The ''Jahangosha-ye Naderi'' () is a Persian-language historical chronicle on the events during the reign of

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was a ...

(), the Afsharid

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

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 ...

. It was composed in the 1750s by

Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi (), also known by his title of Monshi-ol-Mamalek (), was the chief secretary, historian, biographer, advisor, strategist, friend and confidant of King Nader Shah (). He who wrote and accepted the different decisions an ...

, Nader Shah's court historian and official historiographer. It is among the most important records of Nader Shah's rule. The title "''Jahangosha-ye Naderi''", which originally read "''Tarikh-e Naderi''", is a reference to

Ata-Malik Juvayni Ata-Malik Juvayni ; 1226 – 5 March 1283) was a bureaucrat and historian from the Juvayni family who served under the Mongol Empire. He is known for composing the ''Tarikh-i Jahangushay'' ("History of the World Conqueror"), an important account ...

's history of the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

, the ''

Tarikh-i Jahangushay ''Tārīkh-i Jahāngushāy'' ( "The History of The World Conqueror") or ''Tārīkh-i Jahāngushāy-i Juwaynī'' () is a detailed historical account written by the Persian people, Persian Ata-Malik Juvayni describing the Mongol, Hulegu Khan, and I ...

''. Despite this, the two books do not share many close similarities in their style or structure. Astarabadi was unsure of how to honor Nader Shah because of the succession disputes that emerged in Iran after his death. A brief line at the end of several editions of Astarabadi's work clarified that the author's intention was to document Nader Shah's life events rather than to address the turmoil that had developed following his death. A short homage to

Mohammad Hasan Khan Qajar Mohammad Hasan Khan Qajar (), also spelled Muhammad and Hassan (1715–1759), chief of the Qoyunlu branch of the Qajars (tribe), Qajar tribe of Turkoman (ethnonym), Turkomans in the Caspian coastlands around Astarabad, was the son of Fath Ali Kh ...

, dated 1758, appears at the end of a few versions of the text. The absence of continuity in dynastic authority in the 18th-century made it more difficult for court chroniclers of the time to commemorate kings through

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of - ' ...

praises. Throughout the early

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 ...

period, many Persian court histories were stylistically based on the ''Jahangosha-ye Naderi''. The many lithographic versions of this book that started to appear in the middle of the 19th-century are proof of its enduring appeal throughout Asia and the Middle East. It was also one of the earliest early modern Persian histories to be translated into a European language because of its release at a period when Europeans were beginning to recognize Iran's significance in international politics. The British orientalist William Jones translated this work into French for the king of

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, Christian VII and published it in 1770. A few years later, his translation became available in German and English. The prestige of the Qajars started to gradually diminish following their military losses against the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, who gained control over a lot of Iranian territory. These setbacks made the Iranians desire for a success tale, and can be directly linked to Nader Shah's ongoing, and even increasing, popularity among Iranians, as demonstrated by the more than fourteen published editions of the ''Jahangosha-ye Naderi''.

References

Sources

* * * {{Encyclopaedia Iranica , title = Jahāngošā-ye Nāderi , last = Tucker , first = Ernest , url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/jahangosa-ye-naderi , volume = 14 , fascicle = 4 , pages = 382–383 Afsharid Iran Iranian books 18th-century Persian books