Siege of Mosul (1743)

Siege of Mosul
Part of the Ottoman–Persian War (1743–46) and the Campaigns of Nader Shah
Date 13 September – 20 October 1743 Location Mosul, Mosul Eyalet Result Ottoman victory Siege suspended Negotiated Persian withdrawal[1][2]
Belligerents
Afsharid Empire	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Nader Shah	Ahmad Pasha[3] Hussain Pasha al-Jalili[4]
Strength
40,000+[5] 390 cannon[1] 230 mortars[1]	40,000+[6]
Casualties and losses
5,000[1]	Heavy[1] (including civilians)

The siege of Mosul was the siege of the Ottoman-held city of Mosul in northern Mesopotamia by Nader Shah's army during the Persian invasion of the Ottoman Empire in 1743.

Commencement of the siege

The Persian siege train had been much improved and augmented since Nader's earlier campaigns as a Safavid general and included hundreds of heavy cannon and mortars. However, due to Nader's illness and impatience with the progression of the siege works, a premature assault was ordered with 40,000 Persian soldiers mounting the city walls using ladders. The city was heavily defended by her Wali Hussain Pasha al-Jalili. The attack was beaten back with heavy casualties. Nader sent a delegation into the city and the garrison commander received them warmly, agreeing to forward their terms to Istanbul and offering gifts to be taken back to the Shah. Istanbul sent a part of plenipotentiaries to negotiate a peace treaty predicated on Nader withdrawing to the border.

Conclusion

The Persian army lifted the siege of Mosul, although the siege of Basra in the south continued nonetheless. The peace treaty was negotiated and signed by both parties. However, Mahmud I, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, later reneged on the terms of agreement and resumed hostilities. Consequently, Nader besieged Kars and shortly thereafter destroyed the Ottoman army at the Battle of Kars in 1745.^[1]

References