Jafar Khan Zand, () was the sixth ''

shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

'' (king) of the

Zand dynasty The Zand dynasty () was an Iranian dynasty, founded by Karim Khan Zand (1751–1779) that initially ruled southern and central Iran in the 18th century. It later expanded to include much of the rest of contemporary Iran (except for the provi ...

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 ...

from 1785 to 1789. He was the son of Sadiq Khan Zand, who was removed from the throne in

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

Ali Murad Khan Ali-Morad Khan Zand (; 1740–1785) was fifth ruler of the Zand dynasty of Iran, ruling from March 15, 1781, until February 11, 1785. Life Ali-Morad Khan Zand was born in , when Iran was ruled by the Afsharid dynasty. He was the son of Qaytas ...

, who had previously taken

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

for himself.

Biography

Early life

In February 1781, the Zand prince Ali Murad Khan put Jafar Khan's father Sadiq Khan Zand and all his brothers to death when he invaded

. Jafar Khan was the only one who was spared, because he privately had reached an agreement with Ali Murad Khan. While Ali Murad Khan was in northern Iran (

Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...

) in 1785, Jafar Khan took the opportunity to besiege

. Ali Murad Khan then marched towards the city in order to defend it, but died on 11 February at Murchakhur, a town near

Reign

Jafar Khan then crowned himself as the new Zand king in Isfahan. At the same time, the

Qajar 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 ...

warlord

Agha Mohammad Khan Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Qajar Iran, Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as Shah. Originally a chieftain of the Quwanlu ...

marched towards

. Jafar Khan then sent his men to stop his advance towards the city, but they withdrew at

Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...

without putting up any resistance. Jafar Khan then sent an even larger Zand army towards Agha Mohammad Khan, who defeated the army near

Kashan Kashan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kashan County), Central District of Kashan County, in the northern part of Isfahan province, Isfahan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Earlies ...

. Jafar Khan then fled to

. Agha Mohammad captured

and shortly afterwards arrived to

, where he discovered what was left of the Zand treasure and Jafar Khan's

harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...

. The Qajar troops then looted the city of Isfahan. In 1786, while Agha Mohammad Khan was in northern

, Jafar Khan quickly marched towards Isfahan and re-captured it. He then sent troops towards

and

, while he marched towards

Hamadan Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...

. He was, however, defeated by local tribal chieftains, such as a certain Khosrow Khan and Mohammad Hosayn Khan Qaragozlu. Jafar Khan then withdrew to Isfahan. When Agha Mohammad Khan heard about the Zand invasion of Isfahan and its surroundings, he quickly marched towards the city, which made Jafar Khan retreat back to Shiraz once again. In 1788, Agha Mohammad advanced closely to Shiraz, where he hoped to bait Jafar Khan out of Shiraz, which was strongly fortified, making it very hard to besiege. Unfortunately for Agha Mohammad Khan, Jafar Khan stayed in the city, which made Agha Mohammad Khan return to Isfahan, where appointed his brother Ali Qoli as its new governor, thus succeeding Jafar Qoli Khan. He then left for Tehran. With Agha Mohammad once again in the north, Jafar Khan began raising an army to prepare another attack against Isfahan and its surroundings. When Ali Qoli found out about it, he sent a group of tribesmen to a city south to Isfahan, named Qumishah. However, Jafar Khan managed to easily defeat them. Ali Qoli thereafter retreated to Kashan. Agha Mohammad Khan, learning of this, rapidly marched towards Isfahan, which made Jafar Khan withdraw to Shiraz once again. Agha Mohammad Khan, who was too unconfident to try and capture Shiraz, then went back to Tehran. Jafar Khan was murdered on 23 January 1789 by Ali Murad Khan's son Sayed Murad Khan. After his death, a four-month civil war began between several Zand princes who fought for succession to the throne. Jafar Khan's son

Lotf Ali Khan Lotf Ali Khan (; ) was the last Shah of the Iranian Zand dynasty, ruling from 1789 to 1794. Early life Lotf Ali Khan Zand came to power after a decade of infighting among a succession of violent and inept Zand chiefs following the death in 177 ...

emerged being the victor in this civil war in May.

Issue

Sons * Prince

Lotf Ali Khan Zand Lotf Ali Khan (; ) was the last Shah of the Iranian Zand dynasty, ruling from 1789 to 1794. Early life Lotf Ali Khan Zand came to power after a decade of infighting among a succession of violent and inept Zand chiefs following the death in 177 ...

* Prince Khosrow Khan Zand * Prince Abbas Qoli Khan Zand * Prince Najaf Ali Khan Zand Daughter(s) * Princess Maryam Begum Zand

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Jafar Zand monarchs Year of birth missing 1789 deaths Murdered Persian monarchs 18th-century births 18th-century murdered monarchs People murdered in 1789