The Persian Revolution of 1905-1909

by Edward G. Browne

Layout 2

 

THE

PERSIAN REVOLUTION

OF 1905—1909

 

 

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

London: FETTER LANE, E.C.
C. F. CLAY, Manager

Edinburgh: 100, PRINCES STREET
Berlin: A. ASHER AND CO.
Leipzig: F. A. BROCKHAUS
New York: G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
Bombay and Calcutta: MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd.

 

All rights reserved

Sayyid Jamálu’d-Din “al-Afghan”

(died March 9, 1897)

THE

PERSIAN REVOLUTION

OF 1905—1909

 

BY

EDWARD G. BROWNE, M.A., M.B, F.B.A.,

SIR THOMAS ADAMS’ PROFESSOR OF ARABIC
AND FELLOW OF PEMBROKE COLLEGE IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

 

Cambridge:
at the University Press
1910

 

DEDICATION

To all who by their thought, or word, or deed
Have aided Persia in her hour of need,
Whether by tongue, or pen, or sword they wrought,
Whether they strove or suffered, spoke or fought,
Whether their services were small or great,
This book of mine I humbly dedicate.
May these approve my poor attempt to trace
This final effort of an ancient race
To burst its bondage, cast aside its chain,
And rise to life ‘a Nation once again.’

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Preface		xi
CHAP.
I.	Sayyid Jamálu’d-Din, the Protagonist of Pan-Islamism	1
II.	The Tobacco Concession and its consequences	31
III.	The Assassination of Náṣiru’d-Din Sháh	59
IV.	The Granting of the Constitution by Muẓaffaru’d-Din Sháh	98
V.	Muḥammad ‘Alí Sháh and the Constitution, until the abortive Coup d’État of December, 1907	133
VI.	The Anglo-Russian Agreement, as seen through Persian eyes	172
VII.	The Coup d’État of June 23, 1908, and Destruction of the first Majlis	196
VIII.	The Defence of Tabríz. First Period: June—December, 1908	233
IX.	The Fall of Tabríz and the Rising of the Provinces	259
X.	The Nationalist Triumph, the Abdication of Muḥammad ‘Ali, and the Restoration of the Constitution	292
XI.	The Accession of Sulṭán Aḥmad Sháh, and the Convocation of the second Majlis	324
Appendix A. The Bases of the Persian Constitution, namely:
(i)	The Farmán of August 5, 1906	353
(ii)	The Electoral Law of September 9, 1906	355
(iii)	The Fundamental Laws of December 30, 1906	362
(iv)	The Supplementary Fundamental Laws of October 7, 1907	372
(v)	The New Electoral Law of July 1, 1909	385
Appendix B. Notes embodying additional information received while the book was passing through the Press, namely:
(1)	Memorandum on Sayyid Jamálu’d-Din by Mr Wilfrid Scawen Blunt	401
(2)	Hájji Sayyáḥ, Furúghí and the I‘timádu’s-Saltana	404
(3)	M. Antoine Kitábjí	405
(4)	Mírzá Aḥmad of Kirmán and Sayyid Ḥasan	405
(5)	Ḥájji Shaykh Hádí Najm-ábádí	406
(6)	The Amíriyya Palace	407
(7)	Shamsu’l-‘Ulamá and Aminu’ẓ-Ẓarb	407
(8)	Execution of Mírzá Riẓá of Kirmán	408
(9)	Shaykh Aḥmad “Rúḥí” of Kirmán and his two companions	409
(10)	Characters of Muẓaffaru’d-Din Sháh and of the Amínu’d-Dawla	415
(11)	The Qiwámu’d-Dawla	418
(12)	Shapshál Khán	420
(13)	The Anjuman-i-Makhfi	420
(14)	The Sipahsálár	420
(15)	Fatwá on the Rights of Zoroastrians	421
(16)	Attitude of Bahá’ís towards Persian Politics	424
(17)	A Russian view of British Foreign Policy	429
(18)	The Mujallalu’s-Sulṭán	432
(19)	Original texts of the Liakhoff Documents	432
(20)	The Moving Spirits of the Rasht Rising	430
(21)	Mr H. C. Baskerville	440
(22)	Sattár Khán	441
(23)	Persia and the Times	443
(24)	Execution of Shaykh Faẓlu’lláh	444
(25)	The Fate of certain prominent Reactionaries, especially the Muwaqqaru’s-Salṭana	445

