Abbas III (January 1732 – February 1740) ( fa, شاه عباس سوم) was a son of Shah

Tahmasp II Tahmasp II ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb or ; 1704? – 11 February 1740) was one of the last Safavid rulers of Persia (Iran). Name "Tahmasp" ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb) is a New Persian name, ultimately derived from Ol ...

and Shahpari Begum of the

Safavid dynasty The Safavid dynasty (; fa, دودمان صفوی, Dudmâne Safavi, ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of th ...

and reigned from 1732 to 1736. After the deposition of his father by Nader Khan (the future

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian h ...

) the infant Abbas was appointed nominal ruler 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 ...

on 7 September 1732. Nader Khan, who was the real ruler of the country, assumed the positions of deputy of state and viceroy. Abbas III was deposed in March 1736, when Nader Khan had himself crowned as Nader Shah. This marked the official end of the Safavid dynasty. Abbas was sent to join his father in prison in

Sabzevar Sabzevar ( fa, سبزوار ), previously known as Beyhagh (also spelled "Beihagh"; fa, بيهق), is a city and capital of Sabzevar County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, approximately west of the provincial capital Mashhad, in northeastern ...

Khorasan Khorasan may refer to: * Greater Khorasan, a historical region which lies mostly in modern-day northern/northwestern Afghanistan, northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan * Khorasan Province, a pre-2004 province of Ira ...

. In 1738, Nader Shah set out on campaign to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, leaving his son Reza Qoli Mirza to rule his realm in his absence. Hearing rumours that his father had died, Reza made preparations for assuming the crown. According to the most "authoritative account", Mohammed Hosein Khan

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 ...

, who had been entrusted with supervising Abbas and his father in captivity, warned Reza that on hearing the news of Nader's death, the townspeople of Sabzevar would rise up in revolt, free Tahmasp II and place him on the throne again. Reza gave Mohammed Hosein orders to execute Tahmasp and his sons to forestall this. Mohammed Hosein strangled Tahmasp, cut the young Abbas down with his sword and also had his brother Esmail killed. According to Michael Axworthy, the dating of these events is speculative, but they probably took place in May or June 1739.Axworthy p. 221 Other sources (''

Encyclopaedia Iranica An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

'', Lockhart) prefer 1740.

References

Bibliography

* Michael Axworthy ''Sword of Persia: Nader Shah: From Tribal Warlord to Conquering Tyrant'' (IB Tauris, 2006) *L. Lockhart, ''Nadir Shah'', London, 1938 *R.M. Savory, ''Encyclopaedia Iranica'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbas 03 1732 births 1740 deaths Safavid monarchs Rulers deposed as children Modern child rulers 18th-century monarchs of Persia Murdered Persian monarchs 18th-century murdered monarchs 1740 murders in Asia