Qajar Shahs in Imperial Germany*
2011; Oxford University Press; Volume: 213; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/pastj/gtr013
ISSN1477-464X
Autores Tópico(s)Islamic Studies and History
ResumoAt six o'clock on the evening of 31 May 1873, Shah Nasir al-Din of Persia, fourth king of the Qajar dynasty, and his entourage arrived at Potsdam Station in Berlin, where they were greeted by the German Emperor Wilhelm I, Crown Prince Friedrich, Chancellor Bismarck and Field Marshal Moltke. Welcomed by the cheering of thousands, the shah entered Berlin along Unter den Linden, sitting in an open carriage next to the kaiser. The Persian monarch returned to the German capital to be received by the Hohenzollern monarchs in the summers of 1878 and 1889. He was the first Persian head of state ever to have visited Europe. Some years later his son and successor, Muzaffar al-Din, was also received in Berlin. He entered the capital in June 1902 and passed through Germany in 1900 and 1905, although he was not formally received on these two occasions. The shahs' sojourns in Germany were part of their six European tours, which also brought them to various other European courts. Nasir al-Din dined with the tsars at the Winter Palace of St Petersburg, enjoyed receptions given by King Leopold II in Brussels and banquets with the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph at Schönbrunn Palace, and attended the World's Fairs in Vienna (1873) and Paris (1878 and 1889). On his first visit to the French capital, a magnificent procession of elephants led his ceremonial progress along the Champs-Élysées. No less splendid were his receptions in London in 1873 and 1889, when the Persians lodged at Buckingham Palace and exchanged insignia with Her Majesty at Windsor Castle. Nasir al-Din was awarded the prestigious Order of the Garter, a decoration which was not presented to his son during the latter's visit in the summer of 1902. When Muzaffar al-Din was offered only a portrait of King Edward set in diamonds, he refused the decoration and left England deeply crestfallen. Still, Muzaffar al-Din also attended royal galas and glamorous parades in several European capitals. Ultimately, the monarchs’ visits became huge public events, attracting many thousands of spectators onto the streets. This shah mania was reflected in newspaper articles, illustrations and caricatures, in cheap books and novels, and even in theatre and operettas.
Referência(s)