227:
and artillerymen in the 16th century, up to the mid-18th these men were outnumbered by hosts of mounted warriors armed with lances, swords, and bows supplied from the nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes of the regions. Many of the Shah's household troops continued to be equipped with the same traditional weapons, eschewing the carbines and pistols taken up by
European cavalry in the same period. It was under Nader Shah that the majority of troops in the army were equipped with firearms for the first time, necessitating a greater emphasis on drill and training, characteristic of developments that had taken place in Europe in the previous century.
327:
64:
250:. Each light cavalryman was armed with a saber, a musket, and an axe. Some also carried shields. In 1744, Nader's army included 13,000 guard cavalry, 20,000 cavalry from Nader's own Afshar tribe, 50,000 Afghan cavalry, 12,000 jazayerchis, 40,000 ordinary foot musketeers, and undisclosed numbers of artillery troops, garrison troops, and men from other tribes like the Qajars. Most soldiers were armed with flintlock or older miquelet lock muskets, with some having matchlocks, and every soldier also carried a sword. The infantry did not use
629:
380:
485:
31:
409:, used by these infantrymen was of a much heavier calibre than their European counterparts and consequently had a greater range as well as improved accuracy (the average European musket weighed around 5 kilograms and fired a shot only 18 millimetres in diameter, whereas the jazail weighed almost 18 kilograms and fired a shot 24 millimetres in diameter).
532:
497:
horsemen would be unwilling to cause much risk for their steeds as they were usually a prized property of their master's. The cavalry corps were fundamentally divided into two groups by their origin (whether they were recruited by the central government or pressed into service from subject lands and from tributary clans).
413:
soldiers using jezails in combat dates back to the mid-seventeenth century. In addition to the jezail, jazāyerchi also used shamshirs. This body of infantry underwent an incredibly intense regiment of drills and continuous training. An eyewitness account of one of the training sessions gives the following description:
242:. Most of these troops were light cavalry. The light cavalry wore four-cornered hats (kulah-e Naderi) eighteen inches high, with a goat skin or sheepskin wound round it; a woolen cloak on their shoulders; an open shirt red, yellow, or green in color; short breeches; and leather boots. Many also wore armor, both
353:
Nader's early campaigns against the Abdali
Afghans of western Afghanistan which fielded superior cavalry compelled Nader to seek a tactical solution geared around an infantry solution. The development of this system of having strong firearm infantry to provide a stable pivot around which to position
338:
The infantry arm in the majority of
Persian armies both in antiquity (Achaemenid, Arsacid, Sassanid) as well as modern history (Seljukid, Safavid) were considered a secondary force rather than an arm equal in importance to the cavalry. Additionally firearm infantry were never a fully developed corps
209:
in north-east Iran were no more than a few hundred men. Yet at the height of Nader's power as the king of kings, Shahanshah, he commanded an army of 375,000 fighting men which, according to
Axworthy, constituted the single most powerful military force of its time, led by one of the most talented and
226:
The
Afsharid army was always a primarily cavalry-based force. It peaked at 375,000 men in 1743, an unsustainable figure that led to the collapse of the empire's economy. Its most notable change compared to the Safavids was the use of firearms. While the Safavids had established a core of musketeers
624:
One of the branches of service to benefit most from Nader's reforms was by far the artillery. During the reign of the
Safavid dynasty gunpowder weapons were used to a relatively limited extent and were certainly not to be considered central to the Safavid military machine. Although most of Nader's
412:
Unlike
European muskets however, the jezail was loaded using a horn rather than a paper cartridge meaning although the jezail had the advantages of range, force of impact and accuracy, it took longer to reload than the standard European muskets of the era. One of the earliest recordings of Persian
429:
The total number of jazāyerchi seems to have varied with time as we have varying reports of strength numbers but generally speaking the corps was approximately a dozen thousand strong. Jonas Hanway reported that in 1744 there was a contingent of 12,000 jazāyerchi in addition to the 40,000 regular
694:
Benefiting from Nader's reforms, the
Persian field artillery became superior to both the Ottoman and in particular the Mughal artillery. In the battles of Yeghevard and Kars the Persian guns fired more accurately and attained a significantly higher rate of fire than their Turkish counterparts.
