The Sword of Persia: Nader Shah, from Tribal Warrior to Conquering Tyrant [Paperback]

Nader Shah, ruler of Persia from 1736 to 1747, embodied ruthless ambition, energy, military brilliance, cynicism and cruelty. His reign was filled with bloodshed, betrayal and horror. Yet Nader Shah is central to Iran's early modern history. From a shepherd boy he rose to liberate his country from foreign occupation, and make himself Shah. He took eighteenth-century Iran from political collapse to become the dominant power in the region, recovering Herat and Kandahar, conquering Moghul Delhi, plundering the enormous treasures of India, repeatedly defeating Ottoman Turkey, and overrunning most of what is now Iraq.But suspicion and avarice led him to persecute the Persian people as savagely as any foreign conqueror had done. The Sword of Persia recreates the story of a remarkable, ruthless man, capable of both charm and brutality, who became a monster of insane cruelty. It is a rich narrative, full of dramatic incident, including much new research into original Iranian and other material, which will prove indispensable to historians and students.Michael Axworthy teaches Middle East history at Exeter University. Before deciding on an academic career he was head of the Iran Section in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and has frequently travelled to Iran, both as a diplomat and an historian. He is also the author of Iran: Empire of the Mind: A History from Zoroaster to the Present Day.

List of Maps and Illustrationsvii
Acknowledgmentsix
Note on Transliterationxi
Prefacexv
PrologueZenith1
Chapter OneThe Fall of the Safavid Dynasty17
Chapter TwoTahmasp Qoli Khan57
Chapter ThreeWar with the Afghans75
Chapter FourWar with the Ottomans99
Chapter FiveCoup d'?tat117
Chapter SixNader Shah137
Chapter SevenTo the Gates of Delhi175
Chapter EightThe Ruin of Persia211
Chapter NineTowers of Skulls243
Chapter TenFull Circle275
Notes287
Select Bibliography329
Index339