Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar (‎; 21 June 1872 – 5 April 1925) was the sixth shah 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 ...

and remained the

Shah of Iran The monarchs of Iran ruled for over two and a half millennia, beginning as early as the 7th century BC and enduring until the 20th century AD. The earliest Iranian king is generally considered to have been either Deioces of the Median dynasty () ...

from 8 January 1907 until being deposed on 16 July 1909. He was furthermore the grandson of Iran’s early moderniser

Amir Kabir Mirza Taghi Khan-e Farahani (), better known as Amir Kabir (Persian: ‎; 9 January 1807 – 10 January 1852), was chief minister to Naser al-Din Shah Qajar for the first three years of his reign. He is widely considered to be "Iran's first re ...

, through the maternal side.

Biography

Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar was opposed to the

Persian Constitution of 1906 The Persian Constitution of 1906 (), was the first constitution of the Sublime State of Iran (Persia) and a result of the Persian Constitutional Revolution. It was written by Hassan Pirnia, Hossein Pirnia, and Esmail Momtaz od-Dowleh, among ...

, which had been ratified during the reign of his father,

Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar (; 23 March 1853 – 3 January 1907) was the fifth Qajar shah of Iran, reigning from 1896 until his death in 1907. He is often credited with the creation of the Persian Constitution of 1906, which he approved of in ...

. Therefore, he was frequently criticized by the publications of the period, including a weekly newspaper ''

Musavat The Müsavat Party (, from ''musāwāt'', ) is the oldest existing political party in Azerbaijan. Its history can be divided into three periods: Early Musavat, Musavat-in-exile and New Musavat. The party was prohibited from contesting the 1995 ...

''. In 1907, Mohammad Ali dissolved the

National Consultative Assembly The National Consultative Assembly (), or simply Majles, was the national legislative body of Iran from 1906 to 1979. It was elected by universal suffrage Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people ...

and declared the Constitution abolished because it was contrary to

Islamic law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...

. p. 285-286 He bombarded the Majles (Iranian parliament) with the military and political support of

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 ...

and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

. In July 1909, pro-Constitution forces marched from Iran's provinces to Tehran led by Sardar As'ad, Sepehdar A'zam,

Sattar Khan Sattar Khan (, , October 20, 1866 – November 17, 1914), honorarily titled Sardār-e Melli ( meaning ''National Commander'') was a pivotal figure in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution and is considered a national hero by the Iranian people. ...

Bagher Khan Bagher Khān (; c. 1870 – November 1916) honorarily titled Sālār-e Melli ( "National Chieftain") or Baqir Khān, was one of the key figures in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. Biography Early life Bagher Khan was born in Tabriz, Iran ...

and

Yeprem Khan Yeprem Khan (; 1868–1912), born Yeprem Davitian (, ), was an Iranian-Armenian member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), revolutionary leader and a leading figure in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran. He is considered a n ...

, deposed the Shah, and re-established the constitution. On 16 July 1909, the parliament voted to place Mohammad Ali Shah's 11-year-old son, Ahmad Shah on the throne. Mohammad Ali Shah abdicated following the new Constitutional Revolution and he has since been remembered as a symbol of dictatorship. Having fled to

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

(currently

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

), Mohammad Ali plotted his return to power. In 1911 he landed at

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 ...

, Iran, but his forces were defeated. Mohammad Ali Shah returned to Russia, then in 1920 to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

(present day

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

) and later to San Remo,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, where he died on 5 April 1925. He was buried at the Shrine of Imam Husain 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 ...

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 ...

. Every

since Mohammad Ali has died in exile. His son and successor,

Ahmad Shah Qajar Ahmad Shah Qajar (‎; 21 January 1898 – 21 February 1930) was the List of monarchs of Iran, shah of Iran (Name of Iran, Persia) from 16 July 1909 to 15 December 1925, and the seventh and final ruling member of the Qajar dynasty. Ahmad Shah ...

was the last sovereign of the

.Soltan Ali Mirza Kadjar, 'Mohammad Ali Shah: The Man and the King', in: ''Qajar Studies. Travellers and Diplomats in the Qajar Era. Journal of the International Qajar Studies Association'', volume VII, 2007.

Honours

* Austria-Hungary: Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold (1900) * French Third Republic: Grand Cross of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(1907) * Ottoman Empire: Exalted Order of the House of Osman (1905) * Russian Empire: **Knight of the Order of St. Andrew (1905) **Knight of the

Order of St. Alexander Nevsky The Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was an order of chivalry of the Russian Empire first awarded on by Empress Catherine I of Russia. History The introduction of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was envisioned by Emperor ...

(1905) **Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (1905) **Knight of the

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

, 1st Class (1905) **Knight of the Order of St. Anna, 1st Class (1905)

Marriages and children

Wives

Mohammad Ali Shah had two wives: # Robabeh Khanum "Malih-os-Saltaneh" # Princess Zahra Qajar "Malekeh Jahan", daughter of Kamran Mirza "Nayeb-os-Saltaneh"

Children

Mohammad Ali Shah had six sons and two daughters: ;Sons # Hossein Ali Mirza "E'tezad Saltaneh" # Gholam Hossein Mirza (died in infancy) # Sultan Ahmad Mirza (later

) #

Mohammad Hassan Mirza Mohammad Hassan Mirza (; 20 November 1899 – 7 January 1943) was an Iranian prince and younger brother of Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last Qajar shah (king) of Iran, and former Crown Prince of the Qajar dynasty. Shortly after Reza Shah deposed the Qaj ...

# Sultan Mahmoud Mirza # Sultan Majid Mirza ;Daughters: # Khadijeh Khanum "Hazrat-e Ghodsieh" # Assieh Khanum

List of prime ministers

* Mirza Nasrollah Khan Moshir od-Dowleh (till 17 March 1907) * Mirza Ali-Asghar Khan Amin os-Soltan (1 May 1907 – 31 August 1907) * Mohammad-Vali Khan Tonekaboni (''1st Term'') (13 September 1907 – 21 December 1907) * Hossein Khan Nezam os-Saltaneh Mafi (21 December 1907 – 21 May 1908) * Morteza-Qoli Khan Hedayat Sani od-Dowleh (21 May 1908 – 7 June 1908) * Prince Kamran Mirza Nayeb os-Saltaneh (7 June 1908 – 29 April 1909)

References

External links

Portrait of Mohammad Ali Shah

Portrait in Library of Congress collection

Photos of Qajar kings
{{Authority control 1872 births 1925 deaths 20th-century monarchs of Persia Qajar monarchs Iranian royalty People of the Persian Constitutional Revolution Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov) Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Monarchs who abdicated Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Iranian emigrants to Italy Iranian exiles Iranian emigrants to the Ottoman Empire