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Khosrow Mirza
Born1813
Died21 October 1875(1875-10-21) (aged 61–62)
HouseQajar dynasty
FatherAbbas Mirza
MotherKhurde Khanum
ReligionIslam
OccupationPrince of Qajar Dynasty

Prince Khosrow Mirza Qajar (Persian: شاهزاده خسرو میرزا قاجار; 1813 – 21 October 1875) was 7th son of Abbas Mirza and grandson of Fath-Ali Shah, King of Iran.

Khosrow Mirza is best known for his "apology mission" to Russian Empire after murder of Alexander Griboyedov by peasants and donation of Shah Diamond to Nicholas I as a present. his travelogue, regardless of his personal experiences had Valuable points about the progress of Russia and its education system and schools that inspired Amir Kabir to Established Dar al-Funun. after return, he appointment as advisor of his father, Abbas Mirza and helped him in Finance of Khorasan province.

with death of his father, Fath-Ali Shah appointment Khosrow Mirza's elder brother, Mohammad Mirza as Crown prince. though he had good relation with Mohammad Mirza, by his order, he and his younger brother, Djahangir Mirza were imprisoned in a castle in Ardabil. in first days of Mohammad Shah's reign, he ordered to blinded both brothers to lose all of their chance to claim throne. after Qa'em-Maqam was killed, Khosrow Mirza found chance to get free from prison and even appointed as Royal Finance Administer. he later fought in Mohammad Shah's expedition of Herat. he spend last years of his life Hamadan and died in 21 October 1875.

Khosrow Mirza is portrayed many times in Russian literature.

background edit

Early life edit

 
Portrait of Abbas Mirza (c. 1820s)

Prince Khosrow Mirza was born in spring of 1813 in Shams ol Emareh palace of Tabriz.[1] his Mother, Khurde Khanum, was daughter of a Turkmen bey.[2] he spent first years along with his mother and later his three brothers: Djahangir Mirza, Ahmad Mirza and Mostafa Gholi Mirza.[3]

At age of 7, he was entrusted to his uncle, Hussein-Ali bey. He was trained to ride and wield weapons.[3] From age of 9 he began to study with teachers - he studied Arabic and Azeri languages, various sciences, the works of the great poets of the East and the rules of decency. he found himself outstanding abilities in sciences, in addition, he was considered the best rider at his father's court.[1]

In the spring of 1826, Khosrow Mirza was appointed company commander of the guards battalion, which was trained by British instructors. During Russo-Persian War of 1826-1828, he was in the retinue of his father, without having a special position. The prince witnessed major defeats for the Persian army and watched the peace negotiations.[2] In July 1827, Griboyedov was sent to Abbas's camp at near Tabriz for negotiations, and he also met Khosrow Mirza.[4] These negotiations gave no results and the war continued until in October that Lieutenant General Eristov captured Tabriz (the capital of the heir's province), and Abbas Mirza agreed to start peace negotiations.[5]

on 5 November 1827, Khosrow Mirza had a meeting with count Ivan Paskevich, they discussed about peace negotiation, ran a horse riding chalenge and Khosrow Mirza read Rumi poems for him. according to Markelov, Paskevich liked his "Noble behavior" and saw him as a "Rightful prince".[2] according to Ekhtiar, Abbas Mirza send him on purpose To test his abilities and after meeting, made him his diplomatic secretary.[6] On February 8, 1828, peace negotiations were resumed in the village of Turkmanchay. The peace was signed, and Khosrow Mirza and his brother Djahangir Mirza were present.[7]

Griboyedov's death edit

On October 6, 1828, Griboyedov with his young wife, Nino and the whole Board arrived in Tehran, the next day Abbas Mirza wrote him a letter in which he wished a good experience in Iran for him.[4] Griboyedov was also greeted by Khosrow Mirza, who from 1827 became his father's diplomatic secretary.[4] In early January Abbas Mirza wrote a letter to count Paskevich in which he would like to go to St. Petersburg in February on a friendly visit to tsar Nicholas I. Khosrow Mirza was supposed to accompany his father on this trip as part of this retinue. Abbas Mirza's secretary Mirza Saleh arrived in Tiflis to see Paskevich on February 7, 1829 with this message, and stayed there to wait for Abbas Mirza.[8] but shortly later a group of Peasents attacked russian embassy and killed Griboyedov and most of his staff.[9]

