Emperor of Iran

This is a list of monarchs of Persia (or monarchs of the Iranic peoples, in present-day Iran), which are known by the royal title Shah or Shahanshah. This list starts from the establishment of the Medes around 671 BCE until the deposition of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979 CE.

Median Dynasty (671–549 BC)

Teispid kingdom (705–559 BC)

Achaemenid Empire (559–334/327 BC)

''Note: Ancient Persia is generally agreed to have ended with the collapse of the Achaemenid dynasty as a result of the Wars of Alexander the Great.''

Macedonian Empire (336–306 BC)

Seleucid Empire (311–129 BC)

Fratarakas

The Fratarakas appear to have been Governors of the Seleucid Empire.

Kings of Persis

Parthian Empire (247 BC – 228 AD)

The Seleucid dynasty gradually lost control of Persia. In 253, the Arsacid dynasty established itself in Parthia. The Parthians gradually expanded their control, until by the mid-2nd century BC, the Seleucids had completely lost control of Persia. Control of eastern territories was permanently lost by Antiochus VII in 129 BC.

For more comprehensive lists of kings, queens, sub-kings and sub-queens of this Era see:
*List of rulers of Parthian sub-kingdoms

Sasanian Empire (224–651)

''Note: Classical Persia is generally agreed to have ended with the collapse of the Sasanian Empire as a result of the Muslim conquest of Persia.''

Dabuyid Kingdom (642–760)

A Zoroastrian Persian dynasty that held power in the north for over a century before finally falling to the Abbasid Caliphate.

Rashidun Caliphate (642–661)

For more comprehensive lists of kings and sub-kings of this Era see:
* Muslim dynasties of Iran

Umayyad Caliphate (661–750)

For more comprehensive lists of kings and sub-kings of this Era see:
*Islamic dynasties of Iran

Notable Governors

Abbasid Caliphate (750–946)

For more comprehensive lists of kings and sub-kings of this Era see:
* Muslim dynasties of Iran

Notable Governors

Samanid Empire (819–999)

For more comprehensive lists of kings and sub-kings of this Era see:
* Muslim dynasties of Iran

Saffarid Kingdom (861–1003)

For more comprehensive lists of kings and sub-kings of this Era see:
* Muslim dynasties of Iran

Ghurid Kingdom (879–1215)

For more comprehensive lists of kings and sub-kings of this Era see:
* Muslim dynasties of Iran

Ziyarid Kingdom (928–1043)

Buyid Kingdom (934–1062)

The Buyid Kingdom was divided into a number of separate emirates, of which the most important were Fars, Ray, and Iraq. Generally, one of the emirs held a sort of primus inter pares supremacy over the rest, which would be marked by titles like Amir al-umara and Shahanshah.

For more comprehensive lists of kings and sub-kings of this Era see:
* Muslim dynasties of Iran

Ghaznavids Empire (977–1186)

For more comprehensive lists of kings and sub-kings of this Era see:
* Muslim dynasties of Iran

Seljuk Empire (1029–1194)

For more comprehensive lists of kings and sub-kings of this Era see:
* Muslim dynasties of Iran

Khwarazmian Empire (1153–1220)

An empire built from Khwarezm, covering part of Iran and neighbouring Central Asia.

For more comprehensive lists of kings and sub-kings of this Era see:
*Islamic dynasties of Iran

Mongol Empire (1220–1256)

For more comprehensive lists of kings and sub-kings of this Era see:
* Muslim dynasties of Iran

Ilkhanate (1256–1357)

Ilkhanate (1256–1335)

Sarbadars (1332–1386)

Chobanids (1335–1357)

Jalayirids (1335–1432)

Injuids (1335–1357)

Muzaffarids (1314–1393)

Timurid Empire (1370–1467)

Qara Qoyunlu and Aq Quyunlu (1375–1497)

Qara Qoyunlu

Aq Quyunlu

Sources:H.R. Roemer, "The Safavid Period", in ''Cambridge History of Iran'', Vol. VI, Cambridge University Press 1986, p. 339: "Further evidence of a desire to follow in the line of Turkmen rulers is Ismail's assumption of the title 'Padishah-i-Iran', previously held by Uzun Hasan."

