Abbasqoli Mo'tamad-dawla Javanshir
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Abbasqoli Khan Mo'tamed od-Dowleh Javanshir (; died 1861) was an Iranian official from the
Javanshir tribe The Javanshirs (; – ''Javānširān'') are a Turkic clan from Karabakh, who are a branch of the Oghuz Turks. Between 1748 and 1822, members of the Javanshir clan functioned as the head of the Karabakh Khanate. History Early years The great ...
, who served as the first Minister of Justice of Iran from 1858 to 1861. In 1835, he was appointed governor of the city of
Kashan Kashan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kashan County), Central District of Kashan County, in the northern part of Isfahan province, Isfahan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Earlies ...
by
Mohammad Shah Qajar Mohammad Shah (; born Mohammad Mirza; 5 January 1808 – 5 September 1848) was the third Qajar ''shah'' of Iran from 1834 to 1848, inheriting the throne from his grandfather, Fath-Ali Shah. From a young age, Mohammad Mirza was under the tutela ...
(), but was replaced the following year due to local discontent. After a period of unemployment, he became governor of the
Kerman province Kerman province () is the largest of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Kerman. The province is in the southeast of Iran. In 2014 it was placed in Region 5. Mentioned in ancient times as the Achaemenid satrapy of Carma ...
in 1841, where he initiated agricultural projects and restored the
Arg-e Bam The Arg-e Bam (), located in the city of Bam, Kerman province of southeastern Iran, is the largest adobe building in the world. The entire building was a large fortress containing the citadel, but because the citadel dominates the ruins, the en ...
castle. He was dismissed in 1843 and, in 1848, was appointed military chief to crown prince Naser al-Din during the latters of governorship of the Azerbaijan province. During the 45-day interregnum in mid-1848, between Mohammad Shah's death and Naser al-Din's accession, Abbasqoli Khan oversaw the management of state revenues under the regency of queen
Malek Jahan Khanom Malek Jahan Khanom (; 26 February 1805 – 2 April 1873) was the wife of Mohammad Shah Qajar and the mother of Naser al-Din Shah. She was the '' de facto'' regent of Iran for one month, from 5 September until 5 October in 1848, between the de ...
. He shortly afterward became the governor of
Ardabil Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The ...
,
Meshginshahr Meshginshahr () is a city in the Central District (Meshgin Shahr County), Central District of Meshgin Shahr County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History The 14th-centu ...
, and Qaradagh, where he successfully quelled lawlessness and tribal conflicts, particularly those involving the
Shahsevan The Shahsevan (; ) are a number of Azerbaijani-speaking or Shahsevani dialect (sometimes considered to be Its own dialect distinct from others like Azerbaijani) Turkic groups that live in northwestern Iran, mainly inhabiting the districts of Mug ...
tribe. In 1858, he was appointed as Iran's first Minister of Justice, serving until his death.


Background

Abbasqoli Khan Mo'tamed od-Dowleh Javanshir was the son of Abu'l-Fath Khan Javanshir. who had fought under
Qajar Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin,Cyrus G ...
in the Russo-Iranian War of 1804–1813. They belonged to the
Javanshir tribe The Javanshirs (; – ''Javānširān'') are a Turkic clan from Karabakh, who are a branch of the Oghuz Turks. Between 1748 and 1822, members of the Javanshir clan functioned as the head of the Karabakh Khanate. History Early years The great ...
, a Turkic tribe which lived in the
Karabakh Karabakh ( ; ) is a geographic region in southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and Aras. It is divided into three regions: Highland Kara ...
region of the
South Caucasus The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...
. Abbasqoli Khan belonged to a branch of the Javanshirs who stayed in the Iranian court due to the
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
conquest of Karabakh. There, the family became high-ranking administrators. Abbasqoli Khan had four brothers; Mohammad Ebrahim Khan Javanshir, who served as the
Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
twice. Mohammad Ali Khan Javanshir and Mohammad Qoli Khan Javanshir, who both served in the army of the Qajar prince
Qahraman Mirza Qahraman Mirza () was a Qajar prince in 19th-century Iran. He was the eighth son of Abbas Mirza, who served as crown prince until his death from illness in 1832. Qahraman Mirza had two full brothers, Bahman Mirza and Mohammad Mirza (the later Moha ...
as '' sarhang'' (colonel) and
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
, respectively. Another brother, Taqi Khan Javanshir, died in 1851.


