The Ottoman–Persian War was a conflict between the forces of the
Safavid Empire
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
and those of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
from 1730 to 1735. After Ottoman support had failed to keep the
Ghilzai
The Ghiljī ( ps, غلجي, ; fa, خیلجی, Xelji) also spelled Khilji, Khalji, or Ghilzai or Ghilzay (), are one of the largest Pashtun tribes. Their traditional homeland is Ghazni and Qalati Ghilji in Afghanistan but they have also settl ...
Afghan
Afghan may refer to:
*Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia
*Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity
** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
invaders on the Persian throne, the Ottoman possessions in western Persia, which were granted to them by the Hotaki dynasty, came under risk of re-incorporation into the newly resurgent Persian Empire. The talented Safavid general,
Nader
Nader is a masculine given name and surname of Arabic origin ( ''Nādir'', meaning "rare", "unique") and may refer to:
Persons Given name
* Nader Shah, former Shah of Iran (Persia)
* Nader Ahmadi (born 1986), Iranian football player
* Nader ...
, gave the Ottomans an ultimatum to withdraw, which the Ottomans chose to ignore. A series of campaigns followed, with each side gaining the upper hand in a succession of tumultuous events that spanned half a decade. Finally, the
Persian victory at Yeghevard made the Ottomans sue for peace and recognize Persian territorial integrity and Persian hegemony over the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
.
Events
In the spring of 1730, Nader attacked the
Ottomans and regained most of the territory lost during the collapse of the Safavid Empire in the late 1720s. The
Abdali Afghans which had been subdued in an earlier campaign rebelled and besieged
Mashhad, forcing Nader to suspend his campaign and save his brother, Ebrahim who was trapped in Mashhad. It took Nader fourteen months to defeat the Abdali Afghans, who put up fierce resistance.
Relations between Nader and the Shah had declined as the latter grew jealous of his general's military successes. While Nader was absent in the east,
Tahmasp tried to assert himself by
launching a foolhardy campaign to recapture
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...
. He ended up losing all of Nader's recent gains to the Ottomans, and
signed a treaty ceding
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
and
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
in exchange for
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
. Nader saw that the moment had come to ease Tahmasp from power. He denounced the treaty, seeking popular support for a war against the Ottomans. In Isfahan, Nader got Tahmasp drunk then showed him to the courtiers, asking if a man in such a state was fit to rule. In 1732 he forced Tahmasp to abdicate in favor of the Shah's baby son,
Abbas III
Abbas III (January 1732 – February 1740) ( fa, شاه عباس سوم) was a son of Shah Tahmasp II and Shahpari Begum of the Safavid dynasty and reigned from 1732 to 1736. After the deposition of his father by Nader Khan (the future Nader ...
, to whom Nader became regent.
Nader decided he could win back the territory in Armenia and Georgia by seizing Ottoman
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
and then offering it in exchange for the lost provinces, but his plan went badly amiss when his army was routed by the Ottoman general
Topal Osman Pasha
Topal Osman Pasha (1663–1733) was an Ottoman military officer and administrator. A capable man, he rose to the rank of ''beylerbey'' by the age of 24 and served as general against the Venetians and the Habsburg monarchy and as governor in se ...
near the city in 1733. Nader decided he needed to regain the initiative as soon as possible to save his position because revolts were already breaking out in Persia. He faced Topal again and defeated and killed him. He then besieged
Ganja
Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.
Etymology
''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: aːɲd ...
in the northern provinces, earning a Russian alliance against the Ottomans. Nader scored a great victory over a superior Ottoman force at the
Battle of Yeghevārd
The Battle of Yeghevārd, also known as the Battle of Baghavard or Morad Tapeh, was the final major engagement of the Perso-Ottoman War of 1730–1735 where the principal Ottoman army in the Caucasus theatre under Koprulu Pasha's command was ...
and by the summer of 1735, Armenia and Georgia were his again. In March 1735, he signed a treaty with the
Russians
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118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
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in Ganja by which the latter agreed to withdraw all of their troops from Persian territory.
[Elton L. Daniel, "The History of Iran" (Greenwood Press 2000) p.94][Lawrence Lockhart ''Nadir Shah'' (London, 1938)]
Aftermath
The success of Nader's campaigns were such that his prestige swayed many of the Persian elites, and he capitalised on the opportunity to overthrow the Safavids and establish his own, the
Afsharid dynasty
The Afsharid dynasty ( fa, افشاریان) was an Iranian dynasty founded by Nader Shah () of the Qirqlu clan of the Turkoman Afshar tribe
Afshar ( az, Əfşar افشار; tr, Avşar, ''Afşar''; tk, Owşar; fa, اَفشار, Āfshār) ...
. Nader's next campaign took him to Qandahar where he overthrew the
Ghilzai
The Ghiljī ( ps, غلجي, ; fa, خیلجی, Xelji) also spelled Khilji, Khalji, or Ghilzai or Ghilzay (), are one of the largest Pashtun tribes. Their traditional homeland is Ghazni and Qalati Ghilji in Afghanistan but they have also settl ...
tribe's ruling Hotaki dynasty once and for all before going on to invade India. Nader also launched his first campaign against the Lezgis during the Perso-Ottoman war of 1730–1735.
See also
*
Ottoman–Hotaki War (1726–1727)
*
Afsharid–Ottoman War (1743–1746)
*
Ottoman–Persian Wars
The Ottoman–Persian Wars or Ottoman–Iranian Wars were a series of wars between Ottoman Empire and the Safavid, Afsharid, Zand, and Qajar dynasties of Iran (Persia) through the 16th–19th centuries. The Ottomans consolidated their control of ...
*
Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739)
The Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739 between Russia and the Ottoman Empire was caused by the Ottoman Empire's war with Persia and continuing raids by the Crimean Tatars. The war also represented Russia's continuing struggle for access to the ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ottoman-Persian War (1730-35)
Military operations involving the Crimean Khanate
History of the Caucasus
Conflicts in 1730
Conflicts in 1731
Conflicts in 1732
Conflicts in 1733
Conflicts in 1734
Conflicts in 1735
1730 in the Ottoman Empire
1731 in the Ottoman Empire
1732 in the Ottoman Empire
1733 in the Ottoman Empire
1734 in the Ottoman Empire
1735 in the Ottoman Empire
1730 in Iran
1731 in Iran
1732 in Iran
1733 in Iran
1734 in Iran
1735 in Iran
Campaigns of Nader Shah