Military history of Iran
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With thousands of years of recorded [[History of Iran|history]], and due to an unchanging geographic (and subsequently geopolitical) condition , [[Iran]] (previously known as [[Persian Empire|Persia]] in the West until 1935) has had a long, varied, and checkered [[Military of Iran|military]] culture and history, ranging from triumphant and unchallenged ancient military supremacy affording effective superpower status in its day, to a series of near catastrophic defeats (beginning with the destruction of Elam) at the hand of previously subdued peripheral nations (including Greece, Arabia, and the Asiatic nomadic tribes at the Eastern boundary of the lands traditionally home to the Iranian people).
==Achaemenid Era==
[[Image:Achaemenid-empire-500BCE.png|250px|thumb|right|Iran in approximately 500 BC.]]
{{main|Achaemenid Empire}}
The Achaemenid Empire (559 BC–330 BC) was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over significant portions of Greater Iran. The empire possessed a “national army” of roughly 120.000-150.000 troops, plus several tens of thousands of troops from their allies.
The Persian army was divided into regiments of a thousand each, called ''hazarabam''.
Ten hazarabams formed a ''haivarabam'', or division. The best known haivarabam were the Immortals, the King's personal guard division. The smallest unit was the ten man ''dathaba''. Ten dathabas formed the hundred man ''sataba''.
The royal army used a system of color [[uniform]]s to identify different units. A large variety of colors were used, some of the most common being yellow, purple, and blue. But this system was probably limited to native Persian troops and was not used for their numerous allies.
The usual tactic employed by the Persians in the early period of the empire, was to form a [[shield wall]] that archers could fire over. These troops (called [[sparabara]], or shield-bearers) were equipped with a large rectangular wicker shield called a spara, and armed with a short spear, measuring around six feet long.
The [[bow (weapon)|bow]] was the most widely used weapon of the Persians, but these were simple bows made of cane, not the famous composite bow. This weapon was very limited in its effectiveness against heavy hoplite armor.
The role of the sparabara was to soften the enemy with volleys of arrows. The main shock action was done by the [[cavalry]]. The lightly equipped Persian foot soldiers were not ideal for [[shock]] attacks.
These tactics didn’t work well against the Greeks, which were equipped and armed very differently. The Persian infantry was seriously overmatched in terms of defensive and offensive equipment. Greek hoplites usually wore heavy bronze or durable linen armor and carried a heavy large shield in contrast to the Persian light leather scale or quilted linen armor and small wicker shield.
The Persian was usually armed with short fighting-spear and short sword. These Weapons were meant to be used more defensively. The Greek weaponry was geared towards offensive hand-to-hand combat. Two good examples are the [[Battle of Thermopylae]] and [[Battle of Marathon]]
(in progress)
{{see|Persian Immortals}}
==Seleucid Empire (330 to 150 BCE)==
{{main|Seleucid Empire}}The '''Seleucid Empire''' was a [[Hellenistic civilization|Hellenistic]] successor state of [[Alexander the Great]]'s dominion, including central [[Anatolia]], the [[Levant]], [[Mesopotamia]], [[Persia]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Pamir Mountains|Pamir]] and the [[Indus river|Indus valley]].
==Parthian Empire (250 BCE– 226 CE)==
[[Image:LocationParthia.PNG|frame|right|Parthian Empire at its greatest extent, c60 BCE.]]
{{main|Parthia}}
{{see|Parthian shot}}
'''Parthia''' was an Iranian civilization situated in the northeastern part of modern Iran, but at the height of its power, the Parthian dynasty covered all of [[Iran]] proper, as well as regions of the modern countries of [[Armenia]], [[Iraq]], }[[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], eastern [[Turkey]], eastern [[Syria]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Pakistan]], [[Kuwait]], the [[Persian Gulf]], the coast of [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Bahrain]], [[Qatar]], [[Lebanon]], [[Israel]], [[Palestine]] and the [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]]<ref>[http://www.livius.org/pan-paz/parthia/parthia02.html Parthia (2): the empire<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
The Parthian empire was led by the Arsacid dynasty, which reunited and ruled over the [[Iran]]ian plateau, after defeating and disposing the Hellenistic [[Seleucid Empire]], beginning in the late 3rd century BC, and intermittently controlled [[Mesopotamia]] between [[150 BC]] and [[224]] AD. It was the third native dynasty of ancient Iran (after the [[Medes|Median]] and the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]] dynasties). Parthia was the arch-enemy of the [[Roman Empire]] in the east.
