Sword Of Persia

Nader Shah, ruler of Persia from 1736 to 1747, embodied ruthless ambition, energy, military brilliance, cynicism and cruelty. His reign was filled with bloodshed, betrayal and horror. Yet, Nader Shah is central to Iran's early modern history. From a shepherd boy, he rose to liberate his country from foreign occupation, and make himself Shah. He took eighteenth century Iran in a trajectory from political collapse and partition to become the dominant power in the region, briefly opening the prospect of a modernising state that could have resisted colonial intervention in Asia. He recovered all the territory lost by his predecessors, including Herat and Kandahar, and went on to conquer Moghul Delhi, plundering the enormous treasures of India. Nader commanded the most powerful military force in Asia, if not the world. He repeatedly defeated the armies of Ottoman Turkey, the preeminent State of Islam, overran most of what is now Iraq and threatened to take Baghdad on several occasions. But from the zenith of his success he declined into illness, insane avarice and horrific savagery, committing terrible atrocities against the Persian people, his friends, and even his family, until he finally died as violently as he had lived. The "Sword of Persia" recreates the story of a remarkable, ruthless man, capable of both charm and brutality. It is a rich narrative, full of dramatic incident, including much new research into original Iranian and other material, which will prove indispensable to historians and students. The book includes many contemporary illustrations, and maps.

"Nader Shah, ruler of Persia from 1736 to 1747, embodied ruthless ambition, energy, military brilliance, cynicism and cruelty. His reign was filled with bloodshed, betrayal and horror. Yet Nader Shah is central to Iran's early modern history. From a shepherd boy he rose to liberate his country from foreign occupation, and make himself Shah. He took eighteenth-century Iran from political collapse to become the dominant power in the region, recovering Herat and Kandahar, conquering Moghul Delhi, plundering the enormous treasures of India, repeatedly defeating Ottoman Turkey, and overrunning most of what is now Iraq.But suspicion and avarice led him to persecute the Persian people as savagely as any foreign conqueror had done. "The Sword of Persia" recreates the story of a remarkable, ruthless man, capable of both charm and brutality, who became a monster of insane cruelty. It is a rich narrative, full of dramatic incident, including much new research into original Iranian and other material, which will prove indispensable to historians and students."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

It is the year 524BC, and the Assyrian king, Shalmaneser V, is enraged when he finds out that Hoshea, King of Israel, one of his vassal states, is seeking the help of Egypt in rebelling against him. Swiftly gathering his army, he swoops down from the north and crushes the rebellious state, taking Hoshea captive and deporting the surviving Israelites throughout the eastern areas of the Assyrian Empire. The story then moves forward to Calcutta, in India, in the year 1755, where young Alec Cowie, now a Captain in the militia of the Honourable East India Company, arrives back from a recent assignment to the Mughal Emperor in Delhi. (see Alec Cowie and the Delhi Assignment). He finds himself seconded to the British Intelligence Service and directed to lead a new mission to Abdul Shah Durrani, the new king of Afghanistan, seeking passage of the Companys goods through the Khyber Pass to the Silk Road. Accompanied by his old friend Harry Arburthnot, he travels up the Indus valley and through the Bolan Pass to Kandahar, where he encounters a beautiful Jewish girl with a mission of her own; to return the powerful Sword of Persia to Shah Durrani with the prophesy that goes with it. Continually harassed by the Russians, Jesuits and rebellious Afghans themselves, Alec and Harry finally complete their mission to Cabool, and stage a thrilling escape through the Khyber Pass back into India.

The important role that edged weaponry played in early Persia is evidenced by the region's long history of metallurgic science, the sword's mention in poetry, and its use as a sidearm to cavalry employing lance, mace, and bow. Edged weaponry proved no less important to the Ottoman Turks, who depicted the two-edged sword of Othman on the standard carried by the disciplined recruits, the corps of Janissaries, who served the sultan and defended the conquered Christian territories.India, which bordered the Persian Empire, has a turbulent history as well, that speaks of long periods of foreign influence and threats from Islamic invaders. Although India adopted Persian-style weaponry, the many indigenous sword shapes and the ingenuity displayed in design testify to the important role the sword played as a weapon of war and an article of dress and status. The sword was no doubt a pragmatic battlefield weapon, as evidenced by its use in the extensive wars of the Mughals, Rajputs, and Sikhs.This book starts with an overview of metallurgic science and the development of edged weapons in pre-historic Persia and India. Its main focus is the Common Era, however. Islamic culture and conflict in the pre-medieval period and through the Crusades is discussed first, including warfare against the Byzantine Empire. An examination of the use of the sword in the wars of the Ottoman Empire from the fifteenth century CE follows. Next the book explores warfare and the development of edged weapons in India from medieval times into near modern day. It touches on the Sikh Wars and India's conflicts with the British Empire. The concluding remarks emphasize the sword as a lethal and reliable weapon into near modern day, and makes particular note of the philosophical value of the sword.Knives, Swords, and Bayonets: A World History of Edged Weapon Warfare is a book series that examines the history of edged weapons in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East and surrounding areas before gunpowder increased the distance between combatants. The book series takes a critical look at the relationship between the soldier, his weapon, and the social and political mores of the times. Each book examines the historical background and metallurgic science of the knife, sword, or bayonet respectively, and explores the handling characteristics and combat applications of each weapon. The individual books are excerpted from the previously published book, A History of Edged Weapon Warfare, also by Martina Sprague. Look for more books in this series in the near future.

