Ghassem Khan Vali (1878–1933; ), otherwise and better known by his military title of

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royal family, royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other Aristocracy (class), aristocrats. It ha ...

Homayoun, the son of Ali Khan Vali and grandson of was the first

Imperial Iranian Army The Islamic Republic of Iran Army (), acronymed AJA (), commonly simplified as the Iranian Army, is the conventional military of Iran and part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of th ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

to graduate from the prestigious Saint-Cyr Military School in France, which was founded by

Napoléon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led a series of mi ...

in 1802.

Life

During the Overthrow of the Qajar dynasty, Sardar Homayoun was encouraged by the local politicians and moderates, backed by

Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal William Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside, (6 May 1880 – 22 September 1959) was a senior officer of the British Army who served as Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom), Chief of the Impe ...

and the

British Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

, to become the Shah of Persia (his ancestry as a member of the Qajar dynasty supported his claim to the throne). He declined out of his loyalty to Ahmad Shah, although it was stated that it was out of his fear for his family's safety and his moral reluctance to use force against his countrymen, a measure which was inevitable for the maintenance of the monarchy. His reluctance was seen as cowardice by the British, who later gave the position to

Reza Shah Pahlavi Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war an ...

. During Reza Shah's reign, Vali was appointed commander of the Cossack Division in Northern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. He was the first Mayor of Tabriz in 1908, (see list of Tabriz Mayors), and as a modern man, he was at the origin of the first electrical generator to Tabriz. He also introduced the first metallic printing press in Iran. Sardar Homayoun also was one of the first modern economists in Iran. He soon withdrew to his family's estate to focus on writing and farming. An

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

by birth, he believed in the character conferred by military education and discipline.

Family

His cousin, Doust Mohammad Khan Moayer ol-Mamalek, was the son-in-law of

Nasser al-Din Shah Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (; ; 17 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. During his rule there was internal pressure from the people of Iran, as well as external ...

who married his daughter Princess Esmat os-Saltaneh. He had five daughters and two sons. His sons, Ebrahim and Ali Vali, also served in the

as generals during the reign of

Mohammad Reza Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution, which ...

. Image:Sadabad 1.jpg, Sardar Homayoun at the

Sa'dabad Complex The Sa'dabad Complex () is an 80 hectare complex built by the Qajar and Pahlavi monarchs, located in Shemiran, Greater Tehran, Iran. Today, the official residence of the President of Iran is located adjacent to the complex. The complex include ...

Image:Sadabad 2.jpg, Sardar Homayoun at the Sa'dabad Complex Image:Sadabad 3.jpg, Sardar Homayoun at the Sa'dabad Complex Image:Sadabad 4.jpg, Sardar Homayoun at the Sa'dabad Complex Image:Sardar_Homayoun_Rolce_Royce.jpg, Sardar Homayoun at the steering wheel of a

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

Image:Sardar_in_electricity_plant.jpg, Sardar Homayoun at the first electricity plant in

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

Image:Old_Qonqa.jpg, The first tramway in Tabriz

References

Black CoupIran and the Rise of Reza Shah: From Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power - by Cyrus Ghani - p.140

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghassem Khan Vali, Sardar Homayoun Imperial Iranian Army major generals École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni 1870s births 1933 deaths Mayors of Tabriz