviks' penetration of Iran, particularly because of the threat it posed to the British possessions in India. It is thought that British provided "ammunition, supplies and pay" for Reza's troops.

Reza Khan spent the rest of 1921 securing Iran's interior, responding to a number of revolts that erupted against the new government. Among the greatest threats to the new administration were the Persian Soviet Socialist Republic, which had been established in Gilan, and the Kurds of Khorasan. In 1923, Reza Khan had largely succeeded in securing nearly all of Iran's interior from any remaining domestic and foreign threats. Upon his return to the capital he was appointed Prime Minister of Iran, which prompted Ahmad Shah to leave Iran for Europe, where he would remain in exile until his death in 1930. Reza Khan quickly established a political cabinet in Tehran to help organize his plans for modernization and reform. By October 1925, he succeeded in pressuring the Majlis to depose and formally exile Ahmad Shah, and instate him as the next Shah of Iran.

The Majlis, convening as a constituent assembly, declared him the Shah of Iran on 12 December 1925, pursuant to the Constitution of Iran. Three days later, on 15 December, he took his imperial oath and thus became the first shah of the new Pahlavi dynasty, bringing an end to the Third Persian Empire that lasted for 424 years.

Society and Culture

The society and culture of the Third Persian Empire changed drastically over the centuries.

Legacy

The Third Persian Empire would carry an ever lasting legacy even after it's fall in 1925. Throughout most of it's lifespan, it brought stability and peace to the region and brought the birth of Shia Islam. This was the only Persian Empire that was an Islamic Empire whereas the first two Persian Empire's, the Achaemenid Empire and the Sasanian Empire were both Zoroastrian. Even when the empire declined in power, it brought modernization to Iran and one of the empire's greatest achievements was the building of Dar ol Fonoon, the first modern university in Persia and the Middle East. Dar-ol-Fonoon was established for training a new cadre of administrators and acquainting them with Western techniques. Shah Amir Kabir ordered the school to be built on the edge of the city so it could be expanded as needed. He hired French and Russian instructors as well as Persians to teach subjects as different as Language, Medicine, Law, Geography, History, Economics, and Engineering. The Third Persian Empire was also the last imperial empire Iran would have. It paved the way for the Pahlavi dynasty to take control of Iran. Unlike the dynasties of the Third Persian Empire however, this dynasty had a constitutional monarchy and it had no interest in expanding Iran's territory. It was also the very same dynasty that fell to the radical Islamists under Ayatollah Khomeini during the 1979 Revolution.

Keeby101 (talk) 17:05, 11 August 2013 (UTC) Keeby101 (talk) 22:19, 17 August 2013 (UTC)Keeby101 (talk) 18:41, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

[8]

Revised Sasanian Empire Map Proposal

Last year, I put in a request to the Map Workshop Team to make a new and more accurate map of the Sasanian Empire! We need a much better map, preferably one that looks like this:

• 
  Example for style
• 
  Example for style

We need more high quality map of the Empire! Take a look at the Khazar Empire map shown above. Honestly, I like how it is done. The quality is magnificent. Not only does it show the empire's territorial evolution, but it has a more physical background than the current map of the Sasanian Empire in the infobox. Then there is the Kieven Rus map, although it doesn't show the territorial evolution of the empire, it still has a physical background and is a high quality map noneoftheless.

On top of that, I had done some extensive research on the Sasanian Empire itself. The Persians did indeed lose nearly all of their Central Asian and Indian holdings to the Hepthalites. Transoxiana did come under control of the Gokturks after the Hepthalites were defeated, BUT, the peace between the Gokturks and the Sasanians did not last long at all nor did the borders as the Gokturks began to disrupt Sasanian income from the Silk Route and threatened the Sasanian Empire from the northeast. Thus sparking the First Perso-Turkic War in which the Sasanian army, led by Bahram Chobin defeated and conquered all of Transoxiana along with most of the territory the Gokturks held.

It wasn't until after the Byzantines and Gokturks both defeated the Sasanian Empire in the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628 that the boundary of the Sasanian Empire in the Northeast officially became the Oxus river.

That being said, here is what the Sasanian Empire actually looked like at it's greatest extent:

This is a map of my own that I created.

And here are my sources to back it up:

Map of the Sasanian Empire 600 A.D.

Chosroes II continues his victorious career, conquering Egypt and Asia Minor and occupying both Alexandria and also Chaceldon across the Bosporus from Constinanople.

In this campaign the Persians broke through Byzantiums's eastern provinces; in 609, they reached Chaceldon, directly facing the capital, and their triumphal progress, far more serious than before, occupied the first part of the reign of Herakleios.

The able Persian generals Shahrvaraz and Shahin led the Sassanid armies through Mesopotamia, Armenia and Syria into Palestine and Asia Minor. They took Antioch in 611, Damascus in 613, and then Jurusalem, in 614 (sending a shock through the whole Christian world). At Jerusalem the Christian defenders refused to give up the city, and it was taken by assault after three weeks, and given over to the sack. The Persians carries off the True Cross to Ctesiphon. Within another four years they had conquered Egypt and were in control of Asia Minor, as far as Chaceldon, opposite of Constantinople on the shores of the Bosporus. No shah of Persia since Cyrus had achieved such military successes.

