Defeat of Karim Khan Zand by Muhammad Hasan Shah at Astarabad, folio from the Shahinshahnama of Fath 'Ali Khan Saba, dated 1810

Mohammad Hasan Khan Qajar ( fa, محمدحسن خان قاجار), also spelled Muhammad and Hassan (1715–1759), chief of the Qoyunlu branch of the Qajar tribe of Turkomans in the Caspian coastlands around

Astarabad 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 app ...

, was the son of Fath Ali Khan and the father of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, who founded the Qajar dynasty 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 ...

. Mohammad Hasan Khan was driven from Astarabad in the early 1740s, but after the death of Nader Shah in 1747, he appears to have joined

Shahrukh Afshar Shahrokh Mirza ( fa, شاهرُخ‌میرزا; 1734–1796), better known by his dynastic title of Shahrokh Shah () was the Afsharid king (shah) of the western part of Khorasan (corresponding to the present-day Khorasan Province) from 1750 to 17 ...

and been appointed

beglerbeg ''Beylerbey'' ( ota, بكلربكی, beylerbeyi, lit= bey of beys, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords') was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Selj ...

of Astarabad and leader of all the nomadic groups in the province by Soleyman II; after the latter was deposed, Mohammad Hasan became virtually independent and extended his power to Mazandaran and Gilan. Mapofiran1756

After the khan of

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 ...

, Azad Khan Afghan, attacked Mohammad Hasan Khan unsuccessfully, the latter counterattacked and ousted Azad Khan from

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

in 1757, taking Tabriz without a fight (being welcomed by its inhabitants according to one account). After an expedition to ensure the obedience of the khanates of the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

, Mohammad Hasan Khan turned to face

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 Ca ...

; after some successes, penetrating as far south as

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...

, Karim Khan's most dangerous rival was defeated and killed in Mazandaran in early 1759.Richard Tapper, ''Frontier Nomads of Iran: A Political and Social History of the Shahsevan'' (Cambridge University Press, 1997: ), p. 112.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Qajar, Mohammad Hasan Khan 1722 births 1759 deaths Assassinated Iranian politicians People murdered in Iran Mohammad Hasan Khan 18th-century monarchs in the Middle East People from Gorgan