The English Amongst the Persians

 My Persian 19th-century rabbit hole was sparked again when I picked this book up in a secondhand bookshop in York. Written by Sir Denis Wright, a former UK ambassador to Iran, it covers relations between Britain and Iran from the 18th-century Qajar dynasty to the 1921 coup. He apologises for the title, as the diplomats were not all 'English', although that is what they were called. Equally, the British used Persia when Iran would be more commonly used locally.

At least until the 20th century, the underlying story was the rivalry between an expanding Russian Empire and British colonial interests in India. Iran was being steadily pushed out of the Caucasus by Russia in a series of wars and looked to Britain to help modernise its army. However, British interests did not always coincide, and Iran was dumped when British-Russian relations were positive. This happened at the end of the Napoleonic Wars and again in the run-up to the First World War.

Much of the book is devoted to diplomacy and the stories of the challenges faced by various diplomats. The more interesting chapters cover military aid, which mostly came from the Indian army. For example, in 1812, 25 British officers and 50 other ranks, and sepoy escorts. The aid included muskets and artillery. They also fought against the Russians at the Battle of Sultanabad in 1812, where one British sergeant was killed. The British troops withdrew from the conflict when the news of peace with the Russians came through in 1813.

British interests have always been the primary consideration in relations with Iran. When they clashed in 1856, the British fought the short Anglo-Persian War, enabling them to effectively occupy parts of the Persian Gulf. This would become even more important when oil was discovered, and Indian troops (including the Bengal Lancers) would supplement local tribal levies, recruited with little consultation with the Iranian government. The Persian coast was a valuable base for actions against the pirates based in the Gulf. Similar actions were taken to curtail the slave trade and limit Iranian incursions into Afghanistan. By 1921, Britain had 21 consulates in Iran, which played their part in the Great Game with Russia throughout the second half of the 19th century. 

Although Iran was neutral during the First World War, her sympathies were with the Germans fighting Russia. Britain fought to defend its oil terminals at Abadan, which were vital to the Royal Navy. 3,600, mostly Indian troops, died in Iran. The British arrested the German consuls, although one of them, Herr Wassmuss, escaped and raised local tribesmen against the British. The 'German Lawrence' looks like an interesting story if I can avoid another rabbit hole!

For the military history reader, there probably isn't enough in this book to justify the effort. Prices vary considerably, but if you are interested in the region and there is obvious current affairs relevance, then it might be worth a library request.

My 15mm Qajar Dynasty infantry