In the Shadow of the King: Zill al-Sultan and Isfahan under the Qajars (International Library of Iranian Studies)

Zill Al-sultan Was The Notorious Qajar Prince Who Ruled Isfahan, Iran's Former Capital During The Safavid Era, As Governor From 1874 To 1907. He Is Remembered As A Qajar Anti-hero - Even A Villain - To This Day, Based Largely On His Apparent Exercise Of Absolute Power And Pursuit Of Intrigue To Further His Own Political Interests. Heidi A. Walcher Has Produced The First, Extraordinarily Important Study Which Works Both As A Biography Of One Of The Most Colourful Individuals In The History Of Modern Iran And As A Study Of The Social And Political Circumstances Of Late Nineteenth-century Iran In General And Isfahan In Particular. She Investigates The Growing British And Russian Interference In The Country And The Impact Of These Foreign Interventions, Not Least Among The Clerical Elite Of Isfahan, Which Has Always Been A Leading Centre Of Shi'ite Theology In Iran, And Among Its Mercantile Classes. The Rise Of The Tobacco Protests In 1890-2, The Constant Trade Wars Against The British, The Suspicions Against The Jewish Merchants, The Persecution Of Local Babis And Bahais, The Conflicts With European Missionaries, Ultimately The Fall Of Zill Al-sultan In 1 907 After 33 Years Of Rule And The Rise Of The Bakhtiaris As The New Ruling Power In Isfahan - All These Developments Resulted From The Pivotal Role Of The Mullahs (and Their Collaboration With The Merchants) Led By Aga Najafi, Who Was The City's Principal Cleric And Who, With His Brothers, Represented The Militant And Radical Tendencies Within Iran's Shi'ite Establishment. This Book, Tracing The History Of Late Nineteenth-century Isfahan Past The 1 906 Constitutional Revolution, Is A Major Contribution To A Proper Understanding Of Modern Iran.--jacket. Introduction: The City Of Religion And Opium -- Trading The Kārūn Navigation Rights For The Star Of India -- A Blind Star Will Not Become The Moon: The Zill Al-sultān's Eclipse -- Taqī Is Not Afraid Of Your Unloaded Canons -- Defeating The British Tobacco Monopoly -- Anti-british Resistance And Other Trade Wars -- The Anglican Gospel For Persia -- Proselytizing The Jews -- Disintegration And Unrest -- Rise Of The Light Of God: From Princely Absolutism To Tribal Rule -- Epilogue -- List Of Governors Of Isfahān 1752-1922. Heidi A. Walcher. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [479]-500) And Index. Table of Contents In the Shadow of the King : Zill Al-Sultan and Isfahan under the Qajars by Walcher, Heidi A.; Walcher, Heidi; Iran Heritage Foundation Staff (Contribution by) Terms of Use List of plates p. xi Acknowledgements p. xiii Introduction: The City of Religion and Opium p. 1 Urban Images: From the Abode of Monarchy to the Welkin of Islam and the Camel p. 6 Agronomy and the Merchant City p. 11 Cash Crops: Opium, Cotton, Tobacco p. 15 Politics of Urban Topography: Armenian New Julfa p. 23 Demographics: Inconclusive Numbers p. 28 The Inner-urban Alter Ego: The Jews p. 30 The Shadow of the King p. 35 Welkin of Islam: the Center of Shi'ism p. 39 The Aqayan-i Masjid-i Shah p. 43 I Trading the Karun Navigation Rights for the Star of India p. 56 The Evolution of the Karun Scheme p. 57 Circumventing the Shah p. 59 The Star of India p. 63 The Zill al-Sultan's Karun Projects p. 66 Persian Competitors p. 68 New Diplomacy p. 70 The Navigation Rights p. 73 II A Blind Star will not Become the Moon: The Zill al-Sultan's Eclipse p. 79 Military Might p. 79 Bargaining for the British Decoration p. 87 Dismantling Princely Power p. 91 Reactions p. 94 Discussing Aetiologies p. 98 Debating a British Consulate p. 105 III Taqi is Not Afraid of Your Unloaded Cannons p. 112 Revival of the Law of 'Umar p. 114 Against the Babis of Najafabad p. 118 The Feast of Trumpets at Pir-i Bakran p. 123 Sidih: Resuming the Babi Crusade p. 128 Unmitigated Return p. 135 IV Defeating the British Tobacco Monopoly p. 141 The Scene of Isfahan p. 142 Inauguration of the Regie Concession p. 144 Clerical Boycott and Princely Subversion p. 147 Cancellation of the Monopoly p. 154 Repercussions p. 157 V Anti-British Resistance and Other Trade Wars p. 164 The Creation of the Imperial Bank of Persia p. 164 Rape at the Bank in Yazd p. 170 Chasing Hajji Mirza Khalil Khan p. 172 Trade Embargoes p. 174 Grain Speculations and the Dream of Hajji Akhund p. 178 Intrusion into the Holy City p. 184 Asphyxia: The Hotz Suffocation Case p. 188 Shirkat-i Islamiyih: The Islamic Company p. 200 VI The Anglican Gospel for Persia p. 204 From the Great Famine to the First School p. 205 Evangelizing the