The History of the Zand 1750 - 1794

When Nader Shar was assassinated in 1747, Karim Khan Zand, a tribesman, became a major contender for power. To his power, Karim Khan quickly gained control of central and southern parts of Iran. In 1757 he put the infant Shah Isma'il III, the grandson of the last Safavid king, on the throne. This allowed Karim Khan to use the young Isma'il as a figurehead king, and exercise power and became the vakil (regent) to the king. By 1760 Karim Khan defeated all adversaries and controlled most of the country with the exception of Khorasan. This northeastern province was still under the rule of the blind grandson of Nader Shah, Shahrokh.

Karim Khan declared Shiraz the new capital and built the country to recover from the devastation of 40 years of war. He removed heavy burdens of taxation from the agricultural classes and reconstrued fiscal policies. In 1763 as part of his plan to promote trade, he allowed the English East India Company, to set up a trading post in Bushire. In 1775-76 he attacked and captured Basra away from the Ottomans, to gain trade back with countries like India. A bloody civil war with the Qajar followers ensued and Karim Khan died in 1779. Corruption and chaos in many regions followed and between 1779 and 1789 five Zand kings tried their hand at being king. Finally in 1789 Lotf Ali Khan (ruled 1789-94) became the new Zand king and tried hard to eliminate Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. Qajar forces proved too many and Lotf Ali Khan was dethroned in Kerman in 1794.

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The History of the Afsharids 1736-1749

The Afsahrid Dynasty was founded by Nader Shah or King Nader (1688-1747), who was a powerful and historical figure having ruled Iran from from 1736 – 1747. His real name was Nader Qoli Beg and he was from Kobhan. Born on October 22, 1688, into one of the Turkish tribes, he was the son of a poor peasant, who died while Nader was very young. As a result the Ozbecks took Nader and his mother into slavery. After the death of his mother in captivity Nader escaped the Ozbecks to become a soldier in the army. There he did well but became bored with the leader and eventually gathered his own army.

The Afghans invaded Persia in 1719 and dethroned the Safavid Shah. The Afghan ruler, Mahmoud Ghilzai (±1699-1725), killed many Safavid Princes, bu eventually his own soldiers assassinated him in 1725. The next ruler was his cousin, the Afghan Ashraf (±1700-1730), who married a Safavid princess. Nader had joined forces with the Afghans against the Ozbecks but in 1727 Nader went to the aid of Tamasp II (±1704-1740), the next in line to the Safavid throne. With Nader’s army the Afghans were driven out of the region of Khorasan and after brutal battles, killing 3000 citizens of Esfahan, they fled the country. Nader freed Persia and Tamasp II was crowned in 1729. When Tamasp lost Georgia and Armenia to the Turks, Nader deposed Tamasp in 1732 and crowned his infant son, Abbas III (1732-1740). It took Nader two years to recapture lost territory and extended the Empire into Turkish and Russian territories.

By 1736, a powerful leader, Nader crowned himself Shah and proceeded to invade Kandahar in 1738. He seized Kabul and moved towards Delhi and. There he murdered 30000 citizens and plundered Indian treasures of the Moghal Emperors. It was here that he took the famous jewel-encrusted Peacock Throne and the Koh-i Noor diamond. In 1740, he ordered the execution of Tamasp II and his two infant sons. His territorial expansion continued with the invasion of Transoxania. In 1743, he built a navy, attacked Turkey and conquered Oman. As his Persian Empire grew, he became more greedy, paranoid and intolerant. His standing armies put a heavy toll on the taxpayers and revols broke out. Although an intelligent army leader, and the founder of the Persian Navy, he was selfish and harsh. The capital was moved to Mashhad in Khorasan. In an attempt to strengthen his army, Nader tried to reconcile Sunni’s with Shi'ites, but his attempts failed.

In his later years, he suspected his son, Reza Qoli Mirza (1719-1747), of a murder plot and ordered him blinded. By 1747 he had made enemies of Afshars, Qajarseven his own commanders, who tried to murder him in in his sleep. This attempt failed and Nader managed to kill two of the assassins. He was by far one of Persia's most talented men, often referred to as "The Second Alexander" or "The Napoleon of Persia". He brought to Persia national independence and made the world take a second look at the great Persian Empire. Nader married four time and produced 5 sons and 15 grandsons.

