Hotaki
Encyclopedia
The Hotaki were an Afghan
tribe and dynasty that ruled over Afghanistan
, most of Iran
, and northwestern parts of Pakistan
from 1722 to 1729, after defeating the Persian
Safavid dynasty
. The Hotaki dynasty was founded in 1709 by Mirwais Hotak, chief of the Ghilzai
Pashtuns
of Kandahar
who led a successful revolution
against the Persian
Safavids. After the death of Mirwais in November 1715, the monarchy
passed on to his brother Abdul Aziz
followed by their sons until the dynasty finally ended in 1738 when Nader Shah
and his Afsharids
of Khorasan
defeated Hussain Hotaki at his Kandahar fortress.
was captured and ruled by the Shi'a
Safavids
during the early 18th century but the native Afghan tribes living in the area were Sunni
Muslim
s. immediately to the east began the Sunni Moghul Empire of India
, who occasionally fought wars with the Safavids over the territory of Kandahar.
In 1704, the Safavid Shah Husayn appointed George XI
(Gurgīn Khān), who had converted to Islam. Gurgin began imprisoning and executing many Afghans, especially those suspected of organizing rebellion
s. One of those arrested and imprisoned was Mirwais Hotak who belonged to an influential family in Kandahar. Mirwais was sent as a prisoner to the Persian court in Isfahan but the charges against him were dismissed by the king, so he was sent back to his native land as a free man.
In April of 1709, Mirwais along with his followers revolted
against the Safavid rule in Kandahar City
. The uprising
began when Gurgīn Khān and his escort were killed during a picnic
that was prepared by Mirwais at his farmhouse
outside the city. It is reported that heavy drinking of alcohol
was involved. Next, Mirwais ordered the deaths of the remaining Persian government and military officials in the region. The Afghans then defeated twice a large Persian army that was dispatched from Isfahan (capital of the Safavids), which included Qizilbash and Georgian troops.
Refusing the title of a king, Mirwais was given the title "Prince of Qandahár and General of the national troops" by his Afghan countrymen. He died peacefully in November 1715 from a natural cause and was succeeded by his brother Abdul Aziz
, who was murdered later by Mirwais' son Mahmud. In 1720, Mahmud's Afghan forces crossed the deserts of Sistan
and captured Kerman
. His plan was to conquer the Persian capital, Isfahan. After defeating the Persian army at the Battle of Gulnabad
on March 8, 1722, he proceeded to and sacked the city of Isfahan. On October 23, 1722, Sultan Husayn abdicated and acknowledged Mahmud as the new Shah of Persia.
Majority of the Persian people
, however, rejected the Afghan regime as usurping. For the next seven years until 1729, the Hotakis became the de facto rulers of Persia, but the southern and eastern areas of Afghanistan still remained under their control until 1738.
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 thousands of civilians in Isfahan – including more than three thousand religious scholars, nobles, and members of the Safavid family – the Hotaki dynasty was eventually removed from power in Persia. On the other hand, the Afghans were also suppressed by the Safavid government under Gurgin Khan before their uprising in 1709.
by Nader Shah
, a soldier of fortune from the Sunni Turkmen
background and the founder of the Afsharid dynasty
that replace the Safavids in Persia. Nader Shah had driven out the remaining Ghilzai forces from Persia and began enlisting the Abdali
Afghans of Farah
and Kandahar
in his military. Nader Shah's forces (among them were Ahmad Shah Abdali
and his 4,000 Abdali troops) conquered Kandahar in 1738. They besieged and destroyed
the last Hotaki seat of power, which was held by Hussain Hotaki (or Shah Hussain). Nader Shah then built a new town nearby, named after himself, "Nāderābād", to replace the ancient city. The Abdalis were also restored to the general area of Kandahar, with the Ghilza'is being pushed back to their former stronghold of Kalat-i Ghilzai
--an arrangement that lasts to the present day Afghanistan.
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
tribe and dynasty that ruled over Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, most of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, and northwestern parts of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
from 1722 to 1729, after defeating the Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
Safavid dynasty
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
. The Hotaki dynasty was founded in 1709 by Mirwais Hotak, chief of the Ghilzai
Ghilzai
Ghilzai are the largest Pashtun tribal confederacy found in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They are also known historically as Ghilji, Khilji, Ghalji, Ghilzye, and possibly Gharzai...
