TURKOMANS BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES: THE ... - Bilkent University

could not accept such a situation because of the apparent reasons. Consequently, a fierce
but unspoken struggle was going on along the borders: the Ottoman administration
levied every possible measures, even the most severe ones, in order to cut off every sort
of connection between the shah and his Anatolian disciples while qizilbashes resorted to
every possible means to maintain communication with the ‘other side’. It was because of
this that Ismail’s every westward movement was stirring both the qizilbash groups of
Anatolia and the Ottoman administration. Meanwhile, the correspondence between the
two rulers had been carried on in a peaceful and respectful frame. Some of Ismail’s
actions, however, seem to be deliberately intended to jeopardize some of his plans,
which would displease Bayezid II. His treatment against Bayezid’s ambassador, whom
he forced to witness the execution of some leading sunni scholars and to eat pork, might
be regarded in this perspective. His policy was, indeed, not a stable and straight forward;
but he pursued quite a pragmatic strategy, fluctuating in accordance to the
circumstances.
As for his intentions on the Ottoman territories, without a doubt he had ambitions
on some Ottoman provinces, especially on the regions that his disciples intensely
populated. But sources do not record any deliberate attacks by him. In fact, it was not
logical for Ismail to attack such a great power in a period which he was still
consolidating his power. A rather pragmatic strategy was to maintain peace on the one
hand, and to carry on ‘fifth column activities’ among Ottoman subjects on the other.
This was the exact policy that Ismail followed against the Ottomans. So it doesn’t seem
very probable that Ismail planned an invasion within Ottoman lands in 1507.
Nonetheless, whether he planned to invade Ottoman provinces or not, what is certain
from contemporary sources is that the Ottomans perceived such a threat. Comprehensive
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