Persia - Order of the Lion and the Sun

[JapanX]

But just think how old these babies and in what amazing condition they are!!!

Simply incredible...

[g1usxs]

You are so right about it being the wild wild east and everything went on! LOL!

Markus

Wild wild east!! LOL!!

[Markus]

This is a quite amazing photo of the Shah Mozaffar ad-Din (Reign 1896-1907) visit to England in 1902 with King Edward VII and the Princes of Wales Victoria. This has to be one of the biggest gathering of Persian Lion and Sun medals displayed in a group photo. The Shah visited the United Kingdom in August 1902 on the promise of receiving the Order of the Garter as it had been previously given to his father, Nasser-ed-Din Shah. King Edward VII refused to give this high honor to a non-Christian. Lord Lansdowne, the Foreign Secretary, had designs drawn up for a new version of the Order, without the Cross of St. George. The King was so enraged by the sight of the design, though, that he threw it out of his yacht's porthole. I am guessing that this photo was taken on the very same Royal Yacht. However, in 1903, the King had to back down and the Shah was appointed a member of the Order.

Just found some caption ID on this photo:

Seated in the picture from left to right:

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales George V,

His Majesty the Shah of Persia,

Her Majesty Queen Alexandra,

His Majesty King Edward VII and Her Royal Highness Princess of Wales Victoria. 

NOTE:  The diamond on the cap of Mozzafar-e-Din Shah, The Shah of Persia, is the famous "Darya e Noor" aka "Sea of light", it is the sister diamond to the "Koh e Noor" or "Mountain of Light" which is now part of the British Crown Jewels.

Standing from left to right:

Ala-ol-Saltaneh (Minister in the Persian Embassy in London), 

Seif-ol-Sultan, Hakim-el-Molk Grand Vazir Secretary of State for the Imperial Court ,

Movassagh-el-Molk,

Fakhr-el-Molk,

Prime Minister of Persia Mirza Ali Asghar Khan Amin-al-Sultan Atabak e Azam

Husseingholi Khan Navab,

Amir Bahador Hossein Pasha Khan (Minister of War)

Paul Ketabchi Khan,

Vakile-e-Doleh,

Mohandess-ol-Mamalek,

Movassegh-ol-Molk,

Mirza Ebrahim Khan (later Hakim-el-Molk) Hakimi Physician to the Shah  (Mirza Mahmoud Khan's nephew and son in law)

Movassagh-e-Doleh,

Doctor Sir Hugh Adcock,

Hajeb-e-Doleh Davaloo Qajar, Ebrahim Hakimi's cousin,

Prince Arthur of Connaught and Doctor C Lindsey.

 

Edited March 6, 2012 by Markus

[Markus]

This is General Porfirio Dîaz with the Lion and Sun order.

José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N. Méndez as interim president, and a four-year term served by his political ally Manuel González from 1880 to 1884. Commonly considered by historians to have been a dictator, he is a controversial figure in Mexican history.The period of his leadership was marked by significant internal stability (known as the "paz porfiriana"), modernization, and economic growth. However, Díaz's regime grew unpopular due to repression and political stagnation, and he fell from power during the Mexican Revolution, after he had imprisoned his electoral rival and declared himself the winner of an eighth term in office. The 35 years in which Díaz ruled Mexico are referred to as the Porfiriato.

List of orders and decorations General Porfirio Dîaz received.

Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian order of St. Stephen (Austria-Hungary)

Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (Belgium)

First Class Condercoration of the Imperial Double Dragon (Qing Dynansty, China)

Napoleon I, Sword and Grand Cross the Legion of Honour (France)

Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (Japan)

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands)

First Class Condecoration with Grand Cordon of the Order of the Lion and Sun (Persia)

Grand Cross of the Red Eagle (Prussia)

Grand Cross of the order of the Tower and Sword (Kingdom of Portugal)

Star of the imperial Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (Russian Empire)

Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain)

Knight of the Order of the Sword (Sweden)

Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of Bath (United Kingdom)

First Class of the Order of the Liberator (Venezuela)

[JapanX]

This is General Porfirio Dîaz with the Lion and Sun order.

Well the lion of this demócrata is certainly lying!

Regards mate and many thanks for posting this interesting photo,

Nick

[Markus]

French General Alexander Percin with Lion and Sun order. He has a breast star Lion and Sun medal and a commander type Lion and sun mounted near his neck.

Edited February 26, 2012 by Markus

[Markus]

The Grand Vizier of Persia.

