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The Sword of Persia: Nader Shah, from Tribal Warrior to Conquering Tyrant

Michael Axworthy

4.15 · Rating details · 60 Ratings · 8 Reviews

Nader Shah, ruler of Persia from 1736 to 1747, took eighteenth-century Iran from political collapse to become the dominant power in the region, recovering Herat and Kandahar, conquering Moghul Delhi, plundering the enormous treasures of India, repeatedly defeating Ottoman Turkey, and overrunning most of what is now Iraq. But suspicion and avarice led him to persecute the P ...more

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Hardcover, 368 pages

Published October 31st 2006 by I. B. Tauris

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Dec 28, 2017 Debjit Sengupta rated it really liked it

I was once reading an article on Nader Shah. I found it interesting and then one article led me to another and so on. I ended up reading 5-6 articles on Persian history and Nader Shah. Thereafter , I became keen to explore more about him and the region. If you read Wikipedia about Nader Shah or Persian history, you will find books authored by Micheal Axworthy as a suggested reference reading. He has expertise in the subject. He was part of British Foreign and Commonwealth office and was heading
I was once reading an article on Nader Shah. I found it interesting and then one article led me to another and so on. I ended up reading 5-6 articles on Persian history and Nader Shah. Thereafter , I became keen to explore more about him and the region. If you read Wikipedia about Nader Shah or Persian history, you will find books authored by Micheal Axworthy as a suggested reference reading. He has expertise in the subject. He was part of British Foreign and Commonwealth office and was heading the Iran section. He had been associated with couple of British Universities, teaching Middle East History. In the last 4-5 years, he and his family had been denied visa under some pretext or the other by the Iranian government. This book was in my wish list for the last two years. In Amazon,I could not purchase the book as paperback version was only available , which is very expensive. In the Amazon itself , I had sent a request for a kindle version of the book. I am sure similar kind of requests have been made by other readers as well, who share my interest. Finally the e-book version was made available in Amazon. I purchased it at one forth of the actual cost.

This is the story of a man whose life followed upward and downward trajectories . He rose from an obscure origin. His bellicose , ability and panache led him to ruthless intrigue.He led a juggernaut army. One military success followed another, accompanied by splendor and riches,leading to his aggrandizement. He liberated Persian from Afghan rules, driven out Ottomans by force and tactfully kept Russians out of the country. He then attacked Ottomans and Afghans in their own homeland, invaded India and conquered Delhi. The success culminated him to powerful position in Central Asia and adjoining region. However during later part of his life, he became ruthless, vicious, frustrated, ferocious and cruel which was further aggravated by his mental derangement.Nader Shah’s death made his infant dynasty meek which lasted for two more generations.

Nader Qoli Beg belongs to Turkish Afshar tribe, which for long were loyal to Safavid Shah of Persia. One third of the population consists of nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes. These tribal groups were helped together by strong bond of kingship. There were traditions of military and economic independence. The Shah often appointed tribal chief as local and regional governors. This tribal region where Nader Shah had spent his childhood was often raided by fierce Uzbek Tartars, who would carry off slaves and animals for sale in the towns and cities. This raids have had a pernicious impact during Nadir’s childhood. He came into the service of one of the tribal leader Baba Ali Beg. Due to his skill , ability and acumen , he was assigned higher responsibilities. He led an army of men to inflict crushing defeat on approaching Tartars. This was the first time, when he was being noticed.

Afshar tribes were subservient to indigenous high-ranking Persians in Shah’s court. Still an obscure person from the tribe was able to supersede them. What were the stimuli that caused fall of Safavid dynasty? Long ago, Arab historian and theoretician Ibn Khaldum developed a theory wherein he gave reasons for a dynasty rise and fall in the Islamic world. As per his observation, in tribal group , it was strong mutual support, fellowship and hardship that gave them cohesion in battle and politics. This made them a potent force. Soon they dominated the countryside and conquered the cities. They created a dynasty and began to rule urban population. Once established, they maintained a distance from their nomad supporters. The dynasty would relax and enhance its prestige by erecting splendid buildings. The tough and austere values that established the dynasties were lost. The dynasty followed new courtly traditions of display and magnificence. At a later stage, the monarchs gave them to worldly pleasure and charm. The theory was applicable to Safavid dynasty too. In later stages, the Shah lapsed into a pleasant life of indolence, drinking and beautiful women. He deviated from the nature of their responsibilities. There were open revolts , which the Shah was unable to suppress. There were failures and prestige of the government was degrading. . The tribes too took full advantage of the weakness of the dynasties and conquered them. Afghan invaders reached the Safavid capital, Isfahan. Safavid power ended and civil wars followed, which depressed Iran's economy further and brought widespread suffering.

