Everything about The Anglo-persian War totally explained
The
Anglo-Persian War lasted between
November 1 1856 and
April 4 1857, and was fought between the
United Kingdom and
Persia (which was at the time ruled by the
Qajar dynasty). In the war, the British opposed an attempt by Persia to reacquire the city of
Herat, which was nominally part of
Afghanistan (then a very loose entity) but which had been part of Persia under the
Safavid dynasty. Persia ultimately agreed to surrender its claims to the city.
Origins
In the context of the
Great Game — the Anglo-Russian contest for influence in
Central Asia — the British wished for Afghanistan to remain an independent country friendly to Britain as a
buffer against Russian expansion towards
India. They opposed an extension of Persian influence in Afghanistan because of the perception that Persia was unduly influenced by the Russians. The Persians had repeatedly attempted to acquire Herat by force, most recently in 1838 and 1852; both times British opposition had convinced them to back down prior to war. They made a fresh attempt in 1856, and succeeded in taking the city on
25 October. In response, the British
Governor-General in India, acting on orders from
London, declared war on
1 November.
Separate from and in many ways prior to the dispute over Herat was a separate incident concerning one Meerza Hashem Khan, whom the British ambassador hoped to appoint as a secretary in the mission in
Teheran. The Persians objected, creating a dispute that escalated when rumours appeared that the British ambassador had improper relations with the man's wife, who was the sister of the
Shah's principal wife. The dispute escalated still further when the Persians arrested the woman; the British ambassador broke relations when they refused to release her. Indeed, the initial mobilisation of British forces began in response to this incident, although it's unlikely that the British would have gone beyond the occupation of one or two islands in the
Persian Gulf had the issue of Herat not arisen.
1856
In the aftermath of the disastrous
First Afghan War, the British were reluctant to send a force through Afghanistan to relieve Herat directly. Instead, they elected to attack the Persians on the Persian Gulf coast. As a first step, a
British-Indian Naval squadron, commanded by Commodore Young, landed a force that captured
Bushire on
10 December 1856 after a short naval bombardment. There was then a delay as the British waited for reinforcements.
1857
Once reinforcements arrived, an Army expeditionary force under Major General
Sir James Outram advanced on Brazjun, which the Persians abandoned without a fight. The British appropriated or destroyed the supplies at the site and then, deciding against a risky pursuit into the mountains, began to return to Bushire. During the withdrawal the British force was attacked at
Khushab, on
7 February 1857. The Persians caught the British in a potentially dangerous situation, but the British forces ultimately managed to inflict a heavy defeat on the attacking Persians in what turned out to be the largest battle of the war. Pursuit of the defeated army was deemed impracticable, and thus the British returned to Bushire.
The British then shifted their focus north up the Persian Gulf to the city of
Khorramshahr on the
Euphrates River. The transfer of forces was delayed by the separate deaths by suicide of two high-ranking British officers, which occasioned a shuffling of commands and forced Outram to leave Brig.
John Jacob in command in Bushire. Mohammerah had strong defences and was further protected by the political requirement that the British not violate
Ottoman territory, as the city lay right on the border. In the event, however, the Persians abandoned the city to a British force under Brigadier Havelock after naval bombardment. The Persians under the command of
Khanlar Mirza withdrew to
Ahvaz, a hundred miles up the
Karun River, where they were attacked by the
Royal Navy and forces from the
64th Foot and
78th Highlanders. The town fell to the British on
1 April 1857. On returning to Mohammerah on
4 April the force learned that peace had been signed in
Paris on the
4 March. At the time that news of peace arrived, Outram was planning an invasion into the Persian interior that likely would have significantly escalated the war.
Diplomacy
The Persians apparently hoped that the British wouldn't contest their acquisition of Herat — they recognised that they couldn't expect to win a war against the British army — and thus once British opposition became clear they attempted to back down. Negotiations in
Constantinople between Persian ambassador Ferukh Khan and British ambassador
Lord Stratford de Redcliffe ultimately broke down over British demands that the Persians replace the Shah's principal advisor, Sadr Azim. News of the onset of fighting resulted in a formal rupture of talks, but discussions soon began again in
Paris, and the two sides signed a peace treaty on
4 March. In the treaty, the Persians agreed to withdraw from Herat, to apologise to the British ambassador on his return, to sign a commercial treaty, and to cooperate in suppressing the slave trade in the Persian Gulf; the British agreed not to shelter opponents of the Shah in the embassy, and they abandoned the demand to replace Sadr Azim as well as one requiring territorial concessions to the Imam of
Muscat, a British ally.
The Persians faithfully withdrew from Herat, permitting the British to return their troops to India, where they were soon needed for combat in the
Indian Mutiny. Herat returned to more direct Afghan control when it was retaken by
Dost Mohammed Khan in 1863.
Battle Honours Awarded
Three
Victoria Crosses were awarded during the expedition, to
Captain J.A.Wood,
Captain J.G.Malcolmson, and
Lieutenant A.T.Moore.
Sources
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