Mohammad Khan Ustajlu (died 1514) was an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

military commander and official from the Turkoman Ustajlu tribe, who served during the reign of Safavid Shah

Ismail I Ismail I ( fa, اسماعیل, Esmāʿīl, ; July 17, 1487 – May 23, 1524), also known as Shah Ismail (), was the founder of the Safavid dynasty of Safavid Iran, Iran, ruling as its King of Kings (''Shahanshah'') from 1501 to 1524. His re ...

(1501–1524). He played a pivotal role in Ismail I's conquests and expansion in

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

and

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

, and functioned as governor of the Diyarbakr Province from 1506 to 1514. Mohammad Khan was killed while serving as a commander at the

Battle of Chaldiran The Battle of Chaldiran ( fa, جنگ چالدران; tr, Çaldıran Savaşı) took place on 23 August 1514 and ended with a decisive victory for the Ottoman Empire over the Safavid Empire. As a result, the Ottomans annexed Eastern Anatolia and ...

Biography

Mohammad Khan Ustajlu was a son of Mirza Beg Ustajlu, and had three brothers; Owlash Beg Ustajlu, Evaz Beg Ustajlu and Qara Beg Ustajlu. He was married to one of king Ismail I's sisters. When Ismail I returned to

Khoy Khoy (Persian and az, خوی; ; ; also Romanized as Khoi), is a city and capital of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2012 census, its population was 200,985. Khoy is located north of the province's capital and largest city ...

in 1506, after some skirmishes with 'Ala' al-Dowleh, the ruler of the Zu'l-Qadr, he appointed Mohammad Khan Ustajlu as the new governor (''hakem'') of Diyarbakr. About two months before the decisive

(1514), Ottoman Sultan

Selim I Selim I ( ota, سليم الأول; tr, I. Selim; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute ( tr, links=no, Yavuz Sultan Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite las ...

(1511–1520) and his army had reached the town of

Sivas Sivas (Latin and Greek: ''Sebastia'', ''Sebastea'', Σεβάστεια, Σεβαστή, ) is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province. The city, which lies at an elevation of in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river, is ...

. Aware of the massive approach, Mohammad Khan Ustajlu, during his retreat from his governoral seat in Diyarbakr, devastated the area, which slowed the Ottoman progress towards the east in the ensuing weeks to come. On 23 August 1514, the day the decisive battle took place, Mohammad Khan Ustajlu and

Nur-Ali Khalifa Nur-Ali Khalifa, also known as Nur-Ali Khalifa Rumlu, was an early 16th-century Iranian military leader and official from the Turkoman Rumlu tribe. He served as the governor of Erzincan from during the reign of Safavid Shah Ismail I (1501–15 ...

were the two Safavid commanders who had first-hand experience with the Ottomans ways of warfare. They both advised to attack at once, in order to prevent the Ottoman's from establishing their proper defensive positions. Mohammad Khan also counseled against a frontal attack due to the strength of the Ottoman artillery. This advice however, was rejected by both

Durmish Khan Shamlu Durmish (Dormish) Khan Shamlu was a Qizilbash officer of Turkoman origin, who occupied high offices under the Safavid king (shah) Ismail I (r. 1501–1524) and the latter's son Tahmasp I (r. 1524 – 1576). Durmish Khan later died in 1525. Biogr ...

as well as by the king himself. Durmish Khan, a high-ranking member of the

Qizilbash Qizilbash or Kizilbash ( az, Qızılbaş; ota, قزيل باش; fa, قزلباش, Qezelbāš; tr, Kızılbaş, lit=Red head ) were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman Shia militant groups that flourished in Iranian Azerbaijan, Anatolia, t ...

and a prominent figure at court because of his connections, rudely rebuffed Mohammad Khan and Nur-Ali Khalifa. Durmish Khan considered it "cowardly to engage an unprepared enemy". Ismail I chose to endorse Durmish Khan Shamlu's suggestion for the attack and thus the Ottomans were allowed to prepare their defenses at their leisure. This would prove costly, contributing to the sound Safavid defeat at Chaldiran. Mohammad Khan, who was in command of the left wing of the Safavid army, was killed, and his men fell in disarray.

References

Sources

* * * * {{s-end 15th-century births 1514 deaths History of Diyarbakır Safavid governors Iranian Turkmen people Safavid generals Ustajlu 16th-century people of Safavid Iran