Pashtuns
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
of Kandahar
Kandahar Province
Kandahar or Qandahar is one of the largest of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in southern Afghanistan, between Helmand, Oruzgan and Zabul provinces. Its capital is the city of Kandahar, which is located on the Arghandab River. The province has a population of nearly...
who led a successful revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
against the Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
Safavids. After the death of Mirwais in November 1715, the monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
passed on to his brother Abdul Aziz
Abdul Aziz Hotak
Abdul Aziz Hotak , was the second ruler of the Ghilzai Hotaki dynasty of Kandahar, in what is now the modern state of Afghanistan. He was crowned in 1715 after the death of his brother, Mirwais Hotak. He is the father of Ashraf Hotaki, the fourth ruler of the Hotaki dynasty...
followed by their sons until the dynasty finally ended in 1738 when Nader Shah
Nader Shah
Nāder Shāh Afshār ruled as Shah of Iran and was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty. Because of his military genius, some historians have described him as the Napoleon of Persia or the Second Alexander...
and his Afsharids
Afsharid dynasty
The Afsharids were members of an Iranian dynasty of Turkmen origin from Khorasan who ruled Persia in the 18th century. The dynasty was founded in 1736 by the military commander Nader Shah who deposed the last member of the Safavid dynasty and proclaimed himself King of Iran. During Nader's reign,...
of Khorasan
Khorasan
Khorasan currently names a region located in north eastern Iran, but historically referred to a much larger area east and north-east of the Persian Empire...
defeated Hussain Hotaki at his Kandahar fortress.
Rise to power
Kandahar provinceKandahar Province
Kandahar or Qandahar is one of the largest of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in southern Afghanistan, between Helmand, Oruzgan and Zabul provinces. Its capital is the city of Kandahar, which is located on the Arghandab River. The province has a population of nearly...
was captured and ruled by the Shi'a
Shi'a Islam
Shia Islam is the second largest denomination of Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi'ites or Shias. "Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase Shīʻatu ʻAlī , meaning "followers of Ali", "faction of Ali", or "party of Ali".Like other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is...
Safavids
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
during the early 18th century but the native Afghan tribes living in the area were Sunni
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s. immediately to the east began the Sunni Moghul Empire of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, who occasionally fought wars with the Safavids over the territory of Kandahar.
In 1704, the Safavid Shah Husayn appointed George XI
George XI of Kartli
George XI was a Georgian monarch who ruled Eastern Georgia from 1676 to 1688 and again from 1703 to 1709. He is best known for his struggle against the Safavid Persia which dominated his weakened kingdom. Being an Eastern Orthodox Christian, he converted to Islam prior to his appointment as...
(Gurgīn Khān), who had converted to Islam. Gurgin began imprisoning and executing many Afghans, especially those suspected of organizing rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
s. One of those arrested and imprisoned was Mirwais Hotak who belonged to an influential family in Kandahar. Mirwais was sent as a prisoner to the Persian court in Isfahan but the charges against him were dismissed by the king, so he was sent back to his native land as a free man.
In April of 1709, Mirwais along with his followers revolted
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
against the Safavid rule in Kandahar City
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
. The uprising
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
began when Gurgīn Khān and his escort were killed during a picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
that was prepared by Mirwais at his farmhouse
Farmhouse
Farmhouse is a general term for the main house of a farm. It is a type of building or house which serves a residential purpose in a rural or agricultural setting. Most often, the surrounding environment will be a farm. Many farm houses are shaped like a T...
outside the city. It is reported that heavy drinking of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
was involved. Next, Mirwais ordered the deaths of the remaining Persian government and military officials in the region. The Afghans then defeated twice a large Persian army that was dispatched from Isfahan (capital of the Safavids), which included Qizilbash and Georgian troops.
Refusing the title of a king, Mirwais was given the title "Prince of Qandahár and General of the national troops" by his Afghan countrymen. He died peacefully in November 1715 from a natural cause and was succeeded by his brother Abdul Aziz
Abdul Aziz Hotak
Abdul Aziz Hotak , was the second ruler of the Ghilzai Hotaki dynasty of Kandahar, in what is now the modern state of Afghanistan. He was crowned in 1715 after the death of his brother, Mirwais Hotak. He is the father of Ashraf Hotaki, the fourth ruler of the Hotaki dynasty...
, who was murdered later by Mirwais' son Mahmud. In 1720, Mahmud's Afghan forces crossed the deserts of Sistan
Sistan
Sīstān is a border region in eastern Iran , southwestern Afghanistan and northern tip of Southwestern Pakistan .-Etymology:...
and captured Kerman
Kerman
- Geological characteristics :For the Iranian paleontologists, Kerman has always been considered a fossil paradise. Finding new dinosaur footprints in 2005 has now revealed new hopes for paleontologists to better understand the history of this area.- Economy :...
