Ashraf was born in southern Afghanistan in the early 18th century into a prominent family of the
Hotak tribe, which led the
Ghilji (or Ghilzay)
Pashtun confederacy along with the
Tokhi tribe. He was the oldest son of
Abdul Aziz Hotak and a nephew of
Mirwais Hotak; the latter was a mayor of
Kandahar who revolted against the
Safavids in 1709 and remained an independent ruler until 1715. Ashraf participated in the invasion of Iran by the Ghilji in 1721–1722, which resulted in the siege and capture of the Safavid capital of
Isfahan in 1722. The Safavid shah
Soltan Hoseyn was overthrown and replaced by Ashraf's cousin,
Mahmud, with whom Ashraf had poor relations. Ashraf was convinced by his companions that he would be a better king than Mahmud. He returned to Isfahan and began plotting against his cousin. Mahmud had Ashraf imprisoned, but on 22 April 1725 part of the Afghan army freed Ashraf and overthrew Mahmud, who was probably murdered shortly afterwards. Ashraf was crowned as Shah of Iran on 26 April 1725. After taking power, Ashraf eliminated a number of potential threats to his rule. He blinded his own brother and executed most of the leaders of the coup which had placed him on the throne. He also married a daughter of the deposed Soltan Hoseyn. Historian
Michael Axworthy writes that Ashraf was "as brutal and ruthless as Mahmud, but more calculating, less impulsive, and less prone to self-doubt." Ashraf spent most of his four-year-long reign in conflict with internal and external enemies. He sought to recover the territories which had recently been conquered by the Ottoman and Russian empires in the north and northwest of Iran. He initially attempted to come to a peaceful settlement with the Ottoman Empire and sent an embassy there in October 1725. He asked the Ottomans to acknowledge him as a legitimate and independent Sunni ruler. He argued that the Afghans had taken control of Iran as "unclaimed" territory, and that because Istanbul and Isfahan were located in non-contiguous regions, Iran need not be subordinated to the Ottomans. Ashraf's appeal was rebuffed by the Ottoman sultan
Ahmed III, who ordered a campaign against the Afghans in the spring of 1726. After the Ottoman commander Ahmed Pasha sent a letter to Ashraf stating his intention to restore the legitimate Iranian ruler, Ashraf ordered the execution of Soltan Hoseyn. The Afghan and Ottoman armies met at
Khorramabad in November 1726. The Afghans damaged Ottoman morale by sending infiltrators who emphasized the common Sunni faith of the two sides. The Afghans emerged victorious, and a peace agreement was reached in October 1727 (but not ratified) which allowed the Ottomans to keep the Iranian lands they had occupied while recognizing Ashraf's rule. Ashraf then confronted the Russians. Although he suffered a defeat close to
Langarud in 1727, he signed a treaty with the Russians at Rasht in February 1729 which further strengthened his legitimacy. Ashraf's struggle against the foreign invaders gained him some supporters among the Iranian population, especially among Sunni
Kurds and
Zoroastrians but also members of the Shi'ite
Shahsevan tribe. However, most of the population still would not accept Afghan rule, and a number of rebellions broke out which weakened the government. Additionally, the Afghans themselves suffered from internal divisions. Ashraf could not count on the support of the Ghilji chiefs in Kandahar, who had supported his cousin Mahmud and were displeased with his overthrow. Several individuals claiming Safavid descent raised rebellions in different parts of the country. After the defeat and death of these pretenders, only
Tahmasp, Soltan Hoseyn's only living son who was sheltering in
Mazandaran, was able to rally support and pose a serious threat to Ashraf's role. Tahmasp gained the support of many chiefs from the
Qajar and
Afshar tribes, two powerful Turkic tribes in the northeast of Iran. His most important military support came from
Nader Qoli Beg Afshar (later Nader Shah). Tahmasp's forces captured Mashhad in November 1726 and eventually took control of all of northeastern Iran, whence they planned to take control of the throne. Ashraf sent a force against Tahmasp, which was defeated by Nader at Mehmandust near
Damghan on 29 September 1729. Nader followed up on this victory and went on the offensive, forcing Ashraf to withdraw from his base in Tehran to Isfahan. In order to deter a pro-Safavid uprising in Isfahan, Afghan forces plundered the city and massacred part of its population. Apparently having received support from the Ottomans, Ashraf's army faced Nader's at
Murche-Khort, northwest of Isfahan. The Afghans took large casualties in the fierce fighting, and Ashraf fled Isfahan on 13 November 1729, three days before
Nader entered the city. Even after this defeat, however, Ashraf had an army of around 20,000. Nader chased after Ashraf and defeated his forces again at
Zarqan and Pol-e Fasa, causing the collapse of the Afghan army. After a failed attempt to reach Ottoman Basra by sea, he made his way towards Kandahar through inland Iran. Near the border of
Sistan, he was attacked by a group of
Baluchis and killed in early 1730. The Baluchis may have been sent by
Hussain, Ashraf's cousin, to avenge the killing of Mahmud. According to another account, Hussain sent his own son Ibrahim after Ashraf after the latter reached Kandahar province. Ibrahim's men found Ashraf in a small village and chased after him on horseback. Ashraf stabbed Ibrahim in the side with a dagger, but Ibrahim was able to shoot Ashraf dead. ==References==