After the [[Scythian]]-[[Parni]] [[nomads]] ([[Assyrians]] called them Ashkuz){{Fact|date=January 2008}} had settled in Parthia and built a small independent kingdom, they rose to power under king [[Mithridates I of Parthia|Mithridates the Great]] (171-138 BC).<ref>George Rawlinson, ''The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World'', 2002, Gorgias Press LLC ISBN 1931956480</ref> Later, at the height of their power, Parthian influence reached as far as [[Ubar]] in [[Arabia]], the nexus of the [[frankincense]] [[trade route]], where Parthian-inspired ceramics have been found. The power of the early Parthian empire seems to have been overestimated by some ancient historians, who could not clearly separate the powerful later empire from its more humble obscure origins. The end of this long-lived empire came in 224 AD, when the empire was loosely organized and the last king was defeated by one of the empire's vassals, the [[Persians]] of the [[Sassanid]] dynasty.
==Sassanid Era (226 CE to 637 CE)==
[[Image:Sassanid-empire-610CE.png|right|250px|thumb|The Sassanid Empire in 602 to 629.]]
{{main|Sassanid army}}
{{see|Sassanid Empire}}
The birth of the '''Sassanid army''' ({{lang-fa|ارتش ساسانيان}} ''Artesh-e Sāsānīyān'', [[Pahlavi]] ''Spâh'' سپاه, "army") dates back to the rise of [[Ardashir I]] (r. 226–241), the founder of the [[Sassanid dynasty]], to the throne. Ardashir aimed at the revival of the [[Persian Empire]], and to further this aim, he reformed the military by forming a standing army which was under his personal command and whose officers were separate from [[satrap]]s, local princes and nobility. He restored the [[Achaemenid]] military organizations, retained the [[Parthia]]n cavalry model, and employed new types of armour and siege warfare techniques. This was the beginning for a military system which served him and his successors for over 400 years, during which the Sassanid Empire was, along with the [[Roman Empire]] and later the [[East Roman Empire]], one of the two superpowers of [[Late Antiquity]] in Western [[Eurasia]]. The Sassanid army protected ''[[Iran|Eranshahr]]'' ("the realm of Iran") from the East against the incursions of [[central Asia]]tic nomads like the [[Hephthalites]], [[Turkic peoples|Turks]], while in the west it was engaged in a recurrent struggle against the Roman Empire.{{Fact|date=July 2007}}
==Islamic conquest (637 to 651)==
[[Image:Age-of-caliphs.png|right|250px|thumb|The Islamic conquest of Persia. {{legend|#a1584e|Under Prophet Mohammad, 622-632}} {{legend|#ef9070|Under the Patriarchal Caliphate, 632-661}} {{legend|#fad07d|Under the Umayyad Caliphate, 661-750}}]]
{{main|Islamic conquest of Persia}}
{{see|Muslim conquests}}
The '''Islamic conquest of [[Persia]]''' (633–656) led to the end of the [[Sassanid Empire]] and the eventual decline of the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] religion in [[Persian Empire|Persia]]. However, the achievements of the previous Persian civilizations were not lost, but were to a great extent absorbed by the new [[Islam]]ic polity.
