Tahmasp I

Born Mar. 3, 1513, in the village of Shahabad, near Isfahan; died May 14, 1576, in Qazvin (?). Shah of Persia of the Safavid dynasty.

Tahmasp I reigned from 1524 to 1576. Acceding to the throne at the age of ten, he became a pawn in the hands of the Kizilbashi tribal leaders. Yet in time he effected a strengthening of the central authority and expanded his empire by annexing Shirvan, in 1538, and Sheki, in 1551. In 1544, after helping the Great Mogul Humayun to recover his throne, he was given Kandahar in recompense.

Tahmasp waged a protracted war against Turkey from 1534 to 1555. During the same period, he was also continually at war with the Uzbek khans in Khorasan. In 1565, Tahmasp abolished the tamaga tribute.