Sykes' History of Persia Vol 2 (pdf) - Heritage Institute

IKX
THE AWAKENING OF PERSIA 485
Ali Asghar Khan, the Atabeg-i-Aaxam. After the
1 of Mirza Husayn Khan, in 1873, tnere was but one
Sadr-i-Aazam until the appointment of Ali Asghar Khan
by Nasir-u-Din to be his Grand Vizier, under the title
of Amin-u-Sultan or " The Trusted of the Monarch."
Son of a royal cup-bearer and grandson of a Georgian
cook of Gurtan, near Isfahan, the Amin-u-Sultan was
typically Persian in his opportunism, his political acuteness,
his charming manners, and his lack of business
qualities.
During the reign of Nasir-u-Din he was very much
the servant of that capable monarch. He exercised
much greater influence under the weak Muzaffar-u-Din,
as that sovereign owed his undisputed succession to the
excellent arrangements made by the Grand Vizier, who
wisely followed the advice of Sir Mortimer Durand, the
British Minister. A year after the succession of the new
Shah the Sadr-i-Aazam (as he had become) was driven
from office
through the efforts of a party headed by
H.H. the Farman Farma, the cousin, son-in-law and
brother-in-law of the new monarch, and certainly one
of the ablest men in Persia.
After a year spent in exile, the Sadr-i-Aazam was
restored to his post, which he held for five years, latterly
with the title of Atabeg-i-Aazam. He suffered great
unpopularity during this period for allowing Persia to
become financially involved ;
and yet
the Shah constantly
wanted more money
to waste on the most unworthy
objects.
Pul mikhawam (I
want money) was his parrotlike
cry,
after the Minister had explained the impossibility
of raising a fresh loan. The Atabeg-l-Aazam was afraid
and this
to go further on this ghastly rake's progress,
weakened his position with the Shah. Moreover, disturbances
were reported in
many parts of Persia and these
again lowered his prestige. Finally, the death of his rival,
the Hakim-ul-Mulk, in the most suspicious circumstances
apparently alarmed the Shah. At any rate, his own
dismissal followed.
Anglo-Russian Rivalry. During the period dealt
with in this chapter the rivalry between Great Britain