زﻧﺪﮔﯿﻨﺎﻣﻪ «ﻫﺎوارد ﺎﺳﮑﺮوﻞ» ﺷﻬﺪ ﻣ ﺖﻃو :Howard C. Baskerville

ﯾﻮﺳﻒ ﻋﺰی ﻧﮋاد ﺧﻮ Martyr of Constitutionalism ﺎ ەﺎ ﺧی ﻠﺤﺗ ﺎﻤﻧ ﻧ ﻪﻣﺎ By Yousef Aziz-Nejad Khoi ۱۳۹۸۰۹۲۱ Translated by the Baskerville Institute

The Constitutional Revolution in (1905-1911) is one of the most prominent events in the history of Iran and Asia and had a great impact on the emergence of movements in other Asian countries1 . Many freedom fighters from other countries were encouraged by the development and came to Iran to fight alongside the Iranians for their Constitutional movement ( 1905-1910).• When despotic forces (Istebdad) with the support of Tsarist Russia, were pressuring the constitutionalist forces, famous foreigners held rallies in support of the Iranian freedom fighters. For example, Zia al-Din, son of Mahmud Pasha, organized and chaired meetings with allies in Istanbul supporting the efforts of the Iranian freedom fighters.2 Apart from these regional activities, other freedom fighters from faraway countries took notice of Iran and joined the constitutionalists. Their names have been recorded in Iran for their bravery. Such as German Fyodor, a Mojahedin artilleryman in the Gilan province, Aliev Shalatov, a naval sailor, Patomectin, a national army gunner, Fonarov, a fugitive Russian soldier, and Charles Semino, a Frenchman who died and left his mark on the history of the Constitutional Revolution. Another person, Saeed Salmasi, 2 was able to mobilize a large number of young Ottoman Turks to join the other fighters defending the constitutionalism of Azerbaijan.• Perhaps the name of Panov, a member of the Russian Social Democratic Party, and his clever actions in constitutionalist propaganda are one of the shining

*Pictures & illustrations added to the translation by the Baskerville Institute.

1 Mehrab Mohammad, 100th Anniversary of the Constitution, Special Issue, Akhtar magazine, P. 24

• Translator note: For more on Iran’s Constitutional Revolution see H.E. Chehabi, and Vanessa Martin, edited , Iran's constitutional revolution : popular politics, cultural transformations and transnational connections, I. B. Tauris, 2010

2 Ibid.. Among the wealthy and powerful people of Azerbaijan, cooperation with Haidar Amu Oghli in the uprisings of Khoy and , and with the Ottoman Union and Progress Society helped the constitutionalists and the Mujahideen of Khoy, and the Kurds in Khoy

• Trans.note: On June 24, 1908, Sayyid Hassan Taqizadeh, a prominent constitutionalist intellectual fled and took refuge in Istanbul, joining others who had fled earlier and forming alliances with their Turkish colleagues.

pages of constitutionalism. In sum, forty-two pro-freedom world revolutionaries were killed or wounded during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. One of these anonymous and devoted personalities was Mr. Howard C. Baskerville, a young freedom- loving American teacher. (1885-1909), was born in North Platte, , graduated from in 1907( 1286). He came to Iran to teach at the American Boys' School in Tabriz, which was part of the organization of American Presbyterian missionaries in this city. Baskerville, 24, taught history and international law. 3 Before the constitutional movement, as well as in its early years, the American School in Tabriz (Memorial School)4 was popular with constitutionalists. Because it was the only place where English and European sciences were taught, and many young smart Iranians attended this school.5

Baskerville’s registration with U.S. Consulate in Tabriz, September 5, 1908 The solidarity of the school and the Constitutional Movement was due to one teacher in that school, and this is the story of Mr. Baskerville joining the Tabriz Mojahedin. According to : "It was Baskerville, a 25-year-old who arrived in Tabriz shortly before the Tabriz War to teach from the . He had taken and his first job was to come to teach in this school after receiving his B.A. from

