Person

Ismail I

1487–1524 · 16th century

Ismail I was the founder of the Safavid dynasty, who took Tabriz and was proclaimed shah in 1501. He made Twelver Shia Islam the state religion of Iran, a decision with lasting consequences. His defeat by the Ottomans at Chaldiran in 1514 set limits to his expansion, but he laid the foundations of the Safavid Empire.

Ismail I
Image: Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 4 profiles

Safavid EmpireFoundationShirvanshah StateDecline, SummaryEmpire of TrebizondImpact, SummaryAq QoyunluImpact, Summary

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Shirvanshah StateMusha'shaKhanate of Bukhara

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ismail I. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ismail-i
MLA
“Ismail I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ismail-i. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ismail I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ismail-i.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ismail I’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ismail-i (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