User:Amir Ghandi/Safavid pretenders
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The Fall of Isfahan in 1722 marked the end of 220-years-old rule of the Safavid dynasty in Iran. However, the prestige of this dynasty did not fade away and the instability left behind by its collapse produced for a thousand years a series of Safavid pretenders (Persian: مدعیان سلطنت صفوی) who appeared at different times and places from the beginning of the Hotak dynasty's rule in Isfahan through the reign of Nader Shah Afshar and into that of Karim Khan Zand. Of these pretenders, only two legitimately claimed descendant from the Safavid stock, Tahmasp II and Shah Ahmad Marashi, while others were spurious. A few of them successfully ascended the throne, although reigned only as figureheads whereas others only sparked short-lived rebellion.
The first pretenders emerged immediately after the Siege of Isfahan, with Tahmasp II, the third son of Soltan Hoseyn, having established himself in Qazvin, calling out for support, and many false pretenders raising arms against the Afghan regime in various regions of Iran. The future Nader Shah raised in power as Tahmasp II's advisor and later the regent for his son, Abbas III.