Afghans headed by Malek Mahmud conquered Isfahan, capital city of Safavid dynasty. The people of the city had revolted.There was total anarchy. Dozens of warlords and princes declared their independence. Nader Shah was still consolidating his position. He was strong only in his landscape not in the entire region yet. Other tribal leaders were also competing for influence. Some warlords allied with Nader Shah and some looked elsewhere. Some slipped out of Nader Shah’s grip and offered their alliance to the new ruler of Isfahan. Despite the success, Malek Mahmud was on a shaky ground. His position was precarious. They were far away from their base , exposed to threats on all side and extremely unpopular with the Persian people. Some of his troops had already slipped away to home. The soldiers were mutinous and disillusioned . The morale of his army was low. It was around this time Nader Shah came into prominence. As mentioned earlier, his tribes were loyal to Safavid’s. His army was confronted with Afghan forces. His army won one battle after another over his rivals. Nader Shah had found a military formula that gave him a decisive advantage over his opponents. It was firepower infantry. The Afghans had no answer to advancing Persian army , who were strong in disciplined musketeers and artillery. Nader Shah’s opponents were defeated by a new and unexpected form of warfare against which they had no viable answers . One of the heir to Safavid dynasty - Shah Tahmasp was still alive and had stayed away from Isfahan. He re-entered the capital city after the defeat of hated Afghans. People in the city welcomed him. By winning the war, Nader Shah found favour with Shah Tahmasp. He was the only hope to revive Safavid dynasty.

Nader Shah then turned his attention westward towards the Ottomans. Persians had a long enmity with them . Under the pretext of liberating Persians under Ottoman rule there was a recurring theme of Nader’s justifications for his campaigns. When confronted, the Ottomans encountered a Persian army of different calibre. Unlike previous armies, they were potent, fierce and much more advanced . The Persian armies were winning battles after battles against demoralized Ottomans. Nader had comprehensively defeated the Afghans and the Ottomans , and had regained all the major cities of the Persian heartland. Since the sentiments of Safavid dynasty was still strong among people, he had preferred to take power as a regent only. He completed the reconquest of western and northwestern Persia. He quelled all rebellions and restored the border prior to its position prior to the Afghans invasions. With Tahmasp around , legitimacy Nader Shah was not the supreme head but his supremacy was undisputed . His army was feared in Persia and adjoining regions. He has reached the position of supreme majesty that corresponded with his achievements. He later achieved political triumph by disposing Tahmasp without violence. Albeit as a regent but Nader Shah had ruled the country for several years. The development had impressed the Russians who were edging closer to war with the Ottomans. They notified Nader Shah that they would evacuate occupied Persian territories and wished for an alliance with him against the Ottomans.Nader Shah’s flurry of success put him in control and his position became unassailable.

In India , we know Nader Shah for all the wrong reasons. Delhi is the place which marked zenith of Nader Shah’s success. His main objective was to amass huge wealth of Mughals. The empire was ruled by Mohammed Shah during that time. It was already in the stage of free fall. There was fierce rivalry between factions and civil war had broken many times. The nobles, zamindar and local leaders were becoming stronger. The weakness was capitalized by the Marathas, who expanded into areas where Mughal authority was weakened. While Nader began his march to India, on the way he attained military victories in Khandhar and Kabul. His reputation preceded him. His march spread an aura of fear. He had crushed the Mughal forces. What followed then was a horrendous incident. Minor scuffle between some of the Persian troops and merchants snowballed into a major disaster. Many Persian soldiers were killed across the city. Nader Shah was incensed and ordered slaughtering of citizen. The soldiers unleashed an unbridled massacre on the citizens of Dehli. There were mass killing , looting and burning. This lasted for 6-7 hours and an estimated two lacs people were killed. The army took with them tens and thousands of camels and mules laden with treasure. Great quantities of gold and silver were melted down into large ingots and taken back. One of the possession also includes priceless diamond - Kohinoor. In his retreat , he also took along masons, builders, carpenters and stone cutters. In monetary terms, valuation of plunder was so high that he declared three year remission of tax on Persian people.

