In this article, the author tries to illuminate the characteristic features seen in the socio-military relations in late 19th-century Iran through the examination of a manuscript entitled Daftar-e estekhdām-e sarbāz, a register stored at the Library of Iran Parliament that gives personal information about the soldiers belonging to the Sixth Shaqāqī Regiment based in the eastern part of Azerbaijan Province.
After the introduction of relevant research till date, the problems therein, and the overview of the army of the Qajar Dynasty and attempts to reform it during the 19th century, the author first explains the nature of the manuscript by providing information on its physical appearance and manner of presenting information along with its shortcomings as historical material; the author then points out its importance in studying the socio-military history of modern Iran.
In the next part, the author attempts to elucidate the socio-military relations in late 19th-century Iran based on the information obtained from the manuscript. As a result, the following points become clear: 1) even in that period, when a quasi-Western style army had been established in the area for nearly a century, the army was formed and operated by utilizing the existing social system; 2) contrary to the findings of a lot of relevant research till date, peasants owning means of production (farming tools and draft animals), instead of agricultural laborers, tended to be inducted as soldiers; the government and society’s intention behind this move was possibly to exempt the impoverished laborers from army service, for preserving the society’s production capacity as a whole; 3) the nature of military service seems to have been relatively “loose” for the soldiers, allowing them to nurture their own families, in spite of long-term service, by conducting side businesses, or to escape from the regiment without providing substitutes.
