Persian Cossack Brigade
Encyclopedia
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
. Acting on occasion as kingmakers, this force played a pivotal role in modern Persian history during the Revolution of 1905–1911, the rise of Reza Shah
Reza Shah
Rezā Shāh, also known as Rezā Shāh Pahlavi and Rezā Shāh Kabir , , was the Shah of the Imperial State of Iran from December 15, 1925, until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on September 16, 1941.In 1925, Reza Shah overthrew Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last Shah of the Qajar...
and the formation of the Pahlavi Dynasty
Pahlavi dynasty
The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925–1941) and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty ...
.
Origin, purpose and makeup
The Persian Cossack Brigade was formed by Nasir al-Din Shah in 1879 using as a model the Caucasian Cossack regiments of the Imperial Russian Army, which had impressed him when travelling through southern Russia in 1878. Together with a Swedish officered and trained gendarmerieGendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
, the Cossack Brigade came to comprise the most effective military force available to the Iranian crown in the years prior to World War I.
In spite of its name the Brigade was never a genuine cossack force. Neither did it have the status of a guard unit. Late nineteenth century photographs show that Russian style uniforms were worn, in contrast to the indigenous dress of other Persian forces at the time. The rank and file of the Brigade were always Persian but until 1917 its commanders were Russian officers who were also employed in the Russian army, such as V. Liakhov. Such secondments were encouraged by the Imperial Russian Government who saw the Cossack Brigade as a means of extending Russian influence in a key area of international rivalry. After the October Revolution in 1917, many of these Russian officers left the country to join the "White" forces. The command of the Persian Cossack Division was subsequently transferred to Iranian officers. Most notable among these officers was General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Reza Khan
Reza Shah
Rezā Shāh, also known as Rezā Shāh Pahlavi and Rezā Shāh Kabir , , was the Shah of the Imperial State of Iran from December 15, 1925, until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on September 16, 1941.In 1925, Reza Shah overthrew Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last Shah of the Qajar...
, who started his military career as a private soldier in the Cossack Brigade and rose through its ranks to become a Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
.
Detailed history
At the time of the Persian Cossack Brigade's formation the Shah’s royal cavalry was described as having no training or discipline. The Qajar state at this point was very weak, lacking any professional military forces. In wars against the British and even the Turkoman nomads the Persian forces had been defeated. The Tsar Alexander II approved Russian military advisors travelling to Persia to fulfill the Shah’s request. The brigade was then formed in 1879 by Lieutenant-Colonel Domantovich, a Russian officer.Early development of the Cossack Brigade
Russian interests and lack of funding slowed the initial development of the brigade into a professional fighting force. The initial strength of the brigade was 400 men drawn from immigrants known as mohajers who were descendents of Transcaucasian Muslims who had migrated to Persia to avoid Russian rule. They possessed special privileges as a hereditary military caste. Domantovich made rapid progress with their training and the Shah ordered the strength of the new brigade to be increased to 600 men drawn from the regular army. The rapid progress of the Cossack Brigade caused concern in Russia due to fear that it may become a true fighting force rather than a tool of the Russian government. Domantovich was dismissed as commander in 1881 and replaced by the less effective Colonel Charkovsij, over the protests of the Shah. Charkovsij added four artillery pieces to the arsenal of the Brigade in 1883 but made no other improvements. In 1886 Colonel Karavaev became commander and the Brigade faced with budget cuts had its numbers diminished. In 1890 Colonel Shneur took over and was unable to pay the men. After many desertions, combined with a cholera epidemic, the strength was reduced to 450 men, and eventually cut down to 200. Shneur left in 1893 leaving command to a junior officer. By this time the brigade was rapidly disintegrating and the Shah was under pressure to disband it and give the Germans control over army training. It was further cut to just 150 men with one Russian officer. At this point it seemed that the Brigade would end as a failed experiment and be nothing more than a footnote in Persian history.Turning point