"Apology mission" edit

 
Khosrow Mirza and his group in a Russian newspaper report

immediately news reached Tabriz, Abbas Mirza ordered for build fortresses throughout Tabriz to in case of war, Tabriz wouldn't fall too easily.[10] based of Khosrow Mirza's previous Diplomatic negotiations with count Paskevich, Fath-Ali Shah made a Firman to Abbas Mirza in which he ordered he set a Committee and send them to Saint Petersburg to apology tsar and clearly ordered that Khosrow Mirza must led the committee.[11] meanwhile Denis Davydov who had been in Tabriz had meeting with Khosrow Mirza and according to Deutschmann prepared him to he can face with tsar.[12] Davydov also sent a letter to Count Paskevich in which he requested Paskevich get a meeting for Khosrow Mirza with Tsar.[12]

in early April 1829. an acceptance letter with Tsar's stamp reached Tabriz[13], shortly a committee led by Khosrow Mirza accompanied with gifts and entourage include; Mirza Mohammed Khan Zangana, Mirza Masud Garmarudi, Mirza Saleh Shirazi, Hossein Ali Beg (Khosrow Mirza's uncle), Mirza Taqi Khan Farahani (future Amir Kabir), Mirza Baba Afshar, Fazel Khan Garrusi, Mohammad Hossein Khan, Magniago de Borea (Khosrow Mirza's french tutor) and Barthélémy Semino (french militry adviser) left Tabriz to Saint Petersburg.[14]

committee crossed Aras river on 9 May and met count Paskevich on Tiflis on 19 May, on 4 June they left Tiflis and arrived in Moscow on 26 July. committee crossed Aras river on 9 May and met Count Paskevich on Tiflis on 19 May, on 4 June they left Tiflis.[14] From Tiflis to Novgorod they were joined by Count P. P. Sukhtelen and three translator. they were supposed to keep secret journals and daily report to St. Petersburg about every step of Khosrow Mirza.[2] they arrived in Moscow on 26 July. in Moscow Khosrow Mirza visited Griboyedov's mother and shad tears with her.[14] in Moscow Khosrow Mirza and his group were housed at Grand Kremlin Palace, he himself Visited Bolshoi Theater and Imperial Moscow University and spoke to profesors and common people.[2] Khosrow Mirza also met Nikolay Yusupov, they had dinner together and according to Bournoutian:

though Yusupov believed that Khosrow Mirza's using of knives and forks in not right way is disrespected to him, but he believed Khosrow Mirza is a noble, knowledgeable person that between all Iranian Princes, is the only one who can have a meeting with tsar.

— [15]

on August 11 committee were arrived at Saint Petersburg, they housed at Tauride Palace.[14] Khosrow Mirza visited Tsarskoye Selo, Peterhof and Winter palace. he was welcomed by Royal princes and princesses and made some speeches.[15] in 22 August, in a Official ceremony, Khosrow Mirza read Fath-Ali Shah's letter for Tsar.[14] he and his retinue were showered with gifts (including 12 state-of-the-art guns). For his part, he presented to the imperial family gifts from the Shah, among which was a large 88.7-carat Shah diamond, 20 precious manuscripts, two cashmere carpets, a pearl necklace for the empress, a saber for the heir, Alexander and jewelry for the grand princesses.[16] according to Bournoutian, committee stayed until 27 February and at the time Khosrow Mirza charmed The Royal family and managed to reduce war indemnity payment.[14] Khosrow Mirza and his group returned to Tabriz on 15 March 1830 were gloriously welcomed by Abbas Mirza.[17]

the Travelogue edit

 
Khosrow Mirza by Karl Hampeln

Khosrow Mirza's travelogue to St. Petersburg is a travelogue wriiten by Mirza Masud's secretary Mirza Mustafa Afshar.[14] Mirza Mustafa was with Khosrow Mirza throughout the trip. it was originally in six chapters; But the sixth chapter of the book is missing. In this, there is a detailed report of Iranians' treatment of Russian factories, modern industries, balloons, lithography, museums, greenhouses, taxidermy, etc. Almost everywhere the author sees progress in the work of the Russians, he regrets why the Iranians are deprived of these fields, and in the text of the book, he makes suggestions for sending students from Iran to Russia and France to study and progress.[18]

