Sardar Homayoun



Qassem Khan Vali (1878 – 1935; سردار همايون والی قاسم), the son of Ali Khan Vali, with the military title of Sardar Homayoun, was the first Imperial Iranian Army general to graduate from the prestigious Saint-Cyr Military School in France, which was founded by Napoléon in 1802. During the Overthrow of the Qajar dynasty, Sardar Homayoun was encouraged by the local politicians and moderates, backed by the British Government, to become the Shah of Persia (the fact that his lineage could be traced to the Qajar dynasty gave added incentive to have him on the throne ). He declined out of fear for his family's safety and due to his moral reluctance to use force against his countrymen, a measure inevitable for the maintenance of the monarchy. The position was later given to Reza Shah Pahlavi.

During Reza Shah's reign, he was appointed commander of the Cossack Division in Northern Iran.

He retired soon after to his family's estate to pursue writing and farming. An aristocrat by birth, he believed in the character conferred by military education and discipline. His cousin, Doust Mohammad Khan Moayer ol-Mamalek, was the son-in-law of Nasser al-Din Shah who married her daughter Princess Esmat os-Saltaneh. He had five daughters and two sons. His sons, Ebrahim and Ali Vali, also served in the Imperial Iranian Army as army generals during the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah.

He was the first Mayor of Tabriz in 1908, (see list of Tabriz Mayors), and as a modern man, he was at the origin of the first electrical generator to Tabriz. He also introduced the first metallic printing press in Iran.