Luṭf ʿAlī Khān (b. c.1182/1769, d. 1209/1794), the last ruler of the Zand dynasty and great-nephew of its founder, Karīm Khān, inherited a realm in turmoil when he took power in 1204/1789. His five years of rule (1204-9/1789-94) marked the last phase of the unravelling of Zand rule that had begun with the death of Karīm Khān Zand in 1193/1779. Luṭf ʿAlī Khān's immediate predecessors had been engaged in continuous struggles amongst themselves over the succession to Karīm Khān Zand,