sumptive in charge of the capital meant inviting a coup—or his ad-
ministrative policy, which included reviving the Safavi practice of
making his sons provincial governors, with Azerbaijan reserved for
the heir to the throne. Whatever the reasons, Fath 'Ali's role in the
fighting was undistinguished.^30
The shah had no problems with local rebellions during the war
years, but he could never be sure of his sons. He faced the age-old
problem of hereditary monarchy—a prince's ambitions hinged on tak-
ing his father's throne and nature did not always bring the transition
quickly enough. Most of the later Safavis lived in fear of rebellions
by their sons. More recently, Nader Shah had ordered his eldest son
blinded when a coup was suspected. Fath 'Ali feared several of his
sons but the eldest, Mohammad 'Ali, most of all. Mohammad 'Ali was
born in 1789 to a Georgian slave who was one of Fath 'Ali's concu-
bines. While illegitimacy did not carry a social stigma, it did mean
that this prince would not be his father's chosen heir. Aqa Moham-
mad had made other arrangements for the succession by having his
nephew marry a woman from a rival branch of the Qajars, the Davah-
lu, to heal the rift between the two factions and produce a son who
would become the third shah of the dynasty. This was 'Abbas, who
was about seven months the junior of Mohammad 'Ali and was for-
mally designated nd'eb os-saltaneh (viceroy-crown prince) in Aqa
Mohammad's will.^31
The half-brothers were strikingly different people who became
enemies in childhood and sustained the animosity until Mohammad
'Ali's death in 1821. The elder brother was robust, articulate, and as-
sertive from childhood. Even those who disliked him were impressed
by his intelligence and imposing demeanor. He reveled in war and
was noted for his fearlessness, although his detractors considered him
reckless as well. His temperment was exceedingly volatile and imper-
ious. He insisted on having his way in all things, whether it be that
the Portuguese discovered the New World (a subject about which he
was surprisingly well informed except for that particular) or his de-
mand that his father allow him to attack Baghdad in 1811. (He threat-
ened to stab himself if he were denied.) He was angry and bitter at
having been excluded from the succession. There was a story told
about him that may or may not be literally true but is certainly illus-
trative of his character. One day, when Mohammad 'Ali and 'Abbas
were children, the two boys were brought to a place where they were
told to wait for Aqa Mohammad. Food was set before them; 'Abbas
would not eat until his granduncle arrived, but Mohammad 'Ali began
to eat voraciously. At that point, Aqa Mohammad entered and be-
TheWar. 1804-1813 115