Agha Mohammad Khan vs Ngolo Diarra

Agha Mohammad Khan besieged and captured Kerman, the last Zand stronghold. He ordered the massacre of the city's defenders and the blinding of the Zand ruler Lotf Ali Khan, brutally crushing all opposition and solidifying Qajar control over southern Persia.

Agha Mohammad Khan defeated the Zand dynasty and established the Qajar dynasty, unifying Persia under his rule. He crowned himself shah in 1796, ending decades of civil war and foreign intervention, and establishing a dynasty that would rule until 1925.

Agha Mohammad Khan invaded Georgia, then under Russian protection, and sacked Tbilisi. He reasserted Persian sovereignty over the region, but this campaign provoked Russian intervention and led to the Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813, which ultimately resulted in Persian loss of the Caucasus.

Agha Mohammad Khan was assassinated by his own servants in Shusha, Karabakh, during a dispute. His death created a succession crisis, but his nephew Fath-Ali Shah quickly took the throne, continuing the Qajar dynasty. The assassination highlighted the violent internal politics of the Qajar court.

Ngolo Diarra, a former slave, led a successful military campaign to capture the city of Segou from the ruling Coulibaly dynasty. This victory established him as the new faama (king) of the Bamana Empire, marking the beginning of his reign.

After his conquest, Ngolo Diarra made Segou the permanent capital of the Bamana Empire. He initiated a building program that included the construction of a royal palace and fortifications, transforming the city into a major political and economic center.

Ngolo Diarra launched military campaigns that expanded Bamana control over the Niger River valley, including the conquest of the important trading city of Djenn

Ngolo Diarra restructured the Bamana military, creating a professional standing army with a core of slave soldiers loyal directly to him. This reform reduced the power of traditional nobles and increased the central authority of the faama.