Nader Shah's Dagestan campaign

Nader's campaigns in Dagestan
Part of Naderian Wars
Silver coin of Nader Shah, minted in Dagestan, dated 1741/2
Date 1741–1745[3] Location North Caucasus, Daghestan Result Persian Invasion of Dagestan: The Persian Empire annexes almost all of Dagestan[4] The Lezgins manage to hold out in the northernmost parts of Dagestan Persian army withdraws from the region[5] Status quo until the collapse of the Persian Empire
Belligerents
Persian Empire Numerous clients & vassals	North Caucasians:[1][2] Lezgins Avar Khanate Kaitag Utsmiate Mehtuli Khanate Gazikumukh Khanate Akusha-Dargo Elisu Sultanate Shaki Khanate
Commanders and leaders
Nader Shah Ebrahim Khan Afshar † Givi Amilakhvari	Haji Dawood Mushkurvi Ahmed Mekhtuly Muhammad Khan Avar
Strength
varying; 100,000-150,000 at height[6]	varying; ~50,000 at height
Casualties and losses
heavy	heavy

Nader's Dagestan campaign,^[7][8][9] were the campaigns conducted by the Persian Empire under its Afsharid ruler Nader Shah between the years 1741 and 1743 in order to fully subjugate the Dagestan region in the North Caucasus Area. The conflict between the Persian Empire & the Lezgins and a myriad of other Caucasian tribes in the north was intermittently fought through the mid-1730s during Nader's first short expedition in the Caucasus until the last years of his reign and assassination in 1747 with minor skirmishes and raids. The incredibly difficult terrain of the northern Caucasus region made the task of subduing the Lezgins an extremely challenging one. Despite this Nader Shah gained numerous strongholds and fortresses from the Dagestanis and pushed them to the very verge of defeat. The Lezgins however held on in the northernmost reaches of Dagestan and continued to defy Persian domination.

The conflict was fought over many years and only included a few years of actual hard fighting, usually when Nader himself was present, but otherwise consisted of skirmishes and raids throughout. The majority of the Persian casualties were from the extremity of the weather as well as the outbreak of disease, all of which combined with the indomitable will of the Lezgins to wage an insurgency and retreat to their distant strongholds when threatened with a pitched battle made the entire war a quagmire for Nader's forces. Ultimately the Lezgins who had held on in the northern fortresses marched south upon hearing of Nader's assassination and reclaimed most of their lost territories as the Persian empire crumbled.

In 1741, an attempt was made on Nāder's life near Darband. When the would-be assassin claimed that he had been recruited by Reza Qoli, the shah had his son blinded in retaliation, an act for which he later felt great remorse. Marvi reported that Nāder began to manifest signs of physical deterioration and mental instability. Finally, the shah was forced to reinstate taxes due to insufficient funds, and the heavy levies sparked numerous rebellions.^[10]