Chapter One: A Royal Upbringing
A Constitutional Iran
Point of Departure
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was known for believing in mysticism and that he was ordained by fate to lead Iran into modernity. This was fuelled by his mother who nurtured this side to his personality from a young age. What if Mohammad Reza grew up more grounded and less so in the mysticism that it was in our timeline? In this timeline, his mother dies in childbirth and Mohammad Reza develops a more assertive, self assured personality.
Chapter One
Mohammad Reza was only 6 when he was named the Crown Prince, by decree of his father, Shah Reza Pahlavi (Reza Shah). His entire life so far had been one in preparation for his future role as successor to the Peacock Throne. His father had kept his firstborn son close by his side since his birth, grooming him to take over from him. His mother, Tadj ol-Molouk had died in childbirth and Reza Shah wanted to ensure Mohammed Reza grew up rubbing shoulders with the elite of Persian society.
The question arose of a private tutor for the future Shah of Persia and Reza Shah had privately wished for him to follow in his every footstep – to see and understand every facet of power in what would become the future Pahlavi dynasty, a truly Persian monarchy fit for a modern Iran. Courtiers in Reza Shah’s inner circle counselled him to consider an alternative approach. His recent diplomatic note to the British Legation in Tehran had led to a fiery response from the Chargé d’Affaires, Harold Nicolson, who marched into the Foreign Ministry furious at the tone used. Reza Shah’s Prime Minister, Mohammad Ali Foroughi counselled him to consider that the British had been firm in their neutrality in his ascension to the Peacock Throne and that to further antagonise them would be ill-advised.
The question of how best to walk back the recent diplomatic faux pas was discussed in detail with the Foreign Ministry, but Foroughi suggested an alternative. Lady Nicolson, the wife of Harold Nicolson was in Tehran and had participated in the preparations for Reza Shah’s coronation – more importantly, she was a member of the British nobility being the daughter of Lionel Sackville-West, 3rd Baron Sackville. The suggestion being made whether Lady Nicolson would be a suitable as a Governess for the young Mohammad Reza and to tutor him in the footsteps of nobility, to prepare him for his future royal duties to govern all Persia. Reza Shah was less than enthusiastic of the idea but knew that he had to walk a fine line between asserting Persia’s independence and keeping the world’s largest empire from being angered over the slight.
Reza Shah relented and agreed to Foroughi instructing the Foreign Ministry to put out feelers to gauge the response from the British Legation to the request. Sir Percy Loraine was taken by surprise by the request when he met with the Foreign Minister and agreed to discuss the matter with Nicolson and London. Discussions in London were also one of surprise but there was an eagerness to start afresh with the new Shah of Persia, a place of strategic importance to the Empire. There was hope that a rapprochement could be reached with Reza Khan by facilitating a request and should that fail, a good early impression on the Crown Prince could pay long-term dividends.
The Foreign Office instructed Sir Loraine to facilitate the request and he duly sat to discuss the matter with Nicolson on the possibility of his wife becoming a member of the Pahlavi Court in the capacity of Governess to the Crown Prince, Mohammad Reza. Nicolson was cold to the idea of his wife being left alone in the Persian Court while he was working at the British Legation. Nicolson had a poor opinion of Persia and especially the newly crowned Reza Khan, whom he had referred to as a bullet-headed man with the voice of an asthmatic child. Further discussions took place with the Foreign Ministry about how best to accommodate the unusual request and it was agreed that Nicolson would be appointed as Court Liaison between the court of Reza Shah and the British Legation. He would therefore act as direct conduit between Reza Shah and the incoming British Ambassador, Sir Robert Clive. In reality, the role was a mere formality and no real interaction ever took place between Nicolson and Reza Shah directly, who preferred to conduct diplomatic affairs via the Foreign Ministry.
