afghanistanand Sistan to pay a levy of half a million tomans, they refused and instead
raised the banner of rebellion. The revolt spread quickly and in early 1747
‘Ali Quli Khan, Nadir Shah’s nephew, fled to Sistan and placed himself
at the head of the rebel forces. In April ‘Ali Quli went to Herat, where he
enlisted the support of the ‘Abdalis. Behind his back, many of Nadir Shah’s
most senior officials, fed up with the bloodshed and fearing for their own
lives, began to communicate secretly with ‘Ali Quli Khan.
Matters finally came to a head in the summer of 1747, when Nadir
Shah convinced himself that a section of his royal guard commanded
by Muhammad Quli Khan, a member of Nadir’s own Afshar tribe, was
planning to assassinate him. On the evening of 19 June he summoned
Ahmad Shah and several other trusted commanders to a secret meeting
in his private audience tent. After communicating his fears, Nadir Shah
ordered Ahmad Shah to assemble his ghazis at first light, and disarm and
arrest Muhammad Quli’s men. In the event that they offered any resist-
ance, Ahmad Shah was ordered to kill them all. 12 Nadir Shah then retired
to bed, but chose to sleep in the women’s quarters with his favourite wife,
Chuki, rather than in the royal tent, which was pitched some distance
away. Outside the walls of the royal enclosure, the very soldiers who Nadir
Shah suspected of plotting to kill him were on night duty, cutting the king
off from Ahmad Shah’s ghazis, who were camped on the outer ring of
defences. Yet despite this, Nadir Shah decided not to act until daylight. It
was a decision that cost him his life.
Nadir Shah dozed, fully clothed with a sword by his side, while outside
the royal enclosure news of his orders to Ahmad Shah were leaked to
Muhammad Quli Khan. Who passed on this information is not stated,
although one source suggests it was a Georgian commander who was pres-
ent at the secret night meeting. 13 Possibly it was Chuki herself, for her
father, Muhammad Husain Khan Qajar, was head of one of the divisions
of the royal guard. He was also implicated in the assassination attempt
on Nadir Shah that had led to the blinding of Reza Quli Mirza, though
he avoided execution since Nadir Shah did not want to risk a war with
the powerful Qajar tribe. Even Ahmad Shah is not above suspicion, for
his actions subsequent to Nadir Shah’s murder were odd, to say the least.
Informed of the king’s orders to disarm his troops, Muhammad Quli
Khan called an emergency meeting of trusted commanders and allies who
agreed to ‘breakfast off [Nadir Shah] ere he should sup off them’. 14 As soon
as the moon set, Muhammad Quli and three other conspirators slipped
into the royal enclosure, held a knife to the throat of the eunuch guard
and demanded he tell them where the king was sleeping. The terrified man