Mohammad Hassan Mirza Qajar ( fa, شاهزاده محمدحسن میرزا قاجار; 20 November 1899 – 7 January 1943) was the brother of
Ahmad Shah Qajar
Ahmad Shah Qajar ( fa, احمد شاه قاجار; 21 January 1898 – 21 February 1930) was Shah of Persia (Iran) from 16 July 1909 to 15 December 1925, and the last ruling member of the Qajar dynasty.
Ahmad Shah was born in Tabriz on 21 Januar ...
of
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, and former
Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...
of the
Qajar dynasty. Soon after
Reza Shah
,
, spouse = Maryam Savadkoohi Tadj ol-Molouk Ayromlu (queen consort) Turan Amirsoleimani Esmat Dowlatshahi
, issue = Princess Hamdamsaltaneh Princess Shams Mohammad Reza Shah Princess Ashraf Prince Ali Reza Prince Gholam Reza P ...
deposed the Qajar dynasty and made himself
Shah 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 th ...
in 1925, Prince Mohammad Hassan and his family were sent into permanent
exile to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. In 1930, he declared himself the rightful heir to the crown as
pretender to the throne
A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term is often used to suggest that a claim is not legitimate.Curley Jr., Walter J. P. ''Monarchs-in-Waiting'' ...
. He died on 7 January 1943 in
Maidenhead,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and was buried in
Kerbala
Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorat ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
.
Tension with Ahmad Shah Qajar
Even before the dethronement of his brother
Ahmad Shah Qajar
Ahmad Shah Qajar ( fa, احمد شاه قاجار; 21 January 1898 – 21 February 1930) was Shah of Persia (Iran) from 16 July 1909 to 15 December 1925, and the last ruling member of the Qajar dynasty.
Ahmad Shah was born in Tabriz on 21 Januar ...
by
Reza Shah
,
, spouse = Maryam Savadkoohi Tadj ol-Molouk Ayromlu (queen consort) Turan Amirsoleimani Esmat Dowlatshahi
, issue = Princess Hamdamsaltaneh Princess Shams Mohammad Reza Shah Princess Ashraf Prince Ali Reza Prince Gholam Reza P ...
, he was still an inconsequential figure in Iranian politics.
This was not from a lack of trying however; in early March 1921, Mohammad Hassan Mirza approached the British legation with proposals to supplant his brother, the king of Iran at the time.
The High Commissioner's office in Baghdad informed
Herman Norman in a telegram that
Zia'eddin Tabatabaee
Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabataba'i (June 1889 – 29 August 1969; fa, سید ضیاءالدین طباطبایی) was an Iranian journalist and politician who, with the help of Reza Khan Savadkuhi, led the 1921 Persian coup d'état, and subsequentl ...
informed them that Mohammad Hassan Mirza was "very dissatisfied with the shah and fears for safety of Persia from the Bolsheviks...",
[FO 371/6446, Cox to Norman, Foreign Office and the Government of India, 10 July 1921.] and that "he
ohammad Hassan Mirzais prepared to form new government as he considers the Shah useless...".
Mohammad Hassan Mirza proposals were ignored, except by
Percy Cox
Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox (20 November 1864 – 20 February 1937) was a British Indian Army officer and Colonial Office administrator in the Middle East. He was one of the major figures in the creation of the current Middle East.
...
who was the former attache of Britain in Iran.
Herman Norman who was current British diplomat to Iran thought of the dethronement of
Ahmad Shah Qajar
Ahmad Shah Qajar ( fa, احمد شاه قاجار; 21 January 1898 – 21 February 1930) was Shah of Persia (Iran) from 16 July 1909 to 15 December 1925, and the last ruling member of the Qajar dynasty.
Ahmad Shah was born in Tabriz on 21 Januar ...
by his brother as a tactical mistake which would divide Persia; ''"
am preventedfrom encouraging any movement which has for its object dethronement of His Majesty. It is also my duty to do my best to preserve the unity of Persia"''.
Honours
*
Persian Empire:
** Member 1st Class of the
Order of the Lion and the Sun
The Imperial Order of the Lion and the Sun ( Persian: نشان سلطنتی شیر و خورشید) was instituted by Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extended to Iranians) who had rendered disting ...
** Member 1st Class of the Order of the Crown of Persia
* Kingdom of Egypt: Grand Cordon of the Order of Muhammad 'Ali, (1921)
* Monaco: Grand Cross of the
Order of Saint-Charles
The Order of Saint Charles (french: Ordre de Saint Charles) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in Monaco on 15 March 1858.
Award
This order rewards service to the State or Prince. In particular cases, it may be granted to foreign ...
, (14 January 1915)
Offspring
* Prince Soltan Hosein Mirza (25 August 1916,
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
-1986,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
)
* Prince
Soltan Hamid Mirza (23 April 1918,
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
-5 May 1988, London)
* Prince Rokn al-Din Mirza (1923,
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
-1996,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
)
* Princess Shmas Aghdas (1919,
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
-1991, Paris)
* Princess Giti Afruz (1922,
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
-2022, New York City
)
Government Positions Held
* Governor-General of Azerbaijan (1918)
References
External links
*
Qajar princes
1899 births
1943 deaths
Heads of the Qajar Imperial Family
Iranian royalty
Iranian emigrants to the United Kingdom
Qajar pretenders to the Iranian throne
Iranian exiles
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles
Qajar governors
{{Iran-royal-stub