9i6 a General and Concije Hijlory Book III. 
nimoufly of Opinion, that it was impoffible for them 
to look the Enemy in the Face •, and therefore they ad- 
vifed the Governor to retire into the Heart of the Pro- 
vince, and aft wholly upon the defenfive. Nadir Kuli 
oppofed this, he magnified the Spirit and Courage of 
the Verfian Cavalry, and infilled, that notwithftanding 
their Superiority of Numbers, if they marched and at- 
tacked the 'Tartars^ inftead of waiting for them, there 
was the greateft Probability of their giving a Check to 
their Expedition in its Beginning which might flop 
their Progrefs, and fave the Country from Ruin ; the 
Governor, who v^as a Man of Spirit, clofed with his 
Sentiments, gave him the Command, and he very for- 
tunately executed, even more than he had promifed ; 
for he totally defeated the and purfued them 
with fuch Vigour in their Retreat, that not one half 
of them efcaped into their own Country. 
The Governor promifed to ufe all his Intereft at Court 
to procure Nadir Kuli a Recompence from the Shah 
equal to his Service ; but the reft of the general Offi- 
cers reprefenting to the Miniftry, that this new Hero 
was no Friend of theirs, an Order was procured to the 
Governor for difpofieffing him of his Command, and 
giving it to that Nobleman’s Nephew, who had never 
feen Soldiers in his Life but at a Review. Nadir Kuli 
was at this Time thirty two Years of Age, and yet his 
Refencment was fo much ftronger than his Reafon, that 
taking Things according to their firft Appearance, and 
without ftaying to enquire how far the Governor had 
been juft to him, he went and expoftulated with that 
great Man, in fuch rough Terms, that he ordered him 
to be baftinadoed on the Soles of his Feet, and turned 
him out of his Service. He was now totally undone, 
without Fortune, vfithout Friends, and without Hopes. 
In thefe difmal Circumftances he picked up a Couple of 
Fellows as defperate as himfelf, and with them robbed 
a fmall Caravan, which put them in Poffeffion of a con- 
fiderable Sum of Money, with this they bought Hor- 
fes. Arms and Ammunition, and in a ftiort Time, they 
affociated twenty daring and undone Fellows, with whom 
they committed many Robberies, and in the Space of a 
few Months, encreafed their Number to five hundred 
Men. At the Head of thefe, he not only committed 
Depredations through the greateft Part of the Province, 
but laying hold of the Contufion of the Times, encrea- 
fed his Forces to fuch a Degree, that the Government, 
jnftead of being in a Condition to punifh him, really 
flood in Awe of him. 
Things were in this Situation, when a Commander of 
Shah Thamai^s Army being traduced to his Mafter, and 
in Danger of his Life, fled to Nadir Kuli with fifteen 
hundred Horfe. His Uncle having Intelligence of 
this, thought it was high Time to take fome Method 
to reconcile himfelf to his Nephev^ j in order to which, 
he made Ufe of his Intereft with the Shah to procure 
his Pardon ; which was no fooner intimated to Nadir 
Kuli^ than he promifed his Uncle to repair to him, in 
order to make fuch Subniiflions as were neceffary to 
cancel the Memory of his former Offences, This, ^how- 
ever, was all Artifice ; for being of an implacable Na- 
ture, he furprized his Uncle’s Caftle the firft Night he 
lay in it, and put him to Death, notwithftanding which 
barbarous Action, he was now become fo formidable, 
that the Shah, to fave himfelf the Trouble of reducing 
him, confirmed his Pardon, and took him into his 
•’ Service. 
We have already ftiewn, how grateful and loyal a 
Return he made for this undeferved Favour, and in 
what Manner he affumed the Title of Shah in 1736; 
as alfo the principal Tranfaftions that followed till fuch 
Y ime as he invaded the Mogul’s Territories. He re- 
turned from hence in the Year 1739, contenting him- 
felf with the Celfion of all the Countries to, the Weft 
of the River Attack. He knew very v/ell, that it was 
impoffible for him to have preferved his Conquefts in 
Jnaia^ if he had intended it *, and he knew as well, that 
ii he did not keep them, it was impoffible for him to 
provide better for his own Security, than by leaving 
iheoi in the Hands of their own Poffeffor Sultan Mo- 
hammed, a weak, inaftive Prince, and confequently 
lead: likely and leaft able to incommode him. Shah 
Nadir, on his Return to Perfta, meditated feveral great 
Defigns, but executed none of them effectually, ex- 
cept that of transferring the Capital to Mefched j for 
though he carried on the War againft the Turks fuc- 
cefsfuliy, defeated them in feveral Battles, and wintered 
with his Army in their Dominions i yet he found him- 
felf fo often difturbed with Infurreftions, that he was 
never in a Condition to profecute or improve his 
Vidtories. 
