Latest / The Safavid Empire: Persia's Return to Greatness — Fexingo History
Safavid Persia's Gunpowder Revolution: Cannons and the Qizilbash
Shah Abbas I transformed the Safavid military by creating a standing army equipped with muskets and artillery, breaking the Qizilbash tribal monopoly on military power. This episode explores the gunpowder revolution that reshaped Persia: the formation of the gholam corps, the introduction of cannon foundries in Isfahan, and the dramatic siege of Kandahar in 1622 where Abbas used English naval guns against the Portuguese. We discuss the social cost—the Qizilbash lost political influence, leading to a century of tension—and the technological debts to Ottoman and European models. Along the way…
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