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Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar

December 15, 2023

Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar (Persian: مظفرالدین شاه قاجار, romanized: Mozaffar ad-Din Ŝāh-e Qājār; 25 March 1853 – 3 January 1907), was the fifth Qajar shah (king) 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 as one of his final actions as shah.[2]

Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar
Portrait of Mozaffar ad-Din Shah by the court painter Razi Taleqani Sani Homayun, circa 1896-1905
Shah of Iran
Reign1 May 1896 – 3 January 1907
PredecessorNaser al-Din Shah Qajar
SuccessorMohammad Ali Shah Qajar
Prime MinisterMirza Nasrullah Khan
Born(1853-03-23)23 March 1853
Tehran, Qajar Iran
Died3 January 1907(1907-01-03) (aged 53)
Tehran, Qajar Iran
Burial
Imam Hussein Shrine
SpousesTaj ol-Molouk
IssueSee below
Names
Shahinshah al-Sultan Muzaffar al-Din Qajar Allah Khalad ul-Mulk[1]
DynastyQajar
FatherNaser al-Din Shah
MotherShokouh al-Saltaneh
ReligionTwelver Shia Islam
Tughra
Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar depicted on a 10 toman gold coin dated AH 1314 (c. 1896).

Biography edit

Mozaffar ad-Din was born on 25 March 1853 in the capital of Tehran. He was the fourth son of the Qajar shah (king) of Iran, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (r. 1848–1896). His mother was Shokouh al-Saltaneh, a daughter of Fath-Ali Mirza and a granddaughter of the second Qajar shah Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (r. 1797–1834).[3]

Mozaffar al-Din was named crown prince and sent as governor to the northern province of Azerbaijan in 1861. He 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 Persia 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 court, owed to both England and Russia, significantly undermined this effort. He furthered this debt by borrowing even more funds from Britain, France, and Russia. The income from these later loans was used to pay earlier loans rather than create new economic developments. In 1908, oil was discovered in Persia but Mozzaffar ad-Din had already awarded William Knox D'Arcy, a British subject, the rights to oil in most of the country in 1901.[4]

 
The Shah and his retinue taking the waters at a French spa

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 to pay for his extravagant traveling expenses. During his first visit he was introduced to the "cinematographe" 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 Persia, thus starting Persian cinema.[5] The following is a translated excerpt from the Shah's diary:

....[At] 9:00 p.m. we went to the Exposition and the Festival Hall where they were showing cinematographe, which consists of still and motion pictures. Then we went to Illusion building ....In this Hall they were showing cinematographe. They erected a very large screen in the centre of the Hall, turned off all electric lights and projected the picture of cinematography on that large screen. It was very interesting to watch. Among the pictures were Africans and Arabians traveling with camels in the African desert, which was very interesting. Other pictures were of the Exposition, the moving street, the Seine River and ships crossing the river, people swimming and playing in the water and many others that were all very interesting. We instructed Akkas Bashi to purchase all kinds of it [cinematographic equipment] and bring to Tehran so God willing he can make some there and show them to our servants.

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 (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 edit

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 sentimental and prone to superstition. His "nervous disposition" was described by several people who knew him well. Mozaffar ad-Din Shah had hypochondria 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.[3]

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."[6] The British diplomat Mortimer Durand, 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.[7]

Children edit

Sons

  • Prince Mohammad-Ali Mirza E’tezad es-Saltaneh, later Mohammad-Ali Shah (1872–1925)
  • Prince Malek-Mansur Mirza Shoa os-Saltaneh (1880–1920)
  • Prince Abolfath Mirza Salar od-Dowleh (1881–1961)
  • Prince Abolfazl Mirza Azd os-Sultan (1882–1970)
  • Prince Hossein-Ali Mirza Nosrat os-Saltaneh (1884–1945)
  • Prince Nasser-od-Din Mirza Nasser os-Saltaneh (1897–1977)

Daughters

List of premiers edit

Historical anecdotes edit

The Shah visited the United Kingdom in August 1902 with the anticipation of also receiving the Order of the Garter as it had been previously given to his father, Nasser-ed-Din Shah. King Edward VII 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.[8]

A nephew of his wife was Mohammed Mossadeq, the Prime Minister of Iran during the Pahlavi dynasty. Mossadeq was overthrown by a coup d'état staged by the United Kingdom and the United States in 1953.

