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Amir Kabir

Ali-Akbar Velayati

10 Jul 2012 10:33

Reading a page of a book out of thousands and millions of pages is, for us, like looking through a window on brighter side of the world that is constantly calling us, tempting us to set on a journey with the frigate of a book for more and more adventures...

Amir Kabir's Marriage to the Shah's Sister 

As stated before, Mirza Taqi Khan Amir Kabir's services and attempts to seat the crown prince to the throne resulted in complete satisfaction of Nasereddin Shah and the shah got closer to him and after about four months wed his sister, Ezzatodowleh, to Amir. 

They say Ezzatodowleh did not agree first but accepted the marriage after the insistences of her mother Mahd Olia and her brother Nasereddin Shah. As it is written in Nasekh Altavarikh: 

"And in this year a few days after the new king's coming to throne, and as Mirza Taqi Khan Amirnezam was appointed to the prime ministry of Iran, the King of Kings commanded all the army men and superior courtiers to obey the commands of Mirza Taqi Khan without reluctance. Therefore, he also decided to make him a closer companion to himself by wedding his own sister to him on Friday 22nd of month Rabi-al-aval and sent her to his Mirza Taqi Khan's house on Wednesday night, fourth of Rabi-al-thani. By this kinship with the royal family he was obeyed by all other princes." (Sepehr, vol.3, p. 1005) 

Amir Kabir's first wife, Jan-Jan Khanom, who got divorce during his prime ministry, was his cousine, daughter of Haj Shahbaz Khan. She bore three children from Amir: Mirza Ahmad Khan nicknamed 'Amirzadeh', and two daughters the first of which was married to Aziz Khan Ajudan Bashi, commander in chief and an old comrade of Amir Kabir, while the second was married to Mirza Rafi- Khan Motamen. Amir's ex-wife went to pilgrimage to Mecca together with her elder daughter in 1285 Hijri – that is, after the death of Amir Kabir. Apparently she passed away two years later in Azerbaijan. 

Amir's second wife, Malekzadeh Khanom known as Ezzatodowleh, was the only full-blood sister of Nasereddin Shah. Amir Kabir's marriage with the 16-year-old Ezzatodowleh took place on Friday, 22nd of Rabi-al-aval, of 1265. Mirza Nabi Khan Amirtoman , father of Mirza Hussein Khan Sepahsalar, was in charge of planning the wedding. 

According to the marriage contract, Ezzatodowleh received 8000 tomans gold coins known as Ashrafi Nasereddin Shahi, weighing 18 Nokhuds (3.5 grams) and a Quran. Amir Kabir wrote a letter to the Shah regarding his marriage to Ezzatodowleh explaining, "Your Majesty knew from the feginning… that I did not mean to get married and make a family in this city. But having received the imperial order, and in order to attempt to serve you better, I did what the circumstances demanded…" (Adamiyat, p. 24)