Overview
Tahmasp II kept the Safavid claim alive after the Afghan conquest of Isfahan, but his restoration depended on his general Nader Qoli, who in the end took the throne for himself.
Rise to Power
He escaped from Isfahan during the Afghan siege of 1722 and proclaimed himself shah at Qazvin after his father surrendered to Mahmud Hotaki.
Rule and Achievements
- Held out in northern Iran while Afghans, Ottomans and Russians divided the country
- Took Nader Qoli into his service in 1726; Nader defeated the Afghans and recovered Isfahan for him in 1729
- Lost Iranian lands in the Caucasus to the Ottomans in 1731 while Nader was away
Legacy
Using that defeat as a pretext, Nader deposed him in 1732 and set his infant son Abbas III on the throne. Tahmasp was killed in 1740 on the order of Nader's son Reza Qoli.