Honours edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Yusuf, Mohamed (1988). A History of Afghanistan, from 1793 A.D. to 1865 A.D. New York University. ISBN 1466222417.
  2. ^ Farmanfarmaian, Manucher (1997). Blood and Oil: Memoirs of a Persian Prince. Random House. ISBN 978-0679440550.
  3. ^ a b Burrell 1993.
  4. ^ Cleveland, William L.; Bunton, Martin (2013). A history of the modern Middle East (5th ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0813348339.
  5. ^ Iranian Cinema: Before the Revolution at www.horschamp.qc.ca
  6. ^ Amanat 2017, p. 323.
  7. ^ Burrell 1979, p. 24.
  8. ^ Philip Magnus, King Edward the Seventh (London: John Murray, 1964) pp. 301–305.[ISBN missing]
  9. ^ "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1905, pp. 56, 67, retrieved 22 August 2020
  10. ^ "Latest intelligence - Germany". The Times. No. 36781. London. 30 May 1902. p. 5.
  11. ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36775. London. 23 May 1902. p. 7.
  12. ^ "The Shah". The Times. No. 36867. London. 8 September 1902. p. 4.
  13. ^ Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) The Knights of England, I, London, p. 72
  • Walker, Richard (1998). Savile Row: An Illustrated History[ISBN missing]
  • The translation of the travelogue in Issari's book: Cinema in Iran: 1900–1979 pp. 58–59
  • Iranian Cinema: Before the Revolution at www.horschamp.qc.ca Iranian Cinema: Before the Revolution by Shahin Parhami.
  • Hamid Dabashi, Close Up: Iranian Cinema, Past, Present, and Future, 320 p. (Verso, London, 2001), Chapter 1. ISBN 1-85984-332-8

Sources edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar.
  • Some fragmentary motion pictures of Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar: YouTube.
  • Portrait of Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar: [1].
  • Mohammad-Reza Tahmasbpoor, History of Iranian Photography: Early Photography in Iran, Iranian Artists' site,
  • History of Iranian Photography. Postcards in Qajar Period, photographs provided by Bahman Jalali, Iranian Artists' site, .
  • History of Iranian Photography. Women as Photography Model: Qajar Period, photographs provided by Bahman Jalali, Iranian Artists' site, .
Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar
Born: 23 March 1853 Died: 3 January 1907
Iranian royalty
Preceded by Shah of Iran
1896–1907 		Succeeded by

