Explanation from Artist:

Ismail I (1487-1524) was the founder of Safavid Iran, credited with uniting the country under native rule for the first time after the Islamic conquests, and installing Shia as the official state religion…. All by the age of 14. He was recorded as being remarkably egotistical and cruel, going as far as making wine goblets out of the skulls of enemies (there were also rumors of him committing cannibalism).

However, he suffered his first and only defeat at the hands of Selim the Grim, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who had repeatedly degraded him through their letter exchanges (such as sending Ismail women’s clothing to wear, but Ismail was known to be a beautiful red-haired twink so can’t blame him).

At the Battle of Chaldiran (1514), Selim badly injured Ismail, almost captured him, and stole his entire harem to distribute Ismail’s wives to his men, destroying the young Shah’s aura of invincibility among his people. From then on, Ismail fell into a deep existential crisis and left all state affairs to his viziers, drinking alcohol and doing drugs until it lead to his early death at age 36.

Ngl, I would love to see what would have happened if Selim caught him and put him in the lingerie for real… haha unless… 🤤