Mohammad Vali Mirza (1890–1988) was the third son of

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Qajar 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 origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

nobleman Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma and his wife Princess Ezzat-Dowleh.

Life

Tomb-PrinceMohammadValiFarmanFamaian-CimetiereDuPetitSaconnex RomanDeckert1302202

Since his youth, Mohammad Vali had spent a great deal of time in

Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan (, , ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq and Turkey to the west and Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani exclave of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republ ...

, where he owned considerable estates. Consequently, even in language, he preferred Azerbaijani to the nationally dominant Persian. His roots to Iranian Azerbaijan were revealed when at the age of 26, he earned a prominent position in the

Majles (, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning 'sitting room', used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to the Mus ...

(Iranian parliament) as the representative of

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 ...

. Working through the Majles, he invited

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

advisors to help reform the military, rural security system, gendarmerie, and public financial sector. Many advisors came including Colonel Norman Schwarzkopf and Dr Arthur Millspaugh who had previously been an advisor to Iran in the 1920s. Throughout his life, Mohammad Vali built a reputation for being a fair person and an excellent mediator. When his father and brothers were imprisoned during the 1921 coup that brought the

Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty () is an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian royal dynasty that was the Pahlavi Iran, last to rule Iran before the country's monarchy was abolished by the Iranian Revolution in 1979. It was founded in 1925 by Reza Shah, Reza S ...

to power Mohammad Vali Mirza escaped to

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. Afterwards, he returned to live in virtual seclusion under

Reza Shah 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 ...

. He died at the age of 92.

Anecdote

At the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, when the Russian Communists seized many properties in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

Mohammad Vali Mirza Mohammad Vali Mirza (; 1789–1864) was a Qajar prince and governor in 19th-century Iran. He was the third or fourth son of Fath-Ali Shah (). In 1799, he was appointed governor of the town of Semnan and later, in 1802, of the Khorasan province, ...

travelled to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

to settle accounts. Disguised as a beggar, he crossed the mountain passes of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

on his way north but was captured by a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n general named

Rafael de Nogales Rafael Inchauspe Méndez, known as Rafael de Nogales Méndez (October 14, 1877 in San Cristóbal, Táchira – July 10, 1937 in Panama City) was a Venezuelan soldier, adventurer and writer who served the Ottoman Empire during the Great War (1914 ...

, who was fighting on the German side and almost shot him as a spy. Mohammad Vali Mirza escaped only at the last minute because he spoke to the general in

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

, prompting the general to realize, as Nogales wrote in his memoirs, "that he was a prince of the lineage of Farman Farma." Afterward the two became friends, and Mohammad Vali Mirza later bestowed a medal on Nogales in gratitude. After the 1979 revolution he left Iran for

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

with his family and not to return to Iran until he died at the age of 98.

Government positions held

* Financial Agent at

, 1916–1917 * Head of Finance Department at

, 1945–1946 * Minister of Parliament in 4th, 5th, and 6th

from

* Minister of Parliament in 13th and 14th

from Sarab

Sources

*''Daughter of Persia'';

Sattareh Farman Farmaian Sattāreh Farmānfarmā'iān (; December 23, 1921 – May 21, 2012), also Sattareh Farman-Farmaian, was an Iranian author, social worker, and was of Qajar nobility. She was one of the daughters of Persian nobleman and Qajar Prince, Abdol Hoss ...

with Dona Munker; Crown Publishers, Inc., New York,1992 *''Blood and Oil: Memoirs of a Persian Prince'',

Manucher Mirza Farman Farmaian Prince Manucher Mirza (1917–2003) was born in Tehran in 1917. He was the sixth son of Prince Abdol-Hossein Farman Farma and of Batoul Khanoum. He studied petroleum engineering at Birmingham University in England before returning to Iran. On ...

Random House, New York, 1997.

External links

The Qajar (Kadjar) Pages
Turkoman dynasty of the Shahs of Persia Qajar princes 1890s births 1983 deaths Iranian emigrants to Switzerland Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in Switzerland Democrat Party of Iran politicians Members of the 14th Iranian Majlis Deputies of Tabriz for National Consultative Assembly Farmanfarmaian family Children of prime ministers of Iran {{Iran-royal-stub

Life

Anecdote

Government positions held

See also

Sources

External links