Nicolson and his wife, Lady Nicolson were thus given comfortable quarters in Mohammad Reza’s new palace located within Reza Shah’s own compound and Nicolson given a small office with a small staff to aid in translation and clerical work. Lady Nicolson found Mohammad Reza to be a headstrong and stubborn child, much in keeping with his father, the Shah. She recorded in her diary that she felt the Crown Prince had lacked a woman’s touch in his rearing and that it was her duty to provide that for him especially as it had been so absent throughout his life. Her children, Benedict and Nigel who were 12 and 10 at the time would often play with Mohammad Reza when they were not at lessons and the Crown Prince would develop an affection for the elder boys with whom he saw as his fellow adventurers in what was often a dreary life behind the palace walls.
Lady Nicolson ensured the Crown Princes’ royal education, while the rest was provided by the Shah’s distant relative, Amir Akram Pahlavan. This included a military style education, at the insistence of the Shah, who wanted Mohammad Reza to have a “manly education”, to balance the influence of Lady Nicolson to whom he was concerned would allow the Crown Prince to live a life “up a woman’s skirt” and become effeminate. Lady Nicolson’s passion for gardening led to the Crown Prince taking a distinct interest in the Royal Gardens. During their regular outings, there would often be lessons in horticulture and confused royal gardeners would answer horticultural questions from a curious future Shah as he grew older. The time Mohammad Reza spent with Lady Nicolson would prove a welcome release valve to the rigid and absolute discipline of his royal and military education. Lady Nicolson and her family left the Royal Court in 1930 after the Shah requested the family’s stay be extended, a request the British Ambassador Sir Robert Clive was only too happy to acquiesce to.
Mohammad Reza’s personality began to develop greatly during Lady Nicolson’s governorship. He was clear thinking and assertive in his speaking and on more than one occasion even challenge his father, the Shah on topics of great importance to the child with great eloquence. The Shah, although a stern man took great pride in his son’s courage, a courage he felt would stand him in good stead when his time came to take on the title of Shahen shah and take on the mantle of being the second member of the Pahlavi dynasty. After Lady Nicolson, the Shah held a belief that the foreign influence had been of benefit to his heir and he would take steps to ensure a new governess was appointed to continue the work Lady Nicolson had started.
Point of Departure
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was known for believing in mysticism and that he was ordained by fate to lead Iran into modernity. This was fuelled by his mother who nurtured this side to his personality from a young age. What if Mohammad Reza grew up more grounded and less so in the mysticism that it was in our timeline? In this timeline, his mother dies in childbirth and Mohammad Reza develops a more assertive, self assured personality.
Chapter One
Mohammad Reza was only 6 when he was named the Crown Prince, by decree of his father, Shah Reza Pahlavi (Reza Shah). His entire life so far had been one in preparation for his future role as successor to the Peacock Throne. His father had kept his firstborn son close by his side since his birth, grooming him to take over from him. His mother, Tadj ol-Molouk had died in childbirth and Reza Shah wanted to ensure Mohammed Reza grew up rubbing shoulders with the elite of Persian society.
The question arose of a private tutor for the future Shah of Persia and Reza Shah had privately wished for him to follow in his every footstep – to see and understand every facet of power in what would become the future Pahlavi dynasty, a truly Persian monarchy fit for a modern Iran. Courtiers in Reza Shah’s inner circle counselled him to consider an alternative approach. His recent diplomatic note to the British Legation in Tehran had led to a fiery response from the Chargé d’Affaires, Harold Nicolson, who marched into the Foreign Ministry furious at the tone used. Reza Shah’s Prime Minister, Mohammad Ali Foroughi counselled him to consider that the British had been firm in their neutrality in his ascension to the Peacock Throne and that to further antagonise them would be ill-advised.
The question of how best to walk back the recent diplomatic faux pas was discussed in detail with the Foreign Ministry, but Foroughi suggested an alternative. Lady Nicolson, the wife of Harold Nicolson was in Tehran and had participated in the preparations for Reza Shah’s coronation – more importantly, she was a member of the British nobility being the daughter of Lionel Sackville-West, 3rd Baron Sackville. The suggestion being made whether Lady Nicolson would be a suitable as a Governess for the young Mohammad Reza and to tutor him in the footsteps of nobility, to prepare him for his future royal duties to govern all Persia. Reza Shah was less than enthusiastic of the idea but knew that he had to walk a fine line between asserting Persia’s independence and keeping the world’s largest empire from being angered over the slight.
