During this era, the high-stakes rivalry between Russia and Britain over Western Asia is heating up fast.
The British were deeply anxious about the security of their prized jewel, India.
Because of that, bringing Central Asia under their influence or turning it into a stable buffer zone was a top priority for London.
Consul Stevens saw a prime opportunity to back Persia and block Russia’s southward push.
After all, their previous attempt at supporting the Ottoman Empire had yielded meager results.
Perhaps this ambitious young Persian governor and his sharp mentor could deliver a welcome surprise.
Amir Kabir left the British consulate without making a scene.
He couldn’t predict how that brief meeting would ultimately play out in London or Tehran.
Still, he held onto the hope of securing the most advanced European technology for his homeland.
A week later, word spread like wildfire through Tabriz that a newly founded textile mill was hiring 400 carpet weavers.
The positions were offered strictly on a first-come, first-served basis.
The moment the announcement went up, desperate craftsmen rushed to register their names.
Work officially commenced the very next day.
Their job was straightforward: process raw materials supplied by the state into high-grade Persian carpets for market sale.
They had to put in grueling ten to twelve-hour shifts every day.
In return, they earned a reliable monthly wage capable of feeding their families.
With steady pay in their pockets, the workers became motivated overnight.
Persian carpets were immensely popular across Europe, with huge shipments exported every year.
Amir gathered these bankrupt artisans under one roof to boost local income and fight off foreign dumping using modern production methods.
— – Back in 1828, total European imports shipped into Tabriz sat at a modest 15 million rubles.
By now, that number had exploded to an overwhelming 40 million rubles.
Under the humilating terms of the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, Persia surrendered all claims to the South Caucasus and agreed to pay Russia 20 million rubles in war indemnities.
To make matters worse, Russia extracted extraterritorial consular rights and massive economic privileges.
Russian merchants enjoyed far more favorable trade terms inside Persia than native Persian traders ever did.
Under these crushing conditions, revitalizing local industry fell directly onto Nasser al-Din’s shoulders.
Beside the newly proposed military arsenal, a few small-scale facilities were already scattered around Tabriz.
These included a printing press, a glassworks, and a gunpowder workshop, all originally founded by the late crown prince, Abbas Mirza.
(TN: Mirza is Prince but for Persian, like Prince Abbas = Abbas Mirza) Though those early facilities sat abandoned for a time, the original skilled craftsmen never left Tabriz.
Deeply concerned about the nation’s survival, those old hands rejoined the effort without hesitation the moment Amir and Naser al-Din began building the new army.
They were eager to pour their sweat into saving the country.
“Hey, Soleyman, how have you been holding up lately?” At a modest street-side tea shop, a man called out to his friend while grabbing a seat.
“Same old struggle, just trying to find work,” Soleyman replied with a weary sigh.
“You know how brutal the job market is right now.” “Tell me about it,” Sadeq nodded, taking a sip of tea.
“A few days ago, a huge crowd marched right up to the governor’s mansion to protest.” “Cheap Russian imports are ruining everyone, and our own country barely manufactures a thing.” “You’re right about that, Sadeq,” Soleyman agreed.
“Luckily, the young prince has already started training a modern army.” “I really think he’s going to turn things around for us.” Sadeq shook his head, looking a bit more skeptical.
“The governor can’t carry this entire nation on his back alone.” “We need to rally more people to the cause.” “Only when ordinary citizens wake up to reality can this country escape crisis and rebuild its former pride.” “So what’s your big idea then?” Soleyman asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sadeq leaned in closer, full of passion, and pitched a wild plan that took Soleyman completely by surprise.
“Let’s head west, all the way to Istanbul and beyond.” “We can study how the modern world works with our own eyes.” Soleyman stared at him in disbelief for a second before hitting him with the most obvious question.
“And where exactly are two broke guys going to find the money for a trip like that?” “Well…” Sadeq paused, his mind spinning as he tried to figure it out on the spot.
“We could petition the governor directly!” “I’m sure a forward-thinking ruler like him wouldn’t turn us down!” Soleyman almost choked on his tea, laughing at his friend’s utter cluelessness.
He wasn’t sure whether to laugh at the sheer innocence of the idea or the absurdity of it all.