In the field of Russian treasury, which was based on the circulation of assets in the country's economic flow, he measuring it with the traditional Iranian method of collecting taxes and revenues in the treasury. reports on the construction of a community church and the erection of its large columns with the help of cranes and also he was amazed to see the lithography and the balloon flight. Other industries that have been seen in this journey and mentioned include theater, Academies, Bladesmith, glassmaking, thermometer, museum, and so on.[18]

He also deals with information such as the borders of Russian Empire, the occupations of this country, the number of its citizens and the characteristics of these people and the products and animals of Russia.[19] It is also the first work during the Qajar period, which mentions America (Alaska) and considers it to be part of Russia.[20]

according to Ekhtiar, Mirza Taqi Khan Farahani who was present in trip, saw all of Developments and after return, read Mirza Mostafa's report and inspired him to build Dar ul-Funun.[20]

Later life edit

 
Khosrow Mirza's monument

Khosrow Mirza success made him a firm pretender for both his father and grandfather and placed him against his brother Mohammad Mirza.[14] though rivalry between two brothers was low until in 1831 that Fath-Ali Shah granted Governorship of Kerman to Khosrow Mirza[14] and Abbas Mirza made him his advisor.[21] according to Nafisi, Since then, Mohammad Mirza took Grudge on Khosrow Mirza for fear of losing his chance to rule.[21] death of Abbas Mirza in 1833 and illness and Fath-Ali Shah in 1834 was a chance for Mohammad Mirza to remove Khosrow Mirza and his brother, Djahangir Mirza, from succession line. in his order they were arrested[14] in a castle in Ardabil.[21] count Ivan Simonich the new envoy, wanted to make sure Article VII of Treaty of Turkmenchay was observed, so he approved succession of Mohammad Mirza.[14] Khosrow Mirza, who Did not want to be a pretender for crown[22], just hoped Tsar bring him out of prison.[14] but with death of Fath-Ali Shah and Coronation Mohammad Shah, he ordered both brothers were blinded.[14]

in 1835, with death of Qa'em-Maqam and replacement of Haji Mirza Aqasi, Khosrow Mirza get free and with supports of new prim minister, became Royal Finance Administer.[23] he was moved to vicinity of Hamadan.[14] Khosrow Mirza later fought in Siege of Herat and recorded all of casualties of war.[2] he died in Hamadan on 21 October 1875 at the age of 62.[14]

Comments about him edit

 
Khosrow Mirza by Adolph Menzel

according to Bournoutian: “During his stay, he often visited Theaters - Russian and French -, which in those days were full of the audience, eager to see their beloved guest; his happy physiognomy drew the attention of even the mob; the crowd always stood in front of the house where he was staying, and when he left he was accompanied by a run somewhere."[19]

Khosrow Mirza was 16 years old; according to contemporaries, he “was of average height, slender, had charming eyes and an unusually pleasant smile; possessed liveliness in conversation, and was remarkably affable in handling "[2]

Pyotr Karatygin writes: “Khosrow Mirza was a youth of sixteen or seventeen years old, very handsome; he made a great impact in Petersburg societies; especially the ladies were in admiration of him and did give him a pass at the festivities."[2]

Alexandra Smirnova writes about him:

In the summer, Khosrow Mirza came from Persia and brought a bunch of shawls; with him there was a large entourage; he was short and a handsome little man; i found a interest between him and the Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna; who was wearing a fancy Persian-dress that he brought from Persia.