Most [[Muslim historians]] have long offered the idea that Persia, on the verge of the Arab invasion, was a society in decline and decay and thus it embraced the invading Arab armies with open arms. This view is not widely accepted however. Some authors have for example used mostly Arab sources to illustrate that "contrary to the claims , Iranians in fact fought long and hard against the invading Arabs."<ref>Milani A. ''Lost Wisdom''. 2004 ISBN 0934211906 p.15</ref> This view further more holds that once politically conquered, the Persians began engaging in a culture war of resistance and succeeded in forcing their own ways on the victorious Arabs.<ref>Mohammad Mohammadi Malayeri, ''Tarikh-i Farhang-i Iran'' (Iran's Cultural History). 4 volumes. Tehran. 1982.</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=ʻAbd al-Ḥusayn Zarrīnʹkūb|authorlink=Abdolhossein Zarinkoob|title=
Dū qarn-i sukūt : sarguz̲asht-i ḥavādis̲ va awz̤āʻ-i tārīkhī dar dū qarn-i avval-i Islām (Two Centuries of Silence)|location=Tihrān|publisher=Sukhan|year=1379 (2000)|id={{OCLC|46632917}}, {{Listed Invalid ISBN|964-5983-33-6}} }}</ref>
==Tahirid dynasty (821 to 873)==
{{main|Tahirid dynasty}}
The '''Tahirid dynasty''', (سلسله طاهریان [[Persian language|Persian]]:) ruled the northeastern [[Persian Empire]] region of [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] (parts that are presently in [[Iran]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], and [[Uzbekistan]]). The Tahirid capital was [[Nishapur]]{{Fact|date=February 2007}}.
Although nominally subject to the [[Abbasid]] [[caliphate]] in [[Baghdad]], the Tahirid rulers were effectively independent. The dynasty was founded by [[Tahir ibn Husayn]], a leading general in the service of the Abbasid caliph [[al-Ma'mun]]. Tahir's military victories were rewarded with the gift of lands in the east of Persia, which were subsequently extended by his successors as far as the borders of [[India]].
The Tahirid dynasty is considered to be the first independent dynasty from the [[Abbasid]] caliphate established in Khorasan. They were overthrown by the [[Saffarid dynasty]], who annexed Khorasan to their own empire in eastern Persia.
==Alavid dynasty (864 to 928)==
{{main|Alavids}}
The '''Alavids''' or '''Alavians''' (سلسله علویان طبرستان in Persian) were a [[Shia]] [[emirate]] based in [[Mazandaran]] (Tabaristan) of [[Iran]]. They were descendants of the second Shi'a [[Imam]] (Imam [[Hasan ibn Ali]]) and brought [[Islam]] to the south [[Caspian Sea]] region of [[Iran]]. Their reign was ended when they were defeated by the [[Samanid]] empire in 928 AD. After their defeat some of the soldiers and generals of the Alavids joined the Samanid dynasty. [[Mardavij]] the son of Ziar was one of the generals that joined the Samanids. He later founded the [[Ziyarid]] dynasty. [['Imad al-Daula|Ali]], Hassan and Ahmad the sons of Buye [bu:je] (that were founders of the Buyid or [[Buwayhid]] dynasty) were also among generals of the Alavid dynasty who joined the Samanid army.
==Saffarid dynasty (861 to 1003)==
{{main|Saffarid dynasty}}
The '''Saffarid dynasty''' ([[Persian language|Persian]]: سلسله صفاریان) ruled a short-lived empire in [[Sistan]], which is a historical region now in southeastern [[Iran]] and southwestern [[Afghanistan]]. Their rule was between [[861]] to [[1003]].<ref>Nancy Hatch Dupree - An Historical Guide To Afghanistan - ''Sites in Perspective (Chapter 3)''...
[http://www.zharov.com/dupree/chapter03.html Link]</ref>
The Saffarid capital was [[Zaranj]] (now in Afghanistan). The dynasty was founded by – and took its name from – [[Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar]], a man of humble origins who rose from an obscure beginning as a coppersmith (''saffar'') to became a warlord. He seized control of the Seistan region, conquering all of Afghanistan, modern-day eastern Iran, and parts of [[Pakistan]]. Using their capital (Zaranj) as base for an aggressive expansion eastwards and westwards, they overthrew the [[Tahirid dynasty]] and annexed [[Khorasan]] in 873. By the time of Ya'qub's death, he had conquered [[Kabulistan|Kabul Valley]], [[Sind]], [[Tocharistan]], [[Makran]] ([[Baluchistan]]), [[Kerman]], [[Fars]], Khorasan, and nearly reaching [[Baghdad]] but then suffered defeat.<ref>Britannica, [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9064714 Saffarid dynasty]</ref>
{{History of Greater Iran}}
The Saffarid empire did not last long after Ya'qub's death. His brother and successor [[Amr bin Laith]] was defeated in a battle with the [[Samanid]]s in [[900]]. Amr bin Laith was forced to surrender most of their territories to the new rulers. The Saffarids were subsequently confined to their heartland of Sistan, with their role reduced to that of [[vassal]]s of the Samanids and their successors.
