Karim Khan Zand (Persian: کریم خان زند) was a king of Persia who reigned from 1760 until 1779.
After Nadir Shah's death in 1747, Persia was entered into a civil war. At that time Karim Khan, Abdolfath Khan and Ali Mardan Khan reached an agreement to divide the country between themselves and giving throne to Ismail III .
However the cooperation ended after Ali Mardan khan invaded Isfahan and killed Abdolfath khan. Then Karim Khan killed Ali Mardan Khan and invaded all Iran except Khorasan, respecting Shahrokh. Nevertheless he did not adopt the title of Shah for himself and called himself Vakil ar-Ra'aayaa (The Peasants' Regent).
During his reign, relations with Britain was restored and he allowed the East India Company to have a trading post in southern Iran. He made Shiraz his capital and ordered the building of several architectural sites there.
After Karim Khan's death, civil war broke out and none of his decendants were able to rule the country as effectively as he had done, until Agha Mohammad Khan came to power.
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Last updated: 08-29-2005 03:02:42
Last updated: 09-12-2005 02:39:13