Nadir Shah’s son Reza Qoli had kept Persia peaceful while Nader Shah was in India. However the rift between father and son was widening. Shah Tahmasp and his children were executed on Reza Qoli’s order. Reza Qoli had been disobeying Nader Shah during various campaigns. His behaviour conveyed indifference to Nader .He had removed men whom Nader Shah had appointed to advice him. All these pointed to his rebellious traits. Reza Qoli was also alleged to have been the mastermind behind the failed assassination attempt on Nader Shah . Once in a fit of rage, he ordered his son to be blinded which was duly executed. He regretted his decision and then could never recover from the situation. It had upset his mental balance and affected his psyche. The certainties that underpinned his previous self-confidence and his success had gone. It shook him such a way that he was never the same person again. He was showing a greater tendency for irascibility and irritation, which made liable to morose melancholia . He had an insatiable desire for conquest and Persian economy was inadequate to support him. The tax collectors beleaguered people into submission, leaving them destitute. Initially, people were grateful to him for ejecting country enemies , later his army forced petrified people into slavery and poverty. Even his close companions and relatives were being alienated. Later his own people assassinated him. All his male children and grandchildren were executed . Only his grandson was deliberately spared. His dynasty lasted for another sixty years. Even after Nader Shah’s death, there was no peace. There were skirmishes between warring parties and the atmosphere of animosity stayed on. The empire went through lowest ebb and it was in wane.

Unlike Europe, there are no contemporary drill book, manuals or memoirs. There was also communication gap between soldiers and bureaucrats due to which there was no easy flow of accurate information. Nader’s physician, historian, European traders , travellers and East India representative inputs provided great insights about his life and events. He had managed to keep an uneasy balance between Persian and non-Persians as well Shia and Sunni soldiers. Nader’s reign is significant and often also referred to as a millitary revolution. His army first time exploited the full potential of gunpowder weapons to a telling effect. His emphasis on drill and gunpowder provided him with decisive advantage . His army was well paid and there was never any mutiny despite hardships and setbacks, except at very end. He attended to the need of his soldiers and maintained discipline and they in turn repaid him with loyalty. All through his life, he belonged to saddle and tents. He lived for equanimity, activities, conflicts and overcoming of obstacles and enemies. His armies was feared across the region and his contemporaries were wary of his stratagem. Micheal Axworthy’s narratives has injected life into the character. Nader Shah has been beautifully portraited and Iran’s introduction was superb as well. Despite lack of much souvenirs, this is well researched and it presents wealth of information, some with unique interpretation. It has been a riveting read.

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Sep 17, 2013 Christopher rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction, favorites

I first found this book by chance in West London while browsing for nothing in particular. Considering the dearth of english language material on Nader Shah and my preexisting interest in him I picked it up immediately. I read it back then (in 2009) and loved it. It became, and remains, my second favorite autobiography I have so far read. It is also, as of now, the only one I ever read twice.

Axworthy takes us on a journey to the collapsing Safavid world and sets up the context for the various ma ...more

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Aug 13, 2017 Ian rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star-non-fiction, world-history, biography, iran

I've read a fair number of history books down the years but I have tended to concentrate on the history of Europe or the Americas. I know very little about Asian history. A few months ago I was reading an online article which made reference to how, in 1739, the Mughal Empire was overrun by a Persian army led by a King Nader, and the city of Delhi was sacked in the process. I had never heard of Nader Shah and thought I should learn more about someone who was obviously a major historical figure.

Na I've read a fair number of history books down the years but I have tended to concentrate on the history of Europe or the Americas. I know very little about Asian history. A few months ago I was reading an online article which made reference to how, in 1739, the Mughal Empire was overrun by a Persian army led by a King Nader, and the city of Delhi was sacked in the process. I had never heard of Nader Shah and thought I should learn more about someone who was obviously a major historical figure.

