Abbas Mirza and Reforms of the Iranian Army in the first Quarter of the 19th Century

This study examines the state of military forces in Qajar Iran on the eve and during the Russian-Iranian wars (1804–1813, 1826–1828). In addition, the article describes the activities of the heir to the throne Abbas Mirza (1789–1833) on the reorganization of the Qajar army with the help of French and British military instructors. This was the first attempt to modernize one of the segments of the state structure with the help of European specialists and European technology in the Qajar state. Attempts at military modernization were partly due to shock following the defeat in the war with Russia (1804–1813) and its conquest of almost the entire Caucasus. Formation of Qajar regular army in the first third of the 19th century held under the active influence from the outside and largely determined by the rivalry between European powers in the Middle East. French and British officers took turns trying to organize the Qajar army on the European model. Due to many factors, Fatali Shah leaned toward an alliance with the British, which was drawn up in the form of treaties between the Shah and the East India Company in 1801, 1809, 1812 and 1814. Since 1809 and during the Russian-Iranian war, the major instructors for reorganization of the Qajar army were the British army experts. One system replaced another, and each, in turn, was not successful. The aim of British diplomacy in Qajar Iran was to keep with all its might the Qajar throne – the shaky barrier between Russia and India. The article does not pretend to provide a comprehensive analysis of this scantily explored subject, and sets an aim to give a brief review of the attempts to reform the armed forces of Qajar Iran in the first quarter of the 19th century

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