Mohammad-Ali Mirza Dowlatshah (; 5 January 1789, in Nava – 22 November 1821, in Taq-e Gara) was a famous Iranian Prince of 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 ...

. He is also the progenitor of the Dowlatshahi family of Persia. He was born at Nava, in

Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...

, a Caspian province in the north of Iran. He was the first son of Fath-Ali Shah, the second Qajar king of Persia, and Ziba-Chehr Khanum, a Georgian girl of the Tsikarashvili (also spelled Tzicara Chwili) family. He was also the elder brother (by seven months) of

Abbas Mirza Abbas Mirza (; 26 August 1789 – 25 October 1833) was the Qajar dynasty, Qajar crown prince of Qajar Iran, Iran during the reign of his father Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (). As governor of the vulnerable Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan province, he played ...

. Dowlatshah was the governor of Fars at age 9, Qazvin and Gilan at age 11, Khuzestan and Lorestan at age 16, and Kermanshah at age 19. In the wars against

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, he crushed the Russians in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

and

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

. Dowlatshah developed the city of Kermanshah and founded ''Dowlat-Abad'', which was later renamed Malayer. Dowlatshah had 10 sons. His descendants live in various countries around the world and carry the surname: in , which is rendered as ''Dowlatshahi'' in English, ''Doulatchahi'' in French and ''Doulatszahi'' in Polish, etc.

Biography

Early life

Dowlatshah was born on 5 January 1789 in the village of Nava in

northern Iran Northern Iran (), is a geographical term that refers to a relatively large and fertile area, consisting of the southern border of the Caspian Sea and the Alborz mountains. It includes the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan (ancie ...

. He was the eldest son 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 ...

(), the second

Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

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 ...

(king) of Iran and part of the Qovanlu branch of the Qajar tribe. His mother was Ziba-Chehr Khanum, a Georgian slave girl from the Tzicara Chwili family. Despite being the oldest, Dowlatshah was excluded from the succession since the law of the Qajar tribe required that the chieftain of the tribe (as well as the crown prince) had to have Qajar parents. Instead, it was planned that the succession would pass to his seven-month younger brother

, due to his mother belonging to the Davanlu clan of the Qajars. This choice has been made by Fath-Ali Shah's uncle

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 ...

(), who wanted to unite the Qovanlu and Davanlu. Agha Mohammad Khan also appears to have taken the personalities of both princes into account when choosing Abbas Mirza over Dowlatshah. These two princes had opposite personalities, attitudes, and physiques. Abbas Mirza was frail, bashful and humble in comparison to Dowlatshah's robust body, brave and fearless personality, and impolite and brash manners. Dowlatshah therefore consistently had the advantage in their fights when growing up. Agha Mohammad Khan first developed a strong affection for Dowlatshah because of this particular characteristic and the similarities in their personalities. Agha Mohammad Khan spent a lot of time with both of them attempting to impart his expertise and experience. He eventually discovered that his efforts with Dowlatshah were futile after observing his agitated, hostile, and daring personality through a series of tests. Agha Mohammad Khan thus made the decision to concentrate increasingly of his attention on Abbas Mirza. Fath-Ali Shah appointed Dowlatshah to rule and protect the boundaries of the two Iraqs (a name given to western states of Iran) and also adjoined Khuzestan province to his territories. In fact, during Dowlatshah's time, Kermanshah had become a citadel against the Ottomans. Dowlatshah carried out the last, and initially very successful, attack on

Ottoman Iraq Ottoman Iraq () refers to the period of the history of Mesopotamia, Iraq when the region was ruled by the Ottoman Empire (1534–1920; with an interlude from 1704 to 1831 From Independence under the Mamluk dynasty (Iraq), Mamluk state of Iraq).Bef ...

in 1821.

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

was resentful of the inability of the Ottoman government to protect the

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

population of Iraq against the

Wahhabi Wahhabism is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to other ...

attacks that had begun in 1801. Many of the Shias killed in the raids were Iranians, some of whom closely related to the ruling

of Iran. His forces quickly occupied Shahrazur and

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

, and laid siege to

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. His skills and ambitions mirrored those of his younger brother. He was a great military leader and a patron of the arts, poetry and philosophy. The origin of the family names "Dowlatshah," "Dowlatshahi," and close variations such as "Dolatshahi" are from this ancestor's title. Dowlatshah has been greatly respected among the people of Kermanshah (

Persians Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

, Lors and Laks), mainly because of his contributions such as Dowlatshah mosque (مسجد دولتشاه) His mosque is located in the Javanshir Square of Kermanshah and was built in the years 1820–1822 AD. In recent years this mosque has been repaired. It consists of separate nocturnal areas along with a courtyard.

Governor of Kermanshah

The city of

Kermanshah Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...

is located in the center of the province and has a temperate climate. It is one of the ancient cities of Iran and it is said that Tahmores Divband, a mythical ruler of the Pishdadian, had constructed it. Some attribute its constructions to Bahram Sassanid. During the reign of Qobad I and Anushirvan Sassanid, Kermanshah was at the peak of its glory. But in the Arab attack suffered great damage. Concurrent with the Afghan attack and the fall of Esfahan, Kermanshah was destroyed due to the Ottoman invasion. But from the beginning of the 11th century AH it began to flourish. In order to prevent a probable aggression of the Zangeneh tribe and due to its proximity with the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, the

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

ruler paid great attention to this city. But in the Zandieh period upheavals increased, whereas during the Qajar era, Ottoman attacks reduced. Mohammad Ali Mirza in 1221 AH was seated in Kermanshah in order to prevent Ottoman aggression, and

Khuzestan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

also came under his realm. An epigraph of Mohammad Ali Mirza in Taq-e-Bostan has remained as a relic. The famous Alwand Bridge on the Alwand River was built by him when he went to

Khanaqin Khanaqin (; ) is the central city of Khanaqin District in Diyala Governorate, Iraq, near the Iranian border (8 km) on the Alwand tributary of the Diyala River. The town is populated by Kurds who speak the Southern Kurdish dialect. Khan ...

in 1855 on his way to visit the Shia holy sites in

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

and

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 ...

, but that year Khanaqin faced a severe flood and he decided to spend his travel expenses in addition to the additional costs of building a bridge in Khanaqin. He brought a number of architects from

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

to Khanaqin and the bridge was built using walnut wood imported from

. The bridge was completed in 1860.پل الون هدیه یک دختر قاجاری به شهر خانقین. در
آکانیوز
بازدید: سپتامبر ۲۰۰۹.

Turkish-Persian War (1820–1823)

The regime of Crown Prince

launched an attack on the

, placing the Iranian army under the leadership of Mohammad Ali Mirza Dowlatshah. The war was sparked by the Ottoman inability to protect the

population of

from

attacks. A large number of Shias had fled from Ottoman Iraq and were given refuge by the Qajars. The war opened with a Persian invasion of Turkey in the Lake Van region, and a counter-invasion by the Ottoman Pasha of Baghdad (as Iraq belonged to the Ottoman Empire), who invaded western Persia. This invasion force was driven back across the border, but Dowlatshah's newly modernized army of 30,000 troops defeated 50,000 Ottoman troops in the Battle of Erzurum near Lake Van in 1821. Dowlatshah then led the Iranian army south and besieged the city of

, but Davut Pasha successfully defended the city, and with the impact of a cholera outbreak, Dowlatshah was defeated. A

peace treaty A peace treaty is an treaty, agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually country, countries or governments, which formally ends a declaration of war, state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an ag ...

in 1823 ended the war with no changes to their mutual border.

Death and burial

On his way back to

after besieging

, Mohammad Ali Mirza Dowlatshah was infected with what is presumed to have been cholera in Taq-e Gara and died there. He is buried in the shrine of Imam Husayn in

Offspring

Mohammad Ali Mirza Dowlatshah had 12 daughters and 10 sons.

Sons

* Prince Mohammad-Hossein Mirza (1808–1835), governor of

from 1821 to 1834 * Prince Tahmasp Mirza (1809–1877), governor of Kermanshah from 1877 to 1877 * Prince Nasrollah Mirza Vali * Prince Assadollah Mirza * Prince Fathollah Mirza * Prince Emamqoli Mirza Emad-al-Dawla (1814–1875), governor of Kermanshah from 1834 to 1875. * Prince Nour-ol-Dahr Mirza * Prince Jahangir Mirza * Prince Mohammad Rahim Mirza * Prince Abol Hossein Mirza

Daughters

Government positions held

* Governor of Fars 1797–1799 * Governor of

Gilan Gilan Province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, in the northwest of the country and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Rasht. The province lies along the Caspian Sea, in Iran's Region 3, west of the province of ...

and

Qazvin Qazvin (; ; ) is a city in the Central District (Qazvin County), Central District of Qazvin County, Qazvin province, Qazvin province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the largest city in the provi ...

1799–1804 * Governor of

and Lorestan 1804–1807 * Governor of

1807–1821

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dowlatshahi, Mohammad Ali Mirza Children of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar 1789 births 1821 deaths Deaths from cholera Qajar governors of Gilan Iranian people of Georgian descent People from Mazandaran province 19th-century Iranian politicians History of Kermanshah province Qajar governors 19th-century Iranian military personnel Qajar governors of Kermanshah Qajar governors of Lorestan Qajar governors of Khuzestan Qajar governors of Fars Sons of kings