Mohammad Khan Baluch's Rebellion
| Rebellion of 1733 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Nader's Campaigns | |||||||||
 Arg of Karim Khan was a stronghold in southern Persia erected during the eighteenth century | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Safavid Empire | South Persian rebels | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Nader Tahmasp Khan Jalayer | Mohammad Khan Baluch (POW) | ||||||||
In the aftermath of Nader's crippling defeat and expulsion from Ottoman Baghdad the commander who was put in charge of the 12,000 soldiers to maintain the siege of the city, Mohammad Khan Baluch, fled from Mesopotamia and returned to southern Persia where taking advantage of Nader's shattered prestige due to his ignominious defeat at the hands of Topal Pasha at Samarra, Mohammad Khan raised the banner of rebellion in the south of the country.
Nader forsakes Mesopotamia
Returning from the debacle in front of the gates of Baghdad Mohammad Khan Baluch seized the opportunity which this vacuum of power and authority in the country afforded him to take up arms in the hope of carving out his own independent fiefdom. After the decisive victory of the Ottomans in the first Mesopotamian campaign Nader managed to rebuild his army in an astonishingly small time frame and take to the field once more, this time crushing the main Ottoman army and capturing all its guns and baggage. Poised to take Baghdad he was forced to finally turn back and deal with Mohammad Khan's strengthening rebellion. Marching south east Nader was joined by Tahmasp Khan Jalayer as well as the governor of Kohgiluyeh.
The crushing of the rebellion
Mohammad Khan had camped north east of Shiraz in a valley thinking that only Tahmasp Khan Jalayer and the governor of Kohgiluyeh were on the march against him. As news began to spread that Nader was accompanying the army the rebels and Mohammad Khan's resolve began to waver leading to their entire force breaking and running before any actual fighting had come to take place. In an effort resembling Alexander's, Mohammad Khan charged towards Nader's person with a body of 300 chosen horsemen to skewer him with a lance. This proved futile and the rebel army was thoroughly beaten, forcing Mohammad Khan to flee with a small group of remaining followers on horseback.
Mohammad Khan's gruesome demise
The rebel leader fled to Shiraz and onto the coast of the Persian Gulf where he sought to escape to an island using the services of some pirates. Eventually he was arrested and taken back to Nader who ordered his eyes to be gouged out. Nader also ordered reprisals against the population centres in the south that were connected to the revolt, many of the tribes that had participated were forcibly migrated to further east. Mohammad Khan Baluch later died due to the severity of his injuries.
See also
Sources
- Michael Axworthy, The Sword of Persia: Nader Shah, from Tribal Warrior to Conquering Tyrant Hardcover 348 pages (26 July 2006) Publisher: I.B. Tauris Language: English ISBN 1-85043-706-8