''Note: Medieval Persia is generally agreed to have ended with the rise of the Safavid Empire''

Safavid Empire (1501–1736)

Afsharid Empire (1736–1796)

Zand Kingdom (1751–1794)

Qajar Empire (1794–1925)

Pahlavi Empire (1925–1979)

See also

* Achaemenid Empire
* Great Civilization
* History of Iran
* List of ancient Persians
* Shahbanu
** List of Shahbanus of Persia
* Monarchism in Iran
* 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire
*List of rulers of the pre-Achaemenid kingdoms of Iran
*List of rulers of Parthian sub-kingdoms
*Islamic dynasties of Iran

Notes and references

Bibliography

* Assar, G.R.F., "Genealogy & Coinage of the Early Parthian Rulers. I", Parthica, 6, 2004, pp. 69–93.

Assar, G.R.F., "Genealogy & Coinage of the Early Parthian Rulers, II a revised stemma", Parthica, 7, 2005, pp. 29–63.

Assar, G.R.F., "Moses of Choren & the Early Parthian Chronology", Electrum, vol. 11, 2006, pp. 61–86.

Assar, G.R.F., "A Revised Parthian Chronology of the Period 165–91 B.C.", Electrum, vol. 11, 2006, pp. 87–158.
* Assar, G.R.F., "A Revised Parthian Chronology of the Period 91–55 B.C.", Parthica, 8, 2006, pp. 55–104.
* Briant, Pierre, "From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire", 2002.
* Cameron, George, "History of Early Iran", Chicago, 1936 (repr., Chicago, 1969; tr. E.-J. Levin, L’histoire de l’Iran antique, Paris, 1937; tr. H. Anusheh, ایران در سپیده دم تاریخ, Tehran, 1993)
* D’yakonov, I. M., "Istoriya Midii ot drevenĭshikh vremen do kontsa IV beka de e.E" (The history of Media from ancient times to the end of the 4th century BC), Moscow and Leningrad, 1956; tr. Karim Kešāvarz as Tāriḵ-e Mād, Tehran, 1966.
* Dandamaev, Muhammad A., "Persien unter den ersten Achämeniden (6. Jahrhundert v. Chr.)", tr. Heinz-Dieter Pohl, Wiesbaden, 1976.

Qashqai, H., "The successors of Mithridates II", Bulletin of Ancient Iranian History (UCLA), vol. 5, March 2009.(in Persian)

Henkelman, wouter. Defining Neo-Elamite History. ARTA, 2003.
* Hinz, W., "The Lost World of Elam", London, 1972 (tr. F. Firuznia, دنیای گمشده ایلام, Tehran, 1992)

Josephus Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews.
* Justi, Ferdinand, "Iranisches Namenbuch", Tehran, Asatir, 2003.

Legrain, Leon, "Historical Fragments", Philadelphia, The University of Pennsylvania Museum Publications of the Babylonian Section, vol. XIII, 1922.
* Majidzadeh, Yusef, "History and civilization of Elam", Tehran, Iran University Press, 1991.
* Majidzadeh, Yusef, "History and civilization of Mesopotamia", Tehran, Iran University Press, 1997, vol.1.
* Miroschedji, P. de, 'La fin du royaume de l’Ansˇan et de Suse et la naissance de l’empire perse', 1985, ZA 75, pp. 265–306.
* Nöldeke, Theodor, "Geschichte der Perser und Araber zur Zeit der Sasaniden. Aus der arabischen Chronik des Tabari übersetzt" (1879)
* Olmstead, A. T., "History of the Persian Empire", Chicago, 1948
* Plutarch, Lives.
* Polybius, The Histories.
* Potts, D. T., The Archaeology of Elam, Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Reade, Julian E. Elam after the Assyrian Sack of Susa in 647 B.C. NABU, 2000.



Tavernier, Jan. Some Thoughts on Neo-Elamite Chronology. ARTA, 2004.
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Vallat, Francois. Elam: The History of Elam. ''Encyclopædia Iranica'', vol. VIII pp. 301–313. London/New York, 1998.

Vallat, Francois. Shutruk-Nahunte, Shutur-Nahunte et l'imbroglio neo-elamite. NABU, 1995.

Vallat, Francois. Le royaume elamite de SAMATI. NABU, 1996.

Vallat, Francois. Les pretendus fonctionnaires Unsak des texts neo-elamites et achemenides. ARTA, 2002.
* Vallat, Francois. Le royaume elamite de Zamin et les 'Letters de Nineveh'. Iranica Antique, 33, 1998. pp. 95–106.

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