[Markus]

A Persian Qajar period General. The Persian military frequently used Russian components in their uniforms.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Markus

[Markus]

Persian of very high rank Qajar period.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Markus

[Markus]

Persian officer.

[JapanX]

French General Alexander Percin with Lion and Sun order. He has a breast star Lion and Sun medal and a commander type Lion and sun mounted near his neck.

This guy certainly traveled a lot! Nice collection of colonial french orders.

Very interesting photo! Thanks Markus!

Looks like his lions are lying.

Cheers,

Nick

[Markus]

Sartip Serkis Davidkhanian (General?), Qajar period.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Markus

[Markus]

The Persian Delegation At The Funeral Of King Edward VII 1910

Left to right, seated: General Moussa Hakimi, Samad Khan Momtaz-ol-Saltaneh

(Persian Ambassador in Paris), Prince Nossrat Al Doleh Firouz ( Prince Farmanfarma's son

Standing: Amir Khan member of embassy, Dr.Paul Ketabchi (official Interpreter)

[Markus]

Military Commanders of the late Qajar era from right to left

1. Moussa Nazm Al Saltaneh 3. Vajih Allah Mirza Sepah Salar 4.Agha Bala Khan Sardar

5. Amir Bahador Minister of War 7. Mohamad Vali Khan Sepah Salar (later became Prime Minister)

10. Mozafar Aalam (later became Foreign Minister)

[Markus]

Prince Nossrat Al Doleh Firouz. I have been seeing the medal of Persia Order of Nishan-i-limi ( Order of Arts & Science) on some of the military portraits. Interesting that this award was to military personnel as well as civilians.

The breast star appears to be a Turkish Order of Medjidie.

Edited March 1, 2012 by Markus

[JapanX]

Portrait of Persian Officer. I have been seeing the medal of Persia Order of Nishan-i-limi ( Order of Arts & Science) on some of the military portraits. Interesting that this award was to military personnel as well as civilians.

The breast star appears to be a Turkish Order of Medjidie.

Well my dear friend these are certainly darn good finds.

Not to mention new cap insignia material for Mitya

Medal? Do you mean order of arts and science?! Because medal is forth class and it should be round.

But actually it doesn't matter because according to statute (and as we all know the statute makes everything crystal clear in no time) this dude have two unknown orders...

No? You think it is 2nd and 3rd class (both on red ribbons!) of this order?! But according to the statute 2nd class and 3rd class of this order should be "the simple cross with six (!) arms divided into three rays" for 2nd class "all enameled" and for 3rd class "partly enameled and partly metal".

The black-and-white picture of 2nd and 3rd class of this order in statute had 6 rays. Orders of this dude have 8 rays.

I think this photo was artificially created by some amateur dealer... Who forget to replace the ribbons by the way...

Since these orders couldn't be awarded before 1852 (I think we all will agree on that), then these are some (unknown to us) updates of original order of Arts&Science that was established in 1852.

I will say even more - I believe there was a breast star for this order! There are no breast stars in statute of 1852.

I hope we will see this star pretty soon

Regards,

Nick

[Markus]

Hi Nick,

I believe post #237 portrait is from late Qajar period 1875-1910 era. The two medals look like Order of Arts and Science medals like the one I am posting here.

Edited February 29, 2012 by Markus

[JapanX]

Why do you think this is medal?

Do you have any statute that describes this badge as medal?

Edited February 29, 2012 by JapanX

[JapanX]

And another interesting detail.

This dude is not just "any other dude"

He is Prince Nossrat Al Doleh Firouz.

Please take a close look at the photograph in post #235 (1910 Persian funeral delegation)

Same Prince, same awards, but no glasses (contact lens?)

Obviously he was on friendly terms with art and science

Cheers,

Nick

[Markus]

Hey Nick, you are right! Same guy. He looks better with out the glasses. The site I grabbed his photo from doesn't have a very favorable review of him:

"Prince Nossrat Al Doleh Firouz (Prince Farmanfarma's son) became foreign minister in 1919. He is the worst example of the corrupt Qajar nobility keen to serve a foreign master. There were many like him which made the Iranian situation so desparate. In December of 1919 in exchange for a bribe of £100,000 from the British Government, an enormous sum of money in those days, together with the Prime Minister Vosogh Al Doleh and the Minister of Finance agreed the shameful 1919 treaty with the British Government (see <a href="http://hakimi.50webs.com/references.htm">2). Three senior members of the government, the prime minister, the foreign minister , the finance minister and Sultan Ahmad Shah the king himself received bribes according to British Government records released 30 years later. The treaty was never ratified by the Iranian Parliments.

