Johann Joseph von Semlin (born Mostafa Ali Mirza Khan, ‎; 1736–1824) was the reputed son of

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was a ...

. After his father's murder, a loyalist brought Ali Mirza Khan to

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, then

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

, who named him ''"Johann Joseph Freiherr von Semlin"''. In 1746, when Von Semlin was 10 years old, he was sent to

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

to learn the German language and European culture. In 1756, he converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

and two years later returned to Vienna.

Early life

Von Semlin was born in 1736 Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, ''Adelslexikon'' Band XIII, Band 128 der Gesamtreihe, Limburg an der Lahn 2002, S. 293 in

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

, Persia. In 1746, at age 10, he moved to Graz and began learning German.

Military service

On completing his education at a Viennese military school, Von Semlin joined the Austrian army, rising after a few years to the rank of Commander. Von Semlin entered the service of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

and fought in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

as a

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 ...

. At the end of the war, he received a Medal of Honor. Captured in war in

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, he was known as the Prince of Persia among his troops.

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

invited him to his palace and returned him to Maria Theresa. With two injuries received during his military service, Von Semlin retired in 1792 on a monthly pension of 810

florins The Florentine florin was a gold coin (in Italian ''Fiorino d'oro'') struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains () of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a pu ...

Retirement

Upon his retirement from the military, Von Semlin caught the attention of the French government. An ambassador of

Napoleon 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 Military career ...

requested Von Semlin to attempt to take the throne of

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 ...

, offering him military support. Von Semlin rejected the offer, saying "Neither me nor my children think about the

Peacock Throne The Peacock Throne ( Hindustani: ''Mayūrāsana'', Sanskrit: मयूरासन, Urdu: تخت طاؤس, , ''Takht-i Tāvūs'') was the imperial throne of Hindustan. The throne is named after the dancing peacocks at its rear and was the seat ...

. Even if I have any rights to become king of Iran, I cede them to

Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II and I (; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor as Francis II from 1792 to 1806, and the first Emperor of Austria as Francis I from 1804 to 1835. He was also King of Hungary, List of rulers of Croatia, Croa ...

, who supported me to this age."

Death

Von Semlin died at the age of 90 in

Mödling Mödling () is the capital of the Austrian Mödling (district), district of the same name located approximately 15 km south of Vienna. Mödling lies in Lower Austria's industrial zone (Industrieviertel). The Mödlingbach, a brook which rises ...

, near Vienna, and was buried in his home garden. In line with his

will and testament A will and testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property (estate (law), estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its fi ...

, 5 gulden was paid to each poor person who attended his

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

.Ahmad Saberi, ''Ein persischer Prinz in Wien'', in: TAWAN, Magazin des Vereins Iranischer Ingenieure/innen in Österreich, Wintersemester 2002/2003, S. 8
Digitalisat
He signed bills using his Persian name, Ali Mirza Khan, up to his death.

Personal life

Von Semlin married Roza, a Turkic woman, in 1792. They had two sons, Johann (Yahya) and Joseph (Yusef). After attaining the legal age, they both joined the Austrian army. Franz Gräffer, ''Conversationsblatt. Zeitschrift für wissenschaftliche Unterhaltung'', Band 1, Wien 1821
S. 186 f.
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Semlin, Joseph von 1736 births 1824 deaths Iranian emigrants to Austria Afsharid dynasty Austrian Christians 18th-century Austrian military personnel Austrian military personnel of the Seven Years' War Iranian former Shia Muslims Austrian former Muslims People from Isfahan 18th-century Iranian people