Shah Ismail I

Shah Ismail (I) was founder and first king of the Safavid dynasty, which ruled Iran until 1722. Ismail lived during a turbulent time in Iran's history, in a period of political fragmentation and decentralization. When Ismail's brother Sultan Ali was killed in battle by the ruling house of Aq Qoyunlu in 1494, Ismail went into hiding in northern Iran. In 1499, he and his Qizilbash followers, Turkoman tribesmen, attempted to seize power, and defeated the last Aq Qoyunlu ruler. He was crowned king in the northern Iranian city of Tabriz in 1501.

His followers were said to have followed him into battle without wearing armor, believing him to be invincible. In 1501, however, Ismail established not ghuluww Shiism, but orthodox Twelver Shiism as the official state religion, imposing this sect upon a predominantly Sunni Iran.

He spent the next ten years of his career consolidating and expanding his rule inside Iran and beyond. He was defeated in Azerbaijan by the Ottomans at the battle of Chaldiran in 1514. This led to a ceasing of military campaigns. Ismail died ten years later, in 1524 on May 23 aged 36.