. His plan was to conquer the Persian capital, Isfahan. After defeating the Persian army at the Battle of Gulnabad
Battle of Gulnabad
The Battle of Gulnabad was fought between the military forces from Afghanistan and the army of the Persian Safavid Empire. The battle resulted in Afghanistan, under Shah Mahmud, winning and controlling much of Persia. Persian Shah Husayn was taken captive during the battle...
on March 8, 1722, he proceeded to and sacked the city of Isfahan. On October 23, 1722, Sultan Husayn abdicated and acknowledged Mahmud as the new Shah of Persia.
Majority of the Persian people
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
, however, rejected the Afghan regime as usurping. For the next seven years until 1729, the Hotakis became the de facto rulers of Persia, but the southern and eastern areas of Afghanistan still remained under their control until 1738.
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 thousands of civilians in Isfahan – including more than three thousand religious scholars, nobles, and members of the Safavid family – the Hotaki dynasty was eventually removed from power in Persia. On the other hand, the Afghans were also suppressed by the Safavid government under Gurgin Khan before their uprising in 1709.
Decline
Ashraf Hotaki, who took over the monarchy following Shah Mahmud's death in 1725, and his soldiers were defeated in the October 1729 Battle of DamghanBattle of Damghan
The Battle of Damghan was fought from September 29 to October 5, 1729, near the city of Damghan. On one side of the battle were the Afsharid Persians commanded by Nader Shah Afsharid. On the other side were the Hotaki forces led by Ashraf Hotaki...
by Nader Shah
Nader Shah
Nāder Shāh Afshār ruled as Shah of Iran and was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty. Because of his military genius, some historians have described him as the Napoleon of Persia or the Second Alexander...
, a soldier of fortune from the Sunni Turkmen
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
background and the founder of the Afsharid dynasty
Afsharid dynasty
The Afsharids were members of an Iranian dynasty of Turkmen origin from Khorasan who ruled Persia in the 18th century. The dynasty was founded in 1736 by the military commander Nader Shah who deposed the last member of the Safavid dynasty and proclaimed himself King of Iran. During Nader's reign,...
that replace the Safavids in Persia. Nader Shah had driven out the remaining Ghilzai forces from Persia and began enlisting the Abdali
Durrani
Durrani or Abdali is the name of a chief Pashtun tribal confederation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Originally known by their ancient name Abdali later as Durrani they have been called Durrani since the beginning of the Durrani Empire in 1747. The number of Durranis are estimated to be roughly 16%...
Afghans of Farah
Farah, Afghanistan
Farah is a city in western Afghanistan, situated at 650 m altitude, and located on the Farah River. It is the capital of Farah Province, and has a population of approximately 109,409....
and Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
in his military. Nader Shah's forces (among them were Ahmad Shah Abdali
Ahmad Shah Durrani
Ahmad Shah Durrani , also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī and born as Ahmad Khān, was the founder of the Durrani Empire in 1747 and is regarded by many to be the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan.Ahmad Khan enlisted as a young soldier in the military of the Afsharid kingdom and quickly rose...
and his 4,000 Abdali troops) conquered Kandahar in 1738. They besieged and destroyed
Siege of Kandahar
The siege of Kandahar was a conflict between the ruler of Iran, Nader Shah, and the Afghan Hotaki dynasty that took place between April 1737 and March 1738.-The Siege:...
the last Hotaki seat of power, which was held by Hussain Hotaki (or Shah Hussain). Nader Shah then built a new town nearby, named after himself, "Nāderābād", to replace the ancient city. The Abdalis were also restored to the general area of Kandahar, with the Ghilza'is being pushed back to their former stronghold of Kalat-i Ghilzai
Qalat
Qalat, Qelat, Kalat, Kalaat, or Kelat, may refer to:Qalat , a fortified place or fortified village-Iran:* Kalat, Khorasan* Qelat, Fars...
--an arrangement that lasts to the present day Afghanistan.
List of rulers
| Name | Picture | Reign started | Reign ended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mirwais Hotak |
1709 | 1715 | |
| Abdul Aziz Hotak Abdul Aziz Hotak Abdul Aziz Hotak , was the second ruler of the Ghilzai Hotaki dynasty of Kandahar, in what is now the modern state of Afghanistan. He was crowned in 1715 after the death of his brother, Mirwais Hotak. He is the father of Ashraf Hotaki, the fourth ruler of the Hotaki dynasty... |
 |
1715 | 1717 |
| Mahmud Hotaki |
1717 | 1725 | |
| Ashraf Hotaki |
1725 | 1729 | |
| Hussain Hotaki |
1729 | 1738 |