Ottoman Empire Conquers Persia -- How does it happen?

The Ottoman Empire was overstretched largely because it had a powerful Iran on the Eastern border. Conquering Iran diminishes overstretch not increases it. Iranian territory is hard to hold so long as there is a strong Iranian state, but otherwise, not so much. The Caliphate was nowhere as near as powerful as the Ottoman Empire, but it had little trouble holding Persia.
Er, weren't the Persianized Turks essentially holding the Caliph by the 900s?

Anyhow I'm thinking Islamo/Turkish Ukraine, S. Poland and Atrakhan, like they tried to do with Kamanets and tried to do when the Cossacks burned Moscow in the 1600s. Man, a timeline where this happens probably relegates Shi'ites to Ibadi status.
 
To be honest, a long, victorious campaign in Persia would make India look like an even juicier prize, especially as the Ottomans gave it a try in OTL. That might be overreach...it's hard to visualize an Empire that grew as quickly and as successfully as the Ottomans not overreaching eventually, as they did in Central Europe in OTL.

Of course, the map c. 1500 is going to look pretty fucking awesome at the greatest extent of territories in India.
 
To be honest, a long, victorious campaign in Persia would make India look like an even juicier prize, especially as the Ottomans gave it a try in OTL. That might be overreach...it's hard to visualize an Empire that grew as quickly and as successfully as the Ottomans not overreaching eventually, as they did in Central Europe in OTL.

Of course, the map c. 1500 is going to look pretty fucking awesome at the greatest extent of territories in India.

And the Empire's bound to collapse because of that.
 
Seeing this thread has made tempted to bump it up.

Would Ottomans be able to conquer Persia under Selim I ? I think there's a fair chance. The longer Selim's reign, the more likely it will be.

Would Ottomans be able to hold on to it ? I don't see why not. But I think we should instead look at how much of Persia that Ottomans can hold on to in the long term. At best, I think OE can firmly hold onto chunk of Persia west of Kavir and Luth deserts. Actually, I'm not even sure that Selim would've managed to reach Khorasan, but I think it will be more the issue of "can he be fast enough to reach there before someone else does?" CMIIW, but IIRC the Shaybanids were still around this time.....

What will become of Ottoman rule in the area ? I think that Ottoman control in the region will be comparatively more relaxed compared to the other parts of empire. And also. I think that the fate of Persian Qizilbash will contribute significantly to this matter.

What effect will process of Persian conquest bring to the other places ? I don't think it will give anyone the golden chance to strike OE's back when they're busy elsewhere. I think it will slightly to briefly delay the conquest of Egypt. Maybe it will make Egyptians slightly more prepared to face Ottoman invasion ? Also, during this period of delay, little things can happen. Depend on what it is, it can be something with consequences pretty much limited to Egypt only, or maybe something more, especially when it has to do with the remaining Abbasids that at that time residing there.....

IIRC, the Mughals owed the Safavids for its survival for they provided refuge to Humayun while Sher Shah Suri temporarily overthrowing the Mughals, and then aiding to take their kingdom back. What will no-Safavid situation do to this ?
 

archaeogeek

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Most of the Ottoman Emperors had a fondness for Persia - there was a reason that Persian was the language of the Ottoman court and poetry, after all.

I'd say that taking large chunks out of Persia is doable...but conquering the entire Persian realm? i wouldn't know how they'd even do that.

for one thing, the Ottomans liked balancing their territories - they added the Balkans (in part) to keep the Egyptians and Arabs from getting too influential.....so how are they going to balance out the addition of Persia?

The Balkans were Ottoman much before Egypt, though - you mean Serbia-Bosnia?
 
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