Ali-Morad Khan Zand (died 1785) the fifth

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

of the

Zand dynasty The Zand dynasty ( fa, سلسله زندیه, ') was an Iranian dynasty, founded by Karim Khan Zand (1751–1779) that initially ruled southern and central Iran in the 18th century. It later quickly came to expand to include much of the rest of ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, reigned from March 15, 1781, until February 11, 1785.

Life

After the death of

Karim Khan Zand Mohammad Karim Khan Zand ( fa, محمدکریم خان زند, Mohammad Karīm Khân-e Zand; ) was the founder of the Zand Dynasty, ruling from 1751 to 1779. He ruled all of Iran (Persia) except for Khorasan. He also ruled over some of the Cauc ...

Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar ( fa, آقا محمد خان قاجار, translit=Âqâ Mohammad Xân-e Qâjâr; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (, ), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, rul ...

who was a hostage—in light of preventing an outbreak of war between the

Qajar Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

tribes in the northern

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and the Zands—escaped promptly and reached Mazandaran. Subsequently, he took command of his tribe in

Astrabad Gorgan ( fa, گرگان ; also romanized as ''Gorgān'', ''Gurgān'', and ''Gurgan''), formerly Esterabad ( ; also romanized as ''Astarābād'', ''Asterabad'', and ''Esterābād''), is the capital city of Golestan Province, Iran. It lies appro ...

, and declared independence from the Zand Shah. Therefore,

Zaki Khan Zand Zaki Khan Zand (died June 6, 1779) was an Iranian military commander and contender for the throne. A member of the Zand Dynasty of Iran, Zaki Khan, though he never became the ruler of Iran, managed to exert power over the country during the three m ...

dispatched the Persian army under the command of his nephew, Ali Murad Khan against the Qajar lord. Ali-Morad Khan Zand was given power over the Persian army to destroy rebellious Qajar tribes in the north, but he betrayed

Abol-Fath Khan Zand Abol-Fath Khan Zand ( fa, ابوالفتح خان زند ''Abol-Fatḥ Khān Zand''; 1755/17561787) was the third ''Shah'' of the Zand dynasty, ruling from March 6, 1779, until August 22, 1779. Biography After the death of Karim Khan in 1779, tw ...

, and left him defenseless in capital to be slain by

Sadeq Khan Zand Sadeq Khan Zand ( fa, صادق‌خان زند, d. 1781), also known as Mohammad Sadeq, was the fourth Shah of the Zand dynasty of Iran from August 22, 1779 until March 14, 1781. Biography Background and early life Sadeq Khan belonged to the ...

. Ali Morad then captured

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

. He levied high taxes on the people and tortured and killed whoever refused. Finally, on March 14, 1781, he captured

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As o ...

, and killed Sadeq Khan, and sat on the throne. Morad continued the war with Agha Mohammad Khan and raised an army allowing his cousin Rostam to command it. Rostam took this army to the province of Mazandaran where he fought against a Qajar army under the command of Ja'far Qoli Khan. However, Rostam quickly lost the battle and was forced to retreat back to the south. Ali Murad Khan ruled until 1785 when he was overthrown by Sadiq's son Jafar.

Sources

External links

Rulers of Iran

References

Zand monarchs Year of birth missing 1785 deaths Murdered Persian monarchs Zand generals 18th-century murdered monarchs 1785 murders in Asia {{Iran-royal-stub