Page:Historyofpersiaf00watsrich.djvu/57

( 37 )

CHAPTER II.

The Sefaveean Dynasty—Fall of Ispahan—Expulsion of Affghans from Persia—Nadir Shah—Origin of the Affghan Kingdom—Adel Shah—Ibraheem—Shahrukh Meerza—Rival Candidates for the Persian Throne—Chief of the Kajars—Herat and Seistan added to the Affghan Kingdom—Kereem Khan—Azad Khan—Zends and Kajars—Zeki Khan—Aga Mahomed Khan—His Escape from Sheeraz—Ali Murad—Jafer, Chief of the Zend—His Son Lutf'ali Khan.

IN order rightly to understand the history of the accession to power of the princes of the Kajar dynasty in Persia, it is necessary to go back to the revolution, which was brought about in that country by the Affghan invasion early in the eighteenth century, and by the subsequent successes and conquests of Nadir Shah. Never did a line of kings rule with more full consent of their subjects than did the Sefaveean Shahs of Persia.^[1] They were endowed as a house with every claim which could command the obedience and the reverence of the people. They followed the Moslem faith, and were of the national Sheeah sect. They were, moreover, sprung from a descendant of the lawgiver of Mecca; and to the advantages belonging to a descent from the Prophet, from a saint, and from kings, several of them added the attribute of distinguished personal merit. For the hundred years

1. "L'autorité des Sophis est sans bornes; ils ont droit de vie et de mort sur leurs sujets, et il n'est point de souverains qui soient si absolument et si promptement obéis."—Memoires de Perse. Amsterdam, 1749. :See also in the historical portion of CHARDIN'S Persia.