Siege of Mashhad (1750)

Siege of Mashhad
Part of Durrani Campaign to Khorasan (1749–51)
DateJuly – 10 November 1750
Location
Mashhad, Khorasan, Afsharid Iran
Result Durrani victory
Belligerents
Durrani Empire Afsharid Iran
Commanders and leaders
Ahmad Shah Durrani Shahrokh Afshar 
Strength
Unknown 8,000

The Siege of Mashhad took place between July and 10 November 1750 during the Durrani campaigns in Khorasan (1750–1751).[1] It ended with the surrender of Shahrokh Afshar to Ahmad Shah Durrani, establishing Durrani suzerainty over Mashhad and large parts of Khorasan.

Background

Following the death of Mir Alam Khan, the Afghan commander opposing the Durranis in Khorasan, Ahmad Shah advanced toward Mashhad, the principal stronghold of the Afsharid ruler Shah Rukh. The fortress of Nun, commanded by Mir Masum Khan, Alam's brother, offered brief resistance but capitulated quickly after news of Alam's death. Masum Khan personally handed over the keys to Ahmad Shah, opening the road to Mashhad.[2]

Siege

Ahmad Shah Durrani soon laid siege to Mashhad, the seat of Shah Rukh Afshar. The city was strongly defended by 8,000 Afsharid defenders[3] and several Afghan assaults were repulsed by the Persian garrison. Despite this, the Durranis maintained a strict blockade, gradually exhausting the defenders’ supplies and morale.[2]

By November 1750, Shahrokh was forced to Surrender.[2][4] He personally came to Ahmad Shah's camp, where he was treated with outward courtesy. Ahmad Shah agreed to preserve Shahrokh on the throne of Mashhad, but only as his vassal. The conditions imposed required Shah Rukh to pay a large indemnity and to release members of Ahmad Shah's family who had remained in Afsharid custody since the death of Nader Shah.[5]

Aftermath

While Ahmad Shah consolidated his rule in Khorasan, developments in Mazandaran required attention. Muhammad Husain Qajar, son of Fath Ali Khan, had entrenched himself at Astarabad, claiming authority over Mazandaran. Fearing disruption to his arrangements in Khorasan, Ahmad Shah dispatched a division under Shah Pasand Khan to suppress him, while he himself marched toward Nishapur.[6]

References

  1. ^ Christine Noelle-Karimi (2014). The Pearl In Its Midst By Christine Noelle Karimi. p. 110.
  2. ^ a b c Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad shah durrani, father of modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. p. 88.
  3. ^ Watson, Robert Grant (1866). A history of Persia from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the year 1858, with a review of the principal events that led to the establishment of the Kajar dynasty. University of California Libraries. London : Smith, Elder and co. p. 42.
  4. ^ Gommans, Jos J. L. (2023-11-27). The Rise of the Indo-Afghan Empire, c. 1710-1780. BRILL. p. 52. ISBN 978-90-04-64473-1.
  5. ^ Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad shah durrani, father of modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. pp. 88–89.
  6. ^ Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad shah durrani, father of modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. p. 89.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.