Aziz Khan Mokri (also spelled Aziz Khan Mukri; fa, عزیزخان مکری; 1792 – 1871) was an Iranian military officer and grandee, who occupied high offices under the
Qajar
Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...
''
shah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
''
Naser al-Din Shah
Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدینشاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Male ...
(). He served as the commander-in-chief of the army from 1853 to 1857.
A native of
Sardasht, Aziz Khan belonged to the
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
Mokri tribe
The Mokri tribe is a Kurdish tribe residing in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. They are notable for having produced many distinguished figures, such as Aziz Khan Mokri, who served as commander-in-chief of the army from 1853 to 1857. Abbas I of Per ...
. He spent his early career in the sixth regiment (''fawj-e sheshom'') of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, which he led as ''
sarhang'' during the
siege of Herat in 1837–1839. Dismissed for some time following his unsuccessful endeavors in the Herat operation, Aziz Khan was later appointed the consultant of
Fars. There he eventually rose up to the position of ''sarhang'' of the fourth regiment of Tabriz, which was stationed in Fars. On 8 August 1853, Aziz Khan was promoted to ''sardar-e koll-e asaker'' (commander-in-chief of the army).
Aziz Khan later became a victim of the machinations of the
grand vizier
Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...
Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri
Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri ( fa, میرزا آقاخان نوری), otherwise known as Aqa Khan Nuri ('Nouri'), E'temad-ol Dowleh (born 1807 – died 1865) was a politician in Qajar Iran, who served as prime minister (Persian: , "ṣadr-e aʿẓam") betw ...
, and was a result dismissed by the shah on 13 June 1857. Following Mirza Aqa Khan's dismissal on 30 August 1858, Aziz Khan was restored to his former rank and given authority in Azerbaijan, becoming the ''pishkar'' (general manager) of the ''wali'' (governor-general) Bahram Mirza.
Aziz Khan died at Tabriz on 11 January 1871, where he is today buried near the
Imamzadeh Hamzah.
Background
An ethnic
Kurd ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...
, Aziz Khan was born in 1792 in
Sardasht in northwestern
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. He was the son of Mohammad Khan (also known as Mohammad Soltan), the ''
sardar
Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been u ...
'' of his family, the Baba Miri of the
Mokri tribe
The Mokri tribe is a Kurdish tribe residing in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. They are notable for having produced many distinguished figures, such as Aziz Khan Mokri, who served as commander-in-chief of the army from 1853 to 1857. Abbas I of Per ...
. Details regarding Aziz Khan's youth are obscure.
Rise
Due to Aziz Khan's ability to read and write, as well having a good handwriting, Aziz Khan joined the sixth regiment (''fawj-e sheshom'') of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
at
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
. He later led this regiment as its ''
sarhang'' during the Iranian
siege of Herat in 1837–1839. Acting as the representant of the
Qajar
Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...
''
shah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
''
Mohammad Shah
Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah (born Roshan Akhtar; 7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748) was the 13th Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1719 to 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. After being chosen by the ...
(), Aziz Khan spent two days in fruitless negotiations with the Afghan ruler of Herat,
Kamran Mirza
Kamran Mirza ( fa, ) (1512 – 5 October 1557) was the second son of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire and the first Mughal Emperor. Kamran Mirza was born in Kabul to Babur's wife Gulrukh Begum. He was half-brother to Babur's eldest ...
, and his vizier Yar Mohammad Khan. Following his Herat operation, Aziz Khan was deprived of any important political duty.
In 1840/1, Mohammad Shah sent Mirza Nabi Khan Qazvini to
Fars to take charge of its affairs, since its inhabitants had rebelled against Fereydun Mirza Farmanfarma. At the suggestion of Mirza Nazar-Ali Hakim-bashi, Nabi Khan had taken Aziz Khan with him as a consultant (''rish-safid''). They both returned to Fars later in 1843. Although Nabi Khan was succeeded by
Hossein Khan Moqaddam Maraghai Ajudanbashi as the governor of Fars the following year, Aziz Khan remained consultant through the support of Hakim-bashi. Hossein Khan, who knew Aziz Khan from Tabriz, appointed him as his consultant, then ''
tahwildar
Tehwildars in the Mughal court, were the female financial officers assigned to the zenana.
The majority of the consolidation of Mughal court etiquette occurred under the reign of Emperor Akbar. Differing accounts of the size of his harem range a ...
'' and later ''sarhang'' of the fourth regiment of Tabriz, which was stationed in Fars. Aziz Khan continued to serve under Hossein Khan until Mohammad Shah's death in September 1848.
