Great+Leaders

Throughout the history of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires, there were several great leaders who brought their nation to the zeinth of their era. Among these great rulers are Sulley I the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire, Shah Ismail of the Safavid Empire, and Akbar of the Mughal Empire. These leaders did many things to secure their power and to also expand it.
 * __Great Leaders__**


 * Sulleyman I the Magnifecent**
 * Suleyman I, also known as Suleyman Kanuni, ruled from 1520-1566. He was the Sultan of the Ottoman E[[image:Suleyman_young.jpg width="212" height="267" align="right"]]mpire and as sultan, Suleyman I presided over an imperial bureaucracy and met with a grand vezir who passed on the desires of the Sultan to the bureaucrats. Suleyman was a very intelligent ruler and as sultan, he had complete political and militaritan control. He brought the Empire to it's zenith through conquest. He brought the Turks back into Europe's attention as he advanced his military up the Danube and in 1521, seized Belgrade. He brought his army as far as Vienna, but was pushed out in 1529. If it weren't for a defeat brought upon by a Spanish Armada at the Battle of Lepanto, Suleyman I would have turned the Mediteranian into a Ottoman lake.
 * Although Suleyman brought the Ottomans back to a great world power, he eventually led them to their demise. In suspicion of factionalism, Suleyman executed his two most capable sons who could take the throne, leaving his son Selim II, known as the Sot or "the drunken sultan", to succeed him.


 * Shah Ismail**
 * Shah Ismail ruled from 1487-1524. Shah Ismail was the founder of the Safavid Empire. Ismail is the descendant of a shiekh called Safi al-Din, who is then linked to Ali Ibn Husayn, the fourth imam ofthe Muslim faith. According to the Shi'ite version of the Muslim faith, the twelve imams are the successors to the prophet Muhammed. In 1501, with the use of his forces, Ismail started his conquests in Azerbaijan and seized areas of what is now Iran and Iraq. By 1509, Ismail reuinified Iran and due to his status and his lineage, Ismail declared himself "shah", which is a translation of tsar, to the new Persain state.[[image:225px-Shah_Ismail.jpg align="right" caption="A picture of Shah Ismail"]]He then conquered Baghdad and soon put down the Uzbeks in Bakhara. At this time as well, Ismail sent Shi'ite preachers into the Ottoman city of Anatolia to promote the religion and rebellion. In retaliation, the current sultan of the Ottoman Empire Selim I, sent forces against the Safavids and eventually won a major battle near Tabriz. However, Selim I couldn't control the area and soon control went back to the Safavid's. However, after the Battle of Chaldiran, he was never the same man because the Turks took his favorite wife hostage. Due to the fact Ismail would not plead with the Turks, he never saw his wife again and became a broken man who resorted to drinking. He was then succeeded by Tahmasp I.
 * Ismail was not only a conqueror, he is also a very famous poet. Ismail wrote many peoms in both Azerbaijan and Persian. He was known as a very important figure in Azerbaijan literacy and has left over 1400 verses.

> Akbar ruled as king from 1556-1605. Akbar comes from a family lineage that is very hard not to be recognized. His father, Humayun ruled from 1530-1556. However, most of these years he was "ruling" he was in exhile. Humayun was very intelligent but he didn't have the desire to rule, unlike his son akbar and his father Babur. With the inherited land from his father, which we will get to soon, Babur began supplying aid to ailing nations and with their advanced artillery and mobile cavalry, he began his conquest. Eventually he conquered Delhi where established his power. One must also look at Babur's parents, his father was the great Asian conquerer Tamerlane and his mother was a descendant of Genghis Khan. As one can see, Akbar had the blood of a conquerer within him, but he was much more than that. He took the throne while his father was still in exhile, but this did not stop him. With the use of heavy artillery and siege warfare, Akba was able to expand the borders of the Mughal Empire. He was able to expand the empire from the Himalayas to the Godavari River and from Kashmir to the mouths of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers. > Although Akbar was a great conqueror, he also had a side to him that was very diplomatic. At the beginning of his reign as King, Akbar, who was raised an orthodox muslim, not only tolerated other religions such as Hindu and Christianity, but seemed to almost encourage the practice of other religions. Eventually Akbar adopted a new form of worship known as Divine Faith. This Divine Faith combined characteristics of several religions. > Akbar also maintained a steady time of peace. During this time, the economy was able to flourish. Manufacturing and commerce were booming and foriegn trade thrived as Indian goods were exported in exchange for gold and silver.
 * Akbar[[image:akbar-1.jpg align="right" caption="A picture of Akbar."]]**