Ismail I

Ismail I proclaimed himself Shah of Iran at Tabriz, founding the Safavid dynasty. He declared Twelver Shia Islam the state religion, a move that distinguished Iran from its Sunni neighbors and shaped its religious identity.

Ismail I captured Baghdad from the Aq Qoyunlu confederation. This conquest extended Safavid control over Mesopotamia and secured the shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala, important Shia pilgrimage sites.

Ismail I's army was defeated by the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Selim I at Chaldiran. The Ottomans used superior artillery and gunpowder tactics, forcing Ismail to retreat and ending his expansion into Anatolia.