Aqa Mohammad was not impressed by the humble appearance of
the two emissaries, who had traveled without an entourage, dis-
guised as botanists to allay Ottoman suspicions. In any event, he
was preoccupied with affairs in the Caucasus and Khorasan. There-
fore, his response was polite, but evasive, stressing the desirability
of increased trade. The Iranians first showed an interest in a mili-
tary alliance with France in 1802 or 1803, but this coincided with
the uneasy peace that followed the Treaty of Amiens, a time when
Bonaparte was preoccupied with diplomatic maneuverings within
Europe. Therefore, France did not reply to the Iranian overtures.
Then, in 1804, matters took a new turn as rumors of Napoleon's
victories reached Iran. The French consul general at Baghdad, Jean-
Fran^ois Rousseau, who had once lived in Iran, began to correspond
with some of the prominent Iranians whom he had met. Fath 'Ali
responded late in 1804 by asking for French assistance in military
technology. A series of French agents were sent to encourage the
shah over the next two years, while the British continued to reject
his requests for help and word reached Iran of Napoleon's impressive
victories in central Europe. Finally, an Iranian ambassador (Mirza
Mohammad Reza, vizier to Mohammad 'Ali Mirza) departed late in
1806 to meet with Talleyrand and negotiate a treaty of alliance. The
following May, the two diplomats signed an agreement, the Treaty
of Finkenstein, directed against Britain and Russia. France recognized
Georgia as part of Iran and agreed to "direct every effort to the ous-
ter of the Russians from that province." Toward the end, France was
to sell Iran artillery and rifles and also send French officers to
"strengthen his [Fath 'Ali's] fortresses and to organize Persian artil-
lery and infantry in accordance with principles of European military
art." Iran was obliged to declare war on Britain, invade India, and
encourage the Afghans to do the same. Iran was also to facilitate the
French navy's use of Persian Gulf ports and allow the French army
to go to India via Iran. Fath 'Ali did not intend his promise to join
France in the conquest of India to amount to anything in the for-
seeable future. While voicing enthusiasm for the Indian campaign, he
demanded that the restoration of the Caucasian provinces be settled
first.
5
In accordance with the terms of the treaty, Napoleon sent Iran an
embassy headed by Count Claude Gardane (sometimes also spelled
Gardanne), a cavalry officer whose courage under fire won him a
promotion to brigadier general in 1799. His embassy—which included
a number of infantry, artillery, and engineering instructors—was in-
volved in the first significant effort to reform the Iranian army along
France and Britain in Iran 125