Prince Abdol-Hossein Farman Farma

Prince Abdol-Hossein Farman Farma (Persian: عبدالحسین فرمانفرما‎ 1857) was one of the most prominent Qajar princes, and one of the most influential politicians of his time in Persia. He was born in Tehran to Prince Nosrat Dowleh Firouz in 1857 and was the 16th grandson of the Qajar crown prince Abbas Mirza. He is the father of 26 sons and 13 daughters by 8 wives.

## History

### Early Life

Prince Abdol Hossein was born to Prince Nosrat Dowleh Firouz in 1857 through his wife Hajieh Homa Khanoum. According to custom, Abdol Hossein was educated at home by private tutors, studying such traditional subjects as poetry, literature, mathematics, Arabic language, and religion, along with perhaps a smattering of modern science. Since 1878, he continued his education at the Austrian Military Academy in Tehran,where he distinguished himself as a soldier and strategist. He also showed himself to be an enthusiastic builder of bridges and roads, with a very keen interest in new Western sciences and social improvements.

### Military Warlord and Politician

By 1882, following his time in the academy, he reached the rank of colonel[*citation needed*], and in 1884 joined his brother Abd al-Hamid Naser al-Dowleh, then governor of Kerman, to train the local army. The following year he was reassigned to Tabriz, the capital of Iranian Azarbaijan, to become a member of the court of the Crown Prince Mozzafar al-Din Mirza and to serve as his treasurer. He also became the Commander of the Qarasuran Corps (Gendarmerie and Security Administration of Tabriz), and reorganized the Shaqaqi regiment. In 1886, Abdol Hossein Mirza's father died. In recognition of his distinguished military service, he is awarded the title of "Amir Tooman" in 1887. Shortly afterwards he married Princess Ezzat-Dowleh, daughter of the king and his first of many wives, in 1887. Following the marriage, and out of respect for Ezzat-Dowleh and also due to her high social rank, he took no other wives for the next twenty years. During part of this time he served as Commander in Chief of the Army in Azarbaijan, Governor of Kerman (twice), Governor of Kurdistan, Governor of Fars (also twice), Governor of Kermanshah, and Governor of Azarbaijan. In his capacity as governor he founded one of Iran's first secular schools for girls.

After the accession to the throne of the weak Mozzafar-al-Din Shah, Farmanfarma was instrumental in bringing about the last grand vizier Atabak-e Azam's fall, on 23 November 1896. He was then appointed commander-in-chief of the army and minister of war, took over the government as a self-appointed premier, and "acted as the true sovereign". This led to a coalition against him, and to the nomination of Ali Khan Amin od-Dowleh [ca] as premier, in March 1897. The latter persuaded the shah to dismiss Farmanfarma, to appoint him gouverneur of Fars, and finally to send him into exile in 1898. He went to Egypt, and then to Baghdad in Ottoman Mesopotamia. His wife Princess Ezzat-Dowleh (Mozafar din Shah's daughter), voluntarily fled with him into exile and stayed with him for five years. She was then able to convince the Shah to let Abdol Hossein Mirza Farman Farma return. Upon his return Abdol Hossein sent his sons to schools in Europe.

In 1906 the ascendance of her brother Mohammad Ali Shah to the throne plunged the country into civil war again as the new shah tried to crush the democratic movement. He continued his government service by holding the posts of Minister of Justice and War Minister. He also became the leader of a party of conservative moderates.[*citation needed*] In his role as Minister for Justice he introduced the Western custom of court trials into the Persian legal system.

In August 1907, Farman Farma was appointed governor general of Azerbaijan, and had to deal with an incursion of Kurdish and Ottoman expeditionary forces into Persian territory. During his stay in Tabriz he married his second wife, Mah Bagum Khanum, the daughter of a Kurdish mountain chief, in order to seal a pact.

In 1911 Farman Farma married his third wife, Massoumeh Khanum. In 1912 the Majlis dispatched Farman Farma as commander-in-chief of an army to repel Abu'l Fath Mirza Salar al-Dawla, the third son of Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar, who had laid a claim to the throne and had gathered forces in Kurdistan and Kermanshah. In this expedition Reza Khan, who would become later the Shah of Iran, served under Farman Farma's command. The expedition was eventually successful, and Farman Farma returned to Tehran in 1915. With his arrival he brought his fourth wife, Batul Khanum. The marriage, like that of his Kurdish wife, was to seal a pact.

