User:HistoryofIran/Valeh Daghestani

Ali Qoli Khan Valeh Daghestani, better known as Valeh Daghestani (1712–1756) was an Iranian émigré poet of the court of Mughal India. He is principally known for his Riaz al-sho'ara, a Persian tazkera (collection of biographies) of 2,500 poets.

Biography
Valeh was born in 1712 in Isfahan, the royal capital of Safavid Iran. He belonged to the aristocratic Shamkhal family of Daghestan, which claimed to be descended from the caliphs of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258). Valeh's family had served the Safavid rulers for many generations under high offices. Valeh's father was Mohammad-Ali Khan, a military commander who was killed in 1716 during a revolt in the Erivan Province, which was he assigned to governor. With his death, Valeh became an orphan. In 1720, all of Valeh's family members were stripped of their posts, including Valeh's great uncle Fath-Ali Khan Daghestani, the grand vizier of Shah Soltan Hoseyn ((r. 1694 – 1722)). Two years later, Isfahan fell to the Afghans. These events which occurred during Valeh's childhood served as the plot in Valeh's later popular love story with cousin, Khadija "Soltan" Begom. The story is mentioned in Valeh's Riaz al-sho'ara, though most of it is encompassed of the masnavi of his Faqir Dehlavi, the Masnavi-yi Valih Sultan.

In 1729/30, Valeh became part of the retinue of the Shah Tahmasp II ((r. 1729 – 1732)). In 1732, however, the latter was jailed by Nader as part of his scheme to solidify his own authority. As a result, Valeh returned to Isfahan, where he discovered that Nader had broken down the marriage between him and his fiancée, instead forcing her to marry his governor in Yazd. By 1734, Valeh was now living in Hindustan (the Indian subcontinent) with Hazin Lahiji (died 1766), whom he had previously become acquaintanced with in the city of Lar. They had moved there due to avoid the ongoing chaos in Iran, caused by the Afghan attacks and several civil wars. In Lahore, Valeh and Hazin became acquaintanced with Azad Bilgrami, with whom they traveled to Delhi.

There Valeh was introduced to the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah ((r. 1719 – 1748)) by Saadat Ali Khan I, himself a migrant from Nishapur, who now ruled Awadh. Muhammad Shah made Valeh the commander of four thousand, and also gave him the office of second Mir Tuzuk and the title of Zafar Jang. In 1737/38, Valeh married a dancer and poet, Ram Jani, with whom he had a daughter named Gunnah Baygum, who would later marry Imad al-Mulk, the infamous Mughal vizier of the 1750s. Valeh continued to serve the Mughals as part of the entourage of Saadat Ali Khan I and his successors, continuously increasing his status. Valeh later died in 1756.

Valeh had a significant impact on the literary preferences of 18th-century India.