Hedayat-Allah Khan was a Gilaki prince, who was the semi-independent ruler of Gilan from 1753 to 1786.
11 Facts About Hedayat-Allah Khan
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However, whilst Karim Khan was on an expedition in Azerbaijan, Hedayat-Allah returned to Gilan and re-established his rule in the province.
3.
Hedayat-Allah Khan then appointed his cousin Nazar Ali Khan as the governor of the province, but later altered his stratagem and in 1767 restored Hedayat-Allah as the ruler of Gilan under Zand suzerainty.
4.
In 1782 Agha Mohammad Khan invaded Gilan, Hedayat-Allah had changed his allegiance to the Zand dynasty.
5.
Hedayat-Allah Khan then sent two diplomats, Mirza Sadeq and Agha Sadeq Lahiji, to Agha Mohammad to make peace.
6.
The diplomats were unable to come to favorable terms with Agha Mohammad Hedayat-Allah Khan, who raided Gilan's capital Rasht and seized its riches.
7.
Agha Mohammad Khan now had to focus on Gilan because Hedayat-Allah had returned to the province since the Qajar invasion of the province in 1782.
8.
Furthermore, the Russian consul in Gilan betrayed Hedayat-Allah by providing weapons to Agha Mohammad Khan.
9.
Besides the conquest of Gilan, the second most valuable thing for Agha Mohammad Khan was Hedayat-Allah's treasure.
10.
Gilan flourished under the rule of Hedayat-Allah Khan, who encouraged foreign trade by tempting a substantial amount of Armenians, Russians, Jews, and Indians to Rasht.
11.
Hedayat-Allah Khan preserved an elegant court in Rasht, funded by the silk industry and the sea commerce between Bandar-e Anzali and Astrakhan.