The Brigade was saved by the arrival of Colonel Kosagoskij who was to become the most effective commanding officer in the Brigade’s history. The biggest problem he faced was the mohajer aristocracy in the Brigade, who considering themselves in a position of privilege often refused to work and reacted poorly to attempts at discipline. This faction mutinied in 1895, dividing the brigade and taking a large portion of its funding, encouraged by the Shah’s son who was Minister of War. Under pressure from Russia the Brigade was reunified under Kosagoskij’s command and the mohajer treated like other regular soldiers. The result was a great improvement in efficiency resulting in a well-organized, well trained, and obedient force.Role following assassination of Nasir-ed-Din Shah
The first major test that cemented the Brigades place in Iranian history was the assassination of Nasir-ed-Din Shah on May 1, 1896. Chaos broke loose as different factions sought to take power, and mobs rampaged in the streets. The police were unable to control them and the regular army could not be relied upon to do so. Kosagovskij was given free rein by Amin Os-Saltean the Prime Minister to “Act in accordance with your own understanding and wisdom.” Kosagovskij quickly mobilized the brigade and had them occupy the whole of Tehran in order to keep order in the city. The Brigade also became involved in intrigues between different factions of the Persian government. Nayeb os-Saltenah, the local commander of the forces in Tehran was likely to seize power from the legitimate heir, Muzaffar din Shah, who was in Tabriz. Kosagovski,j backed by the Brigade and the Russian and British, warned Saltenah that only Muzaffar din Shah would be recognized as the legitimate heir. On June 7, 1896 the Muzzafar din Shah escorted by the Cossacks entered Tehran. The Brigade on this date established themselves as kingmakers in Iran, and in the future would serve as important tools for both the Russians and the Shah in maintaining control of Persia. The Russian influence insider Persia expanded tremendously as the Brigade was able to exert massive control in internal Persian politics and intrigues.Role during the Revolution of 1905-1911
The second major event the Cossack Brigade played a role in was the 1906 Constitutional Revolution as a result of intense political pressure and rebellion Muzaffar-din-Shah gave in to the rebels, and died shortly after signing the Constitution. It was the Persian Cossack Brigade that helped keep his son Muhammad Ali Shah on the throne. As a consequence however he was considered to be a Russian puppet. He later attempted to overthrow the government established by the Constitution using the Persian Cossack Brigade in January of 1907. It surrounded the Majlies and fired on the building with artillery. He was briefly successful and with the help of Colonel Liakhov, the Brigade commander, he governed Tehran for a year acting as a military dictator. Liakhov was appointed military governor of Tehran. In the ensuing civil strife forces from Azerbaijan led by two Armenians, Sattar Khan and Yeprem Khan retook, Tehran from the Cossack Brigade, forcing the Shah to abdicate. Here the Brigade failed in ensuring the power of the Shah. Nonetheless the Brigade retained a great deal of importance as a tool for both the Russians and the Shah. Furthermore Russian influence greatly expanded during this time period with Russian forces occupying several part of Iran and the country divided into spheres of influence between the Russians and the British in the Anglo-Russian Agreement signed in August of 1907.Role in World War I
During World War I the war spilled over into Persian territory as Ottoman, Russian, and British forces entered Persia. The Russian Command in 1916 expanded the Cossack Brigade to full division strength of roughly 8,000 men. The Brigade engaged in combat against Ottoman forces and helped secure Russian interests in northern Iran. The British-created South Persian Rifles performed the same function in southern Iran for the British. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917 the British took over the Cossack Brigade and removed Russian officers and replaced them with British and Iranian ones. This was an important transition point in the history of the Brigade as it now came under complete British and Iranian control and was effectively purged of Russian influence. Following the war Persia found itself devastated and divided as various regions of the country had broken away. In the 1920’s, in order to re-exert central control the Shah deployed the Cossack Brigade to crush the Azadistan movement in Tabriz. It was successful though it failed to be as effective in putting down another rebellion movement called the Janglis.Role in the rise of Reza Shah
It is in this context of fragmentation and disorder that Reza Khan, an officer from the Cossack Brigade, rose to power as Iran’s “man on horseback” who would save the country from chaos. Reza Khan had joined the Brigade when he was sixteen years old and became the first Persian to be appointed as Brigadier-General of the Brigade. He had risen rapidly through the ranks of the Brigade following the British purge though he had learned much from the previous Russian officers. With Iran in chaos and facing fragmentation there was a political vacuum in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, which had no functioning government. Sensing an opportunity Reza Khan led his 3,000-4,000 strong detachment of the Cossack Brigade based in Qazvin and Hamadan to Tehran in 1921 and seized the capital.