Nader was certainly a remarkable man. He was born into an obscure tribe of Turcoman nomads and yet rose to become Shah of Persia, in which role he not only crushed the Mughal Empire to the east but inflicted numerous defeats on the Ottoman Empire to the west. I was also interested to read that Nader seems to have had a fairly sceptical view of religion, just at the time European monarchs like Frederick the Great were taking the same view. Unfortunately Nader's decline was as steep as his ascent and the latter part of his life was characterised not just by physical decline but by a combination of paranoia, cruelty and insatiable greed.

The author clearly admires Nader for the achievements of the earlier part of his reign, but it seems to me he also implicitly concedes that Nader's military conquests were unsustainable. Much of Nader's success was down to him making sure that his soldiers were always well-paid, well-fed and well-equipped, but this led to Nader placing an intolerable tax burden on his subjects, that effectively ruined the Persian economy. In that sense Nader's army was like an over greedy parasite that sucked the life from its host. Indeed soon after his death both Afghanistan and Georgia broke away from the weakened Empire to become independent states.

For me this book had the advantage of covering entirely new territory, so I now have a better understanding of the history of the region, (at least during the 18th century). I'm glad though, that I wasn't born as one of Nader's subjects. ...more

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Feb 18, 2017 Lance rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Anyone interested in Iran

Recommended to Lance by: The Oxfam in Reading

Shelves: history, 2017

"Tell them he is the son of Nader Shah the son of the sword, the grandson of the sword; until they have seventy generations instead of seven."

This book was a fascinating insight into Nader Shah, the man whose military autocracy revived the independence of 18th-century Iran and brought the country back from partition between the Russians and Ottoman Turks. He brought discipline and artillery to Iranian warfare and commanded the most powerful force in the world with tactics which were later adopte "Tell them he is the son of Nader Shah the son of the sword, the grandson of the sword; until they have seventy generations instead of seven."

This book was a fascinating insight into Nader Shah, the man whose military autocracy revived the independence of 18th-century Iran and brought the country back from partition between the Russians and Ottoman Turks. He brought discipline and artillery to Iranian warfare and commanded the most powerful force in the world with tactics which were later adopted in Western Europe. "the army like an extension of his own mind." But his politics were even more interesting than his crushing military success.
Nader's story is surprisingly modern. "Nader seized the sceptre which his valour had saved, and which no other hand could have wielded." One of history's Great Men, made obscure by Western European prejudices, makes several parallels with the ascent of Ayatollah Khomeini in contemporary Iran. Nader was born in an obscure nomadic tribe. His intelligence and bravery brought him to prominence in the territory, and eventually internationally. "The sword takes its merit from the natural strength of its temper, not from the mine in which it was formed." He also forbade the abuse of women following his seiges with strict justice, and minimised bloodshed amongst civilians. There is something deeply ambivalent about this juxtaposition of vicious expansionism and mercy.
"Are there such things as war and overcoming one's enemies in Paradise? No? Then how can there be anything to delight in?"
Nader's victories win territories from Georgia and Azerbaijan to Afghanistan and Dheli in India. This cultural and national identification between countries which contemporary scholars often differentiate categorically into Christian Europe and the Islamic Middle East. And yet there is so much shared history! Nader's decline is told with great sensitivity, with emphasis on mental and physical illness rather than demonic, tyrannical madness. He is wracked with regret whilst commissioning towers of severed heads, and leaves his assassins the chance to destroy him. His reaction to his own paranoia and mistreatment of his sons is darkly relatable. "It is not my eyes that you have put out, but those of Persia."
I would have liked to have seen more written about Nader's plans to unite Sunni and Shi'a Islam, and the potential consequences this could have had for the history of the world, if not only Iran. This ideological proposal was fascinating and has left me with more questions than answers. A great book, I wish there had been more topics like this covered in school.
"I would feel as if my body itself had been guilty of a massacre." ...more

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Jun 19, 2017 Bijan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