3 Janet Afary, Iranian Constitutional Revolution, ( translated by Reza Rezai), Bisetoon Press, 1379, P. 494

4 American Memorial School of Tabriz established in 1881 was one of the most prominent schools of its kind. Hundreds of Iranian received their secondary education in Memorial School. The school had 12 classes. Its official language was English and it had its own program. n 1935-1936 following the order of Reza Shah to nationalize all of the private school. In 1908 98 percent of the Iranian population were illiterate, three-fourth lived in rural areas. 5 Ahmad Kasravi, Iran’s Constitutional Revolution, Amir Kabir Press, P. 897

Princeton University. When the pure-hearted young man arrived in Tabriz and found the whole city in turmoil, his blood boiled and he became attached to the freedom of Iran."6 Baskerville, who lived in complete freedom and comfort, and had never tasted oppression in his life, suddenly entered an environment dominated by political oppression and abuse. In this case, it was not surprising that he was moved by great exuberance for change. Seeing the oppression of the youth and hearing the speeches of the late Sharifzadeh and Rezazadeh Shafaq7, this free-spirited young man became very attached to the constitution, and especially the killing of the late Sharifzadeh, shook the heart of this young American and made him very uneasy. After watching the misconduct of foreign agents such as the Russian and British consuls, Baskerville could not stay indifferent, he wanted to do something. He therefore became acquainted himself with English-speaking freedom fighters and in conversing with them he expressed his interest to help the freedom fighters. Because he had completed his military service in the United States and had training, he recruited young people to train them for the fight.8 Watching Baskerville in revolutionary Mojahedin uniform created a strange excitement in Tabriz. Some young people from Tabriz, as well as businessmen who had not taken up arms until that day, appeared in the square in battle uniforms and carried Baskerville's orders with their necks stretched, even though observers knew more or less that Baskerville had a formidable task, and he was unaware of the forces in the civil war, the tribes and nomads, and that he would soon perish and this will intimidate other young people [ from joining the Constitutional Movement], but as long as he taught military training, many benefits from his leadership example.9

6 Ibid.

7 Rezazadeh Shafaq, born in 1310 (AH ) in Tabriz, had completed his primary and secondary education in Islamic sciences and English at the American School and the Russian and French language courses in Tabriz. He published a newspaper called Shafaq.

8 Kasravi, op.cit., P. 891 ( translator note: He chose Kasravi ( 1889-1945) was a prominent an Iranian historian, linguist, researcher, jurist, and a nationalist thinker.] He was a nationalist professor of law at the University of and a lawyer in Tehran. He is the author of more than 70 volumes in Persian and Arabic. His book on the history of Iran's constitutional movement was published in 1939. This book has also been translated into English by Evan Siegel ( Mazda Press 2006.)

9 Karim Taherzadeh Behzad,, Azerbaijan Uprising in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, pp. 266 and 267.

According to sources, it was from February that Baskerville became acquainted with these young men and was determined to teach them military service, so he worked from those days and, so that the American consul and the American school would not be aware, set up the Ark Field for military training of this recruits.• Every day at dusk, young people would gather there and practice. In this way, Baskerville's work progressed, and during his training, hundreds of well-known merchants came to the training ground and looked at him with admiration and praise. According to Kasravi: "A simple young man has a great dream in his heart."10 Baskerville made a pact with each of the forces under his command to be at the forefront of the battle, and as they approached the enemy, they should gallantly push forward, kill and be killed by the enemy. The same young people, after receiving the required training, trained others as trained instructors. Young people trained directly under Baskerville were called "rescue regiments.” ( Fouj’e Nejat)

Baskerville’s “Rescue Regiment.” Baskerville’s friend, Sadeq Rezazadeh Shafaq, 3rdman standing from the left

• Trans.note: On February 4, 1909, Russian forces surrounded Tabriz and its neighborhood, preventing people and food supplies from entering the city. This is known as the Tabriz siege.

