The Persian Realm, charting a storied history, emerged from the remnants of the Noyan Empire, its foundation secured by the Qizilbash, a militarized, messianic Sufi order of Turkic origin. While the Shah’s mandate initially depended heavily on the Qizilbash lords who commanded his armies, he moved deftly to establish a counter-balance by creating the Ghilman, tens of thousands of slave-soldiers coercively recruited from Christian populations across the Caucasus, including Georgia, Armenia, and Circassia. These boys were forcibly converted to Islam and raised within the court to serve as the empire’s most elite cavalry and bureaucrats, guaranteeing loyalty solely to the throne. The Shah's reign was characterized by immense wealth, religious legitimacy as the representative of the Hidden Imam, and the magnificent development of Isfahan, recognized across Christendom as a "High Civilization".

Eastern Rome, the venerable Empire of Rhomania, had for decades viewed the continual seizure of Christian boys for the Ghilman with deep moral repugnance. This simmering resentment boiled over when, on January 3rd, 1712, a Ghilman raid in Gori, Georgia, met unexpected and violent resistance from the local peasantry. Citing continuous friction with their southern neighbor and the need to liberate the oppressed Christian populace, Emperor Alexios V Komnenos formally declared war on the Persian Empire on April 8th, 1712. Shah Sultan Soraya, despite his general confidence in his superior forces, found his army faced by a disciplined Roman adversary commanded by General Konstantinos Phokas. The Persian strategy, relying heavily on the charge of Ghilman heavy cavalry, was repeatedly thwarted by the steadfast Roman infantry squares and methodical use of artillery.

The conflict progressed through protracted fighting until the Persians managed a victory at Gyumri, which significantly bolstered the Shah’s morale. Utilizing this momentum, the Shah launched a massive offensive in July 1713, committing 55,000 men in three prongs to invade the Roman heartland. Despite internal resistance and growing numbers of Anatolian Turks joining the defense, the sheer weight of the Persian advance proved insurmountable. The pivotal moment arrived on September 6th, 1713, when the Persians overwhelmed the 5,000-strong Emperor’s Guard, leading to the devastating fall and occupation of Constantinople. The subsequent occupation was a "living nightmare," as Qizilbash forces looted and desecrated the city’s ancient treasures. This catastrophe compelled Russia, the Orthodox ally, to intervene, swiftly surging into the weakly defended Persian Caucasus in December 1713.

The ensuing battles, including the intense engagements at Zarishat in July 1714, saw the continued decimation of the Roman army, despite heroic resistance by forces like the tenacious ‘450’ regiment. However, the Russians achieved a significant victory in their sector, destroying a major Persian force. With the Roman army utterly exhausted, Emperor Komnenos, against Russian objection, sought a definitive end to the war. This culminated in the disastrous Treaty of Melitene, signed on November 20th, 1714, which ceded significant frontier territories to Persia, required Rome to abolish its border forts, and forced the disgraced Emperor to resign immediately. The conclusion of the conflict demonstrated that the Persian Empire had successfully weathered its greatest external challenge.