Fat′h-Ali Shah Qajar

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40px    Fat′h-Ali Shah Qajar
Shahanshah of Persia
250px
Reign 1797-1834
Full Name Fat'h Ali Shah
Born 5 September 1772(1772-09-05)
Birthplace Damghan, Persia
Died 23 October 1834 (aged 62)
Place of death Tehran, Persia
Buried Qom
Predecessor Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar
Successor Mohammad Shah Qajar
Dynasty Qajar Dynasty
Religious beliefs Shia Islam

Fat′h Ali Shah Qajar (var. Fathalishah, Fathali Shah, Fath Ali Shah) (Persian: فتح على شاه قاجار)‎ (5 September 1772 – 23 October 1834) was the second Qajar king of Iran. He ruled from 17 June 1797 to 23 October 1834.

Early life

Fat′h Ali Shah was the son of Hossein Qoli Khan Qajar, brother of Agha Mohammad Khan. He was born in 5 September 1772. He was governor of Fars when his uncle was assassinated in 1797. Fat′h Ali shah's real name was "Bābā Khān" but he was crowned as Fat′h Ali Shah. He became suspicious of his chancellor Hajji Ebrahim Khan Kalantar and ordered his execution. Hajji Ebrahim Khan had been chancellor to Zand and Qajar rulers for some fifteen years.

Much of his reign was marked by the resurgence of Persian arts and painting, as well as a deeply elaborate court culture with extremely rigid etiquette. In particular during his reign, portraiture and large-scale oil painting reached a height previously unknown under any other Islamic dynasty, largely due to his personal patronage.

Fat′h Ali also ordered the creation of much royal regalia, including coronations chairs, "Takht-e-Tâvoos" (Persian: تخت طاووس) or Peacock throne and "Takht-e-Nāderī" (Persian: تخت نادری) or Naderi throne, which was also used by later kings, and the "Tāj-i-Kīyānī" (Persian: تاج كيانى), or Kiani Crown, a modification of the crown of the same name created by his uncle Agha Mohammad Khan. This, like most of his regalia, was studded with innumerable pearls and gems. His Crown Jewels were valued at the time at a minimum of fifteen million pounds.[citation needed]

Russo-Persia wars

Russo-Persian War (1804–1813)

During the early reign of Fat′h Ali Shah, Imperial Russia took control of Georgia claimed by the Persians. The war broke between Persia and Russia when Fat′h Ali Shah ordered the invasion of Georgia in 1804, under pressure from the Shia clergy, who were urging a war against Russia. The war began with notable victories for the Persians, but Russia shipped in advanced weaponry and cannons that disadvantaged the technologically inferior Qajar forces, who did not have artillery to match. Russia continued with a major campaign against Persia; Persia asked for help from Britain on the grounds of a military agreement with that country (the military agreement was signed after the rise of Napoleon in France). However, Britain refused to help Persia claiming that the military agreement concerned a French attack not Russian.

File:Gardane Jaubert Jouanin.jpg
General Gardane, with colleagues Jaubert and Joanin, at the Persian court of Fat′h Ali Shah in 1808.

Persia had to ask for help from France, sending an ambassador to Napoleon and concluding a Franco-Persian alliance with the signature of the Treaty of Finkenstein. However, just when the French were ready to help Persia, Napoleon made peace with Russia. At this time, John Malcolm arrived in Persia and promised support but Britain later changed its mind and asked Persia to retreat. Russian troops invaded Tabriz in 1813 and Persia was forced to sign the Treaty of Gulistan with Russia.

Treaty of Gulistan

On account of consecutive defeats of Persia and after the fall of Lankaran on 1 January 1813, Shah was forced to sign the Treaty of Gulistan. The text of treaty was prepared by a British diplomat; Sir Gore Ouseley; and was signed by Nikolai Fyodorovich Rtischev from the Russian side"[1] and Hajji Mirza Abol Hasan Khan from the Iranian side on 24 October 1813 in the village of Gulistan.[1]

By this treaty all of the cities, towns, and villages of Georgia, villages and towns on the coast of the Black Sea , all of the cities, towns and villages of the Khanates in South Caucasus and part of the Talysh Khanate, including Megrelia, Abkhazia, Imeretia, Guria, Baku khanate, Shirvan Khanate, Derbent, Karabakh khanate, Ganja khanate, Shaki Khanate and Quba Khanate became part of Russia.[2] In return Russia pledged to support Abbas Mirza as heir to the Persian throne after the death of Fat′h Ali Shah.

Russo-Persian War (1826–1828)

File:Persia1808.JPG
Persia in 1808 according to a British map, before defeats to Russia in the north on 1813 and the Treaty of Gulistan, and the loss of Herat to Great Britain in 1857 after the Treaty of Paris

In 1826, 13 years after the Treaty of Gulistan Shah on the advice of British agents, decided to occupy the lost territories. Abbas Mirza invaded the Talysh Khanate and Karabakh khanate with an army of 35000 on 16 July 1828. The Khans quickly switched sides and surrendered their principal cities, Lenkoran, Quba and Baku to the Persians. In May 1827, Ivan Paskevich, Governor of Caucasus, invaded Echmiadzin, Nakhichevan, Abbasabad and on 1 October Erivan. Fourteen days later, General Eristov entered Tabriz. On January 1828 when Russians reached the shores of Lake Urmia, Abbas Mirza urgently signed the Treaty of Turkmenchay on 2 February 1828.

