Mirza Hosein Khan Sepahsalar

Mirza Hosein Khan Moshir od-Dowleh Sepahsalar or simply Mirza Hosein Sepahsalar (1828–1881) was the Grand Vizier (prime minister) of Iran (Persia) during the Qajar era under Naser al-Din Shah Qajar between 1871 and 1873.

After a successful career in the Iranian foreign service, serving in Tiflis, Hosein Khan was made ambassador to Constantinople during the great Ottoman reform period after 1856. He seems also to have been influenced by at least two reformist thinkers: Fatali Akhundov, whom he got to know well in Tiflis, and Mirza Malkam Khan, whom he met in Constantinople.

On becoming Grand vizier, Hosein Khan persuaded the Shah to grant a concession for railroad construction—the Reuter concession—and other commercial development projects to Baron de Reuter. Opposition from bureaucratic factions and clerical leaders, however, forced the Shah to dismiss his Grand Vizier and cancel the concession.

Biography Mirza Hossein was born at 1828 in Qazvin. His father was a friend of Amir Kabir, through whose patronage Hossein Khan was appointed to government service and sent abroad, where he studied French and Arabic languages.

In 1848, he was appointed consul in Bombay. During his tenure there, he noted in a report to the Iranian government the advantages of opium cultivation from an export perspective, and, on the basis of this report, the government ordered the cultivation of opium. After a three-year mission in Bombay, he returned home with a considerable fortune of 150,000 rupees, which gave rise to accusations of corruption.

Reform ideas In 1856, he was appointed ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. His tenure in Constantinople coincided with the period of the Tanzimat, particularly with the drafting of the first Ottoman constitution of 1863. He subsequently came under the influence of the progressive ideas of the secret society Young Ottomans.

In 1870, he accompanied Naser al-Din Shah Qajar on a visit to the Ottoman Empire, during which he discussed the reforms of Midhat Pasha with the Shah. Following this visit, in 1871, Hossein Khan was appointed vizier.

Vizeriate While serving as Grand Vizier, Hoseyn Khan initiated measures to reform Iran's legislative and judicial systems, as well as to reorganize the Shah’s army. His reforms included: limiting the power of provincial governors, safeguarding the civil rights of subjects, establishing an Austro-Hungarian military mission in Persia, reorganizing the judiciary, and founding a national postal system.

However, his successful reforms, he made a number of mistakes. One of these was granting a concession to the entrepreneur Paul Reuter in 1872, placing all of Iran's existing and future infrastructure and industry under his control. The Reuter Concession was immediately condemned by all segments of Persian society—businessmen, the clergy, and nationalists—and was quickly revoked. His Vizeriate also saw the spread of opium cultivation and decline in cotton production, which were among the causes of the ensuing economic crisis and famine.