PERSIA UNDER THE ARABS (642-1258
A.D.)
A.D.
641 Battle of Nehavend marks end
of Persian empire. Although the country is now
nominally under Arab rule, the governors soon
make themselves practically independent.
820-873 Tahirid dynasty rules in
Khorasan. It is overthrown by Saffarids, who rule
in Khorasan and Fars.
874 Samanid dynasty rises under Ahmed, grandson
of Saman.
901 Samanids under Ismail, son of
Ahmed, overthrow Saffarids.
998 End of Samanid dynasty.
999 Mahmud, the Ghaznivid,
conquers Khorasan and drives Samanids to Bokhara,
where they are overthrown by Turkmen. Mahmud
makes extensive conquests in India.
1028-1030 Mahmud attacks Buyidi
or Bowides in the west and takes Hamadan and
Isfahan.
1037 Mahmud's son Mas'ud
(1037-1041) is attacked by Seljuks under Tughril
Beg. They occupy Azerbaijan, Armenia, Fars, the
Persian Irak and the Arabian Irak.
1055 Tughril overthrows Buyids in
Baghdad.
1097 Khwarizm shahs (1097-1231)
become powerful under Atsiz, governor for Seljuks
in Khwarizm.
1150 Ghurid sultans of region
between Herat and Ghazni become powerful under
Aladdin Hussein.
1183 Ghaznivids under Khusru
Malik are overthrown by Ghurids.
1194 Khwarizmi Takash defeats
Seljuks and takes Khorasan from Ghurids.
1203 Ghurids defeated by Khwarizm
shah, Muhammad, son of Takash, who takes Ghazni
and conquers most of Persia.
1220 Muhammad is conquered by Genghis
Khan.
1229 Tule, youngest son of Genghis
Khan, succeeds to rule over Persian
provinces.
1258 Persia under Tatars and
Mongols (1258-1501). Tule's son Hulaku conquers
Baghdad. He extends his dominion over Syria,
Anatolia, and Arabian Irak, makes himself
independent, and founds dynasty of Il-khans.
1335 Buseid, last Il-khan, dies
without heirs. His Tatar successors are called
khans of Persia, but they are not powerful.
1387 Timur
(Tamerlane) conquers Persia and kills seventy
thousand persons in Isfahan, making a pyramid of
their heads.
1405 Timur
dies, and is succeeded by Khalil Shah, although Timur
had designated Pir Muhammad as his successor.
Khalil's bad rule soon results in his deposition.
1408 Shah Rukh succeeds Khalil.
He removes his capital from Samarkand to Herat.
In the northwest Persian provinces the Turkmen
revolt under Kara Yusuf and conquer large part of
Persia.
1446 Shah Rukh dies, and is
succeeded by his son, Ulug Bay. Ulug is put to
death by his son, Abdul-Latif, who is himself
soon killed by soldiers. Baber usurps power for a
short period, and after his death Abu Said,
great-grandson of Timur, succeeds to power.
1467 Uzun Hassan, a Turkmen,
overthrows kingdom founded by Kara Yusuf.
1468 Abu Said is taken prisoner
and killed by Uzun Hassan. His son reigns in
Bokhara, his brother in Farghana.
1478 Uzun Hassan dies, and is
succeeded on the throne of Persia by his son
Yakoub.
1485 Yakoub dies by poison, and
is succeeded probably by his son Alamut, though
there is some doubt on the subject, and it would
appear that a period of civil war intervened,
during which various nobles usurped the power.
1487-1506 Hussein Mirza,
great-great-grandson of Timur, reigns at Herat.
Sufic DYNASTY (1501-1721 A.D.)
1501 Ismail I founds
Persian dynasty of Sufi. Ismail is a grandson of
Uzun Hassan and a descendant of Sheikh Sufi. He
takes old Persian title of Shah or Shahinshah.
1502-1503 Ismail destroys
Turkmen dominion, conquers Azerbaijan and
Armenia.
1510 Ismail conquers the Uzbek
khan, Shaybani (Muhammad
Shaybani Khan), a descendant of Genghis
Khan.
1514 Ismail is defeated by the
Ottoman sultan Selim I. (Sultan Selim the Grim)
Ismail had introduced the Shiite form of belief,
which is regarded as heretical by the orthodox
Turkish Sunnites. Selim annexes Diyarbakir and
Kurdistan.
1519 On Selim's death, Ismail subdues
Georgia.
1523 Ismail dies,
leaving an empire extending from Kerman,
Khorasan, Turkestan, to Diyarbakir and Iraq. He
is succeeded by Tahmasp.
