The Imperial Legacy of Nader in Transoxiana (Turan) as Reflected in Early Manghit Chronicles

Abstract

In 1740, Nader Shah (r. 1736–1747) conquered the Central Asian Khanate of Bokhara. He gave de facto control of the Bokharan polity to a vassal clan, the Manghits, who established their own dynasty after the collapse of Nader’s empire. This article examines the imperial legacy of Nader as reflected in the two chronicles of Manghit history from the eighteenth century, the Tohfeh-ye Khani by Karminagi, and the Taj al-Tavarikh by Mohammad-Sharif. The major themes of Nader’s conquest, his relationship to the Manghits, and his legitimacy as an imperial overlord, are examined from the perspective of these two chronicles. These themes are then put in context by discussing the political, religious, and rhetorical assumptions and precedents with which Manghit historiographers produced their work. This allows for a nuanced understanding of how Manghit historiography revisited, and leveraged, Nader’s imperial legacy in the region in order to establish a legitimate mandate for the new reigning dynasty.