Ashraf Hotaki
Monarch
Shah Ashraf Hotaki,, also known as Ashraf Ghilzai (died 1730), son of Abdul Aziz Hotak, was the fourth ruler of the Hotaki dynasty. An Afghan from the Ghilzai Pashtuns, he served as a commander in the army of Shah Mahmud during their conquest of the Persia Empire. Ashraf participated in the Battle of Gulnabad against the Persians and became victorious. In 1725, he succeeded to the throne after the death of his cousin Mahmud. The nephew of Mirwais Hotak, his reign was noted for the sudden decline in the Hotaki Afghan Empire under increasing pressure from Turkish, Russian, and Persian forces. Ashraf Khan halted both the Russian and Turkish onslaughts. He defeated the Ottoman Empire in a battle near Kermanshah, after the enemy had come close to Isfahan. This led to peace negotiations with the Sublime Porte, which were briefly disrupted after Ashraf's ambassador insisted his master should be Caliph of the East and the Ottoman Sultan Caliph of the West. This caused great umbrage to the Ottomans, but a peace agreement was finally signed at Hamadan in the autum of 1727. Ultimately, though it was a little-known Afsharid Turkmen rebel, Nader Shah, who defeated Ashraf's Ghilzai forces at the Battle of Damghan in October 1729, driving them back to what is now Afghanistan.
Personal facts
| Alias (AKA) | Khan Shah Mir |
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| Date of death | January 01, 1730 |
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| Title | Emir of Afghanistan / Shah of Persia |
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