Leroux never mentioned this man in his novel, but I think it's really
interesting can know more about him since Susan Kay wrote some
curious and important episodes with him and Erik in her book:
Phantom.
Mirza Taqi Farahani was born in 1807 in Farahan, Iran, entitled
Ataback-e Azam (The Chief Minister), Amir Nezaam (The Prince of the
State), and Amir Kabir (The Great Prince), is one of the greatest
politicians in the recent two centuries of Iran. He initiated reforms that
marked the effective beginning of the modernisation of Iran.
At an early age Mirza Taqi learned to read and write despite his humble
origins. Because of his natural gift and talent, he mastered the
required knowledge and skills when still very young. He joined the
provincial bureaucracy as a scribe and, by his abilities, rapidly
advanced within the hierarchy of the administration. In 1829, as a
junior member of an Iranian mission to St. Petersburg, he observed
the power of Russia, Iran's great neighbour. He concluded that
important and fundamental reforms were needed if Iran was to survive
as a sovereign state. As a minister in Azerbaijan he witnessed the
inadequacies of Iranian provincial administration, and during tenure in
Ottoman Turkey he studied their progress toward modernisation.
Upon his return to Iran in 1847, Mirza Taqi was appointed by
Mohammad Shah of Qajar Dynasty, father of the future Shah Naser
al-Din , in Azerbaijan. With the death of Mohammad Shah in 1848,
Mirza Taqi was largely responsible for ensuring the crown prince's
succession to the throne. Out of gratitude, the young monarch
appointed him Chief Minister and gave him the hand of his own sister
in marriage. At this time Mirza Taqi took the title of Amir Kabir. He
gained his Premiership at a time when the affairs of the country were
completely ruined and its internal system was totally torn down. Iran
was virtually bankrupt, its central government was weak, and its
provinces were almost autonomous. During the next two and a half
years the Amir initiated important reforms in virtually all sectors of
society.
With a firm, doubtless, strong, and steady will, Amir Kabir continued
his reformations and exploitations, and all alone, resisted the most
selfish, tyrannous and despotic king of the Qajar Dynasty along with
his corrupt relatives, courtiers, and flatterers, among whom some had
been excluded from the government. They regarded the Amir as a
social upstart and a threat to their interests, and they formed a
coalition against him, in which the queen mother was active. She
convinced the young Shah that the Amir wanted to usurp the throne.
In October 1851 the Shah dismissed him and exiled him to Kashan,
where he was murdered on the Shah's orders in 1852. Historians and
those who are acquainted with Amir Kabir and have studied his life
and manners appreciate and regard him as a great and remarkable
man.
Please, don't copy this text and photos without my permission.
interesting can know more about him since Susan Kay wrote some
curious and important episodes with him and Erik in her book:
Phantom.
Mirza Taqi Farahani was born in 1807 in Farahan, Iran, entitled
Ataback-e Azam (The Chief Minister), Amir Nezaam (The Prince of the
State), and Amir Kabir (The Great Prince), is one of the greatest
politicians in the recent two centuries of Iran. He initiated reforms that
marked the effective beginning of the modernisation of Iran.
At an early age Mirza Taqi learned to read and write despite his humble
origins. Because of his natural gift and talent, he mastered the
required knowledge and skills when still very young. He joined the
provincial bureaucracy as a scribe and, by his abilities, rapidly
advanced within the hierarchy of the administration. In 1829, as a
junior member of an Iranian mission to St. Petersburg, he observed
the power of Russia, Iran's great neighbour. He concluded that
important and fundamental reforms were needed if Iran was to survive
as a sovereign state. As a minister in Azerbaijan he witnessed the
inadequacies of Iranian provincial administration, and during tenure in
Ottoman Turkey he studied their progress toward modernisation.
Upon his return to Iran in 1847, Mirza Taqi was appointed by
Mohammad Shah of Qajar Dynasty, father of the future Shah Naser
al-Din , in Azerbaijan. With the death of Mohammad Shah in 1848,
Mirza Taqi was largely responsible for ensuring the crown prince's
succession to the throne. Out of gratitude, the young monarch
appointed him Chief Minister and gave him the hand of his own sister
in marriage. At this time Mirza Taqi took the title of Amir Kabir. He
gained his Premiership at a time when the affairs of the country were
completely ruined and its internal system was totally torn down. Iran
was virtually bankrupt, its central government was weak, and its
provinces were almost autonomous. During the next two and a half
years the Amir initiated important reforms in virtually all sectors of
society.
With a firm, doubtless, strong, and steady will, Amir Kabir continued
his reformations and exploitations, and all alone, resisted the most
selfish, tyrannous and despotic king of the Qajar Dynasty along with
his corrupt relatives, courtiers, and flatterers, among whom some had
been excluded from the government. They regarded the Amir as a
social upstart and a threat to their interests, and they formed a
coalition against him, in which the queen mother was active. She
convinced the young Shah that the Amir wanted to usurp the throne.
In October 1851 the Shah dismissed him and exiled him to Kashan,
where he was murdered on the Shah's orders in 1852. Historians and
those who are acquainted with Amir Kabir and have studied his life
and manners appreciate and regard him as a great and remarkable
man.
Please, don't copy this text and photos without my permission.