The opposition to the treaty by the people of Iran and its parliments made the government of the country impossible in subsequent years. The treaty would have given the British total control of Iran as the treaty called for Iran to hand the control if its economy and military to the British. This treaty was the brain child of Lord Curzon who took the Iranian Parlimants' refusal to ratify the treaty and its subsequent abject failure personally, thus making life impossible for subsequent Iranian governments. The British used all methods to bring pressure and cripple the Iranian Government into submission. This main weapon used against Iran was the withdrawl of finance from the Iranian Governments (the British ran the banking system). One should also consider the world situation at that time, the Great War (First World War) had just ended and the Russian Revolution had removed any counter balance effect from the other main colonial power, leaving Iran totally exposed to the British. The misery of the Iranian situation was one of the main factors which brought the inevitable fall of the Qajar dynasty.

For his services Nossrat Al Douleh received hounours and decorations from the British government such as the Star of India and St Michael (from George V) medals. Later he returned to Iran under instructions from Lord Curzon who was increasingly concerned about the threat of Bolshevism from Russia, the Prince drove his Rolls Royce all the way from England in 1923 in order to take over the government and arrange a coup in favour of the British. His plans did not succeed as Mir Panj [General] Reza Khan (later became Reza Shah) was given the means (mainly in the form of food, clothing and funds for the cossack troops under his command) by General Sir Edmond Ironside the British military commander in charge of withdrawl of British troops from [Northern] Iran who was acting on his own and against the plans of Curzon, to make a coup-de-tat. After the coup Prince Nossrat Al Douleh was arrested by the military government of Reza Khan who angrily dismissed the pleas by Mr. Norman the British representative in Iran who had interceded on the Prince's behalf. In answer to Reza Khan's question as to why the Prince should be released, Norman suggested that since the Prince was decorated by the British monarch, implying he was under the protection of the British and Reza Khan ought to release him. The latter retorted angrily that perhaps it was better for the British Government to take back its honours from an Iranian subject. This was completely unprecendented and the British were not used to being treated in such a manner. One must bear in mind that Iranians were used to having to defer to the British and Russians."

http://hakimi.50webs.com/gloassry.html

Edited February 29, 2012 by Markus

[Markus]

Prince Nossrat Al Doleh Firouz was executed by Reza Shah:

"Minister of Foreign Affairs under Ahmad Shah Qajar (Kadjar); architect of the ill-fated 1919 Anglo-Persian agreement; candidate for accession to the Qajar (Kadjar) throne after Soltan Ahmad Shah's exile and removal; minister of finance under Reza Shah; and finally prisonner of Reza Shah, later to be excecuted as a dangerous rival, along with Seyyed Hassan Modaress and Abdol Hossein Teymourtash, the famed Minister of Court of Reza Shah."

http://www.qajarpages.org/nosratdowleh.html

[JapanX]

Please don't be so puritanical (learned this word today from our mutual friend )

So he practiced old and sacred art of bribery.

Just another good old sell out boy...

'And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many'

Regards,

Nick

[JapanX]

Prince Nossrat Al Doleh Firouz was executed by Reza Shah:

"Minister of Foreign Affairs under Ahmad Shah Qajar (Kadjar); architect of the ill-fated 1919 Anglo-Persian agreement; candidate for accession to the Qajar (Kadjar) throne after Soltan Ahmad Shah's exile and removal; minister of finance under Reza Shah; and finally prisonner of Reza Shah, later to be excecuted as a dangerous rival, along with Seyyed Hassan Modaress and Abdol Hossein Teymourtash, the famed Minister of Court of Reza Shah."

http://www.qajarpages.org/nosratdowleh.html

They say "one chief robs another" ...

In this case we should substitute "robs" for "kills"

see "GB and Reza Shah: the plunder of Iran, 1921-1941'

Cheerio,

Nick

Edited February 29, 2012 by JapanX

[Markus]

Please don't be so puritanical (learned this word today from our mutual friend )

So he practiced old and sacred art of bribery.

Just another good old sell out boy...

'And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many'

Regards,

Nick

Bribery, assassinations, corruption, payoffs, executions....sounds just like USA history! And we are a very puritanical nation!

:speechless1:

[drclaw]

Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall was always my personal favourite!