The Battle of Karnal
History Daily
History Daily
4.4 • 2.5K Ratings
🗓️ 24 February 2025
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
February 24, 1739. The Persian leader Nader Shah wins a decisive victory in India at the Battle of Karnal. The fallout from the battle shatters the Mughal Empire, leaving the sub-continent vulnerable to later domination by colonial powers.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad-free. |
| 0:04.1 | Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondry app. |
| 0:06.0 | As a member of NoisorPlus at noisor.com or in Apple Podcasts, |
| 0:10.6 | or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com. It's the morning of August 6, 1708 in the province of Horassonne in northeast Persia. |
| 0:31.6 | Clutching a bow at his side, 10-year-old Nadir Koli scurries up a hill in the footsteps of his father. |
| 0:37.8 | Reaching the top first, his father holds out a hand in warning, and Nadir freezes. |
| 0:42.8 | His father points silently down the other side of the hill. |
| 0:46.0 | Less than a hundred feet away, a wolf feasts on the entrails of a fat-tailed sheep. |
| 0:51.1 | Nadir looks over at his father, and his father nods. |
| 0:54.0 | This is the animal they've been |
| 0:55.5 | hunting. Four days, this wolf has been picking off the family's flock of sheep one by one. Now they |
| 1:01.7 | finally found the predator, and Nadir's father wants him to take the shot. It's Nadir's birthday, |
| 1:07.5 | and now that he's 10 years old, his father thinks he's old enough for the responsibility. |
| 1:12.2 | With his bow and arrow in his hands, Nadir slowly and silently rises to his feet. |
| 1:17.6 | One wrong move, and the animal could flee. |
| 1:20.4 | Taking a final, calming breath, Nadir takes aim and lets loose. |
| 1:25.5 | The wolf flinches in pain before slumping to the ground. Nadir smiles with relief |
| 1:31.3 | as his father jumps to his feet to congratulate him. It's a clean shot right through the heart. |
| 1:40.5 | Nadir Koli's father has always been certain that his boy is special. |
| 1:44.7 | When Nader was young, his father was told by a fortune teller that his son was destined for greatness, |
| 1:49.8 | that one day he would not just be a king, but a king of kings. |
| 1:53.7 | Nadir's father does not live long enough to see it, but the souser will be proved right. |
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