The Charaweemak Hazara in Power Dynamics from the Era of Darvish Ali Khan to the Constitutional Period

Abstract

The Hazara tribe of Badghis is one of the important sub-branches of the large Charaweemak tribe of Khorasan, which played a significant role in the regional power dynamics over a vast area in Greater Khorasan and along the borders of Central Asia. This research examines the role of Hazara leaders from the rise of Nader Shah to the events that followed his death. It explores the presence of Darvish Ali Khan Hazara in power dynamics in the western part of present-day Afghanistan and the Herat region, the presence of Bonyad Khan Hazara in power dynamics and his confrontation with Shoja-ol-Saltaneh, as well as his alliance with Fateh Khan Afghan. Additionally, the role of Shir Mohammad Khan Nezam-od-Dowleh in the political issues of the time, which led to tensions between him and Asaf-od-Dowleh Qajar, is examined. The activities of the successors of Karimdad Khan and their relations with the Alikozai ruler of Herat, confrontations with the Turkmens, the rivalry between the Qarai and the Hazara, the presence of Hazara forces in the conflicts in northern Khorasan alongside the central government, and their participation with the Constitutionalists of Khorasan and the Provincial Council of Khorasan are also analyzed. The findings revealed that the Charaweemak Hazara tribe, Badghis branch, played a significant role in local and regional power dynamics from the time of Nader Shah’s reign, throughout the Qajar dynasty, and up to the Constitutional Revolution, alongside other local tribes of Western Khorasan, Northwestern Afghanistan, and the Central Asian Khanates in the region's power equations.