Career
Henry Lindsay was initially an artillery lieutenant in the Madras Horse Artillery. With a height of 6 feet 8 inches, he is said to have impressed the Persians who compared him to the mythical hero Rustam. His qualities of justice and his knowledge of the world also seem to have greatly impressed the Persians.
In 1834, he was recalled for service in Persia in anticipation of troubles in the dynastic succession on the Persian throne.
Following the death of Fath Ali Shah that same year, he commanded the advanced Divisions of the Persian Army between Tabriz and Teheran. He supported the succession of the Shah"s grandson Mohammad Shah Qajar, and eliminated a serious rebellion led by the Prince of Shiraz.
Henry Lindsay returned to England, but was again sent to Persia in 1836 to become a major general in the Persian Army, until his retirement in 1839 following a disagreement with the Persian government over the Persian attacks on Herat in Afghanistan (a territory claimed by Great Britain). In the wake of the Herat affair, Great Britain would remove its military and diplomatic missions from Persia, and occupy Kharg island and attack Bushehr.
Mohammad Shah Qajar would in turn resume diplomatic relations with France, and send a diplomatic mission to Louis-Philippe under Mirza Hossein Khan to obtain military help.
In response, a group of French officers was sent to Persia with the returning ambassador. Henry Lindsay Bethune died in Persia in 1851. Relations between the two countries would soon worsen further with the Anglo-Persian War.