Reza Shah relented and agreed to Foroughi instructing the Foreign Ministry to put out feelers to gauge the response from the British Legation to the request. Sir Percy Loraine was taken by surprise by the request when he met with the Foreign Minister and agreed to discuss the matter with Nicolson and London. Discussions in London were also one of surprise but there was an eagerness to start afresh with the new Shah of Persia, a place of strategic importance to the Empire. There was hope that a rapprochement could be reached with Reza Khan by facilitating a request and should that fail, a good early impression on the Crown Prince could pay long-term dividends.
The Foreign Office instructed Sir Loraine to facilitate the request and he duly sat to discuss the matter with Nicolson on the possibility of his wife becoming a member of the Pahlavi Court in the capacity of Governess to the Crown Prince, Mohammad Reza. Nicolson was cold to the idea of his wife being left alone in the Persian Court while he was working at the British Legation. Nicolson had a poor opinion of Persia and especially the newly crowned Reza Khan, whom he had referred to as a bullet-headed man with the voice of an asthmatic child. Further discussions took place with the Foreign Ministry about how best to accommodate the unusual request and it was agreed that Nicolson would be appointed as Court Liaison between the court of Reza Shah and the British Legation. He would therefore act as direct conduit between Reza Shah and the incoming British Ambassador, Sir Robert Clive. In reality, the role was a mere formality and no real interaction ever took place between Nicolson and Reza Shah directly, who preferred to conduct diplomatic affairs via the Foreign Ministry.
Nicolson and his wife, Lady Nicolson were thus given comfortable quarters in Mohammad Reza’s new palace located within Reza Shah’s own compound and Nicolson given a small office with a small staff to aid in translation and clerical work. Lady Nicolson found Mohammad Reza to be a headstrong and stubborn child, much in keeping with his father, the Shah. She recorded in her diary that she felt the Crown Prince had lacked a woman’s touch in his rearing and that it was her duty to provide that for him especially as it had been so absent throughout his life. Her children, Benedict and Nigel who were 12 and 10 at the time would often play with Mohammad Reza when they were not at lessons and the Crown Prince would develop an affection for the elder boys with whom he saw as his fellow adventurers in what was often a dreary life behind the palace walls.
Lady Nicolson ensured the Crown Princes’ royal education, while the rest was provided by the Shah’s distant relative, Amir Akram Pahlavan. This included a military style education, at the insistence of the Shah, who wanted Mohammad Reza to have a “manly education”, to balance the influence of Lady Nicolson to whom he was concerned would allow the Crown Prince to live a life “up a woman’s skirt” and become effeminate. Lady Nicolson’s passion for gardening led to the Crown Prince taking a distinct interest in the Royal Gardens. During their regular outings, there would often be lessons in horticulture and confused royal gardeners would answer horticultural questions from a curious future Shah as he grew older. The time Mohammad Reza spent with Lady Nicolson would prove a welcome release valve to the rigid and absolute discipline of his royal and military education. Lady Nicolson and her family left the Royal Court in 1930 after the Shah requested the family’s stay be extended, a request the British Ambassador Sir Robert Clive was only too happy to acquiesce to.
Mohammad Reza’s personality began to develop greatly during Lady Nicolson’s governorship. He was clear thinking and assertive in his speaking and on more than one occasion even challenge his father, the Shah on topics of great importance to the child with great eloquence. The Shah, although a stern man took great pride in his son’s courage, a courage he felt would stand him in good stead when his time came to take on the title of Shahen shah and take on the mantle of being the second member of the Pahlavi dynasty. After Lady Nicolson, the Shah held a belief that the foreign influence had been of benefit to his heir and he would take steps to ensure a new governess was appointed to continue the work Lady Nicolson had started.
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