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

joining Shah Ismail’s suite during his Erzincan congregation in the summer of 1500.
“The fight of Osmancuk” refers to the fight occurred during the qizilbash uprisings in
1512. But I could not determine which events are meant by “the campaign of Kadurga”
and “the fight of Torul and Mihmanselam.” Most probably, these fights also have
occurred in the Province of Rum during the qizilbash uprisings in the years 1511-1512.
Apart from these, some other acts and deeds of the qizilbashes also caused them
to be executed. Among them are wearing the qizilbash tāc, tyrannizing the lands (il
gāret itmek), and causing dissension. Most of the qizilbashes registered in the list were
included in both the fights cited above and other activities. Only one of the 19 listed
qizilbashes was not participated in any of these fights but linked to Iran, and the
plundering of land by summoning vagabonds around.
What this document evidently reveals is that the Ottoman government under
Selim I did not show any tolerance against those subjects whose connection with the
qizilbash movement was proved. One should not disregard, however, the fact that the
events used by Ottoman officials in reasoning the execution of the qizilbashes did not
necessarily take place during the struggle of the princes which started approximately by
1509 but by the advent of Ismail in 1500. As already delineated, the meeting of Erzincan
became one of the most crucial milestones, perhaps the most crucial one, in the march of
young Ismail to the throne of Persia. About 7000 qizilbashes gathered in Erzincan
defeated the Akkoyunlu ruler Alvand Mirza’s army of 30.000 soldiers in Sharur in the
summer of 1501 and thus opened the way to suzerainty of Azarbayjan and Persia for
Ismail. 1843 Ottoman authorities seem to have been aware of this crucial role of Erzincan
1843 See Roger Savory, Iran under the Safavids, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980, p. 26.
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