Persian Cossack Brigade
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The Persian Cossack Brigade was an elite military unit in the armed forces of Persia (Iran) during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The military historian John Keegan describes the Brigade as being the ancestor of the modern Iranian Army.
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[edit] Origin
The Persian Cossack Brigade was formed by Nasir al-Din Shah in 1882 using as a model the Caucasian Cossack regiments of the Imperial Russian Army, which had impressed him when travelling through southern Russia in 1878. Together with a Swedish officered and trained gendarmerie, the Cossack Brigade came to comprise the most effective military force available to the Iranian crown in the years prior to World War I.
[edit] History and makeup
In spite of its name the Brigade was never a genuine cossack force. Neither did it have the status of a guard unit. Late nineteenth century photographs show that Russian style uniforms were worn, in contrast to the indigenous dress of other Persian forces at the time. The rank and file of the Brigade were always Persian but until 1917 its commanders were Russian officers who were also employed in the Russian army, such as V. Liakhov. Such secondments were encouraged by the Imperial Russian Government who saw the Cossack Brigade as a means of extending Russian influence in a key area of international rivalry. After the October Revolution in 1917, many of these Russian officers left the country to join the "White" forces. The command of the Persian Cossack Division was subsequently transferred to Iranian officers. Most notable among these officers was General Reza Khan, who started his military career as a private soldier in the Cossack Brigade and rose through its ranks to become a Brigadier General.
Over the years, the Cossack Brigade had expanded to became a separate division-sized force of 10,000. As such it played a significant role in the Constitutional Revolution, the turmoil of World War I, and the 1921 coup d'etat, which saw the overthrow of the Qajar dynasty. After the coup, the Brigade was merged with smaller military forces by Reza Shah to form Iran's new national army.
[edit] Commanders
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
 Lieutenant-Colonel A. I. Domantovich |
April 1879 - ? |
| Colonel V. A. Kossogovsky |
May 1895 - 1903 |
| Colonel Chernozoubov |
1903 - 1906 |
| Colonel Vladimir Platonovich Liakhov |
1906 - November 1909 |
| Colonel Prince Vadbolsky |
Nov 1909 - 1914 |
| Colonel Prozorkievitch |
1914 - August 1915 |
| General Baron von Maydell |
August 1915 - February 1917 |
| Colonel Clergi |
February 1917 - early 1918 |
| Colonel Starosselsky |
early 1918 - October 1920 |
 Brigadier-General Reza Khan |
October 1920 - December 1921 |
[edit] Notable Senior Officers
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[edit] Stations
Major
Minor
[edit] Military Ranks and non-Military Titles
- Commandant
- Second-in-Command
- Chief of Staff
- Intendant
- Atriyad Commander
- General (regimental commander)
- Major (battalion commander)
- Captain (company commander)
- Lieutenant
- Second Lieutenant
- Sergeant-major
- Platoon Sergeant
- Section Sergeant
- Corporal
- Drummer, Trumpeter, Cossack
- Medical Officer, Accountant, Assistant Accountant, Clerk, Armourer
[edit] References
- Keegan, John. World Armies. Macmillan Press, 1979. ISBN 0-333-17236-1
- Atkin, Muriel Cossack Brigade Iranica
- Cronin, Stephanie. The Army and the creation of the Pahlavi State in Iran, 1910-1926, Tauris Academic Studies, 1997. ISBN 1-86064-105-9
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