He turned his Arms fometimes againft the Lefgis, the 
Curds, and the Georgians, but without any Succefs, and 
thefe Difappointments increafing, the natural Haftinefs 
and Severity of his Temper, he began to make himfelf 
odious by a continual Series of Cruelties, fome of 
which he exercifed upon his own Family, caufing his 
eldeft Son Rixa Mirza to be put to Death, at thi^Age 
of thirty two ^ and fome Accounts fay, that his fecond 
Son met with the fame, or a worfe Fate, that of having 
his Eyes put out. He grew infatiable alfo in Refpeft to 
Money, oppreffing his Subjefts to the laft Degree. 
^ He was always partial to his own Country, and to 
his own Nation. His little paternal Caftle of Calot he 
endeavoured to render impregnable, and there he laid 
up all his Treafures j the Guard about his Perfon was 
entirely compofed of Afjhars, as fuppofing nothing 
could corrupt their Fidelity to their Chief. In this 
however he was miftaken, for his Nephew, who revolted 
againft him, who is the Son of that Uncle he fo bafely 
murdered, had fuch an Intereft amongft them, that he 
engaged them to make Shah Nadir Prifoner, and this 
occalioning a Difturbance ; thofe who had feized him, 
to put an End to it, and to fecure themfelves, cut his 
Throat when he was in the twelfth Year of his Reign, 
and the fifty ninth of his Life. He had the two Sons that 
have been already mentioned, by Wives whom he mar- 
ried while he ferved as a Mim Bajhi, under the Be<>'~ 
lerbeg of Khorafan •, by the Sifter of Shah Hujfein, whom 
he married at the Time that Shah Thamas declared 
him Generaliffimo ; he had only one Daughter ; but by 
other Ladies in his Haram he It ft three Sons that were 
very young at the Time of his Deceafe, and of whom 
we ffiall have Occafion hereafter to make Mention. 
II. When his Oppreflions and Cruelties had rendred 
the very Name of Shah Nadir odious in all Perfm, 
and when it was vifible, that even his Soldiers rather 
feared him than loved him, many of the great Men be- 
gan to confider whether it might not be poffible, under 
Colour of Attention to the publick Good, to pluck the 
Crown from his Head. Thefe Intrigues could not be 
fo fecretly carrried, but that he difeovered fome, and 
was informed of others ; which produced fuch bloody 
Executions, that at L^ength, the Difafteeftion to him 
became fo general, as to induce Ali Kuli Kan his Ne- 
phew, to think of fetting up for himfelf ; to which 
he was chiefly moved by three Confiderations ; the firft, 
that the Difeontent was become general amongft the 
Army, as well as the People ^ the fecond, that he was 
himfelf at the Head of a confiderable Corps of Troops, 
on whofe Fidelity he knew he might depend ; the third, 
that his Uncle was grown fufpicious of him, fo that 
Submiffion was to the full as dangerous as Rebellion 
excited by thefe Confiderations, about the latter End off 
laft Year he began to recruit and increafe his Army, 
to pay no Regard to the Orders that came from Shab 
Nadir, and to carry on a clofe Correfpondence 
with fome of the Officers that were near the Shah’s 
Perfon. 
Amongft thefe Mahomet Kouli Kan, Kourtfchihachi, 
to whom, when he was in Readinefs to march towards 
Mefched, he fent Orders to make himfelf Mafter of the 
Perfon of the Shah, which he performed j but finding 
that there was no keeping him with Safety, and that 
there began to be great Cabals amongft the Officers 
who commanded under him, he took a Refolution of 
putting him to Death, v/hich he executed without De- 
lay, and immediately difpatched an Exprefs to Ali Kouli 
Km, intreating him to haften his March to Mefched. 
On 
