Nader Shah

One of the most important historical figures in Iran, Nader Shah Afshar founded the Afsharid dynasty and ruled Iran (Persia) as shah from 1736 until his murder in 1747 after a rebellion. He participated in various campaigns in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Some historians have referred to him as the Second Alexander, the Sword of Persia, or the Napoleon of Persia due to his military prowess. Nader belonged to the Turkoman Afshar tribe, a semi-nomadic group that had made its home in Khorasan in northern Iran and had provided the Safavid monarchy with military support ever since Shah Ismail I.

Nader came to power amid a time of unrest in Iran after the Hotaki Pashtuns overthrew the frail Shah Sultan Husayn and the Ottomans, the Safavids' arch-enemy, as well as the Russians, acquired control of Iranian territory. Nader expelled the invaders and brought the Iranian realm back together. He grew to be so strong that, in 1736, he made the decision to overthrow the Safavid dynasty, which had controlled Iran for more than 200 years, and install himself as Shah. He waged numerous wars, building a vast empire that, at its height, briefly included what is now Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the North Caucasus, Iraq, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Pakistan, Oman, and the Persian Gulf. However, his military spending had a disastrous impact on the Iranian economy.