==Samanid dynasty (875 to 999)==
{{main|Samanid dynasty}}
The '''Samanids''' (819–999)<ref>Encyclopedia Britannica, Online Edition, 2007, ''Samanid Dynasty'', [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9065183/Samanid-Dynasty LINK]</ref> ({{PerB|سامانیان}} ''Sāmāniyān'') were a [[Persian empire|Persian dynasty]] in [[Central Asia]] and [[Greater Khorasan]], named after its founder [[Saman Khuda]] who converted to [[Sunni]] Islam<ref>The History of Iran By Elton L. Daniel, pg. 74</ref> despite being from [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] theocratic nobility. It was among the first native [[Iranian people|Iranian]] dynasties in [[Greater Iran]] and [[Central Asia]] after the [[Islamic conquest of Persia|Arab conquest]] and the collapse of the [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanid Persian empire]].
==Ziyarid dynasty (928 to 1043)==
{{main|Ziyarids}}
==Buwayhid dynasty (934 to 1055)==
{{main|Buwayhids}}
==Ghaznavid Empire (963 to 1187)==
{{main|Ghaznavid Empire}}
==Seljukid Empire (1037 to 1187)==
{{main|Seljukid Empire}}
==Khwarezmian Empire (1077 to 1231)==
[[Image:Khwarezmid-empire-1220CE.png|right|250px|thumb|Iran at the height of the Khwarezmid Empire.]]
{{main|Khwarezmian Empire}}
{{-}}
==Ilkhanate (1256 to 1353)==
{{main|Ilkhanate}}
==Muzaffarid dynasty (1314 to 1393)==
{{main|Muzaffarid dynasty}}
==Chupanid dynasty (1337 to 1357)==
{{main|Chupanids}}
==Jalayerid dynasty (1339 to 1432)==
{{main|Jalayerid}}
The '''Jalayirids''' (آل جلایر) were a [[Mongol]] descendant dynasty which ruled over [[Iraq]] and western [[Persia]] <ref>The History Files [http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsMiddEast/EasternPersia.htm Rulers of Persia]</ref> after the breakup of the Mongol [[Khanate]] of Persia (or [[Ilkhanate]]) in the 1330s.
The '''Jalayirid sultanate''' lasted about fifty years, until disrupted by [[Timur|Tamerlane]]'s conquests and the revolts of the "Black sheep Turks" or [[Kara Koyunlu]]. After Tamerlane's death in 1405, there was a brief unsuccessful attempt to re-establish the Jalayirid sultanate and Jalayirid sultanate was ended by Kara Koyunlu in 1432.
