Nader Shah, the founder of the Afsharid dynasty, was a man whose ambition knew no bounds and whose military genius would soon shatter the Mughal Empire. By the end of 1736, he had consolidated his rule over Iran, quelling internal uprisings that had plagued the nation for three years. With his domestic affairs settled, he turned his gaze eastward, targeting the Afghan Ghilji tribe led by Hussain Hotak, who had built a power base in Herat and sought to weaken Nader's authority. In April 1737, Nader established a camp near Kandahar, ordering the construction of a new city named Naderabad. He swiftly defeated Hussain Khan and captured Kandahar, ending the Ghilji tribe's dominance. On the 21st of May 1738, Nader Shah left Naderabad and marched toward Kabul, crossing the traditional border between Iran and the Mughal Empire by the 11th of June. Initially, he claimed his only goal was to pursue runaway Afghans, but the reality was far more calculated. Contemporary Indian sources suggest that Mughal vassals plotting against their suzerain played a role in inviting the invasion, while Iranologist Laurence Lockhart argues that Nader Shah understood he could fund his expansionist dreams with the spoils of India. The constant campaigns of the previous years had caused famine in Persia, bringing the nation to the verge of bankruptcy. Another Iranologist, Ernest S. Tucker, notes that Iran had been in financial crisis since before the 1730s due to declining exports and reduced state revenues. Michael Axworthy adds that Nader needed a breathing space for his country to recover and a new source of cash to pay his army before he could renew his attack on the Ottomans. By the start of the 18th century, the Mughal Empire was already fragmenting after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, becoming a collection of kingdoms ruled by individuals who claimed nominal allegiance to Muhammad Shah but acted independently. The expansion of the Maratha Empire under Bajirao I further challenged Mughal rule, presenting a unique threat to Muslim political power in India. Despite the fragmentation, the Indian subcontinent remained a huge and prosperous agricultural economy, making it an alluring target for a conqueror short on finance.
March To Kabul
On the 6th of November, the march through India resumed. Nasir Khan, the Mughal governor of Kabul Subah, was in Peshawar when he heard of Nader Shah's invasion. He hastily assembled some 20,000 poorly trained tribal levies that would be no match for Nader's veteran soldiery. Nader marched swiftly through the steep path and outflanked the Mughal army at the Khyber Pass, annihilating it. Three days after the battle, Nader occupied Peshawar without resistance. On the 12th of December, they resumed marching, building a bridge over the Indus River by Attock and crossing the Chenab near Wazirabad on the 8th of January 1739. The decisive moment came on the 24th of February 1739, when Nader led his army to victory over the Mughals at the Battle of Karnal. Muhammad Shah surrendered, and both entered Delhi together. The keys to the capital of Delhi were surrendered to Nader, and he entered the city on the 20th of March 1739. The next day, Nader Shah held a durbar in Delhi, marking the beginning of the occupation. The Mughal Empire, once a dominant power, was now crumbling under the weight of internal strife and external threats. The Maratha Empire, led by Bajirao I, had challenged long-held beliefs about the necessity of Muslim political power in India, further weakening the Mughal hold. The Indian subcontinent, though still a prosperous agricultural economy, was becoming increasingly divided, making it an easy target for a conqueror like Nader Shah. The loss of the Mughal treasury, which was carried back to Persia, dealt the final blow to the effective power of the Mughal Empire in India. Nader's victory against the weak and crumbling Mughal Empire in the far east meant that he could afford to turn back and resume war against Persia's archrival, the neighboring Ottoman Empire, as well as launch further campaigns in the North Caucasus and Central Asia.
The Afsharid occupation led