10 Kasravi, op.cit.,

During training of his men Baskerville noticed a handful of inexperienced wealthy young people. Taherzadeh Behzad writes in this regard: "Most of the trainees were not interested in going to war, but wanted to wear special clothes and train with bullets and walk the streets of Tabriz. So after Baskerville, none of them stayed in the battlefield."11 During Baskerville's training, the American consul became aware of his work and became concerned. One evening, when the barracks was full of people and Sardar and a number of representatives of the association were there, the consul came to the barracks, and when he met Baskerville, he reminded him that his involvement in the Constitutional Revolution in Iran was a violation of America law.• He told him that his actions would lead to punishment , and he threatened Baskerville and asked him to return to teaching at school. At this point, Baskerville took out his American passport and returned it to the consul. Sardar Khan and the representatives of the association who were present and watching the incident, addressed him: We are very happy with you, but we do not want you to be harmed in the way of the liberation of Iran and we would like you to return to your place in the school. But Baskerville ignored these words and left the school to join the Iranians fighting for their freedom.12 Baskerville had informed Sattar Khan of his readiness and that of his forces before the start of the Shaam'e Shab War against Shoja al-Dawla's forces . However, Sattar Khan knew that Baskerville was not experienced enough or knowledgeable about the situation and asked him to spend more time on military training. Sattar Khan knew that it is difficult to convince Baskerville and it is going to be difficult to stop him. After repeated requests from Baskerville, Sattar Khan approved his plan to send his

11 Taherzadeh, op.cit. P. 267

• Trans.note: “The Iranian Constitutional Revolution, the twentieth century’s first such political movement in the Middle East, engendered great expectations on the part of its participants—the reformist-minded intellectuals. In 1906, when Muzaffar al-Din Shah agreed to sign the constitutional decree (Farman-i Mashrutih), Iranian reformists thought of constitutional-ism as a cure for their country’s political ailments. As one scholar rightly calls it, this was a “revolution for law”2 because it aimed to create a society in Iran that was guided by written laws that placed conditions on monarchical rule and curbs on the arbitrary and absolute powers of the Shah, and made all individuals accountable for their actions. It aimed to reform a government that was infested with corrupt, inept, and despotic officials who primarily pursued their own interests over those of the people they had sworn to serve……..To all intents and purposes, inqilab-i mashrutih was Iran’s first modern revolution. Many Iranians today view it as the beginning of their national pursuit for a just, progressive, and enlightened society.”See Mateo Mohammad Farzaneh, The Iranian Constitutional Revolution and the Clerical Leadership of Khurasani, Syracuse University Press, 2015. 12 Kasravi, op.cit. P. 893

(Rescue Regiment) to enter the battle as the vanguard of the war.13 The number of Rescue Regiment mentioned was around 300, which seems like an exaggeration.14 Before launching his offensive, Baskerville sends people to Sattar Khan and asks him to provide him with a cannon, but Sattar Khan tells the people sent by Baskerville: "You are going to kill an American and leave the cannon to the enemy, you will run away." The final scene that will leads to his death will show his courage and sacrifice. Kasravi quotes a number of people around Baskerville describing the situation: "Alavizadeh, who was in the middle of the Mojahedin from the beginning of the war and had joined Baskerville, says: On the night of our gathering only eleven people showed up. About midnight we left for Qharaqaj, a neighborhood full of Mojahids, gunners and freedom fighters. They took us to a mosque where we would rest for a few hours." Baskerville could not sit still, and inside the mosque, he forced us to practice. They said that Sardar would come… but Sardar arrived late and in the morning with sun half shining we approached the enemy. We took the garden alley and walked forward surrounded by a wall of gardens.• At the end of the alley, a vast field was on the horizon, on the other side of the field there was a Cossack cannon trench around which the Cossacks were guarding. Once we reached the end of the garden alley, we approached the beginning of the field. Baskerville gave orders to go forward and started to run to the front of the Kazakh trench. A few of us followed him, and the others did not follow because they saw the ball and bullets in front of them, they immediately split into two. A group ran back to the gardens and dug behind the walls. But as soon as Baskerville fired the Cossack fired at him, ordering him to "lie down." The few people who were a few steps behind him, fortunately, reached the