Following the succession of Mohammad Shah's son
Naser al-Din Shah
Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدینشاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Male ...
and his appointment of Mirza Taqi Khan Amir Nezam (later known as
Amir Kabir
Mirza Taghi Khan-e Farahani ( fa, میرزا تقیخان فراهانی), better known as Amir Kabir (Persian: , 9 January 1807 – 10 January 1852), also known by the title of ''Amir-e Nezam'' or ''Amir Nezam'' (), was chief minister t ...
) as
grand vizier
Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...
in October 1848, the inhabitants of the city of
Shiraz
Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As o ...
in Fars rebelled against Hossein Khan. Aziz Khan played a vital role as the mediator between the conflicting sides. This prompted Amir Kabir to acknowledge Aziz Khan's importance and appoint him as the ''ajudan-bashi'' (
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
) despite his unfriendly relations with Aziz Khan's patrons, Hossein Khan and Hakim-bashi. According to the modern historian J. Calmard, Amir Kabir's support was crucial for Aziz Khan's future rise to power due to the latters
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
and modest background.
During the
Babi revolt of 1850–1851 in
Zanjan led by
Hujjat
Mullā Muḥammad-ʿAlī al-Zanjānī (), surnamed Ḥujjat (1812 - 1851), was an early leader of the Bábí movement of 19th-century Persia. He is regarded by Baháʼís as part of their own religious history, and is highly featured in the two ...
, Amir Kabir sent Aziz Khan to suppress the revolt, as well as an envoy to the
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
-controlled city of
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...
, where Prince Alexander Pavlovitch was quelling a local revolt. After having his attempt to both negotiate and then attack the Babis thwarted, Aziz Khan left the commander of the Zanjan forces, Mohammad Khan Amir Tuman, to deal with them, and instead went to Yerevan, where he was well received. When Aziz Khan returned to the capital of
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
on 12 March 1851, he was given a friendly reception with Naser al-Din Shah.
While Naser al-Din Shah was travelling to
Persian Iraq
Persian Iraq, also uncommonly spelled Persian Irak ( fa, عراقِ عجم ''Erāq-e Ajam(i)''; ar, عراق العجم Irāq al-'Ajam'' or Irāq 'Ajami''), is a historical region of the western parts of Iran.
The region, originally known ...
along with Amir Kabir (from May to October, 1851), Aziz Khan served as the commander of the army and the fortress at Tehran. Aziz Khan's son Ali Khan was soon appointed the new chief of the newly-established police force in Tehran. After the death of the director of the
Dar ul-Funun college, Mirza Mohammad-Ali Khan on 10 February 1852, Aziz Khan succeeded him. Occupying the office for only a few months, Aziz Khan seemingly did not make much of an impact on the administration of the college or its well-being.
Later in the same year, Aziz Khan personally arranged the execution of
Táhirih
Táhirih (Ṭāhira) ( fa, طاهره, "The Pure One," also called Qurrat al-ʿAyn ( "Solace/Consolation of the Eyes") are both titles of Fatimah Baraghani/Umm-i Salmih (1814 or 1817 – August 16–27, 1852), an influential poet, women's rights ...
, an influential figure in the newly established
Bábi Faith. Although Aziz Khan had hostile relations with the new grand vizier
Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri
Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri ( fa, میرزا آقاخان نوری), otherwise known as Aqa Khan Nuri ('Nouri'), E'temad-ol Dowleh (born 1807 – died 1865) was a politician in Qajar Iran, who served as prime minister (Persian: , "ṣadr-e aʿẓam") betw ...
(appointed in 1851), he had become well-versed in political survival, and as a result succeeded getting promoted to ''sardar-e koll-e asaker'' (commander-in-chief of the army) on 8 August 1853. During the same month, Aziz Khan had an "impressive military parade" arranged for Naser al-Din Shah at
Soltaniyeh
Soltaniyeh ( fa, سلطانيه, also Romanized as Solţānīyeh, Solţāneyyeh, Sultaniye, and Sultānīyeh; also known as Sa‘īdīyeh; ) is the capital city of Soltaniyeh District of Soltaniyeh County, Zanjan Province, northwestern Iran.
...
.
First term as commander-in-chief
In 1853/4, Naser al-Din Shah agreed to help the Russians against the
Ottomans
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
in the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
. However, neither he nor Mirza Aqa Khan were able, or inclined to embrace a pro-Russian policy. Both the army led by Aziz Khan to the Iranian–Ottoman border at Azerbaijan, and the army sent to the border at
Kermanshah
Kermanshah ( fa, کرمانشاه, Kermânšâh ), also known as Kermashan (; romanized: Kirmaşan), is the capital of Kermanshah Province, located from Tehran in the western part of Iran. According to the 2016 census, its population is 946,68 ...
