Asiye Khanum Ezzeddin Qajar (; 19th-century) was the mother of

Fath-Ali Shah Qajar Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (; 5 August 1772 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irrevocable ceding of Iran's northern territories in the Caucasus, com ...

(). She functioned as the administrator of the

Qajar harem The harem of the monarchs of the Qajar dynasty (1785-1925) consisted of several thousand people. The harem had a precise internal administration, based on the women's rank. Hierarchy and organisation Mother of the Shah As was customary in Musli ...

and the treasurer of her son, the

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

. When she died, her son married her trusted slave servant Khazen ol-Dowleh, who succeeded Asiye Khanum as harem administrator and treasurer.

Biography

Asiye Khanom, the daughter of Mohammad Khan Ezzeddinlou (Ozdadlou) Qajar from the Ashaqa-Bash tribe, was married to Hossein Qoli Khan Qajar, the brother of

Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as Shah. Originally a chieftain of the Quwanlu branch of t ...

and the governor of

Damghan Damghan () is a city in the Central District (Damghan County), Central District of Damghan County, Semnan province, Semnan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is east of Tehran on the high-road to Mash ...

, in 1182 AH. A year later, their first child, Fath-Ali, was born in Damghan. After the assassination of Hossein Qoli Khan by the order of

Karim Khan Zand Mohammad Karim Khan Zand (; ) was the founder of the Zand dynasty, ruling all of Iran (Name of Iran, Persia) except for Khorasan province, Khorasan from 1751 to 1779. He also ruled over some of the Caucasus, Caucasian lands and occupied Basra f ...

, Asiye Khanom and her two sons were returned to the Qajar tribe by Agha Mohammad Khan. After Agha Mohammad Khan escaped from

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

, Asiye Khanom joined him, and they married. Following the conquest of

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, Agha Mohammad Khan brought her and her sons to the city. Asiye, along with Mirza Mohammad Zaki, the Chief Financial Officer, was tasked by the Shah to unite other Qajar tribal leaders in

Astarabad Gorgan (; ) is a city in the Central District of Gorgan County, Golestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It lies approximately to the northeast of the national capital Tehran, and some a ...

by offering them gifts. In 1024 AH, Fath-Ali, Asiye's son, became the crown prince of Agha Mohammad Khan. In 1207 AH, she traveled to the holy cities of

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and buried the bones of

Mohammad Hassan Khan Qajar Mohammad Hasan Khan Qajar (), also spelled Muhammad and Hassan (1715–1759), chief of the Qoyunlu branch of the Qajar tribe of Turkomans in the Caspian coastlands around Astarabad, was the son of Fath Ali Khan and the father of Hossein Qoli K ...

and Hossein Qoli Khan Jahansouz in

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

. Asiye Khanom protected the throne and royal wealth until her son's ascension to the throne. When Fath-Ali Shah became shah, Asiye's other son, Hossein Qoli Khan, rebelled against his brother, but Asiye Khanom mediated peace between the two. In 1216 AH, she again traveled to the holy cities and took Agha Mohammad Khan's tombstone with her. She is also known for renovating the Hakim Hashem School, an endowment of hers, which is why the school is also known as "Madar-e Shah" (Mother of the Shah). She died in 1217 AH in Tehran and was buried in Najaf. Throughout her life, Asiye Khanom mediated between her sons, but after her death, Fath-Ali Shah blinded his brother.

Titles

Asiye Khanom was titled Um al-Khaqan (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: ام الخاقان) and Mahd-e Olya. After Jeeran Khanum, she was the second person in the

Qajar dynasty The Qajar family (; 1789–1925) was an Iranian royal family founded by Mohammad Khan (), a member of the Qoyunlu clan of the Turkoman-descended Qajar tribe. The dynasty's effective rule in Iran ended in 1925 when Iran's '' Majlis'', conven ...

to hold the title of Mahd-e Olya. Following her, Naneh Khanom Barforoush, another wife of Fath-Ali Shah, held this title, and then the wife of Abbas Mirza, followed by the mother of

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (; ; 17 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. During his rule there was internal pressure from the people of Iran, as well as external ...

. After the mother of Naser al-Din Shah, no one was referred to by this title.

References

19th-century births 19th-century deaths 19th-century Iranian women Qajar royal consorts Mothers of monarchs {{Iran-bio-stub