The Pashtun Durrani in the time of…
June 1747 CE
The Pashtun Durrani in the time of the Iranian ruler and conqueror Nader Shah, who has created an empire that stretches from the Indus River to the Caucasus Mountains, have been granted lands in the region of Qandahar, which is their homeland, and they have moved here from Herat.
Nadir Shah's employment of many from the Abdalis (Durranis) and Ghilzais has provided them an opportunity to learn at close quarters.
Among those who have been subordinate in this way to Nadir Shah is Ahmad Khan, a member of the relatively small Sadozai lineage of Abdalis and the commander of the Shah's four thousand-man Pashtun bodyguard.
Nadir Shah's success in welding together a disparate set of territories, while operating outside the system of Mughal sovereignty, provides a model for the Pashtuns after his rule ends abruptly in June 1747 when he is assassinated by his own guards.
The guards involved in the assassination had done so secretly so as to prevent the Abdalis from coming to their King's rescue.
However, Ahmad Khan was told that the Shah had been killed by one of his wives.
Despite the danger of being attacked, the Abdali contingent led by Ahmad Khan rushed either to save the Shah or to confirm what happened.
Upon reaching the Shah's tent, they saw only his body and severed head.
With the murder of Nadir Shah the unity of Persia had collapsed and the army had broken up.
The Abdalis, having served him so loyally, had wept at having failed their leader, and headed back to Kandahar rather than remain among the Persians who had murdered Nader Shah.
Before the retreat to Kandahar, Durrani had "removed" the royal seal from Nader Shah's finger and the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond tied "around the arm of his deceased master".
On their way back to Kandahar, the Abdalis—who managed by sheer luck, to capture a caravan with booty from India, thus becoming rich—had unanimously accepted Durrani as their new leader.
One of Durrani's first acts as chief is to adopt the titles Padishah-i-Ghazi ("victorious emperor"), and Durr-i-Durrani ("pearl of pearls" or "pearl of the age").
He comes to be known as Ahmad Shah Abdali (or Ahmad Shah Durrani).