KARIM KHAN ZAND (MOHAMMAD)

born c. 1705 died March 1779, Shiraz, Zand Iran first Zand ruler of Iran. He restored peace to the kingdom after the strife following the collapse of the Safavid dynasty. Of humble tribal origin, Karim Khan became one of the generals of his predecessor, Nader Shah. In the chaotic aftermath of Nader Shah's assassination in 1747, Karim Khan became a major contender for power but was challenged by several adversaries. In order to add legitimacy to his claim, Karim Khan in 1757 placed on the throne the infant Shah Isma'il III, the grandson of the last official Safavid king. Isma'il was a figurehead king, real power being vested in Karim Khan, who never claimed the title of shahanshah (king of kings) but used that of vakil (regent). By 1760 Karim Khan had defeated all his rivals and controlled all of Iran except Khorasan, in the northeast, which was ruled by Shah Rokh, the blind grandson of Nader Shah. During Karim Khan's rule Iran recovered from the devastation of 40 years of war. He made Shiraz his capital, constructing many fine buildings. Moreover, he reorganized the fiscal system of the kingdom, removing some of the heavy burdens of taxation from the agricultural classes. An active patron of the arts, he attracted many scholars and poets to his capital. Karim Khan also opened Iran to foreign influence by allowing the English East India Company to establish a trading post in Bushire, the Persian Gulf port (1763). In advancing his policy of developing trade, in 177576 he attacked and captured Basra, the Ottoman port at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, which had diverted much of the trade with India away from Iranian ports. The civil war that followed Karim Khan's death ended only with the final establishment of the Qajar dynasty in 1796.