Sardar Asaad Bakhtiari (c. 1856–1917) (Luri/Persian: ), also known as Haj Ali-Gholi Khan, Sardar Asaad II (born Ali-Gholi Khan) was an Iranian revolutionary and a chieftain of the Bakhtiari Haft Lang tribe. The third son of Hossein Gholi Khan Ilkhani, he was one of the primary figures of the Persian Constitutional Revolution. He was the brother of Najaf-Qoli Khan Bakhtiari Samsam Ol-Saltaneh, Bibi Maryam Bakhtiari Sardar Bibi, and Khorou Khan Bakhtiari Sardar Zafar.
Early life
He was born in 1856 or 1857 at Garmsir in the Bakhtiari-Chaharmahal province. His father, Hossein Gholi Khan Ilkhani, having united the Bakhtiari tribes, had turned them into the most powerful clan in late Qajar Iran. His mother was Bibi Mehri-Jan, the granddaughter of Elias Khan Bakhtiari and daughter of Najaf Khan Bakhtiari. Ali Gholi Khan received an education atypical for a nomadic adolescent, learning Arabic and French alongside Persian.
In 1876 he married Bibi Mahdashan, the daughter of one of the elders of the Bakhtiari clan. He was summoned to Tehran in 1881, with his father and older brother Esfandiar Khan, by Naser-Eddin Shah out of the Qajar monarch’s concerns over the growing power of the Bakhtiari clan. Shortly after, his father was poisoned and he and his brother were imprisoned. Ali Gholi Khan relates these events in his book Tarikh-e-Bakhtiari [The History of the Bakhtiari].
During his year in prison, his family endured hardship and isolation. After his release, Ali Gholi Khan was sent as a hostage to the court in Tehran and used as leverage against his brother, Esfandiar, who had succeeded their father as the Ilkhani [Lord Chieftain] of the Bakhtiari clan. At the Qajar court, Ali Gholi Khan learned about politics and court etiquette and established a network within the country’s political elite. He also forged links with foreign diplomats, particularly within the British Embassy, who had interests in southwestern Iran – the seat of Bakhtiari power.
William Knox D'Arcy, by contract with the Bakhtiari leadership, obtained permission to explore for oil for the first time in the Middle East, an event which changed the history of the entire region.
Bakhtiari Leadership
After Naser-Edin Shah was assassinated in May 1896, Ali Gholi Khan was given the task of maintaining order in Tehran. During the reign of Muzaffar al-din Shah, he remained the commander of the Bakhtiari Cavalry entrusted with guarding the King and in 1896 was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. As a reward for his loyalty, he was also a given a stipend of 1,000 Tomans.
When his older brother became incapacitated, Ali Gholi Khan was acknowledged by the Shah as the Ilkhan-e-Bakhtiari (Lord Chieftain of the Bakhtiari). However, he faced fierce competition for this title from his older brother, Najaf Gholi Khan Samsam al-Saltanah, who by tradition had the right to be the patriarch of the clan. Under pressure from Bakhtiari leaders, Ali Gholi Khan relinquished the title to Samsam al-Saltanah.
In 1900 Ali Gholi Khan travelled to India and briefly resided in Egypt before embarking to Europe. For the next two years, he travelled across the European continent, visiting different capitals, and participating in high society, which may have peaked his interests in politics.
He returned to Iran in 1902 and settled for a time in Tehran. The death of Esfandiar, his oldest brother, in 1903 led to a feud between the two main branches of the Ilkhani family: the sons of Hossein Gholi Khan (Samsam al-Saltanah and Khosrou Sardar Zafar) and the sons of Emam Gholi Khan (Lotf Ali Khan Amir Mofkham, Nasir Khan Sardar Jang, Sultan Mohammad Khan Sardar Ashja, and Gholam Hossein Khan Sardar Mohtashm). Playing a peacemaker, Ali Gholi Khan managed to reconcile the different factions and ended the feud.
n 1904, at the suggestion of the Prime Minister (Ain al-Dawlah), the Shah awarded him with the title of Sardar Assad and promoted him to a courtier. At the same time, he was charged with maintaining order in the Lorestan region.
The Iranian Constitutional Revolution
By 1904, Sardar Assad’s cooperation with the constitutionalist movement was well on its way. On 27 May he hosted a meeting of the constitutionalist leaders in the private garden of Suleiman Khan, which later came to be known as the Mikdeh Garden Association. He expanded his network of supporters across southern Iran over the next several years and, travelling to Europe, met with leaders of the opposition in exile.