13 Ibid. PP. 894-895

14 Taherzadeh, op.cit. P. 267.

• Trans.note: “By March 1909, Baskerville asked to organize 150 students to help Sattar Khan in the defense of Tabriz. At his class’s last meeting, Baskerville spoke to his students about their duty to serve their country and told stories of the . “He repeatedly said,” Shafagh recalled in 1959, that “he could not watch calmly from a classroom window the starving inhabitants of the city who were fighting for their right.” Baskerville himself explained his motives a few weeks later, at a banquet given by some Armenian soldiers in the constitutionalist movement. “I hate war,” he began, but he went on to say that war could be justified in furtherance of a greater good, in this case the protection of the city and the cause of constitutional liberty. He was ready to die for these causes, Baskerville continued. When he finished speaking, the Armenians cheered, “Long live Baskerville!” while Baskerville sang for them a verse of “My Country ’Tis of Thee.” See Mark Bernstein, An American Hero in Iran, May 9, 2007.

ridge and lay down, they heard Baskerville's voice: "Haj Agha, I have been shot." He fell silent with this sentence.15

The news of Baskerville's death was a shock to people in Tabriz. Because Baskerville was a guest of Iran and Azerbaijan and had sacrificed himself for the constitutional revolution, Baskerville's body was buried in the American Cemetery in Tabriz.16 The glory and respect of the people of Tabriz for Baskerville and the memorable ceremonies of the people in the funeral and burial of this foreign martyr are recorded in the history of Iran and Azerbaijan. All the way from the city to the American cemetery, the revolutionary Mojahedin stood on both sides of the road with rifle butts. Baskerville's students, his rescue squad, Americans living in Tabriz, and all freedom fighters young and old, carried bouquets of flowers around the body and proceeded to the American cemetery in mourning. At the American cemetery, several revolutionaries gave speeches.17

15 Kasravi, P. 896

16 Ibid.

17 Ibid.

At that time, the State Assembly of Azerbaijan wanted to send money to Baskerville's mother, but American experts did not find it appropriate. Baskerville's name was to be engraved on his rifle and sent to his mother as a momento.• Meanwhile, the freedom fighters prepared a pair of rugs to send to his mother. In 1941 a group of freedom fighters sent a rug with a picture of Baskerville woven by Suleiman Mirza to his mother. Other dignitaries praised Baskerville. Seyed Hassan Taghizadeh, in a long speech in the parliament and at a meeting honoring the martyrs and servants of the constitutional path, mentioned Baskerville and his services.• In 1959, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Baskerville's death, a memorial service was held in Tabriz. 18

• Trans.note: Five days after the funeral, Sattar Khan sent a telegram to Baskerville’s parents, in Spicer, MN: Persia much regrets honorable loss of your dear son in the cause of liberty, and we give our parole that future Persia will always revere his name in her history like Lafayette and will respect his venerable tomb.”

• W.A. Shedd, one of Baskerville’s colleagues, recalled in a letter after Baskerville’s death, “As a teacher he was successful, and in his earnest, sincere, and manly character gained the respect of everyone.” According to one scholar, Thomas Ricks, “one merchant, on the day after Baskerville's death, came to the Wilson house and gave Reverend Samuel Wilson a nicely woven cloth saying "we know that he died for us" to put on Baskerville’s grave. The missionaries, by the way, were stunned by the outpouring of love and gratitude for Baskerville's courageous action.” ( see his interview in 2009, https://www.webcitation.org/6fz8I0Qsy ) 18 Akhtar magazine, op.cit., P. 73