December 15, 2023
mozaffar, shah, qajar, persian, مظفرالدین, شاه, قاجار, romanized, mozaffar, Ŝāh, qājār, march, 1853, january, 1907, fifth, qajar, shah, king, iran, reigning, from, 1896, until, death, 1907, often, credited, with, creation, persian, constitution, 1906, which, a. Mozaffar ad Din Shah Qajar Persian مظفرالدین شاه قاجار romanized Mozaffar ad Din Ŝah e Qajar 25 March 1853 3 January 1907 was the fifth Qajar shah king 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 as one of his final actions as shah 2 Mozaffar ad Din Shah QajarPortrait of Mozaffar ad Din Shah by the court painter Razi Taleqani Sani Homayun circa 1896 1905Shah of IranReign1 May 1896 3 January 1907PredecessorNaser al Din Shah QajarSuccessorMohammad Ali Shah QajarPrime MinisterMirza Nasrullah KhanBorn 1853 03 23 23 March 1853Tehran Qajar IranDied3 January 1907 1907 01 03 aged 53 Tehran Qajar IranBurialImam Hussein ShrineSpousesTaj ol MoloukIssueSee belowNamesShahinshah al Sultan Muzaffar al Din Qajar Allah Khalad ul Mulk 1 DynastyQajarFatherNaser al Din ShahMotherShokouh al SaltanehReligionTwelver Shia IslamTughraMozaffar ad Din Shah Qajar depicted on a 10 toman gold coin dated AH 1314 c 1896 Contents 1 Biography 2 Personality and health 3 Children 4 List of premiers 5 Historical anecdotes 6 Honours 7 See also 8 References 9 Sources 10 External linksBiography editMozaffar ad Din was born on 25 March 1853 in the capital of Tehran He was the fourth son of the Qajar shah king of Iran Naser al Din Shah Qajar r 1848 1896 His mother was Shokouh al Saltaneh a daughter of Fath Ali Mirza and a granddaughter of the second Qajar shah Fath Ali Shah Qajar r 1797 1834 3 Mozaffar al Din was named crown prince and sent as governor to the northern province of Azerbaijan in 1861 He 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 Persia 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 court owed to both England and Russia significantly undermined this effort He furthered this debt by borrowing even more funds from Britain France and Russia The income from these later loans was used to pay earlier loans rather than create new economic developments In 1908 oil was discovered in Persia but Mozzaffar ad Din had already awarded William Knox D Arcy a British subject the rights to oil in most of the country in 1901 4 nbsp The Shah and his retinue taking the waters at a French spaLike 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 to pay for his extravagant traveling expenses During his first visit he was introduced to the cinematographe 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 Persia thus starting Persian cinema 5 The following is a translated excerpt from the Shah s diary At 9 00 p m we went to the Exposition and the Festival Hall where they were showing cinematographe which consists of still and motion pictures Then we went to Illusion building In this Hall they were showing cinematographe They erected a very large screen in the centre of the Hall turned off all electric lights and projected the picture of cinematography on that large screen It was very interesting to watch Among the pictures were Africans and Arabians traveling with camels in the African desert which was very interesting Other pictures were of the Exposition the moving street the Seine River and ships crossing the river people swimming and playing in the water and many others that were all very interesting We instructed Akkas Bashi to purchase all kinds of it cinematographic equipment and bring to Tehran so God willing he can make some there and show them to our servants 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 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 editThe 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 sentimental and prone to superstition His nervous disposition was described by several people who knew him well Mozaffar ad Din Shah had hypochondria 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 3 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 6 The British diplomat Mortimer Durand 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 7 Children editSons Prince Mohammad Ali Mirza E tezad es Saltaneh later Mohammad Ali Shah 1872 1925 Prince Malek Mansur Mirza Shoa os Saltaneh 1880 1920 Prince Abolfath Mirza Salar od Dowleh 1881 1961 Prince Abolfazl Mirza Azd os Sultan 1882 1970 Prince Hossein Ali Mirza Nosrat os Saltaneh 1884 1945 Prince Nasser od Din Mirza Nasser os Saltaneh 1897 1977 Daughters 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 Princess Ezzat od Dowleh 1872 1955 married Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma Princess Shokuh os Saltaneh 1880 Princess Shokuh od Dowleh 1883 Princess Fakhr od Dowleh 1883 1955 mother of Ali Amini Princess Aghdas od Dowleh 1891 Princess Anvar od Dowleh 1896 married eghtedar es Saltaneh son of Kamran Mirza Princess Ameneh Bratz 1930 1940 Princess Parastou od Dowleh 1900 2010 List of premiers editMirza 