1527 Persians defeat army of
Uzbeks.
1528 Baghdad is recovered from a
Kurdish usurper.
1534 Suleiman takes Baghdad from
Persians.
1543 Indian emperor Humayun is
entertained at Persian court.
1548 Rebellion of shah's brother,
in alliance with sultan, leads to war with
Turkey.
1552 Persians invade Georgia.
1559 Bayazid, son of Suleiman,
takes refuge with Tahmasp, who is prevailed upon
to give him up to his father. This cements peace
between Persia and Turkey.
1561 English envoy from Queen
Elizabeth arrives in Persia to make a commercial
treaty ; no important results.
1575 Tahmasp dies, and is
succeeded by Ismail n.
1577 Ismail II dies after two
years of misrule. He is succeeded by his brother,
Muhammad the Blind. Muhammad is a weak ruler, and
his reign is disturbed by rebellion within and
foes without.
1586 Shah Abbas the Great, son of
Muhammad, comes to throne. He is most
distinguished of Persian rulers. Makes Isfahan
his capital. At his court are ambassadors from
England, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Holland, and
India. On his accession Abbas is obliged to fight
Uzbeks, but is called off by Turks.
1590 Abbas makes a treaty with
Murad III.
1597 Abbas retakes Herat and
Khorasan from Uzbeks. He extends his dominion
over Balkh, the Bahrain, and the province of Lor.
1601 War begins again with
Ottomans in which Persians recover lost
provinces. Peace is signed under Othman II.
1609 Persians retake Kandahar
from the Grand Mughal
1620 About 1620, English, French,
and Dutch establish factories at Gombroon
(Bender- Abbas).
1628 Abbas dies, and is succeeded
by his grandson, who rules under name Shah Sufi.
Sufi commits many barbarities and empire declines
under him.
1638 Kandahar is taken by Grand
Mughal. Baghdad is conquered by Murad IV.
1641 Sufi dies, and is succeeded
by his son, Abbas II. Abbas receives foreign
embassies and is tolerant of other religions. He
is a drunkard.
1647 Kandahar is retaken by
Persians.
1666 Abbas II dies, and is
succeeded by his son Sufi, under name of
Suleiman. He is a weak prince under whom Persia
declines; no important event occurs during his
reign. Uzbeks invade Khorasan annually. Tatars
ravage shores of Caspian. Dutch seize island of
Kishm in Persian gulf. Many foreigners visit
magnificent Persian court.
1694 Suleiman dies, and is
succeeded by his son Hussein. Hussein, a weak and
bigoted ruler, brings his empire to ruin.
1709 Afghan tribes of Ghilzais
and Duranis (Abdali) revolt, and under Mir Wais
take possession of Kandahar, which is constituted
into an independent kingdom.
1713 Mir Wais dies, and is
succeeded by his brother, Mir Abdullah, who gives
dissatisfaction to Afghan nobles.
1717 Mir Abdullah is killed by
his nephew, Mir Mahmud, son of Mir Wais. Mahmud
is proclaimed king.
1720 Mahmud invades Persia and
takes Kerman, which is retaken by Persian general
Lutf Ali Khan.
1722 Isfahan is taken by Afghans
after seven months' siege. Mahmud becomes ruler
of Persia, and in order to establish his power
massacres thousands of Persians. He finally
becomes insane.
1725 Ashraf, son of Mir Abdullah,
succeeds Mahmud; his reign is disturbed by
Russian and Turkish designs on Persia.
1729 Nadir (Kuli Khan\ a powerful
Persian chief, drives out Ashraf, and places
Tahmasp, son of Hussein, on throne. Tahmasp has
claimed royal title ever since his father's
surrender to Mahmud.
1732 Tahmasp is defeated by
Turks, and cedes to them Georgia and Armenia. In
consequence, Nadir dethrones Tahmasp and raises
his infant son, Abbas III, to the throne.
1733 Nadir attacks Baghdad and is
defeated by Turkish general Topal Osman. After
three
months Nadir again attacks
Baghdad and takes it. 17-34-1735 Nadir occupies
Armenia and Georgia, drives out Turks, and
concludes treaty with Porte. 1736 Abbas III dies,
and Nadir becomes shah on condition that the
Shiite heresy be given up. He raises empire to
its former glory.
1738 Nadir conquers Balkh and Kandahar.
1739 Nadir invades India and in a
single battle captures Delhi. Many thousands of
inhabitants are massacred. 1743 Nadir is
suspicious of his son Kuli and puts his eyes out.
From this time on Nadir is so violently savage
and cruel that he is a terror to his subjects.