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

(1)	Sayyid Jamálu’d-Din “al-Afghán”	Frontispiece
(2)	Prince Malkom Khán	To face p.	38
(3)	Náṣiru’d-Din Sháh	To face„p.„	58
(4)	Mírzá Muḥammad Riẓá of Kirmán	To face„p.„	62
(5)	Three of Sayyid Jamálu’d-Din’s disciples	To face„p.„	94
(6)	Muẓaffaru’d-Din Sháh	To face„p.„	98
(7)	Sayyid Muḥammad-i-Ṭabáṭabá’í and Sayyid ‘Abdu’lláh-i-Bahbahání	To face„p.„	114
(8)	Cartoons from the Ḥasharátu’l-Arẓ	To face„p.„	116
(9)	Members of the First Majlis	To face„p.„	124
(10)	Taqí-záda	To face„p.„	130
(11)	Muḥammad ‘Alí Sháh	To face„p.„	132
(12)	The Aminu’s-Sulṭán	To face„p.„	140
(13)	The Sáldáru’d-Dawla	To face„p.„	142
(14)	Shaykh Faẓlu’lláh-i-Núrí	To face„p.„	148
(15)	‘Abbás Aqá of Tabriz	To face„p.„	150
(16)	The Náṣiru’l-Mulk	To face„p.„	162
(17)	Mírzá Ghaffár of Qazwin	To face„p.„	166
(18)	Map of Persia, shewing the “Spheres of Influence”	To face„p.„	172
(19)	The Ẓillu’s-Sulṭán	To face„p.„	196
(20)	Amír Bahádur Jang	To face„p.„	198
(21)	Áqá Sayyid Jamálu’d-Din of Isfahán and the Maliku’l-Mutakallimín	To face„p.„	204
(22)	Mírzá Jahángír Khán and Hájji Mirzá Ibráhim Áqá	To face„p.„	208
(23)	Two Picture Post-cards of the Revolution	To face„p.„	210
(24)	Colonel V. Liakhoff	To face„p.„	212
(25)	The Baháristán after the Bombardment	To face„p.„	224
(26)	Facsimile of Persian Siege-map of Tabriz	between pp.	248–9
(27)	Sayyids and National Volunteers of Tabríz.	To face p.	252
(28)	The three great Mujtahids who supported the National Cause	To face„p.„	262
(29)	The Bakhtiyárí liberators of Iṣfahán	To face„p.„	266
(30)	Dervishes in camp outside Isfahán	To face„p.„	268
(31)	A Nationalist Council at Rasht	To face„p.„	292
(32)	House of ‘Adlu’l-Mulk at Tabríz.	To face„p.„	294
(33)	Bakhtiyárís in camp outside Iṣfahán	To face„p.„	298
(34)	Group of National Volunteers at Rasht	To face„p.„	300
(35)	Bakhtiyárís in camp outside Iṣfahán	To face„p.„	302
(36)	Constitutionalists in refuge at the Ottoman Embassy.	To face„p.„	304
(37)	Bakhtiyárís mustering in the Maydán at Iṣfahán	To face„p.„	306
(38)	The Sipahdár and the Sardár-i-As‘ad	To face„p.„	308
(39)	Bakhtiyárís in camp outside Iṣfahán	To face„p.„	310
(40)	Bakhtiyárí Kháns with the guns	To face„p.„	316
(41)	Sultán Aḥmad Sháh and the Regent ‘Azudu’l-Mulk	To face„p.„	324
(42)	Shapshál Khán and Sa‘du’d-Dawla	To face„p.„	418
(43)	Facsimile of Fatwá on the rights of Zoroastrians	p.	422
(44)	Facsimile of Letter to Persia Committee	p.	423
(45)	Mu‘izzu’s-Sulṭán and Yeprem Khán	To face„p.„	436
(46)	Sattár Khán the Defender and Raḥím Khán the Besieger of Tabríz	To face„p.„	440

 

ERRATA

p. xiv, l. 17.‘Abu’lláh should, of course, be ‘Abdu’lláh.

p. 109, l. 9.Omit George. Mr George Churchill was never Vice-Consul at Rasht. It was one of his brothers.

p. 120, l. 25, and p. 124, ll. 3, 10, and 24.‘Aynu’d-Dawla was Prime Minister, but never had the title of Atábak.

p. 156, l. 12.Ṭáhír Pasha was not a General, but was the President of the Turkish Frontier Commission.

p. 161, 5 lines from the bottom.Aujumans is, of course, a misprint for anjumans.

p. 162, l. 30.I am informed on good authority that the Náṣiru’l-Mulk was not put in a cell.

p. 163, n. 1 ad calc.The Náṣiru’l-Mulk left for Europe on the evening of his deliverance, not the next day.

p. 198, ll. 18–19.The Shah’s automobile was empty, except for the chauffeur. See p. 110 of the Blue Book (Persia, No. 1, 1909).

p. 207, l. 1. “Six” appears to be an exaggeration: three is the more probable number.

p. 207, ll. 19–20.It appears doubtful whether the Russian officers actually shot any of their own men.

p. 208, ll. 3–4.I am informed on good authority that “reduced to ruins” is too strong an expression, and that the Sipahsálár Mosque was not very much damaged, while the Baháristán was wrecked not so much by the artillery fire as by the men who looted it after the bombardment was over.

p. 210, ll. 13–20.The “Race-course incident” to which reference is here made took place on Sept. 16, 1908. Its introduction at this point in the book is, perhaps, misleading.

p. 255, ll. 3 and 15.For Castello read Castelli.

p. 265, l. 31.I am informed that Bínáb is a mistake for Mínáb.

 

POSTSCRIPT

Although incidental mention is made of a few matters (such as the trial and execution of the Muwaqqaru’s Salṭana) which belong to the earlier part of this current year (1910), the systematic narrative ceases with the restoration of the Constitution and the occurrences immediately connected therewith. No attempt has been made to deal with the most recent events, of which the assassination of Sayyid ‘Abdu’lláh-i-Bahbahání (July 15); the withdrawal of Taqí-záda from the capital to Tabríz (about August 1); the bombardment and forcible disarmament of the fidá’ís (August 7, 1910); the wounding of Sattár Khán and the pensioning of him and Báqir Khán; the intrigues of the Sipahdár-i-A‘ẓam; the recent attempt of the Russians to extort concessions as the price of the withdrawal of their troops (an attempt at blackmailing against which even the Times has protested); and the death of the late Regent, ‘Aẓudu’l-Mulk, on Sept. 22, are the most important. The accession of Sulṭán Aḥmad Sháh and the restoration of the Constitution mark the beginning of a new epoch, which in the future may fitly form the subject of a new volume.