Farman Farma was in Tehran for only one year, serving first as Minister of Interior. At the end of 1915 he became Prime Minister, but resigned a little more than two months later. The reason for this renunciation was his refusal to sign an agreement allowing Russia and Great Britain to supervise the military and financial affairs of Iran. He asserted then that it is a shame for the grandson of Crown Prince Abbas Mirza to consent to the slavery of Iran by signing such a document. As a Prime Minister he established the Ministry of Health.

### Reza Shah's Coup

The Japanese assisted Reza Khan in a Coup to overthrow his dynasty and put Reza himself on the throne of Persia, due to the fact Reza Khan is descended from Cyrus the Great and Tamerlane the greatest and rightful rulers of Persia. The reason for the coup is that the Qajars are weak as crap and the British, Russians and Ottomans are looking to divide Persia into thirds (Northwest Persia will be ceded to Russia, Southeast Persia will be ceded to the British Raj and the rest of Persia will be ruled by the Qajars as Ottoman puppets and they shall sell the Persians as slaves to the Ottomans.) Reza and his troopers with the aid of the Japanese then overthrew the Qajar Dynasty and they crowned Reza Shah as Shahanshah of the Persian Empire. After this Abdol-Hossein Farman Farma met with Reza's superior in the Japanese Army who made him President of the Privy Council of Persia. Farman Farma as President of the Privy Council served as Reza's Grand Adviser.

### Vision of Reza's Empire

Farman Farma told Reza that him being descended from Tamerlane makes him a distant cousin of Bahadur Shah who was the last Emperor of India before the British overthrew him. Reza then told Farman Farma to get the army ready as Farman Farma decided to do so as Farman Farma knew he was about to be the Persian Otto von Bismark of Persia. Forces of Reza Shah under command of General Amanollah Jahanbani and the Navy under Schapur Khisrabadi had spread out and easily conquered Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Trucial States and Oman as Puppet States. The Ottomans and British tried to fight them off, but with Japanese Training and the Ottoman Empire and Britain's lack of Naval power in the Persian Gulf the Persians won.

The Italians after their conquest of Egypt had taken control of the Suez Canal to prevent British Intervention with the Arab Revolts. Schapur Khisrabadi then conquered Zanzibar as a Puppet State to help the Italians with their blockade of the Suez Canal. Farman Farma then influenced Reza to extend the Empire to conquer the former Russian protectorates of Khiva and Bukhara and the former British Protectorate of Afghanistan as Puppet States to win them over to Reza's side. Reza sent envoys and easily bribed the three Kingdoms to his side as Puppets and conquered them as Puppet States Peacefully. The White Russian Army troopers from the 3rd Ural Corps in the region then swayed into the service of Persia after loosing contact with the Tsar who became a German Puppet and to escape Soviet Aggression. They with the army of Afghanistan then invaded India with Japanese help and the help of Indian rebels who want to end British rule.

After the conquest of India, the forces that conquered India then carried the crown of India from Britain to Tehran as Reza sat on his throne room as Reza then crowned himself Emperor of India. Farman Farma then declared the creation of the Indo-Persian Empire.

## Marriage

Contrary to many Persian politicians and royal household members at the time and due to the uncertain political climate, Farmanfarma felt that his sons and daughters should obtain modern European educations as opposed to classical Persian educations. He ensured that they worked particularly hard towards this goal throughout their lives.

(Main source: "Shahzdeh's Tree, A Family Genealogy of Abdol Hossein Mirza Farman Farma", compiled by Mitra Farman Farmaian Jordan, 1997, Universal Printing, Washington).