==Timurid Empire (1370 to 1506)==
{{main|Timurid Empire}}
The '''Timurids''', self-designated ''Gurkānī''<span dir="ltr"><ref name="Thackston">{{cite book | title=The Baburnama: Memoirs of Babur, Prince and Emperor | publisher=Modern Library Classics | id=ISBN 0375761373 | year=2002 | date=[[2002-09-10]] | author=Zahir ud-Din Mohammad | editor=Thackston, Wheeler M. | quote=<small>Note: ''Gurkānī'' is the [[Persianization|Persianized]] form of the Mongolian word "kürügän" ("son-in-law"), the title given to the dynasty's founder after his marriage into [[Genghis Khan]]'s family.</small>}}</ref><ref><small>Note: ''Gurgān'', ''Gurkhān'', or ''Kurkhān''; The meaning of ''Kurkhan'' is given in [http://www.gardenvisit.com/travel/clavijo/timurearlylife.htm Clements Markham's publication of the reports of the contemporary witness Ruy González de Clavijo] as ''"of the lineage of sovereign princes"''.</small></ref><ref>Edward Balfour ''The Encyclopaedia Asiatica, Comprising Indian Subcontinent, Eastern and Southern Asia'', Cosmo Publications 1976, S. 460, S. 488, S. 897</ref></span> ({{PerB|گوركانى}}), were a [[Persianate society|Persianate]] [[Central Asia]]n [[Sunni]] [[Islam|Muslim]] dynasty of originally [[Turko-Mongol]]<ref name="Britannica">[[Encyclopædia Britannica]], "[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9072546/Timurid-Dynasty Timurid Dynasty]", Online Academic Edition, 2007. (Quotation:...''Turkic dynasty descended from the conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), renowned for its brilliant revival of artistic and intellectual life in Iran and Central Asia.''...''Trading and artistic communities were brought into the capital city of Herat, where a library was founded, and the capital became the centre of a renewed and artistically brilliant Persian culture.''..)</ref><ref name="EI">B.F. Manz, ''"Tīmūr Lang"'', in [[Encyclopaedia of Islam]], Online Edition, 2006</ref><ref name="Columbia">{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = The Columbia Encyclopedia | title = Timurids | url = http://www.bartleby.com/65/ti/Timurids.html | edition = Sixth | publisher = [[Columbia University]] | location = [[New York City]] |accessdate=2006-11-08 }}</ref><ref>[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]] article: [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-26937/Islamic-world Consolidation & expansion of the Indo-Timurids], Online Edition, 2007.</ref> descent whose empire included the whole of Central Asia, [[Iran]], modern [[Afghanistan]] and [[Pakistan]], as well as large parts of [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Caucasus]]. It was founded by the legendary conqueror [[Timur]] (''Tamerlane'') in the [[14th century]].
In the [[16th century]], Timurid prince [[Babur]], the ruler of [[Ferghana]], invaded [[India]] and founded the [[Mughal Empire]] - the ''Timurids of India'' - who ruled most of the [[Indian subcontinent]] for several centuries until its [[British Raj|conquest by the British]].
==Qara Qoyunlu Turcomens (1407 to 1468)==
{{main|Turcomans}}
==Aq Qoyunlu Turcomans (1378 to 1508)==
[[Image:Lebas razm.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Iranian military armor, steel and leather, dated 1450CE. [[New York Metropolitan Museum of Art]].]]
{{main|Turcomans}}
{{-}}
==Safavid Era (1501 to 1736)==
[[Image:Map Safavid persia.png|right|250px|thumb|The Safavid Empire and its zones of conflict.]]
{{main|Safavid Empire}}
The then Safavid rulers of [[Persia]], like the [[Mamluks]] of [[Egypt]], viewed firearms with distaste, and at first made little attempt to adopt them into their armed forces. Like the Mamluks they were taught the error of their ways by the then powerful [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] armies. Unlike the Mamluks they lived to apply the lessons they had learnt on the battlefield. In the course of the sixteenth century, but still more in the seventeenth, the shahs of Iran took steps to acquire handguns and artillery pieces and to re-equip their forces with them. Initially, the principal sources of these weapons appears to have been [[Venice]], [[Portugal]], and [[England]], from which also came experts to advise on their use, such as [[Robert Shirley]].
Despite their initial reluctance, the Persians very rapidly acquired the art of making and using handguns. A Venetian envoy, Vincenzo di Alessandri, in a report presented to the [[Council of Ten]] on 24 September 1572, observes:
''"They used for arms, swords, lances, arquebuses, which all the soldiers carry and use; their arms are also superior and better tempered than those of any other nation. The barrels of the arquebuses are generally six spans long, and carry a ball little less than three ounces in weight. They use them with such facility that it does not hinder them drawing their bows nor handling their swords, keeping the latter hung at their saddle bows till occasion requires them. The arquebus is then put away behind the back so that one weapon does not impede the use of the other."''
