Fath-Ali Khan Qajar () was the chieftain of the Ashaqa-bash branch of the

Qajar tribe The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

Astarabad Gorgan (; ) is a city in the Central District of Gorgan County, Golestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It lies approximately to the northeast of the national capital Tehran, and some a ...

during the collapse of the

Safavid dynasty The Safavid dynasty (; , ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from Safavid Iran, 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of History of Iran, modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder em ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Background

Born in 1685/86, Fath-Ali Khan was the son of Shahqoli Khan and a member of the Ashaqa-bash branch of the Turkoman

. The Ashaqa-bash was one of the two main branches of the Qajar tribe in Astarabad (the other being the Yukhari-bash), and was composed of the subtribes of Qoyunlu (or Qovanlu), Izz al-dinlu, Sham Bayati, Qara Musanlu (Musalu?), Washlu (Ashlu?) and Ziyadlu. During the reign of

Shah Abbas I Abbas I (; 27 January 1571 – 19 January 1629), commonly known as Abbas the Great (), was the fifth Safavid shah of Iran from 1588 to 1629. The third son of Shah Mohammad Khodabanda, he is generally considered one of the most important rulers ...

(), some Qajar tribes were relocated to Astarabad to defend against incursions by the Yaka Turkmen. By the late 17th century, the vast majority of the Qajar seemingly lived in Astarabad.

Biography

According to the

Iranologist Iranian studies ( '), also referred to as Iranology and Iranistics, is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the research and study of the civilization, history, literature, art and culture of Iranian peoples. It is a part of the wider field ...

Abd al-Hosayn Nava'i, "Much of the information about Fath-Ali Khan's early career must be used cautiously as it is based mainly on chronicles from the Qajar period intent on presenting the career of the immediate forefathers of the dynasty in a flatteringly heroic manner." During the reign of

Soltan Hoseyn Soltan Hoseyn (; 1668 – 9 September 1727) was the Safavid shah of Iran from 1694 to 1722. He was the son and successor of Shah Suleiman (). Born and raised in the royal harem, Soltan Hoseyn ascended the throne with limited life experience a ...

(), Fath-Ali Khan and his brothers Fadl Ali and Mohammad Ali Beg were attacked at their fortress of Mobarakabad by the governor of Astarabad, Rostam Mohammad Khan Sa'dlu. This was done to attempt to thwart the rising authority of the Ashaqa-bash. Fath-Ali Khan's two brothers were killed, but he managed to flee and seek safety among the

Yomut Turkmen The Yomut, also spelled Yomud or Iomud, are a Turkmen tribe who reside in Turkmenistan and Iran. There is a common belief about the origin of the name Yomut. It is said that a long time ago, Indigenous people settled by the Caspian Sea and we ...

. They assisted Fath-Ali Khan in overthrowing Rostam Mohammad Khan Sa'dlu so that Fath-Ali Khan could assume governorship over Astarabad in 1717. These incidents occurred during the

Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

siege of Isfahan The siege of Isfahan () was a six-month-long siege of Isfahan, the capital of the Safavid dynasty of Iran, by the Hotaki-led Afghan army. It lasted from March to October 1722 and resulted in the city's fall and the beginning of the end of the ...

in 1722, and Fath-Ali Khan's role in the closing years of Safavid authority remains debatable. According to one story, he was able to sneak into the city of Isfahan during the night with between two and three thousand soldiers and, through "pure bravery", managed to shift the circumstances in favour of the Safavids. However, Fath-Ali Khan was forced to depart to avoid possible imprisonment when jealous courtiers were able to persuade Soltan Hoseyn that he was a too ambitious and daring ally. Later Qajar sources essentially echo the same narrative. The veracity of this story's historical claims, however, is seriously questioned by the absence of supporting evidence from sources that existed around the same time, such as

Judasz Tadeusz Krusinski Judasz Tadeusz Krusinski (correctly, Polish: Krusiński) (born 1675 – died 1756) was a Polish Jesuit who lived in the Safavid Iran from 1707 to 1725/1728. He acted as an intermediary between the Papacy and the Iranian court, and also functioned ...

, Mohammad Mohsen, or

Hazin Lahiji Hazin Lahiji (; 8 January 1692 – 15 October 1766), was an Iranian historian, theologian and philosopher. Life Background, upbringing and education Hazin belonged to a family of scholars and landowners in the northern Iranian province of Gila ...

. On 11 October 1726, Shah Tahmasp II had Fath-Ali Khan executed for treason.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Fath Ali Qajar tribe Safavid generals People executed by Safavid Iran 1680s births 1726 deaths Grand viziers of the Safavid Empire Safavid governors of Semnan Safavid governors of Astarabad Safavid governors of Mashhad Vakils of Safavid Iran 17th-century people from Safavid Iran 18th-century people from Safavid Iran