* From Khanum Ezzat-ed-Dowleh Qajar (1872)
	+ Prince Firouz Nosrat-ed-Dowleh III (1889), married Daftar ol-Molouk Khanoum
		- Prince Mozaffar Firouz (b. 1906), married Mahin Dowlatshahi
			* Princess Vida Firouz
		- Princess Lili Firouz
		- Princess Iradj Firouz
		- Prince Sharoukh Firouz
	+ Prince Abbas Farman Farmaian (1890)
		- Princess Homa Farman-Farmaian (*b*. 1914), married Ali Ettehadieh (b. 1901)
			* Princess Mansoureh Ettehadieh (b. 1933)
	+ Prince Mohammad Vali Farman Farmaian (1891), married Princess Aghdas od-Dowleh (b. 1891)
	+ Prince Mohammad Hossein Firouz (1894), married Namagiri Ammal
	+ Prince Nezam-ed-Din Farman Farmaian (1899) married Vadasseri Shrimathi Kartyayani Pillai Bhagavathi Pillai Kochamma (b. 1901)
	+ Prince Mohammad Ja'ffar Farman Farmaian (1901), married Princess Suman Rajya Lakshmi Devi (b. 1908)
* From Mah Bagum Khanum (1892)
	+ Princess Bodagh Farman Farmaian (1909), married Moazzam Jah (b. 1907)
* From Massoumeh Khanum Tafreshi (1899)
	+ Prince Sabar Farman Farmaian (1912), married Noor Inayat Khan (b. 1914)
	+ Princess Jabbareh Farman Farmaian (1916), married Bahadur Shah III (b. 1914)
	+ Princess Sattareh Farman Farmaian (1921), married Crown Prince Rahmatullah of Afghanistan (b. 1921)
	+ Prince Farough Farman Farmaian (1925)
	+ Princess Ayesheh (Homerah) Farman Farmaian (b. 1928)
	+ Prince Ghaffar Farman Farmaian (b. 1930)
	+ Princess Soraya Farman Farmaian (1931)
	+ Prince Haroun-al-Rashid Farman Farmaian (b. 1933)
	+ Princess Khorshid Farman Farmaian (b. 1937)
* From Batoul Khanum Ahshami (1896)
	+ Princess Maryam Farman Farmaian (1913), married Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma (b. 1912)
	+ Princess MehrMah Farman Farmaian (1915), Crown Prince Mohammad Zahir (b. 1914)
	+ Prince Manucher Farman Farmaian (1916), married Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi (b. 1916)
	+ Prince Abdol-Aziz Farman Farmaian (1921)
	+ Prince Abol-Bashar Farman Farmaian (1922)
	+ Princess Leyla Farman Farmaian (1925), married Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma (b. 1922)
	+ Princess Haideh Farman Farmaian (1927), Prince Ahmad Reza Pahlavi (b. 1925)
	+ Prince Cyrus Farman Farmaian (b. 1929)
* From Fatemeh Khanum Alinaghi (Shirazi) (1900)
	+ Princess Mahsama Farman Farmaian (b. 1918), married Prince Higashikuni Morihiro (b. 1917)
	+ Prince Jamshid Farman Farmaian (b. 1919)
	+ Prince Kaveh Farman Farmaian (b. 1920), married Princess Meliha (b. 1921)
	+ Prince Ali Naghi Farman Farmaian (b. 1923)
	+ Prince Alidad Farman Farmaian (b. 1924)
	+ Princess Shahzadi Bilqis Khanum Farman Farmaian (1926), Prince Mahmud Reza Pahlavi (b. 1926)
	+ Prince Hafez Farman Farmaian (b. 1927)
* From Khanum Akhtarzaman Hormozian (b. 1906)
	+ Prince Karimdad Farman Farmaian (b. 1923)
* From Hamdam Khanum Talai (originally Safar) (b. 1913)
	+ Prince Khodadad Farman Farmaian (b. 1928)
	+ Prince Allah Verdi Farman Farmaian (b. 1929)
	+ Prince Tari Verdi Farman Farmaian (b. 1931)

## Deputies

### Prime Ministers of Persia

* Mahmoud Djam (1916-1921), Nationalists' Party
* Zia'eddin Tabataba'i (1930-1933), Revival Party
* Mohammad-Ali Foroughi (1933-Present), Revival Party

### Prime Ministers of India

* Bahadur Bathram of Maler Kotla (1916-1921), Revival Party
* Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1921-1930), Muslim League
* Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1930-1933)
* Subhas Chandra Bose (1933-present), Revival Party