Explaining the Political and Religious Causes of the Battle of Chaldiran

Abstract

Throughout history, various factors have contributed to the formation of disagreements and conflicts between rulers of different nations. Ancient Iranian history has witnessed numerous events and wars. With the establishment of the Safavid government by Shah Ismail in the early 10th century AH in Iran, widespread changes occurred in the political and religious landscape of Southwest Asia. This led to multiple conflicts between the Ottoman government and the nascent Safavid government. Among these conflicts was the significant Battle of Chaldiran, which has attracted the attention of historians and researchers due to its profound effects and consequences. There are various differing opinions regarding the causes of this war. This descriptive-analytical research attempts to elucidate the political and religious factors involved in the occurrence of the Battle of Chaldiran. The results of the research indicate that multiple factors contributed to this war, including political causes such as the display of power, humiliation of the opposing side, showcasing conquests, and religious causes such as the rise to power of a Shi'ite government, and economic causes such as reaching China and India for trade. However, it should be noted that political causes played a more fundamental role in the outbreak of this war compared to religious causes, with religious affiliations merely serving as a pretext for its commencement.