Anglo-Persian Treaty of 1801

The Anglo -Persian Treaty of 1801 was a military assistance pact between Britain and Persia. This agreement represented the first alliance between Persia and a European state dar.

Contract

After intensive negotiations between the British envoy Captain John Malcolm and the Persian Prime Minister Haji Ibrahim, the contract was closed as a military assistance pact between England and Persia. The initiative for this contract came from the UK. To ensure the success of the negotiations, Malcolm handed luxury gifts and paid bribes to the Persian side. The Treaty of the Persian side was ratified by a decree of Fath Ali Shah.

For the UK it was about a backup of the western border of India against a possible French and Afghan threat. Zaman Shah Durrani Mirza made ​​an attempt to gain control of India, which he was not successful and led to a conflict with the British. Napoleon planned after his campaign started in 1798 after an invasion of Egypt in India. Russian Cossacks were to march over Bukhara in the Indus while French troops along the Danube, were to march on the Black and the Caspian Sea to Persia and on to India to unite there with the Cossacks.

The treaty secured Persia British support against France, as well as an improvement in the trade relations between Persia and the United Kingdom. In return, Iran said its attack on Afghanistan when the Afghans should invade India. Furthermore agreed Persia and Great Britain, blockage of French military bases in Persia. This was Article 5 of the Treaty:

" Should it happen that an army of the French nation is attempting to build on islands or coast of Persia, a base, to destroy this base a joint contingent of troops of both parties. If ... any French citizen of meaning expresses the desire to acquire a residence or other building on one of the islands or coast of Persia or build ... should this request rejected by the Persian government werden.1801 "

Political consequences

In 1802 and the British lost interest in the agreement, as the threat to India through Afghanistan had reduced after the fall of Zaman Shah Durrani Mirza and France's plans for a march into India by the Peace of Amiens were less concrete. For the Persian side of the contract suddenly won but by importance, that a Russian attack in 1804, the third Russian- Persian war was triggered. Fath Ali Shah was looking for the promised British support. This did not materialize since, according to the British perspective, the duty to render assistance directed only against a French attack and not against a Russian attack.

As a result of the lack of British military aid, there was a political rapprochement Persia to France, which was sealed in 1807 in the Treaty of Finckenstein.