ii 



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.fiwlf, in their pcrfont, manners, or langiiagc. Tliey 

 lavc been fomelimcs fubjeft to the Mot^uls, anj fometimes 

 to the I'eifuns, but more frequently independent. During 

 the weak, reign of Shall Snkan lIofTein, and the tyranny 

 of the eunuchs, bv whom he was governed, they fuITcred 

 inanv fevere opprcflions ; and under the direction of Mir 

 I. e. Aniir,Weis, or Vne/., one of their chiefs, a man of a bold 

 and enterprifing fpirit, they determined to revojt, and to 

 throw off tiie Periian yoke. Having iiieffedtually peti- 

 tioned for rcdrefs, and their deputies to the Perfian court 

 being difmilTeJ as the agents of a feditious and turbulent 

 people, tiieir leader, Mir Weis, was feizcd and fent as a 

 priloner to Ifp-nhan. He contrived, however, by his pie- 

 lents and his eloquence, fo to ingratiate liimfelf with the 

 king',> miniflers, and with the king himfelf, that he was 

 not only rcleafed, but acquitted and favoured with the 

 royal protedtion. This viiit afTordcd him an opportunity 

 of obfcrving the weaknefs of the Ptrfian monarchy, and 

 of concerting meafures for the fuccefs of the enterprife 

 which he had projected. With a view of uniting the 

 Afghans in his interefl, he obtained leave to make the 

 pilgrimage to Mecca ; and here he obtained a difpenfation 

 for effecting the revolt which he had meditated. After the 

 fuccefsful eTcecution of fevenil preparalor)' meafures, and 

 the murder of tlie Khan of Kandahar, and his Perfian 

 and Georgian adherents, he marched forward to the city, 

 which he fuiprifed and took. He was then joined by the 

 Afghans, who, after feveral alternate defeats and vidlorics, 

 obtained peaceable pofleffion of the whole kingdom of Kan- 

 dahar, A. D. 1713. Mir Weis, however, who had for 

 fome time afl'umed the title of king, with other enfigns of 

 fovereignty, died in his new kingdom in the year 17 15, and 

 was fucceeded on the throne by iiis brother, Mir Abdollah. 

 This prince was deftitute of talents, ambition, and courage ; 

 and therefore fonned a defign of reftoring Kandahar to the 

 crown of Perfia. Whilfl; he was negociating the furrender, 

 he was killed by his nephew Mir Mahmud, a prince of the 

 age of 18, who was proclaimed king of Kandahar, within 

 fix months after the death of his father. 



In 1717, \\\i. Mddlces, another tribe of Afghans, who 

 rcfided in the province of Herat, and who had fubmitted to 

 Pcrfia, on condition of not being fubjeft to foreign gover- 

 nors, refolved to follow the example of the Afghans of 

 Kandahar, and to emancipate themfelves from tlie Perfian 

 yoke. They fucceeded in their attempt, and Herat became 

 an independent republic. Mir Mahmud, avaihng himfelf 

 of the revolt of the Abdollees, and of other concurring cir- 

 cumftances, which contributed to enfeeble the Pei-fian 

 government, proceeded to the execution of the defign which 

 his father had conceived of fubduing the whole of Perfia, 

 and engaged the Afghans, the Abdollees, and the other 

 inhabitants of adjacent ftates, to co-operate with him. Ac- 

 cordingly he began his march in January 1722; and 

 having advanced within three leagues of Ifpahan, the 

 capital, he pitched his camp and prepared for battle. 

 The Peifran army, after fuffering a great fiaugliter, wliilft 

 the lofs of the Afghans was very inconfidcrable, was betrayed 

 by one of its own generals, and reduced to the greatefl 

 diftrefs. Mahmud having gained the fuburbs, invefted the 

 city ; but feveral unfavoin-able citcum.ftances occurred during 

 the fiege, and the Afghans muft have withdrawn if Shah 

 HoITcin had not been deferted and betrayed by thofe in whom 

 he placed his chief confidence. After enduring the horrors of 

 famine for two months to fuch a degree that the bcfieged were 

 under the nectffity of confuming every kind of brnte animal 

 they could find, and of appealing their hunger by eating 

 the bodies of thofe who died, and even murdering their fel- 

 low-citizens and children, the city capitulated on condition 



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of Hoffcin's rengning the empire, together with liis perfon and 

 principal officers of the court, into the hands of the conqueror. 

