Abbas Mirza

Abbas Mirza, born 1785, third and favourite son of Fateh Ali Shah, who made him his heir in preference to Mahomed Ali Mirza, the firstborn. He exerted himself to introduce European civilisation into Persia. Both he and his brother died before their father, and thus a civil war was averted, in which Russia and Great Britain would have been opposed, as taking the parts respectively of Abbas and Mahomed. The two powers then assented to the nomination of Mahomed Mirza, son of the former, as crown-prince.