496:
The cavalry held the most esteemed position in the
Iranian armies from the very beginnings of Iranian Empires well over 2,500 years ago. Nader introduced far reaching reforms in this arm of the military including the State's financial responsibility for the cavalrymen's mounts. Prior to Nader,
425:
Jazāyerchi units engaged in training several hours every day. A clear emphasis was given to constant drilling of the soldiers. Nader shaped the jazāyerchi corps himself and often took personal command of them in battle. According to another contemporary, the jazāyerchi were well uniformed and
213:
After the assassination of Nader Shah at the hands of a faction of his officers in 1747, Nader's powerful army fractured as the
Afsharid state collapsed and the country plunged into decades of civil war. Although there were numerous Afsharid pretenders to the throne, (amongst many other), who
656:. These military factories achieved high levels of production and managed to equip the army with good quality cannon. However mobile workshops allowed for Nader to maintain his strategic mobility whilst preserving versatility in the deployment of heavy siege cannon when required.
421:), saw an ordinary soldier consistently on top form he would promote him to be a leader of 100 men or a leader of 50 men. He encouraged all the soldiers toward bravery, ability and experience, and in simple words he himself gave an example of strong character and military virtue.
504:...they attacked from all sides, circling in any new direction. The ranks closed in and then they would charge and then disperse, after which this same scattered group would close ranks on the same point. They would feign a retreat and then counter attack...
362:
The Tofangchi (تفنگچی) were the regular musket armed infantry of the army and had been an increasingly large part of the Persian armies since the time of the Safavids. The Tofangchi also carried a melee weapon such as either a long dagger
667:
mounted on the back of camels. They were rather inaccurate and short in range compared to regular field-artillery but had the clear advantage in mobility and when massed could deliver a devastating volley (as seen in the battles of
254:. The Afghans may have been largely without firearms, being shock cavalry whose primary weapon was the lance. A portion of the Turkic and Iranic light cavalry may have also lacked firearms, relying on lances, sabers, and bows.
518:
a number of other weapons such as lances and firearms were also used. By 1736 muskets were one of the standard weapons of the cavalry, enabling the troops further flexibility in both scouting and skirmishing (as witnessed at
625:
military campaigns were conducted with an aggressive speed of advance which brought up difficulties in keeping up the heavy guns with the army's rapid marches, Nader placed great emphasis on enhancing his artillery units.
970:
Rudi Matthee, "Unwalled Cities and Restless Nomads: Firearms and Artillery in Safavid Iran" in Safavid Persia: The History and Politics of an Islamic Society , ed. Charles Melville (London, 1996)
198:
had their origins in the relatively obscure yet bloody inter-factional violence in Khorasan during the collapse of the Safavid state. The small band of warriors under local warlord
417:
he infantry—I mean those that carried muskets—would get together in their own units and they would shoot their guns at a target and exercise continuously. If Tahmasp Quli Khan, (
445:). They were used to achieve the hardest and most crucial tactical tasks due to their high quality as elite fighting troops, proving their worth in many battles including
238:, 120,000 troops of various ethnicities from western Iran (Kurdestan, Hamadan, Lorestan, Bakhtaran, Fars, and Khuzestan), and 60,000 from Azerbaijan and the rest of the
596:". Drawn primarily from the Gilzai, Abdali, Kurds and other tribal elements in the Empire. The Afghan horsemen (both Gilzai & Abdali) were among the very finest of
230:
At the peak of its size only a small minority of the army was Iranian in ethnicity; there were 60,000 Turkmen and Uzbeks, 70,000 Afghans and Indians (from modern-day
549:). The title of the unit can be translated as the "Royal Cavalry". The Afsharid, Jalayerid, Qajarid clans were used as the main pools of recruitment as well as the
1014:
932:
441:
Although the Jazāyerchi were an infantry corps they usually campaigned on mounts and occasionally fought as mounted troops also, (as some units did at
696:
600:
in Asia. The size of this cavalry body fluctuated with time but at one point it was reported as 70,000 strong. Elements within the
435:
214:
attempted to regain control of the entire country, Persia remained a fractured political entity in turmoil until the campaigns of
684:
539:
The most prestigious cavalry units belonging to the State were the Shah's personal guard. One of the most illustrious units was
580:, literally meaning "Servants of the Shah") was a unit of 3,000 chosen cavalrymen which functioned as Nader's personal guard.
699:
as the warriors of the Central Asian Khanate were unfamiliar with engaging armies with modernised artillery and gunpowder.
1009:
900:
691:
commanded by Topal Pasha contained eighteen field pieces (four 30-pounders, six 15-pounders and another six 9-pounders).
871:
Abraham of Crete, The Chronicle of Abraham of Crete (CAC), ed. and trans., G.A. Bournoutian (Costa Mesa, 1999), 118.