, were unsuccessful. In the same year, Aziz Khan was appointed the interim governor of Azerbaijan until the new governor appeared.
Aziz Khan had a close alliance with
Jeyran, a favourite wife of Naser al-Din Shah. With her support, Aziz Khan attempted to stage a coup against Mirza Aqa Khan. He was supported by some Kurdish regiments, as well as some influential dignitaries, such as
Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani, who had lost his office of accountant general to Mirza Aqa Khan's son Kazim Khan Nizam al-Mulk. In June 1857, Aziz Khan and the rest of the conspirators compiled a list of Mirza Aqa Khan's "miseeds", which was to be given by Jeyran to Naser al-Din Shah as proof of Mirza Aqa Khan's subversion.
However, at the last moment she removed the most harmful charges from the list, thus only disclosing enough for Naser al-Din Shah to raise his suspicion. She had possibly done this to make a deal with Mirza Aqa Khan to secure her sons nomination as heir apparent. They soon made a deal that Mirza Aqa Khan would secure her sons nomination, while Jeyran in exchange agreed to hide the most harmful charges in list as well give him the names of the conspirators. In order to protect his position, Mirza Aqa Khan started scheming against Aziz Khan, which eventually led to his dismissal by the shah on 13 June 1857. His dismissal was made official during a court ceremony by Ali Khan Hajeb-al-dawla, who had supervised the execution of Amir Kabir in 1852. However, Aziz Khan was not charged with anything specific.
Aziz Khan was imprisoned and made to defend his actions during his four year administration in Tabriz. In August or September 1857, he was exiled to Sardasht. Nevertheless, Mirza Aqa Khan continued to cause him problems, summoning him to Tabriz to prosecute and aggravate him.
Later life and death
After Naser al-Din Shah had dismissed Mirza Aqa Khan from his office on 30 August 1858, he restored Aziz Khan's rank and gave him authority in Azerbaijan, appointing him the ''pishkar'' (general manager) of the ''wali'' (governor-general) Bahram Mirza. Aziz Khan was also part of the cabinet at Tehran 1859/60. Following the assignment of the governorship of Azerbaijan to the crown prince
Mozaffar ad-Din Mirza in 1860/61, Aziz Khan succeeded him as the minister of war and head of the armed forces, but lost his ''pishkar'' office.
Aziz Khan was reinstated as the ''pishkar'' of Azerbaijan in 1870/71, but he was by then old and sluggish, unable to handle the courtiers of Mozaffar ad-Din Mirza. He died at Tabriz on 11 January 1871, where he is buried near the
Imamzadeh Hamzah. Naser al-Din Shah was reportedly saddened when he heard of Aziz Khan's death.
Legacy and assessment
Aziz Khan was survived by three sons, whom he had with one of the daughters of Amir Kabir. One of Aziz Khan's sons, Sayf al-Din Khan (died 1891/2), became the leader of the Mokris and also served as the governor of
Savojbolagh multiple times. He was succeeded by his son Hossein Khan, who was killed during an Ottoman attack on Savojbolag in 1914. The Chahar-rah-e Aziz Khan square in the neighborhood of the Arg at Tehran is named after Aziz Khan, as it was part of his residence.
The English
orientalist and diplomat
Edward Eastwick
Edward Backhouse Eastwick CB (181416 July 1883, Ventnor, Isle of Wight) was an English orientalist, diplomat and Conservative Member of Parliament. He wrote and edited a number of books on South Asian countries. These included a Sindhi vocabular ...
, who saw Aziz Khan in Tabriz in 1860 September, recounts him as "a large brawny man, with bloodshot eyes, and inflamed features... he had lately walled up fourteen robbers, two of them with their heads downward, and so left them to perish."
The contemporary Iranian historian and geographer Mirza Ja'far Haqayeqnegar Khormuji (died 1883) commended Aziz Khan for his "sense of justice and chivalrous qualities".
References
Sources
*
*
*
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica , volume=6 , fascicle=6 , article = Dār al-fonūn , last = Gurney , first = John , last2 = Nabavi , first2= Negin , url = https://iranicaonline.org/articles/dar-al-fonun-lit , pages = 662–668
1792 births
Iranian Kurdish people
19th-century Iranian military personnel
Burials in Maqbaratoshoara
History of Mazandaran Province
Qajar governors
1871 deaths