Tahmasp II

Who was Tahmasp II?

Tahmasp II or Tahmasebi II was one of the last Safavid rulers of Persia. Tahmasp was the son of Husayn, the Shah of Iran at that time. When Husayn was forced to abdicate by the Afghans in 1722, Prince Tahmasp wished to claim the throne. From the besieged Safavid capital, Isfahan, he fled to Tabriz where he established a government. He gained the support of the Sunni Muslims of the Caucasus, as well as several Qizilbash tribes. Tahmasp also eventually gained the recognition of both the Ottoman Empire and Russia, each worried about the other gaining too much influence in Iran. Even the ughal Grand Vizier Asaf Jah I is known to have acknowledged support for Tahmasp II, in the imperial court of the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah.

By 1729, Tahmasp had control of most of the country. He was deposed by the future Nader Shah in 1732 in favor of his son, Abbas III; both were murdered at Sabzevar in 1740 by Nader Shah's eldest son Reza-qoli Mirza.