 " Such," faid the vanquifiied and diftrefrid monarch, ad- 

 drefilng the Afghan prince, " is the inilability of human 

 grandeur : God difpofes of empires as he pleafes, and takes 

 them from one nation to give them to another ; but I 

 promife to confider you always as my own father ; and I 

 will undertake nothing for the future without your advice." 

 As foon as thcfe words were uttered fourthoufand Afghans 

 %vere ordered to take pofleflion of the royal palace, and the 

 gates of the city. Thus, when Hoffein had reigned 28 years, 

 the dynally of the Seffis, or Safis, ended in the perfon of 

 this prince, the 10th fucccfior of Ifmael, its founder, after 

 having killed 223 years. For the manner in which Mahmud 

 closed his life and reign, fee the article Mahmud. He 

 was fucceeded by Afin uff, the fon of Abdollah, whom the 

 Afghans railed to the throne of Perfia, A. D. 1725. The 

 Afghans at this juncture were mailers of Khorafan, Kenr.an 

 and Pars ia Perfia ; and under the condutl of AfinufF, they 

 obtained fome fuccefles againlt, the Turks; but in 1 727, 

 thev concluded a peace with them, and vVflirufF acknow- 

 ledged the Ottoman emperor lawful fovereign of Perfia. 

 About this time, efpecially in 1729, Nadir Shah, otherwife 

 called Kuli Khan, began to di(linguii^l himfelf. Having 

 totally routed the AbdoUee Afghans, of whom 5000 were 

 made prifoners, and near 15,000 killed and wounded, and 

 having taken pofleffion of Herat, he proceeded to meet 

 Afhruff, who was marching towards IChorafan at the head 

 of an army of 30,000 men. The Afghans were terrified by 

 the prolpeft of encountering the viftorious general of the 

 Perfians, and wilhed to avoid an aftion. They were, how- 

 ever, compelled to engage, and the event was a complete 

 viAory on the part of the Perfians. The lofs fuftained by 

 the Afghans was about 12,000 men : and that of the Per- 

 fians amounted to, the number of 4000. Afhruff retreated 

 towards Ifpahan, and was purfued by Kuli Khan. On his 

 approach the Afghans quitted their feveral garrifons and 

 fled towards the capital, where they depofited ample flores 

 of provifions, with the purpofe of defending themfelves to 

 the lafl extremity. But Afhruff determined to tiy the 

 event of a battle before he fubmitted to a fiege. Accord- 

 ingly he marched out to a convenient fituation about 30 

 miles from the city, and waited Kuli Khan's arrival. In 

 the mean while he exercifed the moft wanton cruelty on the 

 Perfians, ordering all the principal men to be cut off, and 

 afterwards all they could find in the flreets ; fo that, for 

 the fpace of 20 days, there was not a Perfian to be feen 

 abroad, none appearing but women, who came out to buy 

 the common neceflaries of life. At lafl Kuli Khan arrived 

 and obtained a complete viftory. Afliruff having loll 7000 

 men, retired to Ifpahan, and iffued an order, that all the 

 inhabitants fiiould be flaughtered, and the palace and other 

 houfes fet on fire. As they were about to execute this 

 barbarous order, the Perfian army approached the city ; 

 upon which Afhruff and his men, having loaded their bealls 

 with money, haflened to fave themfelves by flight ; and in 

 a few hours there was fcarce an Afghan to be feen in the 

 city. The Afghans took up their winter-quarters at Shi- 

 raz ; but they were purfued by Kuli Khan, Jan. 1730; 

 and after an obllinate refiftance, compelled to ftv, and to 

 leave behind them a great part of their trcr.fure, and moil 

 of their women and children. Afliruff, with about 1500 

 of his men, marched direftly towards Kandriliar ; but moft 

 of them defert<-d him ; and the reft were lurpvifed by a body 

 of the Balluches, and after a gallant defence, he and mofl 

 of his party were cut to pieces. Thus ended the ufurpatioH 

 of the Afghans in Perfia. 



After Nadir Shah was proclaimed emperor of Perfia in 



