Editing Ahmad Shah Durrani (section)

==Early life==
Ahmad Shah was born between 1720 and 1722 in either [[Herat]], [[Afghanistan]], or [[Multan]], [[Pakistan]]. Sources are disputed on where he was born.{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=287}} Modern scholarship came to the consensus that Ahmad Shah was born in Multan, but this is disputed by Nejatie, who states that the majority of sources from Ahmad Shah's time state that he was born in Herat, rather than Multan, including the [[Tarikh-i Ahmad Shahi]], a primary source commissioned by Ahmad Shah.{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=287-293}}

His father, Zaman Khan, was the [[Sadozai Sultanate of Herat|emir of Herat]]. Zaman Khan had died in 1721, leading to Ahmad Shah being raised alongside his brother Zulfiqar Khan in [[Shindand]] and [[Farah, Afghanistan|Farah]]. In the mid-1720s, Zulfiqar Khan was invited to rule Herat. Nothing else is heard of Ahmad Shah until 1731–1732, when Zulfiqar Khan was defeated by [[Nader Shah]], forcing both Zulfiqar Khan and Ahmad Shah to flee to [[Kandahar]], where they remained political prisoners of [[Hussain Hotak]].{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=294}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=15-16}}{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=87}}

After Nader Shah [[Siege of Kandahar|conquered Kandahar]], Ahmad Shah and Zulfiqar Khan were freed. Ahmad Shah spent much of his early life in the service of Nader Shah. Accompanying him on his [[Nader Shah's invasion of India|invasion of India]], Ahmad Shah was later resettled in [[Mazandaran province|Mazandaran]] alongside his brother. Iranica states that Ahmad Shah may have become the governor of Mazandaran.{{sfn|Balland|1995}} After the death of his brother, Ahmad Shah enlisted in the [[Military of Afsharid Iran|Afsharid military]] in 1742. Some sources suggest that it was only Zulfiqar Khan that left for Mazandaran, while Ahmad Shah remained in Nader Shah's service as an officer.{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=296-298}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=18}}{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=91}}

During Nader Shah's invasion of India, Ahmad Shah personally commanded a [[regiment]] of [[Durrani]] tribesmen. Ahmad Shah's forces [[Nader Shah's invasion of India#Massacre of Delhi|committed massacres and sacked Delhi]] alongside Nader Shah's army in 1739.{{sfn|Mehta|2005|p=247}} According to legend, [[Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I|Nizam ul-Mulk]], the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] governor of [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad]], supposedly an expert in [[physiognomy]], predicted that Ahmad Shah would become king. Nader Shah took notice of this and believed in the prophecy, clipping a piece of Ahmad Shah's ears, and remarking "When you become a king, this will remind you of me". Nader Shah also requested that Ahmad Shah be generous with his descendants.{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=300}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=19}} Nejatie is skeptical of the account.{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=302}}

In 1744, Ahmad Shah was promoted to a personal staff of Nader Shah. In a [[Ottoman–Persian War (1743–1746)|campaign against the Ottomans]], Ahmad Shah distinguished himself and was allowed to raise a contingent of 3–4,000 Durrani tribesmen by Nader Shah. Ahmad Shah's contingent became one of Nader Shah's most trusted, utilizing them to shatter the power of his other commanders due to his perception that they were planning to rebel or kill him.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=100}}{{sfn|Barfield|2022|p=98}}

===Death of Nader Shah===
In June 1747, Nader Shah was convinced that his [[royal guard|personal guard]] intended to [[assassinate]] him. As a result, he summoned Ahmad Shah and other loyal commanders. Nader Shah ordered Ahmad Shah to assemble his [[Durrani]] regiments, and to arrest his personal guard. If the personal guard resisted, Ahmad Shah was given permission to kill them all. He was ordered to do this at first light. Nader Shah then chose to sleep with his favorite wife, but did so outside the royal tent, where the same guards he accused of treachery presumed [[Patrol|night duty]], while Ahmad Shah with his regiments were established at the defenses of the camp.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=102}}

News of Nader Shah's plan leaked, with the conspirators being forced to act. Four conspirators entered the royal enclosure and entered Nader Shah's tent at [[Quchan]], assassinating him.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=102-103}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=21-22}} Chaos ensued afterward, and plans to coverup the killing by the conspirators failed. They resorted to pillaging the royal enclosure while news of Nader Shah's death rapidly spread. The next morning, the royal guard attacked Ahmad Shah's forces, who despite being heavily outnumbered, drove the Persians and [[Qizilbash]] off. Ahmad Shah then entered the tent of Nader Shah, taking the [[Koh-i-Noor]] diamond and a signet ring from his body.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=103}}{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=305-306}}