With this coup Reza Khan established himself as the most powerful person in Iran. The coup was largely bloodless and faced little resistance. Reza Khan's later modernization and enlargement of the army would utilise the Cossack Brigade as its core. Prior to World War I the Cossack Brigade had, together with the Swedish trained gendarmerie
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
, constituted the only truly professional military forces in Iran.
With his expanded forces and the Cossack Brigade Reza Khan launched military actions to eliminate separatist and dissident movements in Tabriz, Mashhad, and the Janglis in Gilan, Simko and the Kurds. The Brigade, with a strength of 7,000-8,000 men at the time, was merged with the gendarmerie and other forces to form the new Iranian army of 40,000 which would be led by Iranian officers, many of them friends and cronies of Reza Khan from his days as an officer in the Cossack Brigade. These officers from the Cossack brigade received appointments and patronage in key positions in the new government and military. Using the Cossack Brigade as a springboard Reza Shah was able to place himself in a position of power, centralize the country, remove the Shah and crown himself Shah, thus establishing the Pahlavi Dynasty. He was then called Reza Shah.
Legacy
The Cossack Brigade had helped establish the first centralized Iranian state since the time of the Safavids. While the history of the Cossack Brigade as a distinct entity ended with the rise of Reza Shah their influence on Iran has endured. The foundation of the centralized state established by Reza Shah persists to the present day.Commanders
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
 Lieutenant-Colonel A. I. Domantovich |
April 1879 - ? |
| Colonel V. A. Kossogovsky |
May 1895 - 1903 |
| Colonel Chernozoubov Theodore G. Chernozubov Theodore G. Chernozubov was a Russian Imperial Army officer who became lieutenant general on 20 February 1915. He was trained at Pazheskom corps and later Imperial General Staff Academy in 1889.... |
1903 - 1906 |
| Colonel Vladimir Platonovich Liakhov |
1906 - November 1909 |
| Colonel Prince Vadbolsky |
Nov 1909 - 1914 |
| Colonel Prozorkievitch |
1914 - August 1915 |
| General Baron von Maydell |
August 1915 - February 1917 |
| Colonel Clergi |
February 1917 - early 1918 |
| Colonel Starosselsky |
early 1918 - October 1920 |
 Brigadier-General Reza KhanReza Shah Rezā Shāh, also known as Rezā Shāh Pahlavi and Rezā Shāh Kabir , , was the Shah of the Imperial State of Iran from December 15, 1925, until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on September 16, 1941.In 1925, Reza Shah overthrew Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last Shah of the Qajar... |
October 1920 - December 1921 |
Notable senior officers
- Mirza Madrus Khan
- General Hamzeh Khan Pessian
- General Teymūr Khan Ayromlou
- Mahmoud Khan Ayrom
- General Muhammad-Husayn Ayrom
- Mohammad Khan Nakhchevan
- Ahmad Khan Nakhchevan
- Jafar Quli Amir-Beglari
- Reza Quli Amir-Khosravi
- Jan Mohammad Khan Davallu
- Mahmoud Khan Amir-Vaziri
- Khodayar Khodayari
- Mohammad Shahbakhti
- Colonel Mamonov
- Ismail Khan Amir-Fazli
- Hossein Aqa Khuzai
- Mahmoud Aqa Ansari
- Ismail Khan Shafaei
- Morteza Khan Yazdanpanah
- Amir Abdollah TahmasebiAmir Abdollah TahmasebiAbdollah Khan Amir Tahmasebi was a senior military commander, instrumental in the fall of the Qajar dynasty and rise to power of Reza Shah Pahlavi....