346:
The entire infantry corps had a standardised uniform of blue tunics and red trousers with a tall hat referred to as
326:
988:
Axworthy, Michael (2009). The Sword of Persia: Nader Shah, from tribal warrior to conquering tyrant. I. B. Tauris
531:
729:
688:
446:
215:
979:
Von Hammer, Purgstall, J. "Histoire de l Empire Ottman (french translation by J.J. Hellert), Paris 1835-1843.
454:
183:
63:
458:
450:
171:
343:'s reforms which did bring forth a modernised matchlock wielding body of soldiers into the Persian army.
613:
466:
808:
Axworthy, Michael. "The Army of Nader Shah." Iranian Studies 40, no. 5 (2007): 635-46. Page 639, 645.
179:
167:
142:
669:
330:
Persian shamshir. In addition to their flintlock muskets, Persian infantry were also equipped with
203:
163:
766:
628:
616:
in which they participated in a huge flank attack, (40,000 strong), which Nader led personally.
926:
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1004:
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758:
724:
673:
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520:
473:
462:
442:
406:
392:
235:
379:
484:
371:). Generally the Tofangchi were equipped with lighter muskets than the elite Jazāyerchi.
883:
Basile Vatatzes, Persica: Histoire de Chah-Nadir, ed. N. Iorga (Bucharest, 1939), 133.
998:
770:
708:
597:
206:
100:
67:
247:
90:
567:(each fowj being a regiment of 1,000 soldiers) giving a total of 20,000 horsemen.
907:
762:
719:
683:
The field artillery became an integral part of Nader's forces. During Nader's
664:
645:
488:
Shamshirs (swords) from the Afsharid era, displayed at Nader Shah's Museum in
243:
199:
159:
30:
592:(سواران سپاه خراسان), which can be translated as the "Riders of the Army of
354:
artillery and manoeuvre cavalry allowed Nader to defeat the Abdali horsemen.
175:
788:
The Sword of Persia: Nader Shah, from tribal warrior to conquering tyrant
677:
515:
500:
Persian cavalry were in general superior to their Ottoman counterparts.
368:
331:
239:
231:
799:
Axworthy, Michael, "Iran: Empire of the Mind", Penguin Books, 2007. p158
218:
in towards the very end of the eighteenth century reunified the nation.
649:
489:
364:
269:
251:
122:
434:(musketeers). Nader also had a contingent of 12,000 jazāyerchi on his
399:) were the elite of Nader's infantry musketeers. The jezail (jazāyel (
663:(زنبورکچی), a corps of artillery batteries which were 1 or 2-pounder
633:
959:
Nadir Shah: A Critical Study Based Mainly Upon Contemporary Sources
948:
Hanway, Jonas, An Historical Account of the British Trade, 1: 251–3
483:
653:
641:
132:
104:
77:
29:
676:). The Persian army maintained a corps of many hundreds of
476:, a contemporary noted, "An arrow cannot answer a Jezail".
588:
Another prestigious division in Nader's forces was the
553:
of Azerbaijan, and Iranian tribes of Western Iran. The
640:
The main centres of Persian armament production were
514:
Although the majority of the cavalry were armed with
749:
Axworthy, Michael (2007). "The Army of Nader Shah".
153:
148:
138:
128:
118:
110:
96:
86:
73:
58:
42:
23:
612:played a decisive role in the final phase of the
895:
893:
891:
889:
687:, the field army he marched north to Samarra to
502:
415:
196:military forces of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran
472:On the deadly impact of the jezail during the
695:Persian artillery was also very effective in
575:
558:
544:
400:
8:
659:One of Nader's key artillery units were the
257:
604:were occasionally promoted by Nader to the
879:
877:
339:in the Persian army with the exception of
256:
944:
942:
627:
530:
383:Jezayel muskets on display in Mashhad's
378:
325:
210:successful military leaders of history.
741:
961:, London (1938), p.88, Luzac & Co.
931:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
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20:
7:
576:
559:
545:
401:
396:
258:Paper strength of the Afsharid army
426:provided with the best equipment.
14:
1015:Military history of Afsharid Iran
535:A lightly armoured Persian Lancer
133:Shahanshah of the Persian Empire
62:
697:Nader's Central Asian Campaign
178:, Nasrollah Qoli Khan Afshar,
1:
367:) or a curved Persian sword (
853:Axworth, p. 640-641, p. 645.
37:Nader Shah's battle standard
685:first Mesopotamian campaign
16:Army of the Afsharid Empire
1031:
757:(5). Informa UK: 635–646.