[[Image:Safavid Qezelbash.JPG|thumb|right|200px|An artist impression of a Safavid Qezelbash]]
This picture of the Persian horseman, equipped for almost simultaneous use of the bow, sword, and firearm, aptly symbolized the dramatic and complexity of the scale of changes that the Persian Military was undergoing. While the use of personal firearms was becoming commonplace, the use of field artillery was limited and remained on the whole ineffective.
[[Image:Shah Abbas Chel Soutoon.JPG|thumb|left|200px|A painting on the wall of the Chel-Sooton Palace in Isfahan of Shah Abbas at war]]
In bringing about a 'modern' gunpowder era Persian army it can not be argued that [[Abbas I of Persia|Shah Abbas]] (1587-1629) was not instrumental. Following the Ottoman Army model that had impressed him in combat the Shah set about to build his new army. He was much helped by two English brothers, Anthony and [[Robert Sherley]], who went to Iran in 1598 with twenty-six followers and remained in the Persian service for a number of years. The brothers helped organise the army into an officer-paid and well-trained standing army similar to a European model. It was organised along three divisions: Ghulams ('crown servants or slaves' usually conscripted from Armenian, Georgian and Circassian lands), Tofongchis (musketeers), and Topchis (artillery-men)
Shah Abbas's new model army was massively successful and allowed him to re-unite parts of [[Greater Iran]] and expand his nations territories at a time of great external pressure and conflict.
Upon the fall of the Safavid dynasty [[Persia]] entered into a period of uncertainty. The previously highly organised military fragmented and the pieces were left for the following dynasties to collect.
==Afsharid Dynasty (1750 to 1794)==
{{main|Afsharids}}
Following the decline of the [[Safavid]] state a brilliant general by the name of [[Nader Shah]] took the reins of the country.
This period and the centuries following it were characterised by the rise in [[Russia]]n power to Persia's north.
From the time of [[Peter The Great]], the northern states of the [[Persian Empire]] were under threat of Russian annexation. In 1710, Tsar Peter formulated his foreign policy principles, the backbone of which was 'invasion and territorial expansion'. The first to suffer from the new [[Russia]]n power was the [[Ottoman Empire]]. However, pressure was soon exerted on the Persian Empire as well. In May 1723, the first major [[Russo-Persian War, 1722-1723|Russo-Persian War]] occurred and the invasion came as far as the northern city of [[Rasht]]. At the [[Treaty of Bab-e Ali]] the Ottoman and Russian Empires divided up large portions of Persia between themselves. It was Nader Shah who, with great force{{Fact|date=February 2007}}, drove the Ottomans and Russians{{Fact|date=February 2007}} out of the occupied lands and eventually began expanding the borders of [[Greater Iran]].
Following Nader Shah, many of the other leaders of the Afsharid dynasty were weak and the state they had built quickly gave way to the Qajars. As the control of the country de-centralised with the collapse of Nader Shah's rule, many of the peripheral territories of the Empire gained independence and only paid token homage to the Persian State.
==Qajar Era (1781 to 1925)==
{{main|Qajar}}
The second half of the 18th Century saw a new dynasty take hold in Iran. The new [[Qajar]] dynasty made an attempt to form, and yet again modernise the Iranian military following the break up of [[Nader Shah]]'s army. The rise of the Qajars was very closely timed with [[Catherine the Great]]'s order to invade Persia once again. During the [[Persian Expedition of 1796]], Russian troops crossed the [[Aras]] River and invaded parts of [[Azarbaijan]] and [[Gilan]], while they also moved to [[Lankaran]] with the aim of occupying [[Rasht]] again. The Qajars, under their dynasty founder, [[Agha Mohammad Khan]] was the saviour of Persia by defeating the Russian in several important battles{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. Agha Mohammad Khan, with 60,000 cavalry under his command, drove the Russians back{{Fact|date=February 2007}} beyond [[Tbilisi]]. Following the capture of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], Agha Mohammad Khan was murdered by two of his servants hoping to steal the crown jewels. His son, [[Fath Ali Shah]], after several successful campaigns of his own against the [[Afshars]], with the help of Minister of War [[Mirza Assadolah Khan]] and Minister [[Amir Kabir]] created a new strong army, based on the latest European models, for the newly chosen Crown-Prince [[Abbas Mirza]].