Throughout most of the classical period, Persia was one of the great superpowers, placing a limit on the expansion of Western powers. It was the most formidable rival to the Roman empire for centuries, until Persia, by then under the Sassanians, was overwhelmed by the Islamic conquests in the seventh century AD. Yet, the armies of ancient Persia have received relatively little detailed attention, certainly in comparison to those of Rome. This work is the firsst of three volumes that will form the most comprehensive study of ancient Persian armies available.The Sassanians, the native Iranian dynasty that ousted their Parthian overlords in AD 226, developed a highly sophisticated army that was able for centuries to hold off all comers. They continued the Parthians famous winning combination of swift horse archers with heavily-armored cataphract cavalry, also making much use of war elephants, but Kaveh Farrokh interestingly demonstrates that their oft-maligned infantry has been much underestimated.The author, born in Athens, Greece, and expert in ancient Persian languages and military history, has been researching the military history and technology of Persia for a quarter of a century. He draws on the latest research and new archaeological evidence, focusing on the organization, equipment and tactics of the armies that dominated the ancient Middle East for so long.

Immortal is the only single-volume English-language survey of Iran’s military history. CIA analyst Steven R. Ward shows that Iran’s soldiers, from the famed “Immortals” of ancient Persia to today’s Revolutionary Guard, have demonstrated through the centuries that they should not be underestimated. This history also provides background on the nationalist, tribal, and religious heritages of the country to help readers better understand Iran and its security outlook. Immortal begins with the founding of ancient Persia’s empire under Cyrus the Great and continues through the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) and up to the present. Drawing on a wide range of sources including declassified documents, the author gives primary focus to the modern era to relate the build-up of the military under the last Shah, its collapse during the Islamic revolution, its fortunes in the Iran-Iraq War, and its rise from the ashes to help Iran become once again a major regional military power. He shows that, despite command and supply problems, Iranian soldiers demonstrate high levels of bravery and perseverance and have enjoyed surprising tactical successes even when victory has been elusive. These qualities and the Iranians’ ability to impose high costs on their enemies by exploiting Iran’s imposing geography bear careful consideration today by potential opponents.

In 1747, the city of Kerman in Persia burned amidst chaos, destruction and death perpetrated by the city's own overlord, Nader Shah. After the violent overthrow of the Safavid dynasty in 1722 and subsequent foreign invasions from all sides, Persia had been in constant turmoil. One well-appointed house that belonged to the East India Company had been saved from destruction by the ingenuity of a Company servant, Danvers Graves, and his knowledge of the Company's privileges in Persia. This book explores the lived experience of the Company and its trade in Persia and how it interacted with power structures and the local environment in a time of great upheaval in Persian history. Using East India Company records and other sources, it charts the role of the Navy and commercial fleet in the Gulf, trade agreements, and the experience of Company staff, British and non-British living in and navigating conditions in 18th-century Persia. By examining the social, commercial and diplomatic history of this relationship, this book creates a new paradigm for the study of Early Modern interactions in the Indian Ocean.

Iran is a land of contradictions. It is an Islamic republic, but one in which only 1.4 percent of the population attend Friday prayers. IranÕs religious culture encompasses the most censorious and dogmatic ShiÕa Muslim clerics in the world, yet its poetry insistently dwells on the joys of life: wine, beauty, sex. Iranian women are subject to one of the most restrictive dress codes in the Islamic world, but make up nearly 60 percent of the student population of the nationÕs universities. In A History of Iran, acclaimed historian Michael Axworthy chronicles the rich history of this complex nation from the Achaemenid Empire of sixth century B.C. to the present-day Islamic Republic. In engaging prose, this revised editionÊexplains the military, political, religious, and cultural forces that have shaped one of the oldest continuing civilizations in the world, bringing us up modern times. Concluding with an assessment of the immense changes the nation has undergone since the revolution in 1979, including a close look at IranÕs ongoing attempts to become a nuclear power, A History of Iran offers general readers an essential guide to understanding this volatile nation, which is once again at the center of the worldÕs attention.