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The East India Company’s Farmān, 1622‒1747

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Peter Good*
Affiliation:
John Rylands Research Institute, University of Manchester

Abstract

The East India Company’s presence and ongoing trade in Persia was reliant on the privileges outlined in the Farmān, granted after the capture of Hormuz in 1622. The relationship between these two powers was cemented in the rights enshrined in the Farmān, which was used by both to regulate their varying needs and expectations over the course of 125 years. This article explores the Company’s records of the Farmān and how changes to its terms were viewed from both sides. As a Persian document, the Farmān gives a clear view of the attitudes of native officials and rulers to the Company and how these terms were used as a means of control.

Type
Primary Sources, Archival Notes
Copyright
Copyright © Association For Iranian Studies, Inc 2019

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Footnotes

This paper has come about through the research conducted for the author's PhD thesis, which was generously funded through the AHRC and hosted by the British Library and University of Essex. The author wishes to give particular thanks to Dr. Mark Frost, Dr. Margaret Makepeace, and Dr. William Pettigrew for their support in the preparation of this article.

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