Career

In 1835, Abbasqoli Khan was appointed the governor of the city of
Kashan Kashan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kashan County), Central District of Kashan County, in the northern part of Isfahan province, Isfahan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Earlies ...
by the
shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...
(king)
Mohammad Shah Qajar Mohammad Shah (; born Mohammad Mirza; 5 January 1808 – 5 September 1848) was the third Qajar ''shah'' of Iran from 1834 to 1848, inheriting the throne from his grandfather, Fath-Ali Shah. From a young age, Mohammad Mirza was under the tutela ...
(). However, due to the dissatisfaction of the locals, he was replaced by Bahman Mirza Baha od-Dowleh the next year. After several years of unemployment, Abbasqoli Khan was appointed the governor of the
Kerman province Kerman province () is the largest of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Kerman. The province is in the southeast of Iran. In 2014 it was placed in Region 5. Mentioned in ancient times as the Achaemenid satrapy of Carma ...
in 1841, thus succeeding Fazl Ali Khan Qarabaghi. During his term, he attempted to handle the offenses and failures of his predecessors while also treating the populace generously. He restored the
Arg-e Bam The Arg-e Bam (), located in the city of Bam, Kerman province of southeastern Iran, is the largest adobe building in the world. The entire building was a large fortress containing the citadel, but because the citadel dominates the ruins, the en ...
castle in the city of Bam, had a well made there, and accumulated years of supplies for Bam. In order to grow silkworms, he ordered that 12,000
mulberries ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinate ...
planted outside of Kerman. In 1843, he was removed from the office, being replaced by Fazl Ali Khan Qarabaghi, who was re-appointed. During the governorship of the Azerbaijan province by the crown prince Naser al-Din in 1848, Abbasqoli Khan was appointed as his military chief. The appointment was most likely made by the
grand vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...
Haji Mirza Aqasi Haji Mirza Abbas Iravani (), better known by his title of Aqasi (; also spelled Aghasi), was an Qajar Iran, Iranian politician who served as the grand vizier of the third Qajar dynasty, Qajar shah, Mohammad Shah Qajar () from 1835 to 1848. Early ...
to restrict the influence of the three brothers of queen
Malek Jahan Khanom Malek Jahan Khanom (; 26 February 1805 – 2 April 1873) was the wife of Mohammad Shah Qajar and the mother of Naser al-Din Shah. She was the '' de facto'' regent of Iran for one month, from 5 September until 5 October in 1848, between the de ...
. After Mohammad Shah's death in the same year, the administration was temporarily led by Malek Jahan Khanom, who appointed governors and officials until Naser al-Din made his way from
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 ...
to
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
, a period lasting 45 days. During this period, Abbasqoli Khan was given the responsibility of the managing the country's revenues and to avoid shortage of grain.
Ardabil Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The ...
, like the rest of Azerbaijan, had become a lawless place after the death of Mohammad Shah. The new shah Naser al-Din Shah appointed Abbasqoli Khan as the governor of Ardabil,
Meshginshahr Meshginshahr () is a city in the Central District (Meshgin Shahr County), Central District of Meshgin Shahr County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History The 14th-centu ...
and Qaradagh. Abbasqoli Khan received specific orders to catch and imprison Eskandar Khan, Haji Mohammad Ali, the brothers Shah Palang and Shah Mar, all of the
Shahsevan The Shahsevan (; ) are a number of Azerbaijani-speaking or Shahsevani dialect (sometimes considered to be Its own dialect distinct from others like Azerbaijani) Turkic groups that live in northwestern Iran, mainly inhabiting the districts of Mug ...
branch of Meshginshahr, as well as to clear the borders of bandits. He went towards the area in summer 1849, where he en route met the Qajar prince
Hamzeh Mirza Heshmat od-Dowleh Hamzeh Mirza Heshmat od-Dowleh (; died 1880) was a Qajar prince, governor and military officer in 19th-century Iran. The son of the crown prince Abbas Mirza, Hamzeh Mirza held various governorships and led several military campaigns, notably agai ...
in Zanjan. There Abbasqoli Khan and Hamzeh Mirza were informed of the violence between the Hajji-Khojalu and Damirchili tribes (both from the Shahsevan branch in Meshginshahr), which had resulted in multiple casualties. As a result, they moved toward the environs of Ardabil and wrote to several Shahsevan and Qaradaghi chiefs, commanding that they gather troops and subdue the Hajji-Khojalu, which seemingly ended in a success. Reaching Tabriz, Hamzeh Mirza and Abbasqoli Mo'tamad-dawla sent instructions to the nobles of Qaradagh to apprehend certain Shahsevan leaders, assigning 500 cavalry to ensure their transport to Tabriz. In late 1849, Abbasqoli Khan went to Meshginshahr and Qaradagh, where he captured a number of Shahsevan leaders. In January 1850, Abbasqoli Khan's actions, which were described as "severe but necessary punishments" were reported to have been beneficial in the area, now in a "tolerably quiet state". In 1858, Abbasqoli Khan received the title of "Mo'tamed od-Dowleh" and was appointed as the 1st Minister of Justice of Iran by Naser al-Din Shah. He held this position until his death in 1861. The modern Iranian historian Seyyed Ali Al-i Davud has described Abbasqoli Khan as "one of the notables and distinguished figures of the reign of Naser al-Din Shah". Besides having two portraits by
Abu'l-Hasan Sani al-Mulk Abu'l-Hasan Khan Ghaffari Kashani (; 1814–1866) was an Iranian painter, miniature and lacquer artist, and book illustrator. When he became the Chief Court Painter, he also became known as Sani al-Mulk (), meaning "The Crafter of the Kingdom." ...
, an illustration of Abbasqoli Khan is also depicted in the Nezamiyeh Hall of the
Golestan Palace The Golestan Palace (, ''Kākh-e Golestān''), also transliterated as the Gulistan Palace and sometimes translated as the Rose Garden Palace from Persian language, was built in the 16th century, renovated in the 18th century and finally rebuilt ...
.


References


Sources

* * * * * * * {{cite book , last=Zoka, first=Yahya, editor-last=Parham, editor-first=Cyrus, title= The Life and Works of Sani' ol-Molk: Abol-Hassan Ghaffari 1814-1866 , year=2003, publisher=Iran University Press , isbn=978-9640110966 Ministers of justice of Iran Qajar governors of Kerman History of Ardabil Qajar governors 19th-century births 1861 deaths Year of birth unknown 19th-century Iranian politicians