Battle of Hamadan (1503)
| Battle of Hamadan (1503) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Third Safavid Rebellion | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Safavid Army | Aq Qoyunlu | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Ismail I Lala Hussein Beg Abdal Beg Talish Mohammad Beg Ustajlu Bayram Beg Karamanlı Sari Ali Hulefa Beg Qarapiri Beg Qajar Yegan Bey Tekeli Abdi Bey Shamlu Kipchak Mansur Beg |
Sultan Murad Ali Beg Turkmen † Islamış Beg Güzel Ahmad Murad Bey | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 12,000 | 70,000–120,000[1] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | 10,000–40,000 killed[1] | ||||||||
The Battle of Hamadan or Alma Bulaghı in 1503 was a conflict between the Safavid Empire, led by Shah Ismail I and the Aq Qoyunlu, commanded by Güzel Ahmad.[2] The battle occurred near the city of Hamadan in Western Persia.[3] Shah Ismail's forces, consisting primarily of Qizilbash warriors, effectively employed superior tactics and firearms to defeat the Aq Qoyunlu cavalry.[4] This decisive victory solidified Safavid control over western Persia and marked a critical step in the establishment of the Safavid Empire.[5] Alwand Mirza fled the battlefield, leading to a further decline of Aq Qoyunlu power in the region.[6]
Prelude
In the spring of 1503, Shah Ismail I sent his murid Kamber Agha with a letter to Sultan Murad, demanding his submission. Reminding him of the kinship ties between the Safavids and the Aq Qoyunlu, Ismail promised that, if Murad recognized his authority, he would annex part of Iraq-i Ajam to Murad. However, Murad rejected the offer.[7] Following this, Ismail marched out of Tabriz with an army of 12,000, crossed the Kızılüzən river, and advanced southwards toward Hamadan. Murad, in response, assembled a much larger force of 70,000 men.[8]
Battle
Under Shah Ismail, commanders Hulefa Bey and Kipchak Mansur Bey were appointed to lead the vanguard, while Qarapiri Bey Qajar was held in reserve with 1,500 cavalry. The remaining Qizilbash emirs—Dede Bey Talish (Abdullali Bey Dede), Husayn Bey Lala, Muhammad Bey Ustajlu, Bayram Bey Karamanlu, Abdi Bey Shamlu, Yegan Bey Tekeli, and Sari Ali (the seal-bearer)—were positioned on the flanks, while Ismail himself took command of the center.
On the Aq Qoyunlu side, Sultan Murad placed Turkmen Ali Bey on the right and Murad Bey on the left. The governor of Kum, Islamish Bey, commanded the vanguard. At the outset of the battle, he successfully repelled the Qizilbash advance, forcing them back toward the center.
At this point, Qarapiri Bey Qajar launched an attack, capturing Islamish Bey and annihilating his detachment. Ismail personally entered the fight, reportedly slaying many enemies with his own hand. The Aq Qoyunlu army collapsed; Ali Bey Turkmen’s force of 10,000 was destroyed, and Guzel Ahmad Bayandur (brother of Eybe Sultan), along with Islamish Bey and others, were captured and executed. Murad himself managed to escape.[9]
References
- ^ a b Farrokh, Kaveh (20 December 2011). Iran at War: 1500–1988. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-78096-221-4.
- ^ Farrokh, Kaveh (2011-12-20). Iran at War: 1500-1988. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78096-240-5.
- ^ Black, Jeremy (2003-05-01). War: An Illustrated History. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-9477-7.
- ^ Black, Jeremy (2000-01-01). War and the World: Military Power and the Fate of Continents, 1450-2000. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-08285-2.
- ^ Black, Jeremy (2017-09-16). War in the World: A Comparative History, 1450-1600. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-230-34426-6.
- ^ Jaques, Tony (2006-11-30). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A Guide to 8,500 Battles from Antiquity through the Twenty-first Century [3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-0-313-02799-4.
- ^ Hasan Beg Rumlu, Ahsen'üt-Tevarih, p. 278
- ^ Hasan Beg Rumlu, Ahsen'üt-Tevarih, p. 398
- ^ Tarikh-i Jahangusha-yi Khaqan, p. 303