Hotaki

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History of Greater Iran
Empires of Persia · Kings of Persia
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The Hotaki dynasty (1709-1738) was founded by Mirwais Khan Hotak, an ethnic Pashtun (Afghan) from the Ghilzai clan, of Kandahar province in modern-day Afghanistan. Mirwais Khan and his followers rose against the Persian Safavid rule starting in the city of Kandahar in 1709. Mirwais began his rule by killing Gurgin Khan, the Georgian-born governor of Kandahar province, who was representing the Persian kings. Next, Mirwais ordered the deaths of the remaining Persian government officials in the region. The Afghans then defeated the entire Persian army that was dispatched from Isfahan (capital of the Safavid Empire).

Mirwais Khan died peacefully in 1715 from natural cause and was succeeded by his son Mir Mahmud Hotaki, who later led an Afghan army to invade Persia. In 1722, Mir Mahmud sacked the city of Isfahan and declared himself Shah of Persia (meaning King of Persia). However, the great majority still rejected the Afghan regime as usurping. The Hotaki dynasty was a troubled and violent one as internecine conflict made it difficult to establish permanent control. The dynasty lived under great turmoil due to bloody succession feuds that made their hold on power tenuous, and after the massacre of thousends of civilians in Isfahan by the Afghans – including more than three thousand religious scholars, nobles, and members of the Safavid family – the Hotaki dynasty was eventually removed.[1][2] In October 1729, they were defeated by Nadir Shah, head of the Afsharids, in the Battle of Damghan and pushed back to what is now Afghanistan.

[edit] See also

[edit] References and footnotes

  1. ^ Prof. D. Balland, "Ašraf Ghilzai", in Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition 2006, (LINK)
  2. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica - The Hotakis (from Afghanistan)...Link

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