- Sar Lashgar Buzarjomehri
- Amanullah JahanbaniAmanullah JahanbaniSepahbod Amanullah Jahanbani was a senior general of Reza Shah Pahlavi.At the age of 10, Jahānbāni was sent to St. Petersburg for schooling, and returned to Iran as a ranked military officer in World War I. During a second trip, after completing his studies in Europe, he continued climbing in...
- Sepahbod Ahmad Amir-Ahmadi
- Fazlollah ZahediFazlollah ZahediMohammad Fazlollah Zahedi was an Iranian general and statesman who replaced democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq through a western-backed coup d'état, in which he played a major role.-Early years:Born in Hamedan in 1897, Fazlollah Zahedi was the son of Abol Hassan...
- Colonel Assadollah Hosseinpoor
|}
Stations
Major- TabrizTabrizTabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
, RashtRashtRasht is a city in and the capital of Gilan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 551,161, in 159,983 families.Rasht is the largest city on Iran's Caspian Sea coast. It is a major trade center between Caucasia, Russia and Iran using the port of Bandar-e Anzali...
, MashhadMashhadMashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...
, TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Esfahan, QazvinQazvinQazvin is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 349,821, in 96,420 families....
Minor
- Hamedan, Bandar Anzali, KermanshahKermanshahKermanshah is a city in and the capital of Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 784,602, in 198,117 families.The overwhelming majority of Kermanshahi people are Shi'a Muslims...
Military ranks and non-military titles
- CommandantCommandantCommandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
- Second-in-CommandSecond-in-commandThe Second-in-Command is the deputy commander of any British Army or Royal Marines unit, from battalion or regiment downwards. He or she is thus the equivalent of an Executive Officer in the United States Army...
- Chief of StaffChief of StaffThe title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
- IntendantIntendantThe title of intendant has been used in several countries through history. Traditionally, it refers to the holder of a public administrative office...
- Atriyad Commander
- GeneralGeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
(regimental commander) - MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
(battalion commander) - Captain (company commander)
- LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
- Second LieutenantSecond LieutenantSecond lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
- Sergeant-major
- Platoon SergeantPlatoon SergeantIn many militaries, a platoon sergeant is the senior enlisted member of a platoon, who advises and supports the platoon's commanding officer in leading the unit.-Singapore:...
- Section Sergeant
- CorporalCorporalCorporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
- DrummerDrummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, Trumpeter, CossackCossackCossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the... - Medical Officer, AccountantAccountantAn accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
, Assistant Accountant, Clerk, Armourer
Footnotes
F. Kazemzadeh, The Origin and Early Development of the Persian Cossack Brigade (American Slavic and East European Review: 1956) p.352Ibid p. 354
Ibid p. 355
Ibid p. 354-355
Ibid p. 355
Ibid p. 356
Ibid p. 356
Ibid p. 357
Ibid p. 358
Ibid p. 358
Ibid p. 358-359
Ibid p. 359
Ibid p. 359-360
Ibid p. 361
Ibid p. 362
Ibid p. 362-363
Ibid p. 363
Kazemzadeh, p.343
Ibid p. 343
Ibid p. 343
Ibid p. 343
Ervand Abrahamian, A History of Modern Iran (Cambridge University Press:2008) p. 11
Ibid p.59-60
Gavin R.G. Hambly, The Pahlavi Autocracy: Riza Shah (Cambridge University Press: 1991) p.213
R.M. Savory, Modern Persia (Cambridge University Press: 1970) p.601
Hambly p.218
Ibid p.219
Ibid p. 221
Ibid p.222