Ibrahim I of Shirvan

Ibrahim I of Shirvan (ruled 1382 - 1417) Shirvanshah, ruler of Shirvan from the Derbendid dynasty.

After the death Shirvanshah Hushang in 1382, Ibrahim I was selected to be the ruler by the local nobility. At the time, he, an impoverished noble, was living in Shaki. Legend has it, that he was busy plowing a field, when the messenger from Shamakh rode to inform him about the decision taken.

Wise policies of Ibrahim I saved Shirvan from excesses of foreign invasions of both Timur from the south and Tokhtamysh from the north. First, the Shah allied himself with Timur and in reprisal he was punished by Tokhtamysh, who ravaged the countryside on the way to Tabriz in 1386. Next year, Timurid and his vassal Shirvanshah Ibrahim defeated Tokhtamysh's army on the bank of Kura river.

On many later occasions Timur used Shirvan as a base to move his armies to attack Georgia and Dagestan. In 1399-1402, Ibrahim participated in Timur's devastating expedition against Georgia.

After the death of Timur, emboldened Ibrahim I tried to conquer Tabriz in 1406 but failed due to emergence of the Kara Koyunlu state, new Turkic dynasty in Azerbaijan. The Shah also refused to pay tribute to Kara Yusuf, ruler of Kara Koyunlu.

Towards 1411, Ibrahim I allied himself with the Constantine I of Georgia and the ruler of Shaki Sidi Ahmed and tried to counter the Kara Koyunlu Turcoman advance into the Caucasus. As a result of the decisive Battle of Chalagan on November, 1412, the allies were routed and king Constantine, his brother David and the Ibrahim were taken prisoner.

While his friend and ally Georgian king Constantine was executed, Ibrahim I escaped with paying a heavy indemnity and was able to return to Shirvan in Spring, 1413.

In the old City of Baku there is a mosque built at the time of Shah Ibrahim in 818 AH (1414/15)

Ibrahim I was succeeded by his son Khalilullah I.