The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an

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 ...

ianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran and the Rise of the Reza Shah: From Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power'', I. B. Tauris, 2000, , p. 1William Bayne Fisher. ''Cambridge History of Iran'', Cambridge University Press, 1993, p. 344, Dr Parviz Kambin, ''A History of the Iranian Plateau: Rise and Fall of an Empire'', Universe, 2011, p. 36
online edition
specifically from the

Qajar tribe 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 ...

, ruling over Iran from 1789 to 1925.Abbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3; "In the 126 years between the fall of the Safavid state in 1722 and the accession of Nasir al-Din Shah, the Qajars evolved from a shepherd-warrior tribe with strongholds in northern Iran into a Persian dynasty." The Qajar family took full control of Iran in 1794, deposing

Lotf 'Ali Khan Lotf Ali Khan ( fa, لطفعلی‌خان زند; ) was the last Shah of the Zand dynasty. He ruled from 1789 to 1794. Early life Lotf Ali Khan Zand came to power after a decade of infighting among a succession of violent and inept Zand chiefs f ...

, the last

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 the

Zand dynasty The Zand dynasty ( fa, سلسله زندیه, ') was an Iranian dynasty, founded by Karim Khan Zand (1751–1779) that initially ruled southern and central Iran in the 18th century. It later quickly came to expand to include much of the rest o ...

, and re-asserted Iranian sovereignty over large parts of the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

. In 1796, Mohammad Khan Qajar seized Mashhad with ease, putting an end to the

Afsharid dynasty The Afsharid dynasty ( fa, افشاریان) was an Iranian dynasty founded by Nader Shah () of the Qirqlu clan of the Turkoman Afshar tribe Afshar ( az, Əfşar افشار; tr, Avşar, ''Afşar''; tk, Owşar; fa, اَفشار, Āfshār) ...

, and Mohammad Khan was formally crowned as Shah after his punitive campaign against Iran's Georgian subjects. Michael Axworthy
''Iran: Empire of the Mind: A History from Zoroaster to the Present Day''
Penguin UK, 6 November 2008. In the Caucasus, the Qajar dynasty permanently lost many of Iran's integral areas to the

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

over the course of the 19th century, comprising modern-day eastern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

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 th ...

and

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

.Timothy C. Dowling
''Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond''
pp 728-730 ABC-CLIO, 2 December 2014 Iran’s international trade developed speedily during the Qajar dynasty. Amid 1800 and 1914, total clear business is probably to have grown from some 2.5 million to 20 million

pounds sterling Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO 4217, ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of #Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories, its associated territori ...

(in current prices).

Qajar Shahs of Iran, 1789–1925

Qajar imperial family

The Qajar Imperial Family in exile is currently headed by the eldest descendant of Mohammad Ali Shah, Sultan Mohammad Ali Mirza Qajar, while the Heir Presumptive to the Qajar throne is

Mohammad Hassan Mirza II Prince Mohammad Hassan Mirza II Qajar (born 18 July 1949) is the son of Hamid Mirza and a grandson of Mohammad Hassan Mirza, the last Crown Prince of Iran from the rule of the Qajar dynasty. As heir apparent, he is considered the Qajar preten ...

, the grandson of

Mohammad Hassan Mirza Mohammad Hassan Mirza Qajar ( fa, شاهزاده محمدحسن میرزا قاجار; 20 November 1899 – 7 January 1943) was the brother of Ahmad Shah Qajar of Iran, and former Crown Prince of the Qajar dynasty. Soon after Reza Shah deposed th ...

, Sultan Ahmad Shah's brother and heir. Mohammad Hassan Mirza died in England in 1943, having proclaimed himself shah in exile in 1930 after the death of his brother in France. Today, the descendants of the Qajars often identify themselves as such and hold reunions to stay socially acquainted through the ''Kadjar (Qajar) Family Association'', often coinciding with the annual conferences and meetings of the

International Qajar Studies Association The International Qajar Studies Association (IQSA) is an association specialised in the study of the Qajar Era and the Qajar dynasty. The association organises conferences, study days, lectures, cultural events and exhibitions, publishes books, a J ...

(IQSA). The Kadjar (Qajar) Family Association was founded for a third time in 2000. Two earlier family associations were stopped because of political pressure. The offices and archives of IQSA are housed at the

International Museum for Family History The Internationaal Museum voor Familiegeschiedenis (known in English as the International Museum for Family History, or in short "The Family Museum") is a museum located in the former Ursuline Convent in Eijsden, Netherlands. As a museum with a fo ...

in Eijsden.

Titles and styles

The shah and his consort were styled ''

Imperial Majesty Imperial