Soltan Hossein and the Afghan Invason

Shah Soltan Hossein became king in 1694. He grew up in a corrupt enviroment filled with self indilgence and invalidity. Soltan Hossein was the worst person to become king at that time. The country was on the edge of an explosion, and certainly Hossein's lifestyle and governing did not help to calm the people. His overspendings, outragious parties and more than 200 wives became a talk of the people. This was when a storm that destroyed him came from the east.

Hossein was unaware of the problems in eastern part of the country, in what is now Afghanistan, still part of the Safavid empire. In there, a tribal chief named Mahmud was getting ready to come to the capital, and he was bringing with him a great force! Mahmud attacked first Khorasan on the west of Afghanistan, and then continued his way to Esphahan. The Shahsavan forces were so weak at this time that they could not stop his fresh forces for more than a short while, and the most amazing thing was the reaction of the king! He said that is god is destined Mahmud to capture the throne, so thee is nothing he can do to stop that! Mahmud continued his way to the capital, and finnaly in 1622, he reached a town north of Espahahan called Murche-Khort. There he had a great battle with the remains of the Shahsavan forces, and he destroyed them completely. Shah Soltan Hossein came out of the gates of the city barefeet and brought mahmud his throne, and even called him his son!!!! But Mahmud could not be fooled! He imprisoned the old monarch, and killed the rest of the royal family, with the exception of Tahmasp, Hossein's eldest son who escaped before Mahmud came to Esphahan.

Mahmud declaired himself king, and sat on the throne as Mahmud I. He was a rotten ruler who could only keep his power by terror. When Mahmud died three years later, his equally brutal cousin, Ashraf became king and this time, he ordered the execution of the old Shah Hossein, but Hossein died before the executioners can reach him.