Mohammad Ali Qajar; Reproduction of royal tyranny/the fate of an evil king
Arya Legacy: Today, December 28, is the one hundred and seventeenth anniversary of Mohammad Ali Shah’s coronation in 1285.
With the death of Muzaffaruddin Shah, Mohammad Ali Mirza, the crown prince of the Shah, left Tabriz for Tehran to inherit his father’s throne. He held a coronation ceremony as the sixth Qajar king on 28th December 1285 and sat on the royal throne, but due to his hatred of the constitutionalists, he did not invite any of the members of the National Council to the ceremony.
Crown
On the coronation day, Mohammad Ali Mirza and his entourage hosted 30 clergymen, princes, ministers, nobles, generals and political delegations of embassies in the museum room.
He entered the hall accompanied by Mirza Nasrullah Khan Mushir al-Dawlah, the chancellor at the time, and other prominent men of the court and sat on the throne. Ahmad Mirza, his son, also stood on the stairs of the throne.
Although one of the clerics present at the meeting was supposed to place the jeweled crown on Muhammad Ali’s head, but due to some differences between the present clerics, Mushir al-Dawlah placed the crown on the crown prince’s head.
After that, Ayatollah Seyed Abdullah Behbahani, one of the great constitutionalists, recited verse 26 of Surah Al-Imran “Qal Allahum Malik al-Mulk” until the end. After him came Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Tabatabai, who also recited “Um Dawood”.
The king, who was holding the wide and heavy crown on his head with his two hands, took the crown off his head after the prayer and put on the collared cap of the Light Sea.
38 cannons were fired to the number of years of Mohammad Ali’s age. Another 110 cannons were fired for the memento of this day and after that music was played.
As soon as Muzaffaruddin Shah’s illness worsened, Crown Prince Muhammad Ali Mirza was called to Tehran and took charge of affairs. With this plan, the conflict between other princes was prevented.
Spark of discord
On the coronation day, a group of representatives of the first term of the National Council protested because the members of the parliament were not invited to attend the ceremony. The representatives of this parliament considered the behavior of the king and the court to be disregarding the dignity of the parliament and informed the court of their objections in a letter.
The details of this protest letter and the response of Muhammad Ali Shah’s court to it are not recorded in history, but from that date the relationship between the Majlis and the Shah turned dark and the coronation ceremony was interpreted as the first symbol of Muhammad Ali’s opposition to the Majlis and the constitutionalists.
As long as Mohammad Ali Shah was in Tabriz and was still in the guise of the Crown Prince of Azerbaijan, he wrote a letter to Ayatollah Seyyed Abdullah Behbahani: The servants of His Highness Aqdas Homayouni have sacrificed their souls, but the Crown Prince does not accept it.
First of all, I swear by the holy nature of the Lord that this article is completely contrary and unfounded, and I ask God that, God willing, this government and nation will progress and these humiliations will be removed.
Secondly, I swear by my grandfather if I have sent a person to Atbat.
Imagine if I have sent a person to Atbat, he will not remain in the veil and will be revealed. for what? Why should I be against this opinion and deny the country’s settlement?
Thirdly, I wonder why you have this idea and this impression towards me? Why do you believe this paper? Don’t you consider those people biased? This is easy.
A thousand of these actions are against me, why should you believe it, and please inform others yourself so that they know this is slander.”
a month ago
The Crown Prince arrived in Tehran on 26 December 1285. According to the narrative of history, he tried to establish friendly relations with the MPs upon his arrival in Tehran, but for some reasons, this did not happen. This incident was the first sign of pessimism between the king and the parliament.
In response to the rumors, Mohammad Ali Mirza said in a meeting with the members of the National Council who came to welcome him: “It is clear and obvious to every sane person that the foundation and foundation of progress, superiority and prosperity of each nation and country The civilization of the world has been about creating a true union between the government and the nation, and this foundation cannot be established and strengthened unless the national assembly is held, which is the mass of society between the government and the nation, and now, thank God, His Majesty the Emperor, according to his holy nature and the vote of the world, has established the foundation of this assembly to Mellat said, “I am willing and happy to accompany and assist with the progress of this project.”
As I have done from the beginning and I don’t see any better means and way for the development of the country than this basis. But it is also good for the parliament to work diligently and perform its duties with the utmost care and attention and try to correct the shortcomings and not to fail or neglect in fulfilling its duties.
The reason for the difference
Despite these clear words, Muhammad Ali Shah wrote in the second issue of December 1285 in support of the Majlis and the constitutionalists of Habal al-Mattin newspaper under the management of Seyyed Jalaluddin Kashani, nicknamed Movidal Islam: “It was rumored in Tehran that the Crown Prince is against the Majlis. The next day, a group of students went to meet Mohammad Ali Mirza and invited him to accompany the assembly. The crown prince promised to help again. In any case, there are many evidences and proofs that show that Mohammad Ali Mirza, the Crown Prince, tried to prove his loyalty to the Parliament and the Constitution, as Nazem-ul-Islam Kermani writes in the history of the awakening of Iranians: “A message was given by His Holiness the Crown Prince to Mr. Agha Sid Mirza Muhammad that: The opponents and some courtiers prevent the Nizamnameh (constitutional law) from coming into force: it will never be possible for me to be alone with the king and be able to say something about this. Your duty is to press hard and force me to validate the Nizamnameh I ask you to give up on His Majesty’s authority.”
Morteza Qoli Khan Sani al-Doulah, the chairman of the first session of the National Council in the session of the 24th of December 1285, referring to the origin and causes of spreading rumors against Muhammad Ali, said: “The biased, the corrupt, the autocrats, and the hypocrites have spread the word of difference between the government and the nation among the people, they should He made these doubts clear from the eyes of the people.
They consider the government and the nation to be one, for example, the crown prince has not yet arrived, they say that he is against the parliament and the parliament is against the law of the government, and while the letter they wrote to Mr. Seyed Abdullah Behbahani is ready, how much sympathy have they expressed.”
He was blamed for not inviting the representatives of the first term of the National Council to the coronation ceremony of Mohammad Ali Shah, while the inviter and organizer of the coronation ceremony was Mirza Nasrullah Khan Mushir al-Doleh.
Mohammad Ali
The result of the marriage of Tajul-Maluk, the eldest daughter of Mirza Mohammad Taqi Khan Farahani known as Amir Kabir and Muzaffaruddin Mirza, was born on July 1, 1251 in Tabriz. Muhammad Ali was the 36th prince from the lineage of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar and the cousin of Taj al-Muluk.
He learned to read, write and recite the Quran in a school in Tabriz. Despite the fact that his father Muzaffaruddin Shah became the governor of Azerbaijan at the age of four, but due to the 48-year reign of his grandfather Naseruddin Shah and the long term of his father Muzaffaruddin’s governorship of Azerbaijan, Muhammad Ali became the governor of Azerbaijan at the age of 24. Muhammad Ali ascended the throne 10 years later at the age of 34 as the sixth king of Iran.
The evils of Muhammad Ali
The living conditions of his mother Tajul-Maluk in Tabriz and Muhammad Ali’s local disputes with his contemporary political leaders in Tehran made Muhammad Ali an isolated, hot-tempered and spiteful character.
He hated the clerics and constitutionalists because of his intellectual differences with the constitutionalists and the accusations of some conservative clerics, including Hajj Islam Seyyed Yahya Doulatabadi and Seyyed Mohammad Ejaman Shirazi against his mother Tajul-Maluk. This issue made Mirza Agha Khan Kermani, a contemporary writer and intellectual and a follower of Seyyed Jamaluddin Asadabadi, along with Ahmad Ruhi and Mirza Hasan Khan Khabir al-Molk, one of his common friends with Seyed Jamaluddin Asadabadi, guilty of accompanying and participating with Mirza Reza Kermani should ask the Osmani Shah for the murder of his grandfather Naseruddin Shah. The Ottoman king kept these three prisoners in his prison.
At the request of Mohammad Ali Mirza, the crown prince of Iran at the time, all three people were handed over to the guards, especially Mohammad Ali. When all three prisoners arrived in Tabriz, Mohammad Ali ordered to behead them. After this tragedy, Muhammad Ali covered their bodies with straw and sent the heads of the victims to the court of his father Muzaffaruddin Shah.
Russian teacher
Muhammad Ali’s mood and temperament made him an isolated and hot-tempered character for several reasons. First, the quality and life conditions of his mother, Tajul-Muluk Khanum nicknamed Umm Khaqan, intellectual differences and physical encounters between his mother and father, and Tajul-Muluk’s suspicious trips outside the court caused misunderstandings and immoral accusations against him by some constitutionalist clerics.
This incident had a deep bad effect on Muhammad Ali’s behavior and temperament, especially because some constitutionalists called him a “bastard”.
Second, education and training under a Russian-born teacher named Sergey Markovich Shabshal, nicknamed Adib al-Sultan, had a deep impact on his mind and soul. Sergei Shabshal, who worked directly under the supervision of the Tsarist Russian embassy in Tehran, had a significant impact on the despotism of Muhammad Ali, which culminated in his forgetfulness and uncivil disobedience in issuing an order to close the National Assembly building in Baharestan Square with cannons.
Third, false religious and ideological teachings and a strong tendency to superstition and istikhara instead of thinking and consulting with wise men and scholars, along with holding grudges against some constitutional revolutionaries, gradually made Muhammad Ali an isolated and intolerant character.
Family roots of misunderstanding
Malik Nesa Khanum, nicknamed Ezzat al-Doulah or Malikzadeh Khanum, the daughter of Amir Kabir, who was one of the influential women of the Qajar dynasty, was the mother of Taj al-Muluk. Ezzat al-Dawlah was so bold and recklessly quick-talking that according to historical sources, even Muzaffar al-Din Shah could not handle his language.
Ezzat al-Dawlah divorced Muzaffar al-Din Shah and separated his children Muhammad Ali, Ahmad and Ezzat al-Dawlah from their father.
On the other hand, Tajul-Muluk was the granddaughter of Malik Jahan Khanum, nicknamed Mahd Alia, the wife of Muhammad Shah and the mother of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar. Mehd Alia was also an influential and influential woman in the court of her son Nasser.
“Taj al-Muluk”, the mother of Muhammad Ali, was an influential figure in the formation of a part of Iran’s history in the 13th century. The most information about the social personality of Tajul-Maluk comes from the reports that were published in some newspapers of the constitutional era, including a critical newspaper called “Masavat”.
In its issue dated July 31, 1286, this newspaper wrote in an explanation of the days of “Taj-ul-Muluk”: “Today, Tehranis did not know the extent of their enmity with Mohammad Ali Mirza and said what they knew and could. Today, the name of his mother Umm Khaqan was mentioned and the words that were said about that woman thirty years ago; Another action of the opponents and extremists against Muhammad Ali Shah is to prepare speeches that had no basis but imagination and suspicion.
Different issues of this newspaper openly gave him immoral relations. This newspaper introduced Muhammad Ali as his illegitimate son.
Except for this newspaper, there is no clear account of Tajul-Muluk’s life. In addition to this newspaper, everything that is recorded about him in history comes from the narratives and memories of his relatives and friends.
Tajul Muluk was not a recluse and isolated woman and had inherited some moral qualities of her grandmother Mahd Alia. A characteristic that made some personalities and media of the constitutional period dare to slander him.
At the time of marriage in Mehr 1246, Tajul-Muluk was about six years older than Muzaffaruddin Mirza. Their wedding celebration lasted seven days and nights.
Tajul Muluk’s love for Muzaffaruddin Shah gradually decreased for various reasons after the birth of Muhammad Ali. These two had serious differences, differences that some courtiers attributed to Tajul Muluk’s sense of revenge against his own family, especially his maternal grandfather Naseruddin Shah and Mehd Alia, due to the murder of his father Mirza Taqi Khan Farahani, nicknamed Amir Kabir, and also the forcing of his mother Malik Nasa Khanum to marry Mirza Kazem Khan Nizam al-Mulk, nicknamed Mirza Kazem Noori, the eldest son of Mirza Agha Khan Noori, the chancellor at the time of Naseruddin Shah, was forced by his grandmother Mehd Alia and his uncle Naseruddin Shah.
Perhaps these internal disturbances in the court of Muzaffar al-Din caused rumors and subsequent hadiths to leak outside the court.
Stenist clerics
Hojjat-ul-Islam Seyyed Yahya Doulatabadi, a representative of the National Council for several terms and the author of the events of the constitutional period and one of the founders of modern education institutions in the country, who was 10 years older than Muhammad Ali, was the first person to attribute “prostitute” to Tajul-Muluk.
After separating from the fifth Qajar Shah, Tajul-Muluk married Motadem al-Sultaneh, Mustofi Azarbaijan, and went to Tabriz near his son and did not leave him. This relationship was so close that it created the ground for many attacks against him in the future.
Muhammad Ali’s mother’s marriage with Motamed al-Sultaneh did not last long. After the second divorce, he married Mirza Ali Khan Nasir al-Sultaneh, a marriage that ended with the death of Nasir al-Sultaneh one year before the constitutional decree in 1284.
At the exact time when the constitutional decree was signed by Muzaffaruddin Shah, Tajul Muluk was in Tabriz with his son Mohammad Ali Mirza and his daughter-in-law Malkejahan.
With the beginning of the reign of Muhammad Ali Mirza on 28 January 1285, the name of Tajul Muluk was more prominent than before in the political circles and newspapers of the constitutional era. Newspapers of the constitutional era cited the corruption of his mother as the reason for Muhammad Ali Shah’s opposition and enmity with the constitution and humiliated him in this way.
After Hojjat-ul-Islam Seyyed Yahya Daulatabadi, who first raised the issue of Tajul-Muluk’s prostitution, Hojjat-ul-Islam Seyyed Mohammad Reza Yazaman Shirazi also fueled it in the form of Shabnamah and in Samavat newspaper. He published harsh and insulting words towards Muhammad Ali and his court in the Shabnamehs and a newspaper that he named after himself. In addition, he published unproven words against Taj al-Muluk.
This journalist and politician, a contemporary of Mohammad Ali Shah, was seven years older than him. One of the most memorable works of this radical cleric happened years before the closing of the National Assembly.
He went to Tehran bazaar by writing a petition stating that Mohammad Ali Shah’s mother was a bad person, and by reading it to the bazaars, he brought the petition to their approval and certification.
Seyyed Ahmad Hukmabadi, known as Ahmad Kasravi, a historian and jurist who was 25 years younger than Eqal, criticized some of his writings in terms of ethics and literature, and this behavior was one of the reasons why the young and inexperienced Mohammad Ali Shah approached the Russians and the severity He stated that he disagreed with the constitutionalists.
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