| Battle of Baghdad (1534) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Ottoman–Safavid War (1532–1555) | |||||||||
Suleiman's conquests in the 1532–55 Ottoman-Safavid war gave him access to the Persian Gulf. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Safavid Empire | Ottoman Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Unknown garrison commander | Suleiman the Magnificent | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 300 troops still loyal to the Safavids and the city commander | Deserted Safavid troops + Army that Suleiman brought to winter in Baghdad | ||||||||
The 1534 Capture of Baghdad by Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire from the Safavid dynasty under Tahmasp I was part the Ottoman–Safavid War of 1532 to 1555, itself part a series of Ottoman–Persian Wars. It was taken without resistance, the Safavid government having fled and leading the city undefended.[1] Baghdad's capture was a significant achievement given it's mastery of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and their international and regional trade.[2] It represented, along with the fall of Basra in 1546, a significant step towards eventual Ottoman victory and the procurement of the lower Mesopotamia, the mouths of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, opening a trading outlet into the Persian Gulf.[3] The Ottomans wintered there until 1535, overseeing the reconstruction of Sunni and Shia religions shrines and agricultural irrigation projects. Suleiman returned to Constantinople leaving a strong garrison force.[1] Over the next few decades the Ottomans solidified their control of the region, incorporating it into the Empire until its collapse following the First World War.[1]