William Greatbatch (1735-1813), After John Partridge, The Persian Princes - Reza Koolee Meerza, Najaf Koolee Meerza and Taymoor Meerza, Engraving, London, 1838
9cm x 13cm

The tale of the three Qajar princes who came to London in 1836 to seek help
from the British Government begins with the death of Fathali Shah in October 1834. The
succession to the throne was hotly contested by several of his 50 sons. Abbas Mirza, who
was widely accepted as Crown Prince during most of Fathali Shah’s reign had died one year
earlier and thus re-opened the succession question. Prior to his death Fathali Shah had
proclaimed Abbas Mirza’s eldest son, Prince Mohammad Mirza to be the new Crown Prince
and appointed him Governor of Azarbaijan. A choice that was supported by both the British
and the Russians. Upon Fathali Shah’s death, Prince Muhammad Mirza proclaimed himself
Shah and set off with an army from Tabriz to Tehran to assert his claim. Fathali Shah’s two
eldest son Prince Hossein Ali Mirza Farman Farma who was the Governor of Fars and his
brother Prince Ali Mirza Zill-o Sultan who was the Governor of Tehran also declared
themselves Shah and organized their own armies. The Russians and the British were firmly
behind Prince Mohammad Mirza, to the extend that the prince’s army was commanded by
the British Colonel Henry Lindsay-Bethune. Zill-o Sultan’s opposition collapsed as soon the
Muhammad Mirza’s army reached the capital and Mohamamd Mirza was crowned Shah ten
days later. Lindsay-Bethune went on to defeat the forces of Farman Farma, and Farman
Farma was imprisoned in the capital. Three of Farman Farma’s sons, continued to oppose
the new Shah with some tribal backing, but listening to their father’s advice eventually gave
up and fled to England from where they were hoping to negotiate their father’s release with
the help of the British and raise trouble for the new Shah in Iran. The journey was hazardous
and involved lengthy stays at the British legations in Baghdad and Damascus. In Damascus,
the British Consul General decided to appoint his chief dragoman, Assad Yacoub Kayat, as
the Princes’ interpreter and accompany them to England. No documents survive which
could explain why the British, who had helped Mohammad Mirza’s succession to the throne,
were also aiding his potential rivals. The British probably thought that the Princes might one
day prove to be useful allies. The young Shah let his dissatisfaction be known, but that did
not prevent the British to arrange passage for the three princes and their secretary. They all
arrived in England in May 1836. The visit created a big stir in England. The British
Government tried to please the Princes but kept enough of a distance not to offend the
Shah. One of their official hosts in London was James Baillie Fraser. Several books were
published describing this royal visit. Najaf Qoli wrote a description of their stay in Britain
(Najaf Koolee Meerza [Assad Yacoob Kayat, ed. & tr.]: Journal of a Residence in England and
of a Journey from and to Syria, of their Royal Highnesses Reza Koolee Meerza, Najaf Koolee
Meerza and Taymoor Meerza, of Persia. London, W. Tyler, 1839. 2 volumes) which was
translated by Asad Yacoub Kayat, Kayat wrote a book himself (Kayat, Assad Yacoob: A Voice
from the Lebanon; with the Life and Exploits of Asaad Y. Kayat. London, Madden, 1847) as
did Fraser (Fraser, James Baillie: Narrative of the Residence of the Persian Princes in London
in 1835 and 1836. London, Richard Bentley, 1838. 2 volumes). The three princes did not stay
long in Britain, they returned to Baghdad where they remained under the protection and on
the payroll of the British. The princes eventually abandoned hope of stirring up rebellion in
Persia, but reconciliation with Mohammad Shah remained elusive. Najaf Qoli Mirza appears
to have died in exile. Teimur Mirza and Reza Qoli Mirza returned after the accession of
Nasser al-Din Shah to the throne. Reza Qoli Mirza unfortunately died en route near
Kermanshah, but one of his son’s recovered most of the family properties in Fars, while one
of his daughter’s got married to Naser- al-Din Shah.
William Greatbatch (1802-1894) was a line engraver and illustrator worked in London from
1820.
John Partridge was born at Glasgow on 20 November 1789 and died at London on 25
November 1872. He moved to London in 1814 to study with the portrait painter Thomas
Phillips, and exhibited his first painting at the Royal Academy in 1815. Partridge entered the
Royal Academy Schools in 1816. Between 1827 and 1845, he painted over two hundred
portraits. Many were of prestigious sitters, including an 1836 commission from Leopold I of
Belgium, which led two years later to the patronage of Queen Victoria. He painted several
successful portraits of the Queen and of Prince Albert, and in 1843, he became “portrait
painter-extraordinary” to the Queen. His paintings depict many of the notable figures of his
time. His painting of the three Persian princes, which is owned by the HSBC Bank, was
completed in 1836.

Dimensions: 9cm x 13cm