The One Allah Favors: Nader Shah ATL

Part 10: Succession

In the aftermath of Talas, Nader Shah could feel that his life was coming to an end. The battle had taken his last ounce of strength left. Midway on the journey home the Shah no longer could bear to ride and had to be carried in a litter. This period was a time of reflection for Nader, he looked back at his accomplishments. He had secured Persia for its people and drove out its enemies, expanded the Empire to a size not seen since the time of Darius and helped to heal the divide between Shia and Sunni. Despite this he still dreamed of accomplishing even more and marching to China a land he knew yearned to see but knew he would never reach.

Arriving back in Isfahan the great Nader Shah took to his death bed. The final topic to be discussed was succession, the mantle of Persia would be left to his son Reza Qoli. The highly capable Reza was seen by many as the perfect choice for Shah. Nader however knew Reza all to well, he could be aristocratic and obstinate these traits would not boast well in the future. In his final days, he was greatly distraught thinking about what the future would bring.

Death took Nader Shah on June 19th, 1751. Reza surrounded by thousands of glittering soldiers came to Isfahan to accept this throne. He was given his father personal seal and the Koh-i-Noor diamond. The coronation ceremony was as lavish as can be imagined. Reza's rule ushered in a new era the challenges for the young ruler would be great.

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Part 11: God, Glory and Gold

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On ascending to the throne Reza Qoli rallied the support of the masses. Many believed the new Shah would bring a renewed era of prosperity. Not everyone however was overjoyed at the accession of Reza Qoli to the throne. Afghani General Ahmad Abdali and the nomadic tribes saw the new Shah as a representation of the Shia urban elite that they hated so much. They worried that in time Reza Qoli would attempt to undermine everything Nader Shah had built. These predictions were quickly proven correct. Reza Qoli embraced the Safavid dynasty, of his wife's family, and began a systematic reversal of Nader Shah religious policies. No longer would the Sunnis be treated as equals the old days of Shia dominance had returned. The Shah took up the mantle of protecting of Shiites everywhere and began to take a particular interest in Iraq with its large Shia population.

Iraq seemed like a perfect place to build up a base of support. Ahmad Pasha of Baghdad presented the greatest obstacle to his end and thus had to be dealt with. Presenting himself as the liberate of Shiites from Mamluk rule, Reza broke his father's agreement with Ahmad and marched to war. The stunned Mamluks were crushed and Baghdad captured after a two month long siege. The Ottoman Empire still in a pathetic state did not intervene. The Mamluk ruler escaped to Syria hoping to join forces with his comrades in Damascus. In the aftermath of the conquest, Reza ordered a series of irrigation projects that boosted productivity in the province. This won him great support from the farming class in Iraq.

Reza next set his sights firmly on the Persian Gulf. He desired more then anything to control of trade and wealth of this region. He began a massive naval build up, hiring English and Dutch ship makers to build him a grand fleet. It took half a decade but by 1756 it was ready. Over the next few years the Persians captured Bahrain, Oman, Yemen and set up trading posts in far away East Africa. This brought unprecedented amount of wealth flowing into the empire.
 
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I see you took my suggestion of some Pan - Shi'ite foreign policy?;) I'm interested to see how Abdali develops in this timeline, because he has tremendous butterfly effects on the Indian Subcontinent, and therefore colonialisation of Asia as a whole. Looks like that could start a chain reaction :D.
 
I see you took my suggestion of some Pan - Shi'ite foreign policy?;) I'm interested to see how Abdali develops in this timeline, because he has tremendous butterfly effects on the Indian Subcontinent, and therefore colonialisation of Asia as a whole. Looks like that could start a chain reaction :D.

Yep. Get ready for a showdown between Abdali and Reza.:D
 
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