خوب است که تمام ایرانیان عزیز این کتاب را بخوانند. کتابی که بسیار جذاب و پرکشش، با ذکر جزئیات و دارای منابع موثق تاریخی و اسناد تازهیافته شده، در سال 2009 توسط یک پژوهشگر خارجی برجسته نوشته شده است. ترجمه بسیار خوبی هم دارد. این کتاب صورت واقعی سلسله منحط صفویه و برخی علل مهم سقوطش همراه با معرفی چهره دقیقتری از نادرشاه را برای خواننده هویدا میکند. همچنین برای ثبت گذشته اسفبار تاریخ ملت ایران بدون حافظه تاریخی، معرفی شاهان نالایق، استبداد، فساد دربار و ... مطالعه آن بهغایت توصیه میگردد. دوستان م ...more

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Mar 01, 2018 Ossian's Dream rated it it was amazing

Excellent biography on the Persian Napoleon, whose intelligent use of strategy made him great and whose oriental stupidity in administration led him to the grave and Persia with him. His ruthlessness and the ruthlessness of middle easterners in general is nothing new, but the vivid descriptions and the flimsy reasoning behind some of the killing and maiming is genuinely shocking. Although it only makes it more impressive that he rose to the top in that sort of world.

He was a Great man and like ...more

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Jan 05, 2017 Ian rated it really liked it

Shelves: 16th-18th-century-history

This is a highly readable and interesting portrait of Nader Shah, an 18th century Persian warlord who rose from obscurity to become the supreme ruler of Persia. Along the way he defeated the Ottoman Turks on numerous occasions, invaded and conquered Afghanistan, moved on into India and defeated the powerful Moghul dynasty in Delhi, all the while constantly suppressing home-grown rebellions from would-be usurpers.
As befitting the times, he was ruthless and capable of extraordinary cruelty but als This is a highly readable and interesting portrait of Nader Shah, an 18th century Persian warlord who rose from obscurity to become the supreme ruler of Persia. Along the way he defeated the Ottoman Turks on numerous occasions, invaded and conquered Afghanistan, moved on into India and defeated the powerful Moghul dynasty in Delhi, all the while constantly suppressing home-grown rebellions from would-be usurpers.
As befitting the times, he was ruthless and capable of extraordinary cruelty but also showed an unusual amount of leniency and forgiveness to his enemies, although this was usually a one time deal and he had no hesitation in punishing them severely if they transgressed again.
Nader Shah was responsible for transforming the Persian military from a tribal based collection of seasonal fighters into a modern professional standing army that was possibly the most powerful in the world at that time, moving from swords and lances to modern firearms and artillery.
After years of extorting and terrorising the civilian population to pay for his continual military campaigns and displaying a worsening mental degredation, Nader Shah would eventually pay the ultimate price and be betrayed by those closest to him, thus ending the remarkable life of a man who stopped Persia from becoming just another piece of land to be divided up by the Russians, Ottomans, and Afghans.
The book itself is well written, moves along at a cracking pace, and is highly detailed, but is presented in a way that general readers will enjoy. The author has obviously done a lot of research and manages to present Nader Shah as not just another power hungry warlord but gets deeper into his character and looks for the underlying reasons for why and how he achieved so much in his life.
The book also gives a good insight into the Persian culture of the time period and there is a lot of information regarding the various tribes, cities, and places that made up what was known as Persia.
There are a lot of battles throughout the book with an accompanying plethora of people and places to remember, and a lot of ground covered in following Nader Shah on his campaigns, so some concentration is required to remember who is who and where abouts a particular place is.
All in all, a great read and an important book that keeps alive the life and achievements of a man and events that helped shape the modern world. ...more

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Apr 17, 2016 Mohammedn19871988 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

اعتقد انه من اروع الكتب على الاطلاق وارجو الحصول على نسخة pdf لان توجد نسخة واحدة في العتبة

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About Michael Axworthy

Michael Axworthy

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In the 1980s Michael Axworthy studied history at Peterhouse, Cambridge before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1986. After a variety of work in London and overseas, he served as the Head of Iran Section in the FCO from 1998-2000, coinciding with the improvement in UK/Iran relations at the beginning of the Presidency of Mohammad Khatami. Since 2000 he has been working in Cornwal ...more

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