In the aftermath of Nader's crippling defeat and expulsion from Ottoman Baghdad, the commander who was put in charge of the 12,000 soldiers to maintain the siege of the city,

Mohammad Khan Baloch Mohammad Khan Baloch ( Balochi:) was a baloch military commander and statesman during Safavid dynasty and Afsharid Persia. He joined the Mahmud Hotak that toppled the safavid dynasty, leading to the establishment of the Hotak dynasty and he was ...

, fled from Mesopotamia and returned to southern Persia, where, taking advantage of Nader's shattered prestige due to his ignominious defeat at the hands of Topal Pasha at the

Battle of Samarra The Battle of Samarra took place in June 363, during the invasion of the Sasanian Empire by the Roman emperor Julian. After marching his army to the gates of Ctesiphon and failing to take the city, Julian, realizing his army was low on provisi ...

, Mohammad Khan raised the banner of rebellion in the south of the country. He also allied with Sheikh Ahmad Madani's revolt. Nader Guli sent the Shirazian vali to Megasets to suppress the uprising. Upon his arrival, he himself rebelled against Nader Guli and even collected troops for a campaign on Isfahan. Mohammad Khan Baloch went to the Bender area to recruit soldiers, and interrupted a number of residents who did not want to join him. Mohammad Khan Baloch took those who agreed to serve with him into his army and went to

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

, where he began to prepare for the campaign on

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

Letter from Nader Shah

"What are you up to? You were always our faithful servant and did only good deeds. I exalted you and you were my best general, so why did you raise your weapon against me? Repent and turn from the chosen path back, and God forbid that your eyes become confused!" However, Mohammad Khan Baloch rejected Nader's demand and replied: "I firmly decided to sacrifice myself for the task I had set. May Allah repay what He pleases, for you, and me! Or I will die by your hand or you from mine! Know that!"

Nader forsakes Mesopotamia

Returning from the debacle in front of the gates of Baghdad, Mohammad Khan Baloch seized the opportunity that this vacuum of power and authority in the country afforded him to take up arms in the hope of carving out his own independent fiefdom. After the decisive victory of the Ottomans in the first Mesopotamian campaign, Nader managed to rebuild his army in an astonishingly small time frame and take to the field once more, this time crushing the main Ottoman army and capturing all its guns and baggage. Poised to take Baghdad, he was ultimately forced to turn back and deal with Mohammad Khan's strengthening rebellion. Marching southeast, Nader was joined by Tahmasp Khan Jalayer as well as the governor of Kohgiluyeh.

Сrushing rebels

When Nader learned of this response, he interrupted the negotiations and moved to Shiraz. Seeing that the troops of Nader Guli were approaching, Mohammad Khan Baloch left the city and met him on the plain. In the battle, Mehmed Khan's troops were exterminated, and he himself managed to escape and hide in the fortress of, which was near Bender.

Mohammad Khan's gruesome demise

The rebel leader fled to Shiraz and on to the coast of the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

, where he sought to escape to an island using the services of some pirates. Eventually, he was arrested and taken back to Nader, who ordered his eyes to be gouged out. Nader also ordered reprisals against the population centres in the south that were connected to the revolt; many of the tribes that had participated were forcibly migrated further east. Mohammad Khan Baloch later died due to the severity of his injuries.

References

Sources

Michael Axworthy Michael George Andrew Axworthy (26 September 1962 – 16 March 2019) was a British academic, author, and commentator. He was the head of the Iran section at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office between 1998 and 2000. Personal life and fami ...