Author
Morrison, Alexander
Publication Place
Cambridge -
Cambridge University Press
Subject
Aggressiveness, Imperialism, Political development, War
Type
Book
Language
eng,fas
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Royal Danish Library
Library Asset ID
ISSN: 0021-0862, EISSN: 1475-4819, DOI: 10.1017/irn.2024.62
Record ID
cdi_proquest_journals_3206806375
Library Location
Cambridge Journals: 2024 Full Collection
Notes
This compact book offers a closely researched account of the early years of the Qajar dynasty and state, whose political development was permanently marked by the territorial struggle with the Russian Empire in the South Caucasus in its first three decades. Behrooz's work builds on Muriel Atkin's classic Russia and Iran 1780–1928 (1980), and although unlike Atkin he does not make use of any sources in Russian, the range of Persian-language material he draws upon is much greater, and the two books complement each other well. The first two chapters effectively set the political scene, providing a review of the circumstances of Aqa Muhammad Khan's rise to power, his struggle with the Zand rulers of Shiraz, and the extensive preparations he made to secure the succession of his nephew, Baba Khan Jahanbani, the future Fath Ali Shah. These bore fruit when Aqa Muhammad Shah was murdered by his own servants in Shusha in 1797. Significantly, this took place during a campaign to subdue Qarabagh. The central figure of the book, and of the wars against Russia, is Fath Ali's son Abbas Mirza, but a particular strength of Behrooz's account is his close understanding of the family and intertribal relationships among the Qajar elite, as well as of the petty dynasties that ruled in Qarabagh, Iravan, Badkubeh (Baku), and Derbent in this period.
Telif Hakkı
The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Association for Iranian Studies
Görüntüle
Iranian studies, 2025, Vol.58 (1), p.176-178
