On this date… 10 January 1852
Amir Kabir murdered
In the early 1800’s, Persia was amid the Russo-Persian War. The British Empire had yet to split Persia in two — for its own special interests — and birth the country of Afghanistan. The Partition of India had yet to happen. Thus, India and Persia were still neighbors.
Taghi Khan-e Farahani was born on January 9, 1807 in Persia – present-day Iran. In time, he would be called Amir Kabir, but he had to earn the title first.
Amir Kabir’s father was a cook for a government official who saw unusual talent in the child and aided in his studies. When he was older, Amir Kabir was appointed to the post of the military registrar of the province of Azerbaijan – different from the present-day country of Azerbaijan which went to Russia as a result of the Russo-Persian War.
In the 1800s, the Ottoman Empire ruled most Arab countries, including neighboring Iraq (still known then as Mesopotamia). Amir Kabir spent years working on Ottoman-Iranian relations as part of his military post. He gained first-hand knowledge of British and Russian policies with regards to Persia. The countries treated Persia as a joint-colony instead of an independent nation. This would plague Persia for generations.
In addition to his increasing military rank, Amir Kabir was appointed chief tutor to the crowned prince, Nasser-e-Din, who was 15. In September 1848, the Shah died and Nasser-e-Din became the next Shah in the Qajar dynasty. Amir Kabir was appointed Prime Minister and awarded supplementary titles, including Amir Kabir.
As Prime Minister, Amir Kabir was known for progressive reforms, promoting science, administering smallpox vaccines, limiting rights of Islamic clerics, pushing Britain and Russia out of Iran (they didn’t stay out), and strengthening the government, all while reducing government spending. Unfortunately, limiting government spending created enemies among the royals – including the Queen Mother.
Amir Kabir built a foundation in Tehran called Dar-ol-Fanun. Its initial purpose was to train officers and civil servants. Eventually, parts of it would be turned into the University of Tehran. He hired Austrians as teachers. Indirectly, they wound up aiding in the evolution of the Farsi language and modernizing it.
While working with the Ottomans, Amir Kabir had learned that Europeans used the excuse of “protecting” Christian minorities to interfere with state affairs. He went above and beyond to protect the rights of Christians, Zoroastrians, and Mandaeans. This strategy of generosity was not extended to the followers of Babism – the predecessor of the Baha'i faith. Prior to his premiership, no Babis were known to have been killed. Between 1848 and 1851, under Amir Kabir’s premiership, several thousands of Babis were massacred.
The middle of that period, 1850, was particularly notorious. A group of Babis were passing through the city Babol. A mob led by a cleric attacked them and a fight broke out. The Babis took refuge in the shrine of Shaykh Tabarsi. They were then attacked by a number of local and national forces. After seven months of siege, starvation, and their own loss of men, the Babis responded to sworn promises of a truce but were instead almost completely slaughtered.
After the Battle of Tabarsi, simply being associated with the Babi could lead to death. Amir Kabir personally ordered the execution of “The Seven Martyrs of Tehran” -- a group of seven prominent Babis – who were executed in public by beheading in February 1850. In mid-1850 Amir Kabir ordered the execution of the Bab – the founder of Babism. He was executed by firing squad in public in Tabriz.
While it remains to be seen exactly what drove Amir Kabir, it is believed that he felt that a grass-roots religious movement threatened his secular reforms.
Eventually, people who felt Amir Kabir was too powerful formed a coalition to bring him to heel. This included government officials unhappy with his reforms, the ruling elite angry about the financial reforms, and members of the royal family, including the Queen Mother. Under the influence of the Queen Mother, the adolescent Nasser-e-Din Shah appointed a new Prime Minister in November 1851. Amir Kabir was arrested and sent to Kashan in isolation under duress.
Yet the Queen Mother was not sated. She continued to whisper into the ear of the Shah. Six weeks later the Shah ordered Amir Kabir’s death. Under that order he was murdered in Fin Garden in Kashan on 10 January 1852. An era of progressive government reform that included minority religious persecution died along with him. The consequences of his death would continue to reverberate into the present day, but more on that later.