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Timeline for the Afsharid Kings

The History of the Safavids 1502-1736

The Safavids were a militant Islamic Sufi order and first appeared in Ardabil. The Safavids survived the invasion of Taymour (Timur) in the late 13th century. By 1500 the Safavids had converted to Shi’is and Esma'il the thirteen-year-old son of a killed Safavid leader, Sheikh Heydar, decided to expand territory and avenge his father’s death.

Within two years, Esma'il won against Alvand Beig of Aq Qoyunlu, ruler of Azerbaijan. This gave him the city of Tabriz, which he set up as the new capital. His army continued to add the rest of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Khorasan and he was throned the new Shah on 11 March 1502.
The Safavids claimed reign over all that had been Persia, which consists of smaller tribes of Persians, Kurds, Arabs, Turks and Baluchis. Although the Safavids were Turkish, the adopted the Persian language and unified all to one Iranian rule. To further unify the diverse tribes through rule and religion, Shah Esma'il declared himself a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammad and claimed to have royal Sassanian blood.

By 1507 Shah Esma'il had added Iraq-e Ajam (Arak), Esfahan, Fars, Kerman, Yazd, Kashan, Semnan, Astarabad (Gorgan), Najaf and Karbala to Iran. The same year, Portugal invaded the Persian Gulf and built a naval base in Hormuz Island. This presence lasted for a long time and the Shah was not happy about it. Meanwhile, he advanced westward to Baghdad, and defeated the Uzbeks for Khorasan, Marv, Herat and Qandahar. Finally in August of 1514, Shah Esma'il's was defeated by the Ottomans, who were Sunnis. Although they believed that Allah was on their side, the Safavids lost Diyarbakr, Erzinjan, and other parts of eastern Anatolia to the Ottoman army. Shah Esma'il died in 1524 and was followed by Shah Tahmasp I. Tahmasp, who came to power at the age of 10, was weak and unable to exert control over his empire at first. As a result, there was a major uprising of the Qizil Bash tribesmen, an important part of the Safavid power structure. A few years later, with more power and confidence, Shah Tamasp took control of the tribesmen. Overall, his reign was marked by foreign threats, primarily from the Ottoman Empire and the Uzbeks. It was during part of Safavid history that modern day Iraq was finally won by the Ottoman Empire. In 1555, the Shah regularized relations with the Ottoman Empire through the Peace of Amasya. This peace lasted for 30 years, until it was broken in the time of Shah Mohammed Khodabanda.

Shah Tahmasp introduced converted slaves into the court and the military. These slaves were prisoners captured in the Caucasus in the 1540s and 1550s from Georgia, Circassia and Armenia. Female slaves entered the royal harem and took important roles as mothers, and influencers of court politics. Qazvin became the Safavid capital in 1548, following a temporary occupancy of Tabriz by the Ottomans. Despite these periodic battles between Iran and the Ottomans, the two sides maintained trade relations, especially for the famours Iranian silk. Shah Tahmasp also encouraged Iranians on the art of carpet weaving and miniatures illustrations such as that of the "Shahnama" (the Book of Kings).

