Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani
Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani | |
|---|---|
میرزا یوسف آشتیانی | |
 | |
| Grand Vizier of Iran | |
| In office 1880 (unofficial) 24 June 1884 (official) – 7 April 1886 | |
| Monarch | Naser al-Din Shah Qajar |
| Preceded by | Mirza Hosein Khan Moshir od-Dowleh |
| Succeeded by | Mirza Ali Asghar Khan Amin al-Soltan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1812 |
| Died | 7 April 1886 |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Children | |
| Parent | |
Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani (1812 – 7 April 1886; Persian: میرزا یوسف آشتیانی) also known as Mostowfi ol-Mamalek (مستوفی الممالک) was a Grand Vizier of Iran during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar and one of the most influential members of the Qajar bureaucratic system. He was from the conservative faction of the Qajar court and an opponent of Mirza Hosein Khan Sepahsalar and his reforms.
Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani, as one of the most influential members of Naser al-Din Shah's court, played a role in many important events of his time, including the removal of Mirza Mohammad Khan Sepahsalar,[1] the poisoning of Hossein Gholi Khan Ilkhani,[2] the establishment of the Qajar bureaucracy and the expansion of Tehran.[3]
Early life
[edit]Mirza Yusuf was born in Ashtian. He was from the Mostowfian Ashtiani family, who were inheritable the Mostowfi (treasurer) of Ashtian and sometimes the court. After his father's death, he became known as Mostowfi ol-Mamalek and took over the presidency of Mostowfis.
Political career
[edit]He was considered and trusted by Amir Kabir due to his honesty and professionalism.[4] When Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri came to power, he was afraid of Mirza Yusuf's influence and closeness. In addition, he always preferred to place his relatives and trustees in important positions, so he caused the deportation of Mirza Yusuf to Ashtian and gave the presidency of Mostowfis to his son Mirza Kazem Nizam al-Mulk.[5] After the dismissal of Mirza Aga Khan, he was again summoned to Tehran and regained his inherited position.
Later, he became the tutor of Kamran Mirza, the young son of the Shah, a job that was equivalent to the government of Tehran and the director of real estate.[6] After that, his sphere of influence and power gradually increased, until Naser al-Din Shah became acquainted with the reformist ideas of Mirza Hosein Khan Sepahsalar. Hosein Khan constantly spoke to Naser al-Din Shah regarding the need for reform in Iran, so the shah dismissed Mirza Yusuf and respectfully sent him to Ashtian. He was away from the political scene for two years, until he was called to Tehran after the dismissal and exile of Hosein Khan to Gilan.[7] After the exile of Hosein Khan, Mirza Yusuf informally served as the Grand Vizier from 1880 and formally from 1884 until his death in 1886.
In 1882, Mirza Yusuf noticed the rise to power of Hossein Gholi Khan Ilkhani, a Bakhtiari khan who had recently entered into an alliance with Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan, and on his orders[8] he was poisoned with Qajar coffee.[9] The expansion of Tehran during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah was done under the supervision of Mirza Yusuf.[10] He bought and settled many lands around Tehran from Naser al-Din Shah. Hassanabad, Yousefabad, Behjatabad, Abbasabad, Amirabad and Vanak were among his gardens, and now neighbourhoods with the same names have been built in their place. Mirza Yusuf appointed many of his relatives, such as Mirza Musa Ashtiani, and made reforms in the Qajar bureaucracy that were very powerful in favour of princes, governors, and courtiers.[11] Mirza Yousef Ashtiani supported artists and politicians in addition to assassinating and suppressing many of his opponents.[12]
During the reign of Mirza Yusuf, Naser al-Din Shah gradually disregarded the duties of the monarchy and increasingly sought refuge in isolation and his own interests within the Qajar harem.[13] Mirza Yusuf took advantage of the Shah's position and became the most powerful man in the court. Naser al-Din Shah, who did not call anyone "Jenaab", called him "Jenaab Agha" (Your Excellency).[14]
He was known for his humility and good morals, as he cherished the dervishes and befriended them.[14] Alchemy was one of his favorite pastimes, and he was also interested in agriculture, horticulture, and bird breeding.[4] Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani died on 7 April 1886; his title was inherited by his son, Mirza Hasan Ashtiani, who later became Prime Minister under Ahmad Shah Qajar and Reza Shah.
Legacy
[edit]Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani had a great influence on the time after him. Before him, the Shah and the Prime Minister (Grand Vizier) were two important poles and had the equal power, but with the reforms he made in the Qajar bureaucracy, the power of the Prime Minister increased sharply, and this increase grew even greater with the Constitutional Revolution.[15] The role of Mirza Yusuf in the influence of his family, the Mostowfian Ashtiani, is also very important because before him, the members of this family did not have much role in the court, but after him, five members of this family became prime minister.[16] In today's society, he is known also as the person who made the Qajar coffee tradition to poison the opposition.[17]
Honours
[edit]- Order of Homayoun (Persian: نشان تمثال همایون), 1869
- Order of the Lion and the Sun, 1874
- Neshan-e Aqdas, 1st Class, 1880
- Order of Ali (Persian: نشان تمثال امیرالمؤمنین), 1880[14]
References
[edit]- ^ Abbas Amanat, Qebleh-ye 'ālam, p. 509
- ^ Mohammad Hassan Etemad Al-Saltanah, Memoirs of Etemad al-saltaneh, p. 120-122
- ^ Maser Yousufi, Biography of Mirza Yusuf Khan Mostowfi ol-Mamalek, p. 34
- ^ a b Etemad-ol-Saltaneh, the regular history of Nasser al-Din Shah, vol. 3, p. 1897
- ^ Esmaeel Raeen, British puppets in Iran, p. 256-257
- ^ Mohammad Hassan Etemad Al-Saltanah, Memoirs of Etemad-ol-Saltaneh, P. 156
- ^ Fereydun Adamiyat, The idea of progress and the rule of law in the era of Moshir al-Dawla, 265–268
- ^ Safaei, Ibrahim. Ten Pioneers. Tehran: Bita Publications. p. 215.
- ^ Khazeni, Arash (2009). Tribes and Empire on the Margins of Nineteenth-Century Iran. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-98995-2.
- ^ Shahidi, Hossein. History of Tehran. Donya Publications. p. 485. ISBN 9789649139869.
- ^ Etemad Al-Saltanah, Mohammad Hassan. Mirrors of cities. Vol. 3. p. 163.
- ^ Etemad, Hassan. "Mostowfi ol-Mamalek (Mirza Yusuf, Grand Vizier)". Vahid Jornal. 79: 868–889.
- ^ Abbas Amanat, Qebleh-ye 'ālam, p. 562
- ^ a b c Dost Ali Moayeri, Nobles of the era of Nasser al-Din Shah, p. 47
- ^ Qasemi, Abulfazl. "Mostowfi ol-Mamalek family". Vahid Journal. 18: 200–211.
- ^ Qasemi, Abulfazl. "One Hundred Ruling Families of Iran: The Ashtiani Family". Vahid Journal. 22: 231–240.
- ^ Qureshi Karin, Seyyed Hassan (2019). "6". History of political, social, economic and religious developments in Iran from the beginning of the Qajar period to the Constitutional Revolution. Payame Noor Publications. pp. 234–235.