Mozzafar Al-Din Shah
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Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar (; 23 March 1853 – 3 January 1907) was the fifth
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 ...
of
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 ...
, reigning from 1896 until his death in 1907. He is often credited with the creation of 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 he approved of in one of his final acts as shah.


Biography

Mozaffar ad-Din was born on 23 March 1853 in
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. ...
, the capital of Iran. He was the fourth son 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 ...
(). His mother was Shokouh al-Saltaneh, a daughter of Fath-Ali Mirza and a granddaughter of the second Qajar shah
Fath-Ali Shah 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 ...
(). Mozaffar al-Din was named crown prince and sent as governor to the northern province of
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
in 1861. His father, Naser al-Din Shah ruled Iran for close to 48 years. Mozaffar al-Din spent his 35 years as crown prince in the pursuit of pleasure; his relations with his father were frequently strained, and he was not consulted in important matters of state. Thus, when he ascended the throne in May 1896, he was unprepared for the burdens of office. At Mozaffar al-Din's accession, Iran faced a financial crisis, with annual governmental expenditures far in excess of revenues as a result of the policies of his father. During his reign, Mozzafar ad-Din attempted some reforms of the central treasury; however, the previous debt incurred by the
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 ...
court, owed to both
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and
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 ...
, significantly undermined this effort. He furthered this debt by borrowing even more funds from Britain,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and Russia. These later loans were used to pay earlier loans rather than create new economic developments. In 1908, oil was discovered in Iran but Mozzaffar ad-Din had already awarded
William Knox D'Arcy William Knox D'Arcy (11 October 18491 May 1917) was a British-Australian businessman who was one of the principal founders of the Energy in Iran, oil and petrochemical industry in Persia (Iran). The D’Arcy Concession was signed in 1901 and all ...
, a British subject, the rights to oil in most of the country in 1901. Like his father he visited Europe three times. During these periods, on the encouragements of his chancellor Amin-os-Soltan, he borrowed money from
Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until Abdication of Nicholas II, hi ...
to pay for his extravagant traveling expenses. During his first visit he was introduced to the "
cinematograph Cinematograph or kinematograph is an early term for several types of motion picture film mechanisms. The name was used for movie cameras as well as film projectors, or for complete systems that also provided means to print films (such as the ...
e" in Paris, France. Immediately falling in love with the silver screen the Shah ordered his personal photographer to acquire all the equipment and knowledge needed to bring the moving picture to Iran, thus starting
Persian cinema The cinema of Iran (), or of Persia, refers to the film industry in Iran. In particular, Iranian art films have garnered international recognition. Iranian films are usually written and spoken in the Persian language. Iran has been lauded as on ...
. The following is a translated excerpt from the Shah's diary: Additionally, in order to manage the costs of the state and his extravagant personal lifestyle Mozzafar ad-din Shah decided to sign many concessions, providing foreigners with monopolistic control of various Persian industries and markets. One example was the D'Arcy Oil Concession. Widespread fears amongst the aristocracy, educated elites, and religious leaders about the concessions and foreign control resulted in some protests in 1906. These resulted in the Shah accepting a suggestion to create a
Majles (, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning 'sitting room', used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to the Mus ...
(National Consultative Assembly) in October 1906, by which the monarch's power was curtailed as he granted a constitution and parliament to the people. He died of a heart attack 40 days after granting this constitution and was buried in Imam Husayn Shrine in Kerbala.


Personality and health

The responsibilities of leading such a dysfunctional and possibly unstable nation were not suitable for Mozaffar ad-Din Shah's character and demeanor. He was hesitant, introverted, erratic, as well as sentimental and prone to superstition. His "nervous disposition" was described by several people who knew him well. Mozaffar ad-Din Shah had
hypochondria Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. Hypochondria is an old concept whose meaning has repeatedly changed over its lifespan. It has been claimed that th ...
due to having health issues since he was young. He had a number of illnesses, including a weak heart, but his most severe problem was a chronic kidney infection. Despite this, he enjoyed riding, hunting, and shooting, just as many of his ancestors. According to the modern Iranian historian Abbas Amanat, Mozaffar ad-Din Shah "possessed neither his father’s panache nor his political skills to pull strings at the court and the divan, or to play the competing European powers off one another to his own advantage. He was a man of gentle disposition, with an earnest desire to open up the country to social and educational reforms." The British diplomat
Mortimer Durand Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, (14 February 1850 – 8 June 1924) was a British diplomat and member of the Indian Civil Service. He is best-known as the namesake for the Durand Line, which serves as the international border between Afghanistan an ...
, who was well-acquainted with both shahs, wrote that Mozaffar ad-Din Shah "is more amiable than his father but he is weak and easily misled".


Family

* Taj al-Molouk daughter of
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 ...
and Princess
Ezzat ed-Dowleh Maleknesa Khanom (), also known as Ezzat ed-Dowleh () or Malekzadeh Khanom () (1834 or 1835 – 27 June 1905), was the daughter of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Malek Jahan Khanom Amirsoleimani, and a sister of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar. Ezzat ed-Dowl ...
. She was the first cousin of Mozaffar being a niece of Nassir din Shah and grand-daughter of Mohammad Shah. ** Prince Mohammad-Ali Mirza E’tezad es-Saltaneh, later Mohammad-Ali Shah (1872–1925) ** Princess Ezzat od-Dowleh (1872–1955) married Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma ** Ahmad Mirza ,died young. * Sorour ol-Saltaneh, daughter of Nosrat-od-Dowleh Firouz Mirza and great-grand-daughter of
Fath-Ali Shah 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 ...
. ** Princess Fakhr os-Saltaneh (1870–?) married Abdol Majid Mirza Eyn od-Dowleh *** Princess Ehteram os-Saltaneh (1871–?) married Morteza-Qoli Khan Hedayat Sani od-Dowleh *** Fatemeh Khanom Qajar, Ezzat ol-Dowleh II (1873-?) *** Qamar ed-Dowleh (1875-?),married her cousin Mirza Hossein Khan Motamed ol-Molk the son of
Ezzat ed-Dowleh Maleknesa Khanom (), also known as Ezzat ed-Dowleh () or Malekzadeh Khanom () (1834 or 1835 – 27 June 1905), was the daughter of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Malek Jahan Khanom Amirsoleimani, and a sister of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar. Ezzat ed-Dowl ...
and Mirza Yahya Khan Moshir od-Dowleh. *** Princess Shokuh os-Saltaneh (1880–?) *** Princess Fakhr-od-Dowleh (1883–1955) mother of Ali Amini *** Princess Anvar od-Dowleh (1896–?) married Eghtedar es-Saltaneh son of Kamran Mirza *** Prince Nasser-od-Din Mirza Nasser os-Saltaneh (1897–1977) * Zia Saltaneh * Nour ol- Dowleh ** Prince Abolfath Mirza Salar od-Dowleh (1881–1961) ** Prince Abolfazl Mirza Azd os-Sultan (1882–1970) ** Eshrat ol- Saltaneh * Mahin al-Saltaneh ** Hossein Gholi Mirza ** Prince Hossein-Ali Mirza Nosrat os-Saltaneh (1884–1945) * Khanum Nezhat ol-Molk ** Prince Malek-Mansur Mirza Shoa os-Saltaneh (1880–1920) married Farah al-Saltaneh, daughter of Abbas Mirza Eftekhar Nezam (grandson of Mohammad Vali Mirza, third 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 ...
) ** Princess Aghdas od-Dowleh (1891–?) * Unknown wives ** Princess Shokuh od-Dowleh (1883–?) ** Princess Parastou od-Dowleh (1900–2010) ** Princess Forough al-Molk (1902) Mozaffar also married married
Nikah mut'ah ''Nikah mut'ah'' , "pleasure marriage"; temporary marriageMirza Ali-Asghar Khan Amin os-Soltan (till November 1896) (''1st time'') * ''Post vacant'' (November 1896 – February 1897) * Ali Khan Amin od-Dowleh (February 1897 – June 1898) * Mirza Ali-Asghar Khan Amin os-Soltan (June 1898 – 24 January 1904) (''2nd time'') * Prince Abdol-Majid Mirza Eyn od-Dowleh (24 January 1904 – 5 August 1906) * Mirza Nasrollah Khan Ashtiani Moshir od-Dowleh (1906 – 18 February 1907)


Historical anecdotes

The Shah visited the United Kingdom in August 1902 with the anticipation of also receiving the
Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...
as it had been previously given to his father, Naser-ed-Din Shah.
King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
refused to give this high honor to a non-Christian. Lord Lansdowne, the Foreign Secretary, had designs drawn up for a new version of the Order, without the Cross of St. George. The King was so enraged by the sight of the design, though, that he threw it out of his yacht's porthole. However, in 1903, the King had to back down and the Shah was appointed a member of the Order.Philip Magnus, ''King Edward the Seventh'' (London: John Murray, 1964) pp. 301–305. A nephew of his wife was Mohammed Mossadeq, a Prime Minister of Iran during the
Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty () is an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian royal dynasty that was the Pahlavi Iran, last to rule Iran before the country's monarchy was abolished by the Iranian Revolution in 1979. It was founded in 1925 by Reza Shah, Reza S ...
. Mossadeq was overthrown by a
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
staged by the United Kingdom and the United States in 1953.


Honours


See also

*
Anglo-Russian Entente The Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 (), or Convention between the United Kingdom and Russia relating to Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet (; ), was signed on August 31, 1907, in Saint Petersburg. It ended the two powers' longstanding rivalry in Cen ...
* '' Baghe Mozaffar'', an Iranian TV show about a modern-day Qajar Khan * D'Arcy Concession * Fakhr ol dowleh * '' Kamal ol-Molk'' *
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 ...
*
Persian Constitutional Revolution The Persian Constitutional Revolution (, or ''Enghelāb-e Mashrūteh''), also known as the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, took place between 1905 and 1911 during the Qajar Iran, Qajar era. The revolution led to the establishment of a Majl ...
*
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 ...
* Qajar family tree * Samad Khan Momtaz os-Saltaneh, ambassador of Persia to Paris


Citations


Sources

* * * *


Further reading

* Dabashi, Hamid (2001). ''Close Up: Iranian Cinema, Past, Present, and Future'', Chapter 1. London: Verso. . . 320 pp. * Issari, Mohammad Ali (1989). ''Cinema in Iran: 1900–1979''. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. . . The translation of the travelogue, pp. 58–59. * Parhami, Shahin (November 1999)
"Iranian Cinema: Before the Revolution"
''Off Screen''. 3:6. * Walker, Richard (1989). ''Savile Row: An Illustrated History''. New York: Rizzoli. . .


External links


"Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar"
at
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
—Some fragmentary motion pictures.
Mozaffar-ed-Din Shah Qajar (Kadjar): Fifth Shah of the Qajar Dynasty
Portrait * Mohammad-Reza Tahmasbpoor, ''History of Iranian Photography: Early Photography in Iran'', Iranian Artists' site
''Kargah''
* ''History of Iranian Photography. Postcards in Qajar Period'', photographs provided by Bahman Jalali, Iranian Artists' site
''Kargah''
* ''History of Iranian Photography. Women as Photography Model: Qajar Period'', photographs provided by Bahman Jalali, Iranian Artists' site
''Kargah''

Photos of qajar kings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qajar, Mozzafar ad-Din Shah 1853 births 1907 deaths 19th-century monarchs in the Middle East 19th-century monarchs of Persia 20th-century monarchs of Persia Children of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Extra Knights Companion of the Garter Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Iranian slave owners Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain People of the Persian Constitutional Revolution Qajar governors of Azerbaijan Mozzafar Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia)