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The Revolt of Hosein Qoli Khan Qajar, 1769-1777

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THE REVOLT OF HOSEIN QOLI KHAN QAJAR, 1769-1777 Shohei KOMAKI* Preface: There have been an increasing number of studies concerning Iranian history of the Qajar period (1796-1925) during the past few years. Most of them, however, are concentrated upon the latter half of the dynasty, that is, after the mid-nineteenth century. Those dealing with the first half of the period, though not many in number, focus mainly on the diplomatic relations with European countries, and hence there still remain many basic problems to be solved, as for example concerning the state structure and ruling system of the Qajar dynasty. Regarding the establishment of the dynasty also we are uncertain. In 1779, Aqa Mohammad Khan, the founder of the dynasty, escaped from Shiraz, the capital of the Zand dynasty, where he had been confined for about eighteen years. He then returned to his hometown Astarabad (today's Gorgan), and unified the whole of Iran within a period of about seventeen years. By what means did he gather the necessary forces in Astarabad? Aside from the fact that there existed power struggles within the Zand dynasty, what were the many factors that aided him in so successfully carrying out unifying operations? Questions such as these are yet to find an answer. Studies on the Zand period conducted by Roschanzamir,(1) Rajabi(2) and Perry,(3) refer to actions conducted by the Qajars on the eve of the establishment of their dynasty, but only in relation to either Karim Khan Zand or the Zand government. The research conducted by Hambly,(4) which happens to be one of the few studies specifically referring to Aqa Mohammad Khan, deals mainly with his personal character and his struggle with the Zand dynasty, with little reference to the means by which he acquired power. On the other hand, however, there do exist quite a few novels and biographies about him, as for example the biography of Pakra- * Lecturer, Sophia University. Vol. XXV 1989 119 van,(5) which is comparatively faithful to history. Needless to say, however, the use of such material as reference demands a lot of caution on our part. An examination of the circumstances that led to the establishment of the Qajar dynasty, necessitates that we move back at least to the first half of the eighteenth century. Since there already exist studies on that period concerning Nader Shah and Karim Khan, this paper will focus upon the revolt conducted shortly before the establishment of the Qajar dynasty by the brother of Aqa Mohammad Khan, namely, Hosein Qoli Khan. An attempt will be made to analyze the development of the revolt, and its relationship to the establishment of the Qajar dynasty. The sources used and their corresponding abbreviations are as follows: GG: Mirza Mohammad Sadeq Musavi Nami, Tarikh-e Giti Gosha, edited by Sa'id Nafisi, Tehran, Eqbal, 1318. GM: Mirza Abu al-Hasan Ghaffari Kashani, Golshan-eMorad, British Library Ms, Or. 3592. MN: Mohammad Hasan Khan E'temad al-Saltaneh, Tarikh-e Montazem-e Naseri, vol. 2, edited by Mohammad Esma'il Razvani, Tehran, Donya- ye Ketab, 1364. NT: Mirza Mohammad Taqi Lesan al-Molk Sepehr, Nasekh al-Tavarikh, vol. 1, edited by Mohammad Baqer Behbudi, Tehran, Eslamiyyeh, 1353. RSN: Reza Qoli Khan Hedayat, Tarikh-e Rouzat al-Safa-ye Naseri, vol. 9, Tehran, Khayyam, 1339. RT: Mohammad Hashem Asef Rostam al-Hokma, Rostam al-Tavarikh, edited by Mohammad Monshi, Tehran, Amir-e Kabir, 13522. TM: Mohammad b. Mohammad Taqi al-Saru'i Tarikh-e Mohammadi, British Library MS, Add. 27243. Of the seven sources listed above, GG and GM were produced during the period just prior to the revolt.(6) Though they were presented to the monarchs of the Zand dynasty, it is important to note that the challenge of Aqa Mohammad Khan against the Zand dynasty had already begun at the time they were written. The other five sources were all written during the Qajar period, and among them NT and RSN may be viewed as "official histories" of that period, while TM was written around 1796 or 1797.(7) While making use of these sources written during the Qajar period, one needs 120 ORIENT THE REVOLT OF HOSEIN QOLI KHAN QAJAR, 1769-1777 to bear in mind the fact that all the Qajar Shahs following the second, namely, Fath 'Ali Shah, were direct descendants of Hosein Qoli Khan. In other words, referring to these Persian sources in relation to the revolt demands our thorough attention. I. The Settlement after the Death of Mohammad Hasan Khan During the 1750's, Mohammad Hasan Khan Qoyunlu who was one of the leaders of the Ashaqebash, who constituted one of the Qajar tribal unions, attempted to exert his authority over the area extending from Astarabad to central Iran, and expanded his sphere of influence in order that he may by a single decisive action overwhelm Karim Khan Zand, by surrounding Shiraz. However, after the betrayal of his followers such as Hosein Khan Develu of the Yukharibash which happened to be another Qajar union, Mohammad Hasan Khan was attacked by the Zand army, and in February of 1759 he died in battle near Ashraf (today's Behshahr).(8) According to sources of the Qajar period, Mohammad Hasan Khan had nine sons and two daughters (NT 28-29, RSN 77-78). The eldest son, Aqa Mohammad Khan (born in 1741), fled to the Yamuts, who happened to be one of the Turkmen tribes and long-time allies of Mohammad Hasan Khan. Nevertheless, Aqa Mohammad Khan along with his brothers was captured by the Zand army two years later. It was Karim Khan who decided what should be done with each of the brothers. Two of them, namely, Morteza Qoli Khan and Mostafa Qoli Khan were held in Astarabad, because their mother happened to be a sister of Hosein Khan who was then the governor (beglarbegi) of Astarabad. One of the nine sons, that is 'Abbas Qoli Khan had already died at an early age in Tehran, and of the remaining six, Aqa Mohammad Khan was sent to Shiraz while the other five were sent to Qazvin (GG 170, GM 174, NT 29).(9) In Shiraz, Aqa Mohammad Khan was held under the protection of Karim Khan. Karim Khan treated this eldest son of his former enemy generously, permit- ting him to stay with his own children and also to listen in while national affairs were being discussed. He was even permitted to wander around by himself, provided he did not stray too far away from Shiraz.(10) While he was certainly a captive, yet he was never under lock and key. One can guess at several reasons for Karim Khan's generosity towards Aqa Mohammad Khan, one Vol. XXV 1989 121 of which was probably the situation around Astarabad at that time. It is believed that even after the death of Mohammad Hasan Khan, the Ashaqebash and his other supporters still remained in the region. Since Astarabad was an important fortress against the invasion of Turkmen from the northeast, Karim Khan was anxious to prevent disorder in this region at any cost, and con- sequently treated Aqa Mohammad Khan well, his motive being to conciliate the Ashaqebash. Let us now proceed to investigate the situation concerning the settlement in Astarabad and Mazandaran after the battle, both of which areas had been within the sphere of Mohammad Hasan Khan's influence. In Astarabad, Hosein Khan of the Yukharibash was appointed governor (beglarbegi) after the death of Mohammad Hasan Khan. He was the direct cause of the death of Mohammad Hasan Khan, owing to his having betrayed him by siding with the Zands. He however died of an illness soon after as- suming the post, and was succeeded by his younger brother Hasan Khan Develu. Mohammad Khan Savadkuhi the governor (hakem) in Mazandaran had also betrayed Mohammad Hasan Khan and guided the Zand army in its invasion of Astarabad, in acknowledgment of which he received the title of "Khan", and the post of "hakem". He moved the official residence from Sari to Barforush (today's Babol) in the west, possibly with the intention of keeping away as much as possible from Astarabad.(11) Thus Astarabad, the former headquarters of Mohammad Hasan Khan, was held by Hasan Khan of the Yukharibash, while Mazandaran which was also formerly under his control was now ruled by Mohammad Khan Savadkuhi. It is important to bear in mind the fact that these two leaders were deeply responsible for the death of Mohammad Hasan Khan. II. Hosein Qoli Khan's Dispatch to Damghan Though it is not too clear as to when the incident occurred,(12) Hosein Qoli Khan who was born around 1750 or 1751 and who was in Qazvin, visited his elder brother in Shiraz and stayed there. Then in 1768 or 1769, Karim Khan appointed him as hakem of Damghan and ordered him there in February 1769 (RSN 86). The first thing Hosein Qoli Khan did upon arrival in Damghan was to marry Mahd 'Oliya, the daughter of the local 'Ezz al-Dinlu family.(13) Probably soon after that he set out upon the conquest of the nearby areas, 122 ORIENT THE REVOLT OF HOSEIN QOLI KHAN QAJAR, 1769-1777 namely, Astarabad and Mazandaran. Questions remain concerning the reasons for Karim Khan's dispatch of Hosein Qoli Khan to Damghan. Though separated by steep mountains, Damghan and Astarabad are only about eighty kilometers apart, and Karim Khan was in all probability aware of the fact that sending the son of Moham- mad Hasan Khan to a place such as this, would give rise to the critical situation that subsequently developed there.
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