Muslims p. 209 Maneuvering Between Mercantilism and Religious Loyalty p. 215 The Babi Connection p. 223 Aqa Najafi's Pilgrimage to Mashhad p. 226 Sakinih's Conversion p. 228 Whither the Reverend Tisdall p. 232 Visiting the Wrong Hamam p. 234 Benjamin's Trial p. 237 The Anglican Impact p. 239 VII Proselytizing the Jews p. 244 The School for the Jews p. 245 Mirza Nurallah's Expulsion p. 249 Ongoing: The School in Jubarih p. 253 Business Interests: Crossing Religious Communalism p. 258 VIII Disintegration and Unrest p. 266 Establishing a Russian Consulate p. 267 Renegotiating Anglo-Isfahani Relations p. 269 Reservations of the Albion p. 274 1903 Babi Massacres p. 279 Changing Positions p. 287 Revolutionary Backwaters p. 291 IX Rise of the Light of God: From Princely Absolutism to Tribal Rule p. 296 Electing Parliamentary Representatives and the Creation of the Holy National Council of Isfahan p. 298 The Petition of Validan p. 304 The Fall of the Zill al-Sultan p. 306 Between the Republic of Isfahan and Business as Usual p. 314 Rule of the Anjuman p. 318 Reaching for the Throne p. 321 The Nurallah-Bakhtiyari Revolt p. 326 Extracting Cash p. 334 Preparing the Coup d'Etat p. 337 Staying the Course p. 339 Epilogue p. 343 List of Governors of Isfahan 1752-1922 p. 355 Notes p. 359 Selected Bibliography p. 479 Index p. 501 Descriptive content provided by Syndetics"! a Bowker service. Summary In the Shadow of the King : Zill Al-Sultan and Isfahan under the Qajars by Walcher, Heidi A.; Walcher, Heidi; Iran Heritage Foundation Staff (Contribution by) Terms of use Zill al-Sultan was the notorious Qajar prince who ruled Isfahan, Iran's former capital during the Safavid era, as governor from 1874 to 1907. He is remembered as a Qajar anti-hero & -- even a villain & -- to this day, based largely on his apparent exercise of absolute power and pursuit of intrigue to further his own political interests. But late 19th-century Iran was a complex place: the Anglo-Russian great power rivalry, the assertive Shi'ite militancy of leading clerics, the growingpower of the merchant classes, the entrenched and jealously guarded control of the landowners and tribal leaders, the halting attempts to reach out to modernity -- all of these helped to create a climate of instability through which Zill al-Sultan navigated with almost Machiavellian skills and deft ruthlessness. Heidi Walcher has produced the first, extraordinarily important study which is both a biography of one of the most colorful individuals in the history of modern Iran and a study of thesocial and political circumstances of late 19th-century Iran. In the process she examines the difficult relationships between the secular and Islamic elites, the impact on Isfahan of the pivotal Tobacco Protests in 1890-92, the open trade wars against the British, suspicion of the Jews, the persecution of local Babis and Bahais, the confrontation with European missionaries and the events leading up to the Constitutional Revolution of 1906. This book is a major contribution to a proper understanding of modern Iran. Descriptive content provided by Syndetics"! a Bowker service Zill al-Sultan was the notorious Qajar prince who ruled Isfahan, Iran's former capital during the Safavid era, as governor from 1874 to 1907. He is remembered as a Qajar anti-hero -- even a villain -- to this day, based largely on his apparent exercise of absolute power and pursuit of intrigue to further his own political interests. But late 19th-century Iran was a complex the Anglo-Russian great power rivalry, the assertive Shi'ite militancy of leading clerics, the growing power of the merchant classes, the entrenched and jealously guarded control of the landowners and tribal leaders, the halting attempts to reach out to modernity -- all of these helped to create a climate of instability through which Zill al-Sultan navigated with almost Machiavellian skills and deft ruthlessness. Heidi Walcher has produced the first, extraordinarily important study which is both a biography of one of the most colorful individuals in the history of modern Iran and a study of the social and political circumstances of late 19th-century Iran. In the process she examines the difficult relationships between the secular and Islamic elites, the impact on Isfahan of the pivotal Tobacco Protests in 1890-92, the open trade wars against the British, suspicion of the Jews, the persecution of local Babis and Bahais, the confrontation with European missionaries and the events leading up to the Constitutional Revolution of 1906. This book is a major contribution to a proper understanding of modern Iran.