Treaty of Turkmenchay

Turkmenchay Treaty was signed on 21 February 1828 by Hajji Mirza Abol Hasan Khan and General Ivan Paskievich . By this treaty Erivan khanate, Nakhchivan khanate, Talysh Khanate, Ordubad and Mughan became under the rule of Imperial Russia.[3] Iran pledged to pay Russia 10 Million in Gold and in return Russia pledged to support Abbas Mirza as heir to the Persian throne after the death of Fat′h Ali Shah . The treaty also stipulated the resettlement of Armenians from Persia to the Caucasus, which also included an outright liberation of Armenian captives who were brought and had lived in Iran since 1804 or as far back as 1795.

Later life

Fat′h Ali later employed writers and painters to make a book about his wars with Russia, inspired by the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi. This book, considered by many to be the most important Persian book written in the Qajar period, is called the Shahanshahnama.

In 1829, Alexandr Griboyedov, the Russian diplomat and play writer was killed in the encirclement of the Russia embassy in Tehran. To apologize, the Shah sent Tsar Nicholas I one of the biggest diamonds of his crown Jewelry, Shah Diamond.

When his beloved son and crown prince Abbas Mirza died on 25 October 1833, Fat′h Ali named his grandson Mohammed Mirza as his crown prince. Fat′h Ali died a year later, on 23 October 1834.

He is instantly recognizable in all 25 known portraits - mainly due to his immense, deeply black beard, which reached well beneath his narrow waist.

Besides eulogistic chronicles, the only real sources that allow us to judge his personality are those of British, French and Russian diplomats. These vary greatly: earlier in his reign they tend to portray him as vigorous, manly and highly intelligent. Later they begin to point out his extreme indolence and avarice.

In 1797, he was given a complete set of the Britannica's 3rd edition, which he read completely; after this feat, he extended his royal title to include "Most Formidable Lord and Master of the Encyclopædia Britannica."[4]

File:Golestan-qajar.jpg
Fath Ali Shah Qajar with his Kiani crown, painted by Mir Ali

Offspring

Fat′h Ali Shah had 158 wives[citation needed], many of them were Zand or Afshar princesses. He had 260 children[citation needed]. Of those, 57 sons and 48 daughters, 105 total, survived him. Just his 10 eldest sons had 333 children. He had, in total, 786 grandchildren, 313 grandsons and 473 grand daughters[citation needed]. His first son, Mohammad Ali Mirza Dowlatsh, was seven months older than his brother Abbas Mirza (Fat'h Ali Shah’s Crown Prince), but on account of his mother, Ziba Chehreh Khanoum, non-Qajar origin he was unable to claim the title "Valiahd." (Crown prince).

sons

  • Mohammad Ali Mirza (1788-1821)
  • Mohammad Qoli Mirza (1788-1874)
  • Mohammad Vali Mirza (1789-1869)
  • Abbas Mirza (1789-1833)
  • Hossein Ali Mirza (1789-1835)
  • Hassan Ali Mirza
  • Mohammad Taqi Mirza
  • Ali Naqi Mirza
  • Sheikh Ali Mirza
  • Ali Shah Mirza
  • Abdollah Mirza
  • Imam Verdi Mirza
  • Mohammad Reza Mirza
  • Mahmud Mirza
  • Heydar Qoli Mirza
  • Homayoun Mirza
  • Allah Verdi Mirza
  • Esma'il Mirza
  • Ahmad Ali Mirza
  • Ali Reza Mirza
  • Keyghobad Mirza
  • Bahram Mirza
  • Shapour Mirza
  • Malek Qassem Mirza
  • Manoutchehr Mirza
  • Hormozd Mirza
  • Malek Iradj Mirza
  • Keykavous Mirza
  • Shah Qoli Mirza
  • Mohammad Mehdi Mirza
  • Keykhosro Mirza
  • Kioumarth Mirza
  • Jahan Shah Mirza
  • Soleyman Mirza
  • Fatollah Mirza
  • Malek Mansur Mirza
  • Bahman Mirza
  • Soltan Mohammad Mirza
  • Soltan Ebrahim Mirza
  • Soltan Salim Mirza
  • Soltan Mostafa Mirza
  • Seyfollah Mirza
  • Yahya Mirza
  • Zakarya Mirza
  • Mohammad Amin Mirza
  • Soltan Hamzeh Mirza
  • Farrokhseyr Mirza
  • Tahmoureth Mirza
  • Soltan Ahmad Mirza (1812-1902)
  • Sahebgharan Mirza
  • Jahansouz Mirza
  • Mohammad Hadi Mirza
  • Parviz Mirza
  • Ali Qoli Mirza
  • Abbas Qoli Mirza
  • Kamran Mirza
  • Orang-zeyb Mirza
  • Soltan Jalal al-Din Mirza
  • Amanollah Mirza
Fat′h-Ali Shah Qajar
Born: 5 September 1772 Died: 23 October 1834
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar
Shah of Persia
1797-1834
Succeeded by
Mohammad Shah Qajar

See also

References

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External links

az:Fətəli şah Qacar

ca:Fat·h-Alí Xah Qajar de:Fath Ali Schah et:Fath Ali-šahh fa:فتحعلی شاه fr:Fath Ali Shah Qajar os:Фатх Али шах it:Fath Ali Shah nl:Sjah Fath'Ali Kadjar ja:ファトフ・アリー・シャー pt:Fat′h Ali Shah Qajar ru:Фетх Али-шах tr:Feth Ali Şah Kaçar

vi:Fath Ali Shah Qajar
  1. 1.0 1.1 Treaty of Gulistan
  2. John F. Baddeley, "The Russian Conquest of the Caucasus", Longman, Green and Co., London: 1908, p. 90
  3. Treaty of Turkmenchay
  4. Banquet at Guildhall in the City of London, Tuesday 15 October 1968: Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Encyclopædia Britannica and the 25th Anniversary of the Honorable William Benton as its Chairman and Publisher. United Kingdom: Encyclopædia Britannica International, Ltd. 1968.