Uzun Hasan, Aq Qoyunlu Sultan AH 857-882/AD 1453-1478

A A2515, Very Fine

Shiraz mint. cited as al-sultan al-’adil Abu’l-Nasr Hasan bahadur; Reverse, Kalima within square, the Rashidun around.

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Hasan of the Aq Qoyunlu dynasty (AH 857-882/ AD 1453-1478) is known as Uzun Hasan meaning “Tall Hasan” in Turkish. The first year of his reign coincided with the fall of Constantinople and end of the 1000-year-old Byzantine Empire at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. This event shook all of Europe to the core. Various European courts began seeking alliances with a man who called himself “Shahanshah” in the manner of Sasanian Emperors, meaning “King of Kings”. Uzun Hasan was a gifted military leader who defeated the last of the Timurid rulers as well as the Ottomans, establishing himself as power to be reckoned with. He married Despiona Khatun, the daughter of Christian King of Trebizond. The Trebizond kingdom controlled the coastal area south of Black Sea as well as portions of the northern coast, including Crimea. Despiona Khatun became the mother of Princess Martha, who in turn was the mother of Shah Isma’il of the Safavid dynasty of Iran.