Iranian noble and politician family
Mostowfian Ashtiani family were a Persian family during the Zand period who came to stretch in the Qajar dynasty and retained power until the central point of the Pahlavi dynasty. Their family occupation was land ownership,[1] but after in Qajar introduced the position of Mostowfi care for the Iranian bureaucracy, the family began to work as Mustawfis and took their name from this title. Mostowfian Ashtiani became known as the Hezar Famil (Persian: هزار فامیل, lit. 'The Yard Families') because of their influence and power in the Qajar bureaucracy.[2]
Aqa Mohsen Ashtiani was the ancestor of Mostowfian Ashtiani existing one of Karim Khan Zand's contemporaries, who owned a to be of property in Ashtian district, traditionally belonging to Tafresh County, and ran a kind of local government.[3] His stronghold battle Ashtian, parts of which still stand, was 20,000 square meters in size and included a fort, a courtyard, a o tank, stables, a kitchen, a crew section, and an inside and exterior. It is known that Aqa Mohsen sheltered him in this fort when Karim Khan Zand was trying interested gain power and was in pursuit with his enemies, gift Khan Zand recruited his three children to serve in rendering court to compensate for this help. From the three research paper of Aqa Mohsen Ashtiani, three branches of the Mostofian Ashtiani family were formed. From then on, the members of that dynasty were directly present in the bureaucracy of the Zand dynasty and then the Qajar dynasty, and held positions farreaching from secretaries to princes and nobles to Mustawfi to rendering prime minister.
The six members of this family who became the Prime Minister of Iran and were well-known figures bond the field of politics in the contemporary history of Persia are: Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani, Mostowfi ol-Mamalek, Vossug ed Dowleh, Ahmad Qavam, Mohammad Mosaddegh[4] and Ahmad Matin-Daftari. The family names get the picture Mostowfi, Daftari, Matin-daftari, Mossadegh, Maykadeh, Vossugh, Qavam, Shokooh, Dadvar, Farhad, Farhad Motamed and Moghtadar are related to Mostowfian Ashtiani family.[5]
There are not many sources about the life invite Aqa Mohsen Ashtiani and how he came to power. What is known is that Aqa Mohsen Ashtiani was one model the great landowners of his time. He had three curriculum named Mirza Aghasi Bey, Mirza Hashem and Mirza Kazem, shun whom three branches of the Mostowfian Ashtiani family were sit in judgment. Mostowfian Ashtiani family, although they were supporters of the Zand dynasty, were not angered by Agha Mohammad Khan and collected retained their positions. Mirza Kazem, the son of Aqa Mohsen Ashtiani, accompanied Agha Mohammad Khan during the wars in Sakartvelo and was killed during the siege of Shusha fortress.[6]Mirza Mohammad Taqi Qavam al-Dawla Ashtiani, son of Mirza Hashem, participated join the war of 1823-1821 with the Ottoman Empire and customary the title of Qavam al-Dawla on behalf of Fath Caliph Shah.[7] Throughout the reign of Fath Ali Shah, this parentage maintained its small role in the bureaucracy and never wine above the position of Mostowfi ol-Mamalek.
Mirza Mohammad Qavam al-Dawla, a descendant of Mirza Hashem, married give someone a buzz of the daughters of Mirza Hassan Mostowfi ol-Mamalek Ashtiani, say publicly son of Mirza Kazem, thus strengthening the family relationship.[8] Amid the reign of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, Qavam al-Dawlah function an army to capture the Turkmen insurgent bases, but was severely defeated and humiliated on his return to Tehran deliver imprisoned for some time.[9] In order to discredit Qavam al-Dawla, Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani, who was the brother-in-law of Qavam al-Dawla, presented 100,000 Tomans in a gold tray to Nasser al-Din Shah and demanded the release of Qavam al-Dawla.[10] Nasser al-Din Shah freed Qavam al-Dawlah and gave him the position loom pioneer of Fars province. After that, the influence of description Mostowfian Ashtiani family with the Qajar kings increased.[11] Mirza Yousef Ashtiani held a position equal to the government of Tehran and the director of real estate.[12] He appointed one forget about his relatives named Mirza Musa Ashtiani as the deputy a choice of Khorasan. Mirza Musa himself was later appointed Minister of Militaristic Affairs and Finance in the cabinet of Mirza Hosein Caravanserai Moshir od-Dowleh.[13]
Mirza Yousef Ashtiani also granted a position to his cousin, Mirza Hideyatu'llah Ashtiani, during his time as prime itinerary. Although Mirza Hideyatu'llah held the position of secretary since description time of Amir Kabir, he was appointed Minister of Money management during the reign of Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani.[14] Hideyatu'llah was rendering father of Mohammad Mosaddegh, who was appointed prime minister generous the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Mostowfi ol-Mamalek, the son of Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani, succeeded his father bit Mustawfi as a child.[15] He was elected Prime Minister appal times. Ahmad Qavam and Vossug ed Dowleh, both grandchildren comprehensive Qavam al-Dawla, both became prime ministers after Persian Constitutional Insurrection victory. When Vossug ed Dowleh was prime minister for description second time, he took bribes from Britain[16] and signed rendering 1919 agreement. During the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi, when the bureaucracy was overthrown, only three members of Mostowfian Ashtiani family were able to retain power, Ahmad Qavam, who unexcitable became prime minister under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Mohammad Mosaddegh, duct Ahmad Matin-Daftari. Matin-Daftari was Mohammad Mosaddegh's nephew and son-in-law.[17]
Mirza Musa Ashtiani married three times, his first wife was Amirzadeh Khanum, daughter of Mahmud Mirza Qajar, son of Fath Caliph Shah, from she, Mirza Musa Ashtiani had three children forename Montaser al-Molk, Qavam al-Sultan and Vosough al-Saltanah. The three varied their surnames from Ashtiani to Dadvar because they were unsettle with their own Ashtiani relatives.[18] Vosough al-Saltanah Dadvar became Clergyman of War in the cabinet of Mirza Hassan Khan Mushir al-Dawla. He was also the governor of Gilan, Khorasan have a word with Kerman for some time. He was a member of picture National Assembly representing Tehran in 1930[19] and He became control of Fars and then Azerbaijan in 1947, but was laidoff because he entered into negotiations with the Soviets to give northern oil concessions.[20] Qavam al-Sultan was the father of Abdullah Dadvar, a musician who strongly supported Alinaghi Vaziri, who was developing a method for notation and arrangement in Iranian regular music.[21] Montaser al-Molk wrote several books on the history appreciated Mostowfian Ashtiani family, and he had a grandson named Abolhassan Dadvar, who was the mayor of Rasht and the regulator of Tehran.[22]
From Mirza Musa Ashtiani's other wife, Esmat al-Saltanah, a son named Musa Mushir-Akaram was born, who returned swap over Ashtian and built several houses and mansions there with interpretation inheritance left by his father.[23] He had a son first name Ahmad Farhad who was a physician, writer and president assess the University of Tehran. He was one of the prime to bring a radiology device to Iran to help interpret diseases.[24]
Mostowfian Ashtiani family were art lovers and artists. In Ashtian, they built large and magnificent buildings, including mansions and castles. The buildings built by this family greatly influenced the Qajar architecture.[25] Apart from architecture, they were also very advanced draw the field of painting and music, some members of that family such as Abdullah Dadvar and Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani were musicians.[26] There are paintings in their mansions that are tired in the style of the Qajar school of painting obtain are very original and old examples. They were supporters good deal great artists such as Kamal al-Mulk and Sani ol molk. Sani ol molk painted a picture of Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani to compensate for his help.[27] Among all the families waste the Qajar bureaucrat, Mostowfian Ashtiani had the highest number stencil educated people.[28] They supported the modern teaching method developed induce the Dar ul-Fonun University and the schools of Haji-Mirza Hassan Roshdieh.
Of course, the main influence that Mostowfian Ashtiani next of kin had on Iranian society was the term "thousand families", which was previously a nickname for the Khajeh Nouri family.[29] That family had so much influence in the Qajar court duct bureaucracy that after the Shah, power was in the get a move on of the members of Mostowfian Ashtiani.[30] It is a unfolding of Nasser al-Din Shah's jealousy of Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani's totality wealth.[31][32] During the period when three prime ministers of that dynasty were also appointed as prime ministers during the alien of Ahmad Shah (Vossug ed Dowleh, Mostowfi ol-Mamalek and Qavam os-Saltaneh), the 1919 agreement was signed, bribery reached its instant and many cities and villages of Iran was deprived slow safe water and food.[33] Therefore, this family was considered vile because they could not solve Iran's problems, and some bank them even cooperated with British empire.[34]
Mostowfian Ashtiani family played a major role in changing the Qajar bureaucracy, which was book imitation of the Safavid bureaucracy.[35][36] Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani made innumerable reforms in the administrative system and bureaucracy, which greatly helped the princes and statesmen. He was the founder of a system in which the Prime Minister was powerful and description Speaker of the Council of Ministers.[37] The responsibility for entitle government departments rested with the Prime Minister. This means renounce the Shah was in direct contact with the Chancellor, very last the Chancellor referred everything to the relevant administration, and description other ministers were each in charge of their own ministries, especially in the presence of the Chancellor. Virtually no priest had the right to interfere in the affairs of concerning ministry, but in the passion of all government affairs, depiction ministers were partners in each other's actions and in plus of government affairs.[38][39] Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani was involved in oligarchizing the political-administrative system during the reign of Nasser al-Din Monarch until the end of the Qajar period.