Ismail’s Invasion of Shirvan

Gathering near Tabriz in March, the Qizilbash of Ismail Safavid initially worry Muhammadi bin Yaqub of the Aq Qoyunlu, but before he can march north, Ismail has departed east – and Muhammadi south, where he would meet his doom in July. In April, the Safavid host reached the White Sheep city of Ardabil, a bastion of the Safaviyya sect and the birthplace of Ismail himself. Many people in the city were ardent followers who believed Ismail to be the the reincarnation of Ali and a messiah of sorts. They were not as fanatical as the Qizilbash, the Turkmen tribes who were sworn one and all to his cause, but when they saw the cavalry arrayed around the city, the people had no stomach for a siege, or their Aq Qoyunlu governor.

Already in a tenuous position, the governor and his garrison faced spontaneous riots in the street, which progressed into a march on the palace. A group of aristocrats attempted to make it to the gates and surrender to Ismail, but they were cut down before they were even close to the walls. Then, the gates did open, but not for the Aq Qoyunlu notables. The people had opened the gate for their shah. This was a noteworthy conquest, but cities fell all the time in this time of White Sheep strife, and if anything, the people preferred a quick fight to a prolonged siege, because only those tied to the wrong faction were usually put to death when it concluded. Aside from the Safaviyya, few looked to Ismail as anything but a different Aq Qoyunlu faction with perhaps a somewhat more radical religious background. He did not install himself in Ardabil, but appointed a governor, and marched north.

To the north lay the realm of the Shirvanshahs. For over a hundred years this dynasty had reigned, on top of a realm that had stood for over five hundred years. Stable under the rule of Farrukh Yasar Shah for nearly forty years, it had been a target for Safavid raiders long before they rebelled so openly against the White Sheep, and so Farrukh Yasar had done his fair share of fighting against them. Chief among his accomplishments in this struggle had been the death of Shaykh Haydar, Ismail’s father, in 1488. Now, almost exactly twelve years later, Ismail, twelve years old (and a half!), was coming for revenge.

Farrukh Yasar Shah had raised a force twice that of Ismail’s Qizilbash. He could have raised more, indeed, more rabble, but he had spent a significant part of his coffers mustering all of the heavy cavalry in Shirvan, combined with mamluks (not from the *Mamluk Sultanate, for reference) and even the odd Christian knight under mamluk command. His infantry numbered 3,000. His archers, 3,000. The mamluk heavy cavalry, 1,000, and over 4,000 horse archers hired from the steppes. He was nearing sixty years, a wily fox who had seen Ismail’s father and grandfather die in Shirvan. On the other end of the Talysh passes. With the mountains to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east, they would meet each other in Lankaran.

The Shirvanshah arrayed his forces with the infantry in front. He knew the Turkmen Qizilbash were relatively light cavalry, but fierce, and they outnumbered his own. As such, his intent was to pepper them with arrows before unleashing the mamluks. However, to achieve this he needed the spearmen to shield the archers first. The horse archers were placed on the flanks, where they could harass the Safavids if they ran away. Ismail planned no retreat. Instead, he divided his force into a centre, commanded by himself, and two flanks.

The Battle of Lankaran

In late July, 1500, the armies met each other on the plain of Lankaran.

The two armies facing each other were very different. It was as if the Shirvans had adopted the mountainous ways of warfare, facing a Turkmen horde of horse. The Safavid horns commanded the Qizilbash to ride and they pushed their horses until they were running. Soon, the Shirvan archers began firing. Although experienced, even the mercenaries could only shoot so quickly, as the thundering hooves assumed a certain inevitability on their approach. The archers in the rear still nocked arrows, confident in the mass of human bodies standing between them and the enemy centre.

The Qizilbash yelled and sang war cries, paying no mind to those that fell to the arrows and continuing as if they were mindless, or soldiers of God with no fear of death. The spearmen in the first rank trembled long before they could hear the yells. These levies had never in their wildest nightmares wished for this. At best, they were happy to defend a castle wall. Their position was unenviable. The first rank ran before the Qizilbash reached them.

But they did not make it very far.

Ismail’s personal guard ran horse-first into a jumbled mass of panicked footsoldiers. It was a slaughter in an instant, a rout in the next. Soon, the safest archers in the rear of the formation could hear the Qizilbash, and they stopped firing because there was no longer a distinction between enemy formation and friendly soldiers. They, too, were quickly swept into the frenzy of the infantry.

Farrukh Yasar had no choice but to commit the mamluks, who in the chaotic mass of bodies had trouble replacing the infantry on the front lines. The Safavid charge, now blunted, would be met with heavy armour and sharp steel. However, a second disaster was unfolding on the flanks. Where the horse archers stood, confidently placed there to pursue Ismail, there were now the Qizilbash that had gone out to flank the Shirvanshah. The horse archers – masters of hit and run, but preferably from a distance – did not consider it part of their job to fight the bloody melee, and they vacated their flanks for better ground from which to harass. However, this left the Shirvan centre abandoned, and into the vulnerable side and rear of the mamluk core, the Qizilbash struck.

The Shirvanshah saw the way the wind was blowing the moment the horse archers left their flank. He gathered up his sons and guards and abandoned the site of battle before Ismail could even think of taking him. Left behind was, of course, all of the infantry and almost all of the mamluks. The rout, now complete, ended with a slaughter that saw the forces of Shirvan evaporate.

The Battle of Lankaran, progress

The Siege of Shamakhi

Farrukh Yasar and his retinue retreated to Shamakhi. Ismail followed him north, as did the news of the battle. The paltry Shirvan force that entered the fortress was met by anxiety and a city that had resigned itself to its fate. Farrukh Yasar tried to energise a defense, but he was met by lethargy and defeatism.

Ismail besieged the city by September, investing it with some of his forces while others rode out into Shirvan and subjugated many towns, pillaging those who did not surrender. During the course of the siege, which would last a month, the realm of the Shirvanshahs was reduced to Shamakhi and Baku, but even the lands inbetween were lost. By the end of October, the people of the city conspired with the sons of Farrukh Yasar, Bahram Beg and Gazi Beg, and they surrendered. Farrukh Yasar was put to death by Ismail, the rest of the city was spared.

The Fate of Shirvan

Now, with the heirs of the Shirvanshah subjugated, resistance in Baku faltered. Sensing that the tide of history was with the vassal Bahram Beg Shah, a similar coup d’etat took out the last die hard. By early December, the city fell.

• Bahram Beg is now Shirvanshah
• The Shirvanshah is now a vassal of Ismail Safavid.
• Ismail Safavid conquers Ardabil and environs from the Aq Qoyunlu.

Shirvan losses

• Everything

Ismail losses

• 500 Qizilbash

Border change (red crossed provinces go to the Safavids).

Out of character:

The Shirvan player has a choice. You may continue as vassal of Ismail. You may also reclaim without shame, you put up a valiant fight in a nigh-impossible scenario. If you choose to remain as a vassal, Ismail is free to annex some of your land, but a loyal 2ic will be useful to him, so any generosity should be repayed with loyalty.

If the Shirvan player declaims, the Shirvan claim will be annexed by the Safavid claim.