— [24]

Dorothea de Ficquelmont described him in her diary: “He has the most charming face, like a character from an Arab fairy tale or poem, he is small, but rather flexible, with graceful movements. A very beautiful head, velvet eyes, soft, melancholic eyes, charming smile, graceful and soulful physiognomy. He has a small black cap on his head, and he wears shalwar. His retinue is quite numerous. Among them there are beautiful faces, serious, reasonable, but all have a little wild eyes. For two days, as ambassador extraordinary, he received everyone who has the right to do so. He was the first to send his business cards to ambassadors. On Elagin Island we saw him prancing on a horse, and this suits him very much. In the theater, where a concert was given in his honor, he listened to music with interest and pleasure. "[2]

In art edit

Russian edit

Persian edit

  • 1977 Iranian tv series "Khosrow Mirza II" is based of a story about his descendants.[25]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Ekhtiar 1994, p. 44.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Markelov 2001.
  3. ^ a b Nafisi 1963, p. 391.
  4. ^ a b c Andreev 2010, p. 192.
  5. ^ Busse 1982.
  6. ^ Ekhtiar 1994, p. 45.
  7. ^ Atkin 1980, p. 219.
  8. ^ Boyko 2003.
  9. ^ Hopkirk 1980, p. 113.
  10. ^ Amanat 2017, p. 356.
  11. ^ Amanat 2017, p. 357.
  12. ^ a b Deutschmann 2016, p. 49.
  13. ^ Deutschmann 2016, p. 50.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Bournoutian 2015.
  15. ^ a b Bournoutian 2014, p. 159.
  16. ^ Bournoutian 2014, p. 160.
  17. ^ Bournoutian 2014, p. 164.
  18. ^ a b Bournoutian 2014, p. 170.
  19. ^ a b Bournoutian 2014, p. 171.
  20. ^ a b Ekhtiar 1994, p. 46.
  21. ^ a b c Nafisi 1963, p. 394.
  22. ^ Nafisi 1963, p. 395.
  23. ^ Nafisi 1963, p. 396.
  24. ^ Belyakova 1994, p. 167.
  25. ^ Seyed Mohammadi 1999, p. 194.

Bibliography edit

  • Ekhtiar, Maryam Dorreh (1994). The Dar al-Funun: Educational reform and cultural development in Qajar Iran. New York: Dissertation Abstracts. OCLC 873965340.
  • Markelov, N. (2001), "Persian Prince Khosrow Mirza in Russia", Moscow magazine, Moscow, Russia (published 1 March 2001)
  • Nafisi, Saeed (1963). Social and Political History of Iran in the Contemporary Period: From the Beginning of the Qajar Dynasty to the End of Fath Ali Shah. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. ISBN 9786009387311.
  • Andreev, A. Yu (2010). GRIBOEDOV Alexander Sergeevich. Moskow: ROSSPEN.
  • Busse, H. (1982). "ʿABBĀS MĪRZĀ QAJAR". Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition. New York.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Atkin, Muriel (1980). Russia and Iran, 1780-1828. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-6122-0.
  • Boyko, S. A. (2003), Persian Embassy in 1829, Moscow, Russia{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Hopkirk, Peter (1980). The Great Game. New York: John Murray. ISBN 978-1-56836-022-5.
  • Bournoutian, George (2015). "ḴOSROW MIRZĀ QĀJĀR". Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition. New York.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Deutschmann, Moritz (2016). Iran and Russian Imperialism: The ideal anarchists, 1800–1914. Oxon, New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781317385301.
  • Amanat, Abbas (2017). Iran: A Modern History. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300231465.
  • Bournoutian, George (2014). From Tabriz to St. Petersburg: Iran's Mission of Apology to Russia in 1829. Costa Mesa: Mazda Publishers. ISBN 9781568593289.
  • Belyakova, Zoia (1994). Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna and Her Palace in St. Petersburg. Hazar Publishing. ISBN 9781874371540.
  • Seyed Mohammadi, Seyed Morteza (1999). History of Iranian Cinema and Television 1930-1998. Tehran: Simro Publications. ISBN 964-5685-35-4.
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