E-Magazine


No.4






A Memory
A Document
History Camera
Historical Facts
Our Land

Rulership in Qajar style

Jalal Farahmand


 The present document is an interesting story of a governing tribe in Qajar period which about 200 years ruled over a widespread and crowded territory of Iran this is the story of Tonekabon and two districts around at i.e. Kolarostagh and Kajoor which in accompany with Tonekabon were known as Mahal - e- Salas.


The exclusive governors of this district were from Khalatbari tribe who themselves had reached to the power through struggle against another tyrant. At the time of Karimkhan Zand’s ruling, the respected and old persons of Tonekaban as representative of the people went to the capital of the country at that time i.e. Shiraz for complaining of powerful governed of there who was a person from Oslu tribe.


Karimkhan accepting their complaint, agreed with the appointment at a new governor and they suggested a person for this office named Mahdi khan and the title of khan was granted to him and his family thenceforth by the king of Zand.
Later, Mahdi khan because of his devotion to Agha Mohammad khan got double power and authority. Agha Mohammad khan along with separating Tonekabon from Guilan and annexing it to Mazandaran, Also gave Kolarostagh and Kajoor to Mahdi khan and thereafter this three provinces were known as Mahal - e - Salas and they were under the authority and power of Mahdi khan’s family till the end of Qajar’s period.
Mahdi khan had three children, Abedin khan, Ismael khan and Hadi khan, At the time of Fath Ali shah – e – Qajar he reached the power instead of his father and his governorship continued until 1244 After his death, his three sons, Jafar Gholi khan, fath Ali khan and vali khan respectively governed on this district. The governing of the third son, Vali khan began in 1349 and continued till 1254 who was killed in heart, when he was in accompany with Mohammad Shah. In consideration of his services shah, besides giving the governorship of this distric to his son habib Amirkhan saed – od – Dowleh, Also according to un founded customs of Qajar’s period, gave the general rank of his father to this young boy.
The uncle of Habib Asad khan i.e. Fath Ali khan and his children came to Tehran of whom the most well-known was Nasrollah khan Khalatbar, entitled Etelaolmlk and the other was Abbas Ali Khalatbar, the foreign minister in phalavi’s regime. The family of Habib Asad khan Also had famous persons and Mohammad Vali Khan Tonekaboni entitled Sepahdar was the most well- known one of then which had an active role in the conquest of Tehran after the minor despotism In the governor ship period of Habib Asad Khan Saed – od – Dowleh, the relations of this family with Qajar’s court increased in a way that the dependent persons to this family began to trespass and take possession of the other territories and lands of neighboring tribes and the width of their landed properties in creased that after Habib Asad khan’s death, the large territories of agricultural lands and pastures of Noor and Kajoor and Kolarostagh to the western part of Rankooh and its country – annexation were in the hands of them. Such obstinate governing had no obedience from the central government and paid little tax to the center It is not clear that what is the benefit of such governing for it people.


This document is also about the governing of Habibollah khan and his sons and apparently, the violence of this family in creased in a way that the people of this district found no alternative except appealing to prominent persons and religious scholars of that time (Ulama).
The writer of this letter (unfortunately we don’t know his name) who has sent it to Nasir- ed - Din Shah described. The situation of Iran precisely that the letter like a film can pictured the horrible events of that time in front of our eyes. To force people to do to unpaid works, to take heavy duties, to exploit unfairly from the children of peasants and to plunder of the others properties were the principles of such system.


Unfortunately, the wronged pleading of people for justice did not have any result because these regional chiefs and rulers had powerful and influential friends in the corrupt administrative system of that day who supported them and could change the shah’s view and usually they caused that the opponents failed in their measures. but the power of people was like a spring which was squeezed with the increase of violence and waited for a day to be released and this didn’t long too much being the constitutionalism and being weakened the power of regional rulers and in creasing the desire of people for freedom, this spring was released and this released power caused that the properties of Sepahdar Tonekaboni and his son Amir masoud were plundered but because of weakness of the constitution, sad khalatbari could suppress these non organized movements.
We read this petition to Naser - ed - Din Shah.
 

www.iichs.org