Did Sadeq honestly think the governor-general was going to hand out travel grants to random tea-shop dreamers?
“Alright, instead of day-dreaming about grand European tours, why don’t you worry about where your next meal is coming from?” Soleyman chuckled.
“A new state carpet factory just opened up right here in Tabriz—did you even try applying?” “I didn’t stand a chance against that mob,” Sadeq sighed, throwing up his hands.
“They were only taking 400 workers.” “By the time I got to the gates, there were at least a thousand guys pushed up against the fence.” Even in casual conversation, the anxiety these ordinary men felt over their country’s fate was genuine.
The administrative reforms rolled out in Azerbaijan had opened the locals’ eyes to the outside world.
For the first time, they realized just how formidable Western military power and technological advances really were.
Seeing their nation backed into a corner, how could any proud Persian just sit back and do nothing?
The constant Russian threat sparked a volatile mix of fear and rage among the people of Tabriz.
The disastrous war decades prior had stripped Persia of crucial territories in the Caucasus, including Azerbaijan and Armenia.
On top of that, Russian merchants continued to dump cheap goods into Persian markets unchecked.
If this trajectory continued, Persia would end up reduced to a mere Russian vassal state.
As a primary chessboard in the Great Game between Britain and Russia, Persia had faced relentless Russian pressure since 1804.
Bit by bit, St.
Petersburg swallowed up Yerevan, Baku, Shirvan, Georgia, Dagestan, Mingrelia, and other historic Persian territories.
Russia kept pushing relentlessly southward, determined to secure a prized warm-water port on the Persian Gulf.
If they succeeded, it would directly threaten Britain’s maritime trade routes to India and the Far East.
Despite his friend’s reality check, Sadeq remained convinced that seeking knowledge was the right path.
He decided he would walk up to the governor’s residence himself to pitch his idea to the prince.
— – Three Days Later In Tehran, the British Ambassador to Persia, Sir Justin Sheil, finished reading the dispatch sent by Consul Stevens from Tabriz.
Stevens made a compelling case that London ought to approve the proposed loan for the Governor of Azerbaijan without delay.
To keep the Russian from crashing through to the south, Britain had backed the Ottomans in the Mediterranean and Persia near the Indian Ocean.
Yet Persia was completely exhausted, crippled by internal squabbles far worse than anything seen in the Ottoman Empire.
Without a capable monarch to turn the tide, the country seemed destined to rot from within.
The young governor’s eager request for a British loan presented a golden opportunity.
London could leverage this chance to groom him into the future Shah of Persia.
As long as he proved capable of holding the line against Russian expansion, Britain could grant almost any reasonable concession.
“Get this dispatch onto the first fast ship to London,” Sheil instructed his secretary.
“Hurry it up.” Sheil genuinely hoped Whitehall would act fast.
Having poured resources into supporting Ottoman modernization, Great Britain was now ready to sponsor Persia’s transformation as well.
He wanted a strong Persian shield to deter the Russian colossus once and for all.
Ever since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Russia had strutted across the stage as the self-appointed savior of Europe.
Britain had appreciated Russia’s help in bringing down Napoleon, but St.
Petersburg’s aggressive expansion soon made London deeply uneasy.
Russia’s rapid advance into Central Asia and Eastern Europe threatened Britain’s global strategy, especially with rumors that Russia eyed India—the crown jewel of the British Empire.
That was a red line Great Britain would never allow anyone to cross.
Consequently, Britain revived its classic continental balance-of-power policy, backing France, Prussia, the Ottoman Empire, and Austria to keep Russian ambitions in check.
Meanwhile, Russia’s aggressive posturing made all its neighbors nervous, especially the Ottoman Empire.
The Sublime Porte felt constantly threatened by Russian military occupations and covert influence inside the Danubian Principalities.
A succession of Ottoman sultans had dedicated themselves to sweeping reforms to lift their empire out of decline.
Sultan Mahmud II, in particular, had been dubbed the “Peter the Great of the East” for overhauling everything from the military to the judiciary.
Yet the actual results on the ground remained underwhelming.
To the tsars in St.
Petersburg, the Ottoman Empire was still nothing more than the “Sick Man of Europe.” ————————————– If you enjoy this story consider support me on P Site/OrbisTranslate,