Mirwais Hotak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mirwais Hotakميرويس هوتک |
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| Emir of Greater Afghanistan | |
A drawing of Mirwais Hotak
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| Emir of Afghanistan | |
| Reign | Hotak dynasty: 1709–1715 |
| Coronation | April 1709 |
| Predecessor | Gurgin Khan (as governor of Kandahar under the Safavids) |
| Successor | Abdul Aziz Hotak |
| Born | 1673 Kandahar, Safavid Iran |
| Died | November 1715 (aged 41–42) Kandahar, Hotak dynasty |
| Burial | Kokaran, Kandahar, Afghanistan |
| Spouse | Khanzada Sadozai |
| Issue | Mahmud Hotak Husayn Hotak |
| Dynasty | Hotak dynasty |
| Father | Salim Khan |
| Mother | Nazo Tokhi |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Mirwais Hotak (1673-1715) was an Afghan ruler. He belonged to the Ghilji tribe of Pashtuns. He is famous for starting the Hotak dynasty.
In 1709, Mirwais Hotak led a rebellion. He overthrew and killed George XI of Kartli, the Persian governor. After this, he declared the Loy Kandahar region independent. This area is now southern Afghanistan. Many people call him Mīrwais Nīkə or Mīrwais Bābā. These names mean "Mirwais the Grandfather" in Pashto.
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The Situation in Kandahar
George XI of Kartli was a general from Georgia. He worked for the Safavid Persian Empire. He was sent to Kandahar to stop a possible rebellion. The Safavid ruler, Sultan Husayn, thought the Ghilji tribe was planning to revolt.
When George arrived, he found the Ghilji were not rebelling. They were just trying to resist unfair treatment. Even though the Ghilji were loyal, George treated them harshly. He acted as if he had conquered their land. He fired many important officials. He treated the Afghan people like slaves.
The Ghilji leaders asked Sultan Husayn for help. But their requests were ignored. So, they began to plan a rebellion. It was a difficult situation. The best Persian general was in Kandahar with a large army.
How Mirwais Hotak Rose to Power
Mirwais Hotak was a very important Ghilji chief. He was smart, polite, and one of the richest men in Kandahar. He helped write a letter to Sultan Husayn. He also encouraged his people to be ready for a revolt if needed. When the letter didn't work, Mirwais suggested they obey the Safavids for a while.
George saw how much influence Mirwais had. He thought Mirwais was the only person stopping a rebellion. So, George decided to take away Mirwais's power. He ordered Mirwais to be arrested for plotting against the government. Mirwais and many others were sent to Isfahan, the capital. George felt safe and sent most of his army back to Persia.
In Isfahan, Mirwais spoke to the Persian court. He made George look like an enemy to them. He also asked Sultan Husayn to look into the charges against him. Husayn agreed that Mirwais was innocent. He allowed Mirwais to keep his important position at court.
Mirwais explained that George could become a very dangerous enemy if he rebelled. He warned that George might try to take control of Kandahar, Georgia, and Kerman. Sultan Husayn became worried about George's growing power.
After achieving his goal, Mirwais asked to go on a religious trip to Mecca. The court could not refuse this request. He wanted to get support from religious leaders. He asked them two important questions:
- Is it right for Muslims to fight for their freedom?
- If tribal leaders have promised loyalty to a ruler who breaks his promises, are the tribes still bound by that oath?
The religious leaders said "yes" to both questions. This meant Mirwais had their support for a rebellion. He then returned to Isfahan. He decided to stay at the court for a while to avoid raising suspicion.
Around this time, Sultan Husayn became very worried about George. He thought George might be planning something. So, he sent Mirwais back to Kandahar. Mirwais was told to spy on George. He was also told to remove George from power if he seemed suspicious.
Mirwais returned to Kandahar, and George was very angry. George had to give Mirwais back his old positions. Then, George made an insulting demand of Mirwais regarding his daughter. Mirwais was very offended. He met with other tribal leaders to plan a rebellion. Mirwais asked the tribes to follow him. They waited for his signal.
Mirwais tricked George by sending a young girl disguised as his daughter. Mirwais was ready to rebel. But George still had his Georgian bodyguards. Mirwais told the Tarins, who were tribal governors, to stop paying taxes to George. George sent most of his Georgian soldiers to deal with the Tarins.