This period marked a decline in Persia's power and thus its military performance. From here onwards the Qajar dynasty would face great difficulty in its efforts due to the international policies mapped out by some western superpowers and not [[Persia]] herself. Persia's efforts would also be weakened due to continual economic, political, and military pressure from outside of the country (see [[The Great Game]]), and social and political pressures from within would make matters worse.
[[Image:Qajar-AbbasMirza.jpg|thumb|right|200px|'Prince Abbas Mirza']]
In 1803, Russia invaded{{Fact|date=February 2007}} and annexed{{Fact|date=February 2007}} [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], and then moved south towards [[Armenia]] and [[Azarbaijan]]. In the [[Russo-Persian War (1806-1813)]] the Russians appeared victorious. From the beginning, Russian troops had a great advantage over the Persians as they possessed modern [[Artillery]], the use of which had never sunk into the Persian army since the [[Safavid]] dynasty three centuries earlier. Nevertheless, the Persian army under the command of [[Abbas Mirza]] managed to win several victories from the Russians. Iran's inability to develop modern artillery over the preceding, and Qajar, dynasty resulted in the signing of the [[Treaty of Gulistan]] in 1813. This marked a turning point in the Qajar attitude towards the military. [[Abbas Mirza]] sent a large number of Persians to [[England]] to study Western military technology and at the same time he invited British officers to Persia to train the Persian forces under his command. The army's transformation was phenomenal as can be seen from the [[Battle of Erzeroum]] (1821) where the new army routed an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] army. This resulted in the [[Treaty of Erzeroum]] whereby the Ottoman Empire acknowledged the existing frontier between the two empires. These efforts to continue the modernisation of the army through the training of officers in Europe continued until the end of the Qajar dynasty. With the exceptions of Russia and Britain the Qajar army of the time was unquestionably the most powerful in the region.
[[Image:Map Iran 1900-en.png|left|250px|thumb|Iran in the 20th century.]]
With his new army, Abbas Mirza [[Russo-Persian War, 1826-1828|invaded Russia in 1826]]. The Persian army proved no match for the significantly larger and equally capable Russian army. The following [[Treaty of Turkmenchay]] in 1828 crippled Persia through the ceding of much of Persia's northern territories and the payment of a colossal war indemnity. The scale of the damage done to Persia through the treaty was so severe that The Persian Army and state would not regain its former strength till the rise and creation of the [[Soviet Union]] and the latter's cancellation of the economic elements of the treaty as 'tsarist imperialistic policies'.
The reigns of both [[Mohammad Shah]] and [[Nasser ed-Din Shah]] also saw attempts by [[Persia]] to bring the city of [[Herat]], occupied by the [[Demographics of Afghanistan|Afghans]], again under Persian rule. In this, though the Afghans were no match for the Persian Army, the Persians were not successful, this time because of British Intervention as part of [[The Great Game]] ''(See papers by Waibel and Esandari Qajar within the Qajar Studies source)''.
Ultimately, under the Qajars [[Persia]] was shaped into its modern form. Initially, under the reign of [[Agha Mohammad Khan]] Persia won back control of several independent regions and the northern territories, only to be lost again through a series of bitter wars with Russia. In the west the Qajars effectively stopped Ottoman encroachment and in the east the situation remained fluid. Ultimately, through Qajar rule the military institution was further developed and a capable and regionally superior military force was developed. This was quashed by the then superpowers of the day: Russia and Britain.
For World War I, see the [[Persian Campaign]].
==Pahlavi Era (1925 to 1979)==
[[Image:Iranian Imperial Guards.jpg|frame|right|90px|'Iranian Imperial Guards']]
{{main|Pahlavi dynasty}}
When the Pahlavi dynasty came through power the Qajar dynasty was already weak from years of war with [[Russia]]. The standing Persian army was almost non-existent. The new king [[Reza Shah|Reza Shah Pahlavi]], was quick to develop a new military. In part, this involved sending hundreds of officers to European and American military academies. It also involved having foreigners re-train the existing army within Iran. In this period the [[Iranian Air Force]] was established and the foundation for a new [[Iranian Navy|Navy]] was laid.
