The Pahlavi dynasty () is an Iranian royal dynasty that was the last to rule Iran before the country's monarchy was abolished by the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

in 1979. It was founded in 1925 by

Reza Shah Pahlavi Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war an ...

, a non-aristocratic Iranian soldier of Mazanderani origin, who took on the name of the

Pahlavi scripts Pahlavi may refer to: Iranian royalty * Seven Parthian clans, ruling Parthian families during the Sasanian Empire * Pahlavi dynasty, the ruling house of Imperial State of Persia/Iran from 1925 until 1979 ** Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878–1944), Shah ...

of the Middle Persian language from the

Sasanian Empire The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

of pre-Islamic Iran. The dynasty largely espoused this form of

Iranian nationalism Iranian nationalism is nationalism among the people of Iran and individuals whose national identity is Iranian. Iranian nationalism consists of political and social movements and sentiments centered around support for Iranian culture, Iranian lan ...

rooted in the pre-Islamic era (notably based on the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian peoples, Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, i ...

) during its time in power, especially under its last king

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

. The dynasty replaced 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 ...

in 1925 after the 1921 coup d'état, beginning on 14 January 1921 when 42-year-old soldier

Reza Khan Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war an ...

was promoted by British General

Edmund Ironside Edmund Ironside (30 November 1016; , , ; sometimes also known as Edmund II) was King of the English from 23 April to 30 November 1016. He was the son of King Æthelred the Unready and his first wife, Ælfgifu of York. Edmund's reign was marre ...

to lead the British-run

Persian Cossack Brigade The Persian Cossack Brigade, also known as the Iranian Cossack Brigade (), was a Cossacks, Cossack-style cavalry unit formed in 1879 in Qajar Iran, Iran. It was modelled after the Caucasian Cossack regiments of the Imperial Russian Army. Until 1 ...

. About a month later, under British direction, Reza Khan's 3,000–4,000 strong detachment of the Cossack Brigade reached Tehran in what became known as the

1921 Persian coup d'état 1921 Persian coup d'état, known in Iran as 3 Esfand 1299 coup d'état ( with the Solar Persian date), refers to several major events in Qajar Persia in 1921, which eventually led to the deposition of the Qajar dynasty and the establishment of ...

. The rest of the country was taken by 1923, and by October 1925 the

Majlis (, 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 ...

agreed to depose and formally exile

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 ...

. The Majlis declared Reza Pahlavi as the new Shah of Iran on 12 December 1925, pursuant 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 ...

. Initially, Pahlavi had planned to declare the country a republic, as his contemporary Atatürk had done in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, but abandoned the idea in the face of British and clerical opposition. The dynasty ruled Iran for 28 years as a form of

constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...

from 1925 until 1953, and following the overthrow of the elected prime minister, for a further 26 years as a more autocratic monarchy until the dynasty was itself overthrown in 1979.

Family background

Celebration-of-Persia-2500-anniversary-391756974997

In 1878, Reza Khan was born at the village of

Alasht Alasht () is a city in the Central District of Savadkuh County, Mazandaran province, Iran. Demographics Population At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 976 in 287 households. The following census in 2011 counted ...

Savadkuh County Savadkuh County () is in Mazandaran province, Mazandaran province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Pol-e Sefid, Mazandaran, Pol-e Sefid. History Darius the Great, the Achaemenid Empire, Achaemenid Persians, Persian monarch, mentions Pâtiš ...

, Mazandaran Province. His parents were Abbas Ali Khan and Noushafarin Ayromlou. His mother was a Muslim immigrant from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

(then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

), whose family had emigrated to mainland

Qajar Iran 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 peoples, Turkic origin,Cyrus G ...

after Iran was forced to cede all of its territories in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

following the

Russo-Persian Wars The Russo-Persian Wars ( ), or the Russo-Iranian Wars ( ), began in 1651 and continued intermittently until 1828. They consisted of five conflicts in total, each rooted in both sides' disputed governance of territories and countries in the Cauca ...

several decades prior to Reza Shah's birth. His father was a Mazandarani, commissioned in the 7th

Savadkuh Savadkuh County () is in Mazandaran province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Pol-e Sefid. History Darius the Great, the Achaemenid Persian monarch, mentions Pâtišvâreš in the Behistun inscription as one of the territories under his r ...

Regiment, and served in the

Anglo-Persian War The Anglo-Persian War, also known as the Anglo-Iranian War (), was a war fought between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and Qajar Iran, Iran, which was ruled by the Qajar dynasty. The war had the British oppose a ...

in 1856.

Heads of House of Pahlavi

Consorts

Heirs

The former constitution of Iran specifically provided that only a male who was not descended from

could become the

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

. This made all half-brothers of Mohammad Reza ineligible to become heirs to the throne. Until his death in 1954, the Shah's only full brother Ali Reza was his

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...

. The constitution also required the Shah to be of

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

descent, meaning that his father and mother are Iranian.

Line of succession in February 1979

(1878–1944)'' ** Simple gold crown

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution, which ...

(1919–1980) ***(1) Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi (b. 1960) *** (2) Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi (1966) ** '' Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi (1922–1954)'' *** (3) Prince Patrick Ali Pahlavi (b. 1947) **** (4) Prince Davoud Pahlavi (b. 1972) **** (5) Prince Houd Pahlavi (b. 1973) **** (6) Prince Mohammad Pahlavi (b. 1976)

Current line of succession

(1878–1944)'' ** Simple gold crown

(1919–1980) ***(1) Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi (b. 1960) *** '' Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi (1966–2011)'' ** '' Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi (1922–1954)'' *** (2) Prince Patrick Ali Pahlavi (b. 1947) **** (3) Prince Davoud Pahlavi (b. 1972) **** (4) Prince Houd Pahlavi (b. 1973) ***** (5) Prince Rafaël Pahlavi (b. 2006) **** (6) Prince Mohammad Pahlavi (b. 1976)

List of crown princes

Royal jewels

Monuments

Use of titles

* Shâh: Emperor, followed by Shâhanshâh of Iran, with style ''His Imperial Majesty'' * Shahbânu: Shahbânu or Empress, followed by first name, followed by "of Iran", with style ''Her Imperial Majesty'' *Valiahd: Crown Prince of Iran, with style ''His Imperial Highness'' *Younger sons: Prince (Shâhpūr, or King's Son), followed by first name and surname (Pahlavi), and style ''His Imperial Highness''. *Daughters: Princess (Shâhdokht, or King's Daughter), followed by first name and surname (Pahlavi), and style ''Her Imperial Highness''. *Children of the monarch's daughter/s use another version of Prince (Vâlâ Gohar, "of superior essence") or Princess (Vâlâ Gohari), which indicate descent in the second generation through the female line, and use the styles ''His Highness'' or ''Her Highness''. This is then followed by first name and father's surname, whether he was royal or a commoner. However, the children by the last Shah's sister Fatemeh, who married an American businessman as her first husband, are surnamed Pahlavi Hillyer and do not use any titles.

References

External links

* {{Authority control *