Şahkulu Rebellion The Şahkulu rebellion ( 9 April 1511 – 2 July 1511 ) was a widespread pro - Shia and pro - Safavid uprising in Anatolia , directed against the Ottoman Empire , in 1511 . It is named after the leader of the rebels , Şahkulu . His death in battle also meant the end of the uprising . Background . Persia was consolidated by Ismail I of the Safavid dynasty in the early 16th century . Ismail , being a champion of Shiite faith and partially a Turkmen , was also sympathetic to the Turkmens of Ottoman Empire . He sent agents to Ottoman lands ( who usually used the unofficial title of khalif ) to attract supporters . His activities did not escape the attention of the Ottomans , but the Ottoman Empire was too preoccupied with the oncoming period of interregnum during the last years of the crippled sultan Bayezid II . Thus Ismail was able to gain many supporters among Ottoman subjects . One such supporter was Karabıyıkoğlu , who adopted the title " Şahkulu " , meaning " " servant of the shah " " . Ottoman sources however usually entitle him as " Şeytankulu " , meaning " " servant of the Devil " " . He was living in the territory called Tekeli , named after the former beylik of Teke in a village near Antalya , southwestern Turkey . He was both a Shiite religious leader and a rebel leader . Course of events . During the early days of interregnum , Korkut , one of the princes ( ) , was travelling from Antalya to Manisa to be closer to capital . Şahkulu raided his caravan and robbed the treasury . Then he began attacking the towns and killing the government officers in the towns . He also raided Alaşehir to seize a part of royal treasure . Only then , an Ottoman force under Karagöz Ahmet Pasha , the beylerbey of Anadolu was sent to check his activities . But Şahkulu defeated the forces of Ahmet Pasha and executed him . This increased the fame and the prestige of Şahkulu . To his partisans , after raiding a royal caravan and killing a high - ranking Ottoman statesman , he was invincible . A second army was sent after him . The commanders of the army were Şehzade Ahmet , one of the claimants to throne , and the grand vizier Hadım Ali Pasha . They were able to corner Şahkulu near Altıntaş ( in modern Kütahya Province ) , but instead of fighting , Ahmet tried to win over the Janissaries for his cause . Failing to achieve , he left the battlefield . Şahkulu saw his chance and escaped . Ali Pasha with a smaller force chased him , and clashed with him at Çubukova between Kayseri and Sivas . The battle was a draw , but both Ali Pasha and Şahkulu were killed ( July 1511 ) . Aftermath . Şahkulu ' s partisans were not defeated , but they had lost their leader . Many scattered , but after a third army was sent by the Ottoman Porte , the most devoted escaped to Persia . During their escape they raided a caravan , and accidentally killed a well - known Persian scholar . Consequently , instead of showing them hospitality , Ismail executed them . Meanwhile , in Ottoman lands , Prince Ahmet ' s behavior in the battle caused reaction among the soldiers . Moreover the death of Hadım Ali , the chief partisan of Ahmet , provided an advantage to the youngest claimants to throne : the succession would ultimately fall to Selim I , under whose reign the Ottoman state saw spectacular victories and doubled in area . Selim was also a very devoted Sunni and effectively checked Shiite activities in Ottoman lands after defeating Ismail in the battle of Chaldiran in 1514 .