706:
610:Savaran-e Sepah-e Khorasan
602:Savaran-e Sepah-e Khorasan
590:Savaran-e Sepah-e Khorasan
555:Savaran-e Sepah-e Khorasan
763:10.1080/00210860701667720
689:confront the relief force
636:from the Afsharid period.
282:—
28:
730:Military history of Iran
216:Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar
53:(dynastic military only)
419:referring here to Nader
184:Heraclius II of Georgia
637:
536:
512:
493:
436:Central Asian campaign
423:
388:
335:
234:), 65,000 troops from
172:Reza Qoli Mirza Afshar
34:
631:
534:
487:
382:
329:
33:
1010:18th-century weapons
957:Lockhart, Laurence,
835:Axworth, p. 639-641.
385:Museum of Nader Shah
341:Shah Abbas the great
180:Fath-Ali Khan Afshar
168:Tahmasp Khan Jalayer
606:Savaran-e Saltanati
560:سواران سپاه خراسان
541:Savaran-e Saltanati
259:
164:Ebrahim Khan Afshar
114:375,000 at its peak
48:(national military)
638:
563:) consisted of 20
537:
494:
389:
336:
35:
784:Axworthy, Michael
584:Auxiliary cavalry
350:, (کلاهِ نادری).
334:for close combat.
319:
318:
189:
188:
143:Nader's Campaigns
24:Afsharid Military
1022:
989:
986:
980:
977:
971:
968:
962:
955:
949:
946:
937:
936:
930:
922:
920:
918:
912:
906:. Archived from
905:
897:
884:
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872:
869:
863:
860:
854:
851:
845:
844:Axworth, p. 644.
842:
836:
833:
827:
824:
818:
817:Axworth, p. 636.
815:
809:
806:
800:
797:
791:
790:, . I. B. Tauris
781:
775:
774:
746:
725:Afsharid dynasty
579:
578:
562:
561:
548:
547:
510:
509:Vatatzes, Basile
474:Battle of Karnal
407:flintlock musket
404:
403:
398:
397:جزائلچی، جزائرچی
391:The jazāyerchi (
271:
260:
66:
21:
1030:
1029:
1025:
1024:
1023:
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1019:
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923:
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914:
913:on 3 March 2016
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903:
901:"Archived copy"
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862:Axworth, p. 639
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848:
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834:
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826:Axworth, p. 645
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751:Iranian Studies
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622:
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572:Gholāmān-e Shāh
529:
527:Iranian cavalry
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508:
482:
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360:
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224:
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81:(King of Kings)
68:Imperial Persia
50:
38:
17:
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5:
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707:Main article:
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614:battle of Kars
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546:سواران سلطنتی
528:
525:
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348:kolāh-e Nāderi
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709:Afsharid navy
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19:
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915:. Retrieved
908:the original
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207:Afshar tribe
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91:Armed forces
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52:
47:
18:
917:17 December
665:swivel guns
661:zamburakchi
139:Engagements
119:Garrison/HQ
101:Land forces
999:Categories
736:References
720:Nader Shah
646:Kermanshah
577:غلامان شاه
447:Mihmandust
375:Jazāyerchi
200:Nader Qoli
160:Nader Shah
156:commanders
149:Commanders
78:Shahanshah
74:Allegiance
51:1747–1796
46:1736–1747
771:159949082
678:zamburaks
670:Yeghevard
620:Artillery
551:Shahsevan
516:shamshirs
459:Yeghevārd
432:Tofangchi
358:Tofangchi
332:shamshirs
176:Adil Shah
927:cite web
786:(2009).
714:See also
632:A field
594:Khorasan
507:—
369:shamshir
322:Infantry
252:bayonets
240:Caucasus
236:Khorasan
232:Pakistan
222:Overview
204:Turkoman
1005:Muskets
650:Isfahan
490:Mashhad
480:Cavalry
393:Persian
365:Khanjar
315:+13.99%
312:375,000
304:+14.47%
301:150,000
293:+41.42%
290:100,000
270:±% p.a.
202:of the
154:Notable
123:Mashhad
59:Country
769:
674:Karnal
634:cannon
608:. The
521:Karnal
463:Karnal
455:Kirkuk
443:Karnal
279:25,000
129:Patron
87:Branch
43:Active
911:(PDF)
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767:S2CID
405:), a
402:جزائل
248:plate
933:link
919:2014
703:Navy
672:and
654:Merv
642:Amol
570:The
565:fowj
467:Kars
465:and
309:1743
298:1736
287:1733
276:1729
266:Army
263:Year
246:and
244:mail
194:The
111:Size
105:navy
97:Type
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