Following Germany's invasion of the [[USSR]] in June [[1941]], Britain and the Soviet Union became allies. Both saw the newly opened Trans-Iranian Railroad as a strategic route to transport supplies from the [[Persian Gulf]] to the Soviet region. In August 1941, Britain and the USSR invaded Iran and deposed [[Reza Shah|Reza Shah Pahlavi]] in favor of his son [[Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi]]. Following the end of the [[Second World War]] Iran's independence was respected and both countries withdrew.
Following a number of clashes in April 1969, international relations with Iraq fell into a steep decline, mainly due to a dispute over the [[Shatt al-Arab]] waterway in the 1937 Algiers Accord. Iran abrogated the 1937 accord and demanded a renegotiation which ended completely in its favor. Furthermore, [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] embarked on an unprecedented modernisation program for the armed forces. In many cases Iran was being supplied with advanced weaponry even before it was supplied to the armies of the countries that developed it{{Fact|date=October 2007}}. The Iranian military, while very well armed and trained at this point was totally reliant on external suppliers for its equipment. By 1978 Iran had the worlds 5th strongest and largest army and was the clear undisputed regional superpower. During this period of strength Iran protected its interests militarily in the region: In [[Oman]], the [[Dhofar Rebellion]] was quashed. In November 1971 Iranian forces seized control of three uninhabited but strategic islands at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.
==Islamic Republic of Iran (1979 to Present) ==
{{main|Islamic Republic of Iran Army}} {{see|Military of Iran}}
In 1979, the year of the Shah's departure and the [[Iranian Revolution|revolution]], the Iranian military experienced a 60% desertion from its ranks. Following the ideological principles of the Islamic revolution in Iran, the new revolutionary government sought to strengthen its domestic situation by conducting a purge of senior military personnel closely associated with the [[Pahlavi]] Dynasty. [[Image:Jang2.jpg|right|thumb|240px|Iranian soldiers landing from a [[CH-47 Chinook]] helicopter in the northern front of the Iran-Iraq war.]]
It is still unclear how many were dismissed or executed, but numbers go into the tens-of-thousands {{Fact|date=May 2008}} . The purge encouraged the dictator of [[Iraq]], [[Saddam Hussein]] to view Iran as disorganised and weak, leading to the [[Iran-Iraq War]]. The indecisive eight year war wreaked havoc on the region and the Iranian military, only coming to an end in 1988 after it expanded into the [[Persian Gulf]] and led to clashes between the [[United States]] Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987-1988. Following the [[Iran-Iraq War]] an ambitious military rebuilding program was set into motion with the intention to create a fully fledged [[Iranian Military Industry|military industry]].
Regionally, since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has sought to exert its influence by supporting various groups (militarily and politically). It openly supports [[Hizbullah]] in [[Lebanon]] and in order to influence Lebanon. Various [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] groups are also supported as needed in order to maintain control of its Kurdish regions. In neighbouring [[Afghanistan]], Iran supported the [[Afghan Northern Alliance|Northern Alliance]] for over a decade against the [[Taliban]], and nearly went to war against the Taliban in [[1998]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5377914.stm BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iran's gulf of misunderstanding with US<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==See also==
*[[History of the Iranian Air Force]]
*[[Military of Iran]]
*[[Central Treaty Organization]]
==References==
<references/>
==Sources==
*''The Middle East: 2000 Years of History From The Rise of Christianity to the Present Day'', Bernard Lewis, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1995.
*''Qajar Studies: War and Peace in the Qajar Era'', Journal of the Qajar Studies Association, London: 2005.
{{Asia in topic|Military history of}}
{{Iran Military}}
[[Category:Military history of Iran| ]]
[[Category:Military history by country|Iran]]
[[fr:Histoire militaire de l'Iran]]