In 1576 Shah Esmail II came to power and was violent ruler, supporting the Sunni faction. His reign was bloody and only lasted one year until he was poisoned by his own sister Pari Khan Khanom. Next was Esmail’s brother, Mohammad Shah who was not a strong leader. The ever-waiting Ottomans saw this as the perfect opportunity to attack and regain territories, including most of Azerbaijan, with Tabriz, and Georgia. Mohammad Shah’s rule lasted until 1587 when was succeeded by Abbas I. Shah Abbas created state-owned lands, and collected tax to raise money for his setup. Regional administration replaced the unruly Qezelbash chiefs and further strengthened the new government.
Shah Abbas proved to be a curious, active, welcoming, and open-minded ruler. He defeated the Uzbeks in 1598 and regained Herat and some territories in Khorasan, including Mashhad. There he rebuilt the famous shrine of Imam Reza. The city of Esfahan (Isphahan) was rebuilt with new palaces, hospitals, schools, mosques, industries, and declared the new capital of Persia. It became the new cultural and intellectual center of the country, helping the Shah patronize the arts, and literature. He encouraged international trade and built the Persian Carpet industry. After Shah Abbas regained the island of Hormuz from Portugal, in 1622, the port at Bandar Abbas became the center of trade for the East India Company. A spice-trading center was also established. In 1623, the strong army of Shah Abbas re-attacked the Ottomans and regaining Kurdish territories, Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala one more time.
Shah Safi, the son of Shah Abbas I ascended the throne in 1629 after thed death f his father. He was a weak and cruel ruler who executed any one he suspected of treason, including some of his own generals, officers and advisors. During his rule, the Ottomans recaptured the city of Baghdad.
In 1642 Shah Abbas II, took the over and was the last cmpetent ruler of the Safavid dynasty. Shah Abbas II was active and creative and restored order in the country.
Shah Soleyman or Shah Safi II continued rule after Abbas’s death in 1667. Another incompetent and complacent leader, Shah Soleyman retreated from the public when famine and disease spread all around the country.
His follower, Shah Sultan Hossein, was even more unwilling to become an active leader. He was perhaps the reason the Safavid dynasty finally came to an end. In 1694 Shah Sultan Hossein appointed Mohammad Baqir Majlesi to become a religious leader and advisor. Under his advise Shi'a popular rituals, such as mourning for Imam Hossein, Ashoora, and pilgrimages were encouraged. The Safavid Empire continued to decline and in 1722 the Afghanis captured Esfahan and killed Shah Sultan Hossein. To the west, the Ottomans also invaded advancing to Hamedan. In the north, the Russians regained territories around the Caspian Sea. The new Shah Tamasp II became the new puppet king, as Nader Khan, an able general in the army, reconsolidated a few regions in central Persia. By 1930, Nader ousted the Afghans restored territories lost to the Ottomans and Russian. The last ruler of the Safavid Empire was the infanct Abbas III.

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Timeline for the SAfavid Kings

Women in the Safavid Dynasty

In the Safavid Dyansty, unlike other kingdoms of its time, much respect and power was given to ruling women. These women were generally mothers, unmarried sisters or daughter of the Shahs and had much influence and control. Some of them became active patrons of literature, art, music, architecture, and religious institutions. The following is a list of some of these accoomplished and known women:
Tajlu Khanum, also known as Shah Begi Begum, was the favored wife of Shah Isma'il. She was a generous woman and donated properties to the shrine of Fatima al-Ma'suma. She also supported other shrine and religious buildings such as the dome of the Jannatsara at the shrine of Shaykh Safi at Ardabil, and the tomb of Shah Isma'il in Ardabil.
Daughter of Tajlu Khanum, Mahin Banu patronized religious shrines as well. She created many charitable organizations with her income from properties in Shirvan, Tabriz, Qazvin, Ray, and Isfahan. The organizations were to help the needy and women of less fortunate circumstances.
Zaynab Begum was an unmarried aunt of Shah Abbas. She supported architectural projects and built bridges and caravanserais all along the Qazvin-Sava trade route.
The grandmother of Shah Abbas II, Delaram Khanum, saw to the creation of many schools, and caravanserais. These included the Caravanserai Jadda (1642-45), the Caravanserai Nim Avard, the Madrese of Small Grandmother (1645-46), and the Madrese of Large Grandmother (1647-48).
The daughter of the physician and ambassador Hakim Nizam al-Din Muhammad, Sahib Sultan Begum, supported the construction of the Ilchi Mosque from 1678-79.
The daughter of Shah Safi, Maryam Begum, supported schools and mansions in the early 18th century.
The mother of Shah Abbas II built the Masjid-i Jami of 'Abbasabad in the mid 17th century.
Shahr Banu, a beautiful woman and the sister of Shah Sultan Hussain, built the Madrese of the Princes and the public Bathhouse of the Princes in 1694-1722.
The wife of the well-known and respected physician Hakim al-Mulk Ardistani, Zinat Begum, supported the construction of the Madrese Nim Avard in 1705-06.
Ezzat al-Nisa Khanum, daughter of the well-to-do merchant Mirza Khan Tajir of Qum and wife of Mirza Muhammad Mahdi, was a major patron and contributor to the building of the Madrasa Mirza Husin in 1687-88.

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