Some of Iran's most serious difficulties in the war with Russia
were by-products of its domestic problems. Fath 'Ali Shah's position
was much stronger than the Russians thought, but it was not nearly
as strong as he would have wished. There is little solid evidence from
which to draw a portrait of the shah's character. Iranian chroniclers
could only describe the shah or anyone in his favor in laudatory
cliches. European visitors were not necessarily more reliable, since
they saw what they wanted to see, which in turn hinged primarily on
what they wanted from Iran. One thing that was clear was that Fath
'Ali was very different from Aqa Mohammad. The second Qajar shah
was less harsh and probably less dynamic as well. He did not show
any signs of the shrewd pragmatism that had enabled his uncle to see
through comforting illusions. After the execution in 1801 of Haji
Ebrahim, the sage chief vizier the shah had inherited from the pre-
vious reign, Fath 'Ali was not particularly well advised. His chief viz-
ier, Mirza Shafi', was a man of mediocre talents who spent most of
his time maneuvering against the more able 'Abdol-Vahhab, head of
the chancellery. Fath 'Ali's manners were polished, and he was well
educated in the Iranian cultural tradition, including writing poetry.
He enjoyed a life of luxury; he took great care of his appearance, es-
pecially his magnificent beard, which extended to his waist, and
dressed splendidly. Harford Jones, British ambassador to Iran from
1807 to 1811, saw the shah riding out of camp wearing a purple vel-
vet coat covered by a diamond-studded mesh, a gold cumberbund
studded with pearls and a jewel encrusted dagger tucked in it, a scim-
itar in a diamond-and-ruby-covered scabbard, and a steel helmet
topped by a large diamond. The shah enjoyed the pleasures of a large
harem and fathered some 300 children. John Malcolm, who went on
missions to Iran in 1800, 1808, and 1810, considered Fath 'Ali "hu-
mane and accomplished" but "timid, weak" and "avaricious."^29 The
shah never led his troops in battle in the Caucasus the way his uncle
had. Every year during the war, Fath 'Ali journeyed to the northwest,
marshalled some of his troops, and sent some of them into battle.
However, he assigned primary responsibility for the conduct of the
war to his son 'Abbas. There are several possible explanations for
why he limited his role in the conduct of the war, but there is no
solid evidence to support any of them. According to one chronicle,
he planned to take charge of the 1804 campaign and leave 'Abbas as
governor of Tehran. Only after repeated entreaties did he grant
'Abbas's wish to lead the campaign and thereafter left him in charge
of the war. However, this explanation does not jibe with either the
shah's mistrust of his sons—in light of which, putting the heir pre-
114 The War, 1804-1813