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Rh Mahomed Hassan Khan, Kajar, was the hereditary chief of the lower branch of that portion of the great tribe of Kajar which was established near the south-eastern corner of the Caspian Sea. His father, Fetteh Ali Khan, had espoused the cause of Shah Tahmasp, and had afforded to that prince effectual shelter from the Affghans in his native domain in Astrabad. He was a soldier of experience and reputation, and he shared with Nadir the command of the army by the aid of which Tahmasp sought to regain the throne of his fathers. Nadir, jealous of so meritorious a rival, put Fetteh Ali Khan to death, and he afterwards, in order to cause jealousy in the tribe, appointed to the government of Astrabad the chief of the upper branch of the Kajars. The son of Fetteh Ali Khan took refuge with the neighbouring Turkoman tribes, by whose aid he captured Astrabad, which city, however, he was unable to hold. Returning to the desert, he remained with the Turkomans until the death of Nadir, when he raised the standard of revolt in Astrabad and Mazenderan. In the course of a few months, he was at the head of a force with which he was enabled to oppose the progress of Ahmed Shah, of Afghanistan. He defeated a body of troops sent against him, and succeeded in extending his authority over the three provinces which lie between the Caspian Sea and the Elburz Mountains; namely, Astrabad, Mazenderan, and Gilan.

In the meantime, Ahmed Shah compelled Meshed