Meanwhile, Mirwais gathered members of his Ghilji tribe. He marched his forces close to Kandahar. Then, Mirwais invited the Georgian soldiers, including George, to a feast. He pretended to be upset about the Tarins' behavior. George did not suspect a trick. At the feast, George was killed. Mirwais ordered George and his men to be stripped. He and his allies put on their armor. They rode to Kandahar, looking like George's men. They entered the city gates. They attacked the Georgian army, killed the guards, and let the waiting Afghan forces inside.
The Hotak Dynasty Begins
After the successful takeover, Mirwais gathered the people of Kandahar. He gave a speech. He told them that George's death had weakened Persia. He said this was a chance for Afghans to gain freedom.
Everyone who heard his speech felt inspired. They wanted to defend their new freedom. Mirwais then brought together the main leaders of different tribes. He explained that Persia would likely send an army to punish them. Mirwais was given full power to lead. He armed his forces. He spread news of his success to other tribes. He encouraged them to join the revolt.
Four days after George's death, the rest of the Georgian soldiers returned. There were about 600 trained Georgian men. Mirwais let them get close. Then, he ordered his guns to fire on them. He opened another gate, and over 5,000 cavalrymen rode out. They cut off the Georgian retreat. About 600 Georgians managed to escape. Mirwais chased them for days. He caused many deaths among them.
The retreating Georgians carried news of the revolution to Persia. The Persian court tried to solve the problem peacefully. They were afraid the Hotaks might ask the Mughal Empire for help. They sent an ambassador, Jani Khan. He was supposed to tell Mirwais that George's death would be forgiven if they allowed a Persian army in Kandahar. Mirwais imprisoned Jani Khan. He did this to gain time and delay Persia's plans.
When Persia heard nothing from Jani Khan, they sent another ambassador, Muhammad Khan. He was told that he should "never make base proposals to men who are free." When Muhammad Khan returned, the Persian court realized that war was the only way to defeat Mirwais.
Battles with the Persian Army
In 1710, Persia sent an army led by Muhammad Khan to Kandahar. Mirwais heard that most of the army were Persians. He advanced with over 5,000 cavalrymen and defeated the Persian army. Over the next 18 months, Persia sent four more armies. Each one was defeated. In the last attempt, Persia sent over 5,000 men. They were defeated by only 500 Afghan soldiers. The Persians lost over 1,000 men killed or wounded. Muhammad Khan and his three sons were captured.
After these defeats, Persia focused all its power on Mirwais Hotak. George's nephew, Khusru Khan, marched a large Persian army towards Kandahar. Khusru scouted ahead near Farah. Mirwais took positions near Ghirisk, by the Helmand River. He left the mountain passes unguarded. Khusru led his army of 42,000 through the pass. There, he met Mirwais and his smaller army. The Afghans were outnumbered and defeated by Khusru.
With this victory, Khusru marched on to Kandahar. He demanded that Kandahar surrender, but the Afghans resisted. Mirwais quickly went south of Kandahar. He gathered forces of Balochs and Tarins. They marched towards Kandahar. Mirwais cut off the enemy's supply lines. He destroyed the land around Kandahar. This made it hard for Khusru's army to get food and messages. Khusru tried to continue the siege, but he lost two-thirds of his army. This was due to Mirwais's tactics and Afghan attacks. Khusru ordered a retreat, but Mirwais attacked. The Persian army was destroyed, and Khusru was killed.
Persia tried one last time in 1713–1714. An army led by Muhammad Rustum Khan attacked. But he was forced to leave in 1714 because of the Afghan armies.
Death and What He Left Behind
Mirwais Hotak remained in power until he died in November 1715. His brother, Abdul Aziz, took over after him. But Abdul Aziz was later killed by Mirwais's son, Mahmud. It is said that Abdul Aziz was planning to give Kandahar back to Persia. In 1717, Mahmud took advantage of Persia's weakness. He briefly conquered large parts of Persia.
Mirwais Hotak is buried in his mausoleum in Kandahar. He is seen as one of Afghanistan's greatest national heroes. Many Afghans, especially Pashtuns, admire him. Steven Otfinoski even called him Afghanistan's George Washington in his 2004 book Afghanistan.
See also
- History of Afghanistan
- Safavid conversion of Iran from Sunnism to Shiism
