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Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, مظفرالدین شاه قاجار, Mozaffar ad-Din Ŝāh-e Qājār; 23 March 1853 – 3 January 1907), was the fifth
shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
of
Qajar Iran Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...
, 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 ( fa, قانون اساسی مشروطه, Qanun-e Asasi-ye Mishirutâh), was the first constitution of the Sublime State of Persia (Qajar Iran), resulting from the Persian Constitutional Revolution and it was w ...
, which he approved of as one of his final actions as Shah.


Biography

The son of the
Qajar Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...
ruler
Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدین‌شاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Mal ...
, Mozaffar al-Din was named crown prince and sent as governor to the northern province of
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
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 Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...
court, owed to both
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
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
, significantly undermined this effort. He furthered this debt by borrowing even more funds from Britain,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, 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 William Knox D'Arcy (11 October 18491 May 1917) was a British businessman who was one of the principal founders of the oil and petrochemical industry in Persia (Iran). The D’Arcy Concession was signed in 1901 and allowed D'Arcy to explore, o ...
, 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 or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...
to pay for his extravagant traveling expenses. During his first visit he was introduced to the "
cinematographe 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 Cin ...
" 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 The Cinema of Iran (Persian: سینمای ایران), also known as the Cinema of Persia, refers to the cinema and film industries in Iran which produce a variety of commercial films annually. Iranian art films have garnered international fame a ...
. 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 The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The P ...
(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 The Imam Husayn Shrine ( ar, مَقَام ٱلْإِمَام ٱلْحُسَيْن ٱبْن عَلِيّ, Maqām al-ʾImām al-Ḥusayn ʾibn ʿAlī) is the mosque and burial site of Husayn ibn Ali, the third Imam of Shia Islam, in the city o ...
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 ...
.


Children

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 * 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 Ali Amini ( fa, علی امینی; 12 September 1905–12 December 1992) was an Iranian politician who was the Prime Minister of Iran from 1961 to 1962. He held several cabinet portfolios during the 1950s, and served as a member of parliame ...
* Princess Aghdas od-Dowleh (1891 – ?) * Princess Anvar od-Dowleh (1896 – ?) married eghtedar es-Saltaneh son of
Kamran Mirza Kamran Mirza ( fa, ) (1512 – 5 October 1557) was the second son of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire and the first Mughal Emperor. Kamran Mirza was born in Kabul to Babur's wife Gulrukh Begum. He was half-brother to Babur's eldest ...
* Princess Ameneh Bratz (1930-1940)


List of premiers

* Mirza 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 as it had been previously given to his father, Nasser-ed-Din Shah.
King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
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) pages 301–5. A nephew of his wife was
Mohammed Mossadeq Mohammad Mosaddegh ( fa, محمد مصدق, ; 16 June 1882 – 5 March 1967) was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 35th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, after appointment by the 16th Majlis. He was a member of ...
, the Prime Minister of Iran during the Pahlavi dynasty. Mossadeq was overthrown by a
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
staged by the United Kingdom and the United States in 1953.


Honours


See also

* Qajar dynasty * Qajar family tree * D'Arcy Concession * Persian Constitutional Revolution *
Persian Constitution of 1906 The Persian Constitution of 1906 ( fa, قانون اساسی مشروطه, Qanun-e Asasi-ye Mishirutâh), was the first constitution of the Sublime State of Persia (Qajar Iran), resulting from the Persian Constitutional Revolution and it was w ...
* 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 Samad Khan Momtaz os-Saltaneh, or Momtaz ol Saltaneh (1869–26 March 1954) (in Persian : صمد خان ممتاز السطنه) was an Iranian diplomat of the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasty era. Early life Samad Khan Momtaz was born in 1869 in Tabr ...
, ambassador of Persia to Paris


References

* Walker, Richard (1998). ''Savile Row: An Illustrated History'' * The translation of the travelogue in Issari's book: Cinema in Iran: 1900–1979 pages 58–59
Iranian Cinema: Before the Revolution
at www.horschamp.qc.ca ''Iranian Cinema: Before the Revolution'' by Shahin Parhami. *
Hamid Dabashi Hamid Dabashi ( fa, حمید دباشی; born 1951) is an Iranian-American professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York City. He is the author of over twenty books. Among them are ''Theology of Disc ...
, ''Close Up: Iranian Cinema, Past, Present, and Future'', 320 p. (Verso, London, 2001), Chapter 1.


External links

* Some fragmentary motion pictures of Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar
YouTube
* Portrait of Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar

* 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 of Persia 20th-century monarchs of Persia Mozzafar Extra Knights Companion of the Garter Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain People of the Persian Constitutional Revolution Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian) Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary 19th-century monarchs in the Middle East Iranian slave owners