The Persians advance continued, though, and before Heraclius could restore central authority, they had captured much of the empire outside the capital district, including Mesopotamia, Syria, and part of Anatolia; in 614 they took Jerusalem and carried off the True Cross to Ctesiphon. At the same time, the Avars and Slavs marched on the empire from the north and captured most of Thrace and much other imperial territory there. By 615 the Eaastern Roman Empire retained only the capital district, part of Anatolia, Egypt and Africa. In 617, the Avars, evidently in alliance with the Persians, attacked the city from the north and put it under siege. In 618 the Persians invaded Egypt, taking Alexandria in 619 and cutting off the main grain supply to Contantinople. The Roman Empire was at it's lowest point in history and seemed doomed to fall.

Chosroes II (590-628), the grandson of Chosroes I, experienced extraordinary fluctuations of fortune. At the outset of his career he achieved astonishing successes against the empire of Constantinople. Three times (in 608, 615, and 627) his armies reached Chalcedon, which is over against Constintanople; he took Antioch, Damascus, and Jerusalem (614), and from Jerusalem he carried off a cross, said to be the true cross on which Jesus was crucified, to his capital Ctesiphon. In 619, Chosroes II conquered that facile country, Egypt.

First Roman Amrmenia was captured by Khusro II, and in 604 CE with blazing speed, his two generals Shahin and Shahrwaraz conquered Syrai. Palestine and then Egypt were taken in 619 CE, and the Persians even went as far as Libya, while Anatolia was conquered in 619-622 CE. This shocked the eastern Roman Empire, which in 610 CE had made Heraclius its emperor.

The Gok western Turkish kingdom was steadily rising in military power and political influence. The once-mighty Hepthalites now served as vassals in the armies of the Turks. By 588, a very large Turko-Hepthalite force invaded northeastern Persia, overrunning the Gorgan wall. An emergency was convened at Ctesiphon to asses the threat. The Military council agreed to post Bahram Chobin, a Savaran commander from the Mehran Clan of Rayy, to lead a small counterattacking force. As soon as he was elected as battle leader, Bahram and the high command "hand picked" a force of 12,00 men, all of whom were reputedly 40 years of age. Careful to avoid the rashness of King Peroz nearly a century before, Bahram made every effort to obtain detailed military intelligence before launching the counterattack. A spy posing as a peace missionary was sent to the west Turkish Khagan. After comiling detailed information on the military composition and equipment of the Turko-Hepthalite forces, the spy fled the Khagan's camp at night. Bahram Chobin's forces were now fully informed of the Khagan's military dispositions, deployment, and strengths. The small Sasanian force st out from Nev-Shapur to confront the Turko-Hepthalite armies in Korassan. As the Savaran struck into the Turko-Hepthalites, Bahram and the Pahlavan knights headed straight towards the Khagan. The Turks proved unable to stop them. Bahram and the Pahlavan knights soon reached the Khagan's position. They then engaged the Khagan's bodyguards and destroyed them. Meanwhile, the Dailamite heavy infantry would have followed behind the Savaran and "mopped up" the surviving (probably disorganized) Turko-Hepthalites. The immediate consequence of the defeat was the expulsion of the Turko-Hepthalites from Balkh. The city of Herat was also cleared of the Turko-Hepthalites by 589. Having completed the conquest of the western Turks, Bahram now crossed the Oxus River and defeated the eastern Turks. The eastern Turkish Khagan was also killed during these operations. The Sassanian Empire was now the master of Central Asia, with China gaining ascendancy to the east of the region.

The Turks in Central Asia decided to exploit the Sasanian Empire's military preoccupation to the west. Just as Sassanian cavalry were entering Egypt in 619, the Turks and their Hepthalite subjects struck into Korassan in northeast Iran and into Afghanistan. The empire reacted swiftly by dispatching a Sasanian army led by Armenian general Smbat Bagratuni and his contingent of 2,000 Armenian Savaran. The Turks were defeated in Tus, Khorassan, obliging them to withdraw into Central Asia. Bagratuni left a very small contigent of 300 men under Datoyan, a Sassanian prince. Bagratuni's army then moved west. Nevertheless, the Turks and Hepthalites were still intact as a fighting force and took advantage of Bagratuni's departure. A full-scale invasion tore again into Khorassan, wiping out Datoyan's tiny garrison. The Turks and Hepthalites penetrated deep into the Iranian plateau, as far as Isfahan and Rayy. The Turks soon withdrew after collecting their plunder. Bagratuni returned, but this time decided to repeat the campaigns of Bahram Chobin conducted 30 years earlier. The Sassano-Armnian Savaran cavalry struck into Central Asia. The Turko-Hepthalite army was defeated and the Turkish Khagan was killed. The many of the fleeing contigents were slain by the Savaran. Armenian sources report Turko-Hepthalite forces at around 300,000 troops or higher, although such high numbers are unlikely. What is certain is that Baratuni's victory secured the Empire's Central Asian frontier until the Arabian conquests.

- (fixed - use {{Reflist-talk}} (with |close=1) on talkpages instead... Begoon ^talk 02:37, 4 November 2013 (UTC))

References

Bottom line. I would like to reach a consensus on the new map of the Sasanian Empire that I made shown above. Regards! Kirby (talk) 20:23, 18 March 2014 (UTC)

Testing

  Soviet Union (Allied-held)

Kirby (talk) 06:52, 24 March 2014 (UTC)