Nader Mirza Afshar is believed to have been born somewhere between 1756 and 1757 in
Mashhad, the standing
Afsharid administrative capital at the time. In Nader's early life, he developed a bitter rivalry with his elder brother, Nasrollah Mirza. The two brothers engaged in armed clashes particularly often, Nader Mirza eventually forced to escape to
Tabas after one of them. Some years later after Nader Mirza's escape, Nasrollah initiated a war for independence against the
Durrani subjugation that had been forced onto the Afsharids 15 years prior. Nasrollah sent a dispatch to Tabas to call upon both Nader Mirza and Tabas itself, led by Ali Mardan Khan, for aid after the beginning of a
campaign under Ahmad Shah to solidify Durrani suzerainty over Khorasan. Nader and Nasrollah Mirza would see early success against the Durrani's and
Ahmad Shah, Nader Mirza inflicting a decisive victory in battle against
Rasul Khan's army at Gonabad, obliterating a quarter of Rasul's force and significantly pushing them back despite being only 14 years of age. Even with this, the numbers of the Durrani army weighed heavy upon Mashhad. Ali Mardan Khan had been slain during battle, and Nader Mirza's inexperience had been shown at Soltanabad, where he was defeated by a significantly larger relief force under
Sardar Jahan Khan. These factors all culminated in the submission of the city to Ahmad Shah after a siege. The loss against the Durrani's had seen Nasrollah's
Kurdish allies abandon him, which weakened his position in Mashhad. In 1775, Nasrollah was ousted from Mashhad by Nader Mirza after a clash, Nasrollah resorting to
Shiraz to supposedly gain support against his father and younger brother. This had resulted in Nader Mirza restoring himself as crown prince, solidifying his position in Mashhad. In 1796, Shahrokh Shah was defeated by
Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, the founder of the
Qajar dynasty. As a result, Mashhad fell to the Qajar Dynasty, forcing the remaining members of the Afsharid Dynasty, including Nader Mirza himself, to flee the city to Herat. Shahrokh was tortured and killed, Agha Mohammad then installing
Mohammad Vali Mirza as Governor of
Khorasan in Mashhad. Upon Agha Mohammad Khan's death in 1797,
Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (his
heir apparent) ascended the throne. Nader Mirza proceeded to lead the reclamation of Mashhad itself to exploit the existing internal turmoil, succeeding in ousting Mohammad Vali Mirza. Nader would reestablish his control over Mashhad itself and the immediate surrounding area. Following this, several campaigns were led to reestablish Qajar control over the region by Fath-Ali Shah in retaliation. Fath-Ali Shah’s first and second Khorasan campaigns in June 1798 and June 1800 failed despite much ravaging and destruction by the Qajar troops, being almost completely repelled on each occasion by the numerically inferior Nader Mirza in Mashhad, along with a loose confederation of Kurdish and
Qarai khans. A third campaign in May of 1802 led by Fath-Ali Shah would see relatively more success, resulting in the capture of Mashhad after a lengthy set of three major campaigns. After the chief
mujtahid of Mashhad switched allegiances to the Qajars, Nader Mirza was captured and brought to
Tehran. He was blinded and had his tongue cut off, being eventually executed in the presence of Fath-Ali Shah in April of 1803, along with his eldest sons Abbas Mirza and Ibrahim Mirza. His other three sons Tahmasp Mirza, Khaliq Vardi Mirza and Mahboub Ali Mirza were blinded by the orders of Fath-Ali Shah. Another son, Ismail Mirza, fled to
Hyderabad,
Deccan. He settled there with the assistance of
Sir John Malcolm. == Notes ==