1745 Nadir gains victory over the
Turks and makes treaty with them.
1747 Nadir is murdered by nobles.
Period of anarchy follows. Adil Shah, nephew of
Nadir, is proclaimed ruler. Kingdom of Afghans is
founded in eastern Iran under Ahmed, and is
permanently lost to Persia.
1748 Adil is deposed and blinded
by his brother Ibrahim. Ibrahim is soon killed by
troops. The blinded Shah Rukh, grandson of
Hussein, succeeds. He is deposed several times,
and finally established in Khorasan by Ahmed
Khan, king of Afghans. In the mean time Muhammad
Hussein Khan, of the tribe of Kajars, ancestor of
the reigning dynasty, has established his
authority in Mazanderan. Azerbaijan, Ghilan, and
Georgia are independent. All Murdan Khan, of
tribe of Bakhtiari, puts descendant of house of
Sufi on throne and asks Kerim Khan and
other chiefs to aid him.
1753 Kerim
Khan succeeds in uniting southern Persia under
his rule, and occupies Shiraz. He is a wise and
just ruler; never calls himself shah, but only
Vakil of Sufi Shah.
1756 Kerim takes
Isfahan and large part of Irak. He is forced to
retreat to Shiraz by Muhammad Hussein Khan.
1757 Muhammad besieges Kerim at Shiraz,
but is forced to retire to Mazanderan. Owing to
lack of union among his followers, Muhammad is
eventually defeated and killed. Khorasan alone is
left under dominion of Shah Rukh.
1776 Basra surrenders to Saduk
Khan, brother of Kerim.
Internal commerce of Persia is revived during
later years of Kurim.
1779 Kerim dies, nearly
eighty years old. Another period of anarchy
follows.
1781 All Murad, nephew of Kerim, finally
obtains the crown.
1785 Ali Murad dies while on his
way to fight Aga
Muhammad, khan of the Kajar tribe in Mazanderan.
He is succeeded by Giaffer (Jaafer) Khan, son of
Saduk Khan. During his reign he is occupied
chiefly in fighting Aga
Muhammad Khan.
1789 Giaffer Khan is murdered.
During an interval of a few months one of the
conspirators who killed Giaffer reigns. Lutf All
Khan, son of Giaffer, then succeeds to power.
Lutf Ali is distinguished for his noble
qualities, but is rash and proud. He offends
Hadji Ibrahim, one of his most powerful
supporters, who goes over to Aga
Muhammad Khan.
1791 Hadji Ibrahim seizes Shiraz.
Almost all of Lutf All's troops desert him.
Ibrahim disarms soldiers and sends them out of
Shiraz. Sends for Aga
Muhammad.
1792 Lutf Ali boldly attacks Aga
Muhammad’s advancing army. Owing to
Muhammad’s cairn resolution and
self-possession Ali is defeated.
1793 Lutf Ali after repeatedly
attempting to regain his kingdom is captured and
finally killed.
KAJAR DYNASTY
1794
With Aga Muhammad Khan begins rule of Kajar
dynasty. At the death of Lutf Ali. he is ruler
over provinces of Astrabad, Mazanderan, Ghilan,
over Irak, Fare, and Kerman. He makes Teheran his
capital.
1795 Aga
Muhammad Khan marches against Georgia, which
under Heraclius has transferred its allegiance to
Russia. He enters Tiflis.
1796 Aga
Muhammad Khan is crowned as Muhammad
Shah. In the same year he subdues Khorasan,
and tortures the blind Shah Rukh to make him give
up his concealed jewels. Russians take Georgia,
but retreat on death of the empress Catherine,
and Muhammad
makes treaty with Russia.
1797 Muhammad
is murdered, and—owing to the firmness and
good management of Hadji Ibrahim—Muhammad's
nephew Baba Khan, under name Fath Ali, succeeds
him. Fath Ali is not actually crowned until the
following year. He soon begins contest with
Russia.
1800 Georgian ruler, George, son
of Heraclius renounces his crown in favor of
Russia. His brother repudiates the act and war
ensues. Russia gains possession of Derbend, Baku,
Shirvan, Sheki, Ganja (Elizabethpol), the Talish,
and Mugan. British India makes commercial and
political treaties with Persia. 1802 Georgia is
declared a Russian province. A few years later
France enters into diplomatic relations with
Persia, and the French officers are sent to drill
army. British send mission to Persia.
1809 French general Gardanne is
dismissed owing to Peace of Tilsit. British
diplomatist, Sir Harford Jones, concludes treaty
with Persia.
1810 Malcolm is sent as envoy
from England with two officers and field pieces.
Said Muhammed Ali, founder of Babism, is born in
Shiraz about this time.
1811 Persia declares war on
Russia.
1813 Treaty of Gulistan. Persia
loses all her possessions in the Caucasus, north
of Armenia, and Russia obtains right to have
ships of war on the Caspian.
1822 War with Turkey.
1823 Treaty of Erzerum between
Turkey and Persia. No territorial changes are
made.
1826 Persians, without making
declaration of war, attack Russia. At first they
are successful, but they soon meet with reverses;
negotiations for peace are begun, but prove
futile.
1827 Campaign reopens.
1828 Peace is concluded through
British mediation at Turkmantchai. Persia gives
up Erivan,
Nakhitchevan, and Armenia, with
the rich monastery Etchmiadzin, besides paying a
war indemnity of £3,000,000.
1829 Popular rage breaks out
against Russians in Teheran, and Russian
ambassador with his wife and largest part of his
suite is killed. Soon afterwards alliance with
Russia is strengthened and that with England
weakened.
1833 Crown prince Abbas Mirza
dies. His death is a great loss to his country.
1834 Fath Ali dies, and is
succeeded by his son, Ali Shah, who reigns for
twenty days. Muhammad Shah, a grandson of Fath
Ali, is placed on throne through influence of
Russia and England in opposition to Ali Shan.
Russia and England struggle for influence in
Persia; Russia persuades Persia to undertake
against Herat an expedition, which proves
unsuccessful.
1837 Shah again invades Herat and
lays siege to city.
1838 Siege of Herat is raised
owing to English efforts.
1840 England gains but does not
maintain upper hand in Persian affairs.
1846 Persia concludes treaty with
Russia, giving latter right to use two ports on
Caspian Sea for war-ships.
1847 Treaty of Erzurum with
Turkey settles frontier disputes which had lasted
for about five years.
1848 Muhammad Shah dies, and is
succeeded by Nasir ad-din. He appoints Mirza Taki
vizier and introduces reforms. Insurrection in
Khorasan is suppressed.
1850 Babist teachings have spread
to such an extent that Said Muhammad Ali is put
to death. 1852 Persia incorporates sultanate of
Herat. An attempt on the shah's life by three
Babists results in terrible persecutions and
massacres of members of the Babist sect.
1852 England tries to secure
independence of Herat and to land troops at
Bushire on the Persian Gulf.
1853 Persia, though favoring
Russia, takes no active part in Crimean war.
1855 Persia reconquers Herat.
1856 English seize Bushire. Shah
sends troops against them, which are defeated.
1857 Peace is concluded with
England through French mediation. In the
following years Persia fights with Turkmen, but
with no lasting result.
1859 Sir Henry Rawlinson, the
celebrated orientalist, becomes British minister
to Persia. About a year later he is succeeded by
Mr. Charles Alison. 1868 Telegraph convention
between England and Persia for communication
between Europe and India.
1872 Renewal of telegraph
convention.
1873 Shah visits England.
1878 Treaty of Berlin gives city
of Kotur to Persia.
1879 Shah visits Europe.
1881 Treaty with Russia (ratified
1882) settles boundaries between Persia and the
Turkmen territory conquered by Russia.
1887 Ayub Khan, son of Sher Ali
of Afghanistan, who, through agreement with
England, has been confined at Teheran since 1884;
escapes and tries to raise a revolt against Amir
Abdurrahman of Afghanistan. He is unsuccessful,
and is sent a prisoner to India.
1888 Karun river is opened to
international navigation. Railway between Teheran
and Shah Abdul Azim is opened.
1889 "Imperial Bank of
Persia" starts business with British royal
charter. Russia demands corresponding advantage.
Shah visits Europe for third time.
1890 As a concession to Russia,
railways are forbidden in Persia.
1891 Twenty-eight thousand
persons die of cholera in Persia.
1893 In a convention with Russia,
Persia cedes lands on the northern frontier of
Khorasan in exchange for land on the frontier of
Azerbaijan.
1895 Persia gives France
exclusive right to excavate antiquities in
Persia.
1896 Nasir ad-din is
assassinated. He is succeeded by his son,
Muzaffer ad-din.
1897 M. J. de Morgan begins work
of excavation at Susa (Shushan).
1900 Russian government secures
important loan to Persia. Shah visits Europe.
1902 Shah makes second visit to Europe.
1905 Shah visits the Russian
czar. Persian army reorganized.
1906 The Shah and the heir
apparent sign the Constitution.
1907 Death of Shah Muzaffer
ad-din, and succession of Muhammad Ali Mirza.