'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎40v] (85/610)

68
1909i
1910 .
The year 1909 was more eventful. On the adoption of
Sipah Salar as their leader by the Rasht revolutionaries, and
their threat against Muhammad Ali Shah, Amir Mu’aiyid and his
sons, who were in Tehran, received 300 rifles and ammunition
from the Shah and left for Mazandaran in order to organize their
“ fauj ” to threaten Sipah Salar’s estates in Tunakabun in the
hope of distracting his attention from Tehran. They collected
a following of about 500 Savad Kuhis and went as far as Amol,
where, however, Amir Mukarram refused to join them and
persuaded them to abandon the enterprise. A counter move
ment on the part of the landowners of Nur, at the inspiration of
Sipah Salar, to go to the assistance of his eldest son Amir Asad
(No. 56) in Tunakabun was similarly abandoned.
No disorders had resulted from these intrigues and prepara
tions, but the influx of arms and the spirit of unrest engendered
in the province gave birth to future troubles.
After the capture of Tehran by the Constitutionalists and
the abdication of Muhammad Ali Shah in 1909, Amir Mukarram
and a party of 80 sowars hastened to Tehran to join the Cons
titutionalist leader Sipah Salar, who had become Prime Minister.
They were followed some months later by Amir Mu’aiyid, who
now posed as a “ Constitutionalist,” in obedience to a sum
mons to hand over the rifles which he had received from the
ex-Shah.
Sipah Salar, howeve, rbore him a grudge on account of his
preparations to invade Tunakabun a few months previously, the
Government pressed their demands too far for Amir Mu’aiyid’s
liking with the result that he quitted Tehran in disgust and
returned to Mazandaran, where, soon after, he received news oi
the abolition by the Majlis of “tuyul,” or feudal tenure of
land in return for military service, and was ordered to give
up the crown lands (khaliseh) which he held as commander of
the “ fauj ” of Savad Kuh. He was joined by Rashid-us-Sultan,
Chief of the Usanlu of Khar and Varamin, who had retired with
200 men before the Bakhtiaris, and by Amir Mukarram, whose
creditors had been making things unpleasant for him in Tehran,
These three leaders become rebels, occupied the Imamzadeh
Hashim pass on the principal route from Tehran to Mazandaran
(see Chapter X, para, (c), Elburz Routes No. 2) and raided as far
as Damavand and Khar. Amir Mu’aiyid meanwhile went to
Barfarush, and parleyed with the Governor of Mazandaran, 1
Nizam-us-Sultan, finally kidnapped him to Savad Kuh and
ignominiously expelled him from Mazandaran.
1 Subsequent title Nizam-ud-Dauleh (No. 50).