Mohammad Khan Ustajlu (died 1514) was an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

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

Ismail I Ismail I (; 17 July 1487 – 23 May 1524) was the founder and first shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1501 until his death in 1524. His reign is one of the most vital in the history of Iran, and the Safavid period is often considered the beginn ...

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

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

and

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

, 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 (; ) 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 Upper Mesopotamia from Safavid Iran. It marked ...

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 (, ) is a city in the Central District (Khoy County), Central District of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan province, West Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Occupied since Medes, Median times, ...

in 1506, after some skirmishes with

Ala al-Dawla Bozkurt Ala al-Dawla Bozkurt Beg (; 1428 – 13 June 1515) was the ruler of Beylik of Dulkadir, Dulkadir in southern and central Anatolia from late 1480 until his death. Championed by the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II (), Bozkurt ousted his b ...

, the ruler of the Dulkadir, 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 (; ; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute (), was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite lasting only eight years, his reign is ...

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

Sivas Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.İl Beledi ...

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

Qizilbash Qizilbash or Kizilbash (Latin script: ) ; ; (modern Iranian reading: ); were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman "The Qizilbash, composed mainly of Turkman tribesmen, were the military force introduced by the conquering Safavis to the Irani ...

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 Province Safavid governors Iranian Turkmen people Safavid generals Ustajlu 16th-century people from Safavid Iran Iranian military personnel killed in action