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 editThe Shah visited the United Kingdom in August 1902 with the anticipation of also receiving the Order of the Garter as it had been previously given to his father Nasser ed Din Shah King Edward VII 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 8 A nephew of his wife was Mohammed Mossadeq the Prime Minister of Iran during the Pahlavi dynasty Mossadeq was overthrown by a coup d etat staged by the United Kingdom and the United States in 1953 Honours editAustria Hungary 9 Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Leopold 1894 Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen in Brilliants 1899 Belgium Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold military in Brilliants 1903 France Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour 1903 Kingdom of Prussia Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle in Brilliants 29 May 1902 during the visit to Berlin of the Shah 10 Grand Ceoss of the Order of the Red Eagle 29 May 1902 Kingdom of Italy Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation May 1902 during the visit to Rome of the Shah 11 Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus 1903 Netherlands Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion 1900 Ottoman Empire Hanedan i Ali Osman Nishani 1900 Nishan i Imtiaz 1900 Kingdom of Romania Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania in Brilliants 23 May 1906 Russian Empire Knight of the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle the First called 1902 Knight of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky 1902 Knight of the Imperial Order of the White Eagle 1902 Knight of the Imperial Order of Saint Stanislaus 1st Class 1902 Knight of the Imperial Order of Saint Anna 1st Class in Brilliants 1902 Spain Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece 6 September 1902 from special envoys of the Spanish King visiting the Shah while he was in Paris during his European tour 12 United Kingdom Stranger Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter KG 16 February 1903 13 See also editQajar dynasty Qajar family tree D Arcy Concession Persian Constitutional Revolution Persian Constitution of 1906 Anglo Russian Entente Kamal ol Molk Baghe Mozaffar an Iranian TV show about a modern day Qajar Khan Fakhr ol dowleh Samad Khan Momtaz os Saltaneh ambassador of Persia to ParisReferences edit Yusuf Mohamed 1988 A History of Afghanistan from 1793 A D to 1865 A D New York University ISBN 1466222417 Farmanfarmaian Manucher 1997 Blood and Oil Memoirs of a Persian Prince Random House ISBN 978 0679440550 a b Burrell 1993 Cleveland William L Bunton Martin 2013 A history of the modern Middle East 5th ed Boulder CO Westview Press p 132 ISBN 978 0813348339 Iranian Cinema Before the Revolution at www horschamp qc ca Amanat 2017 p 323 Burrell 1979 p 24 Philip Magnus King Edward the Seventh London John Murray 1964 pp 301 305 ISBN missing Ritter Orden Hof und Staatshandbuch der Osterreichisch Ungarischen Monarchie 1905 pp 56 67 retrieved 22 August 2020 Latest intelligence Germany The Times No 36781 London 30 May 1902 p 5 Court Circular The Times No 36775 London 23 May 1902 p 7 The Shah The Times No 36867 London 8 September 1902 p 4 Shaw Wm A 1906 The Knights of England I London p 72 Walker Richard 1998 Savile Row An Illustrated History ISBN missing The translation of the travelogue in Issari s book Cinema in Iran 1900 1979 pp 58 59 Iranian Cinema Before the Revolution at www horschamp qc ca Iranian Cinema Before the Revolution by Shahin Parhami Hamid Dabashi Close Up Iranian Cinema Past Present and Future 320 p Verso London 2001 Chapter 1 ISBN 1 85984 332 8Sources editAmanat Abbas 1997 Pivot of the Universe Nasir Al Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy 1831 1896 I B Tauris ISBN 978 1845118280 Amanat Abbas 2017 Iran A Modern History Yale University Press ISBN 978 0 300 11254 2 Burrell Robert Michael 1979 Aspects of the Reign of Muzaffar al Din Shah of Persia 1896 1907 University of London Burrell Robert Michael 1993 Muẓaffar al Din S h ah Kad j ar In Bosworth C E van Donzel E Heinrichs W P amp Pellat Ch eds Encyclopaedia of Islam Volume VII Mif Naz 2nd ed Leiden E J Brill ISBN 978 90 04 09419 2 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mozaffar al Din Shah Qajar External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mozaffar al Din Shah Qajar Some fragmentary motion pictures of Mozaffar al Din Shah Qajar YouTube Portrait of Mozaffar al Din Shah Qajar 1 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 kingsMozaffar ad Din Shah QajarQajar dynastyBorn 23 March 1853 Died 3 January 1907Iranian royaltyPreceded byNaser al Din Shah Qajar Shah of Iran1896 1907 Succeeded byMohammad Ali Shah Qajar Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mozaffar ad Din Shah Qajar amp oldid 1187105762, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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