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Historian Professor Nile Green explains how six Iranian students arrived in London in 1815 to master the modern science behind Europe’s rise and how they managed to climb the social ladder in Regency London.

Green has drawn on the Persian diary of one of them, Mirza Salih, and the letters of his fellow students to show how they experienced both the low life and high life of London. They spent periods down and out following their abandonment by their chaperone, Captain Joseph D’Arcy, but charmed their way into society and on to the gossip pages. Green explains how there was a very serious intent behind their activities as they sought to acquire the knowledge to defend Iran against Russia, visiting observatories, hospitals and steam-powered factories, while Salih dreamed of being the first Muslim student at Oxford.

Green is professor of history at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His other books include Sufism: A Global History.

This event is part of the festival’s American strand.