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{{Short description|British East India Company Army officer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
[[File:Henry Lindsay Bethune-tombstone.jpg|thumb|right|Tombstone of Bethune at the [[Saints Thaddeus and Bartholomew Church of Tehran]]]]
[[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] '''Sir Henry Lindsay Bethune, 1st Baronet, ''de jure'' 9th Earl of Lindsay''' (born '''Lindsay'''; 12 April 1787 – 19 February 1851) was a Scottish military officer. He was a member of a British diplomatic and military mission led by [[John Malcolm]] to the [[Persian Empire]] in 1810.<ref name="burke">{{cite book |title= [[Burke's Peerage|Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood]]|publisher=Burke's Peerage & Gentry |editor= Mosley, Charles |editor-link= Charles Mosley (genealogist) |edition=107 |year= 2003 |pages=2333–2334 |ref=Burke |isbn=0-9711966-2-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Kaye|first1=Sir John William|url=https://archive.org/details/historywarinafg07kayegoog|title=History of the War in Afghanistan|date=1851|page=[https://archive.org/details/historywarinafg07kayegoog/page/n152 136]|language=en|author-link=John William Kaye|access-date=30 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="peerage">{{cite book|last1=Balfour Paul|first1=James|title=The Scots Peerage: Volume 5|date=1904|publisher=D. Douglas|location=Edinburgh|pages=418–419|url=https://archive.org/stream/scotspeeragefoun05paul#page/418/mode/2up|access-date=30 November 2017}}</ref>

==Biography==
Born Henry Lindsay in [[Fife]], he was a male-line descendant of [[Patrick Lindsay, 4th Lord Lindsay|Patrick Lindsay, 4th Lord Lindsay of the Byres]], ancestor of the [[Earls of Crawford]] and [[Earls of Lindsay]]. He was the son of Maj. Martin Eccles Lindsay and Margaret Augusta Tovey. In 1779, his paternal grandfather adopted the surname and arms of [[Clan Bethune|Bethune]] as part of the entail of inheriting the estate of [[Kilconquhar]] from his maternal uncle. Henry Lindsay also added [[House of Bethune#Bethune of Bandon|Bethune]] for the same reason after his father's death in 1813.<ref name="peerage"/><ref name="burke"/>

Bethune was initially an artillery lieutenant in the [[Madras]] Horse Artillery.<ref name="Kaye137">[https://books.google.com/books?id=FmUBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA137 ''History of the war in Afghanistan'' John William Kaye p. 137]</ref> With a height of 6 feet 8 inches, he is said to have impressed the Persians who compared him to the mythical hero [[Rustam]].<ref name="Molesworth406">[https://books.google.com/books?id=wiAZyeSKKWwC&pg=PA406 ''A History of Persia'' by Percy Molesworth Sykes p. 406]</ref> His qualities of justice and his knowledge of the world also seem to have greatly impressed the Persians.<ref name="Molesworth406"/>

[[File:Officier in de Orde van de Leeuw en de Zon Iran rond 1900 Civiele Divisie.jpg|thumb|Henry Lindsay Bethune received the [[Order of the Lion and the Sun]] in 1816.]]
Bethune was first put in charge of modernizing the corps of horse artillery.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FmUBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA136 ''History of the war in Afghanistan'' John William Kaye p. 136]</ref> In 1816, Bethune received the Persian decoration of the [[Order of the Lion and the Sun]], specially reserved for meritous foreigners. After several years, he finally resigned from the Indian service, and retired to Kilconquhar.<ref name="Kaye137"/> According to the 19th century British diplomat Sir [[Justin Sheil]]:

{{quote|"English influence becoming supreme, and the [[Franco-Persian alliance|French Mission]] having quitted Persia, it was determined to accede to the wishes of the Persian Government and continue the same military organization. Sir [[John Malcolm]] was accompanied in 1808 by two officers of the Indian army, Major Christie and Lieutenant Lindsay, to whom was confided this duty: they did it well.

Major Christie was a man of considerable military endowments; he undertook the charge of the infantry, and was killed at his post at the [[Battle of Aslanduz|battle of Aslandooz]] in 1812. His able successor was Major Hart, of the Royal Army. Under the auspices and indefatigable cooperation of [[Abbas Meerza]], heir apparent to the throne of Persia, by whom absolute authority was confided to him, he brought the infantry of Azerbaijan to a wonderful state of perfection.

The artillery was placed under Lieutenant Lindsay, afterwards Major-General Sir H. Lindsay. This officer acquired extraordinary influence in the army, and in particular among the artillery. He brought this branch of the forces in [[Azerbaidjan|Azerbaijan]] to such a pitch of real working perfection, and introduced so complete a system of [[esprit de corps]], that to this day his name is venerated, and traces of his instruction still survive in the artillery of that province, which even now preserves some degree of efficiency."|Sir [[Justin Sheil]] (1803–1871).<ref>''Glimpses of Life and Manners in Persia'' by Lady Mary Leonora Woulfe Sheil, with additional notes by Sir [[Justin Sheil]] [http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/sheil/persia/persia.html]</ref>}}

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]].<ref name="Kaye137"/> He supported the succession of the Shah's grandson [[Mohammad Shah Qajar]], and eliminated a serious rebellion led by the Prince of [[Shiraz]].<ref name="Kaye137"/><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=BzMJys65u9wC&pg=PA120 ''The Islamic world in decline'' by Martin Sicker p.120-121]</ref>

Henry Lindsay returned to Britain, where on 7 March 1836 he was created a 1st Baronet Bethune of Kilconquhar 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).<ref name="Kaye137"/><ref name="Molesworth406"/>

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]].<ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=Cc0NAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA302 ''Iran and the West'' Sīrūs Ghanī, p.302-303]</ref> [[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.<ref name="books.google.com"/>

==Family==

In 1822, Bethune married Coutts Trotter, daughter of John Trotter of [[Dyrham Park Country Club|Dyrham Park]], Hertfordshire, who was named after her uncle Sir Coutts Trotter, 1st Baronet. They had three sons and five daughters.<ref name="peerage"/><ref name="burke"/>

*Anne Catherine Bethune (1823–1903), married John Thomas Campbell
*Stewart (or Steuart) Lindsay Bethune (1825–1904), married [[Hector Graham-Toler, 3rd Earl of Norbury]]
*John Trotter Bethune, 10th Earl of Lindsay (1827–1894), married Jeanne Eudoxie Marie Duval of Bordeaux
*Caroline Felicie Bethune (1828–1891), died unmarried
*Henry James Hamilton Bethune (1834–1862), ''[[decessit sine prole|d.s.p.]]''
*Charlotte Jane Bethune (1835–1855), died unmarried
*Coutts (later Jane Coutts) Bethune (1839–1909), married James Stuart Trotter
*Martin William Bethune (1843–1859), died unmarried in Marseille

Sir Henry died in [[Tabriz]], Persia in 1851.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kaye|first1=Sir John William|title=The life and correspondence of major-general sir John Malcolm, from unpublished letters and journals|date=1856|page=[https://archive.org/details/lifeandcorrespo02kayegoog/page/n56 53]|url=https://archive.org/details/lifeandcorrespo02kayegoog|access-date=30 November 2017|language=en}}</ref> Relations between the two countries would soon worsen further with the [[Anglo-Persian War]]. He was buried at the [[Saints Thaddeus and Bartholomew Church of Tehran|Armenian Church of Saints Thaddeus and Bartholomew]] in [[Tehran]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Armenian Church in Teheran |work=[[The Times]] |page= 8|date=19 July 1933 }}</ref>

Their eldest son, Sir John Trotter Bethune, 2nd Baronet, claimed the title of [[Earl of Lindsay]], which had fallen into abeyance after the death of the sixth earl. Having successfully proven his claim, John was recognised as the 10th Earl of Lindsay by the House of Lords on 5 April 1878, making his father the ''[[de jure]]'' 9th Earl of Lindsay. The baronetcy became extinct after the 10th Earl died without heirs.<ref name="burke"/>

==See also==
* [[Iran-United Kingdom relations]]
* [[France-Iran relations]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-reg|uk-bt}}
{{s-new|creation}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Earl of Lindsay|Baronet]] '''(of Kilconquhar)'''|years=1836–1851}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John Trotter Bethune, 10th Earl of Lindsay|John Trotter Bethune]]}}
{{s-reg|sct}}
{{s-bef|before=Patrick Lindsay}}
{{s-ttl|title='''''de jure''''' [[Earl of Lindsay]]|years=1839–1851}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John Trotter Bethune, 10th Earl of Lindsay|John Trotter Bethune]] '''successfully claimed 1878'''}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bethune, Henry Lindsay}}
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]
[[Category:1787 births]]
[[Category:1851 deaths]]
[[Category:Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Clan Lindsay|Henry]]
[[Category:People from Fife]]
[[Category:Earls of Lindsay|Lindsay, Henry Lindsay Bethune, 9th Earl of]]
[[Category:People of the Russo-Persian Wars]]
[[Category:British expatriates in Iran]]
[[Category:People of Qajar Iran]]
[[Category:Burials in Iran]]

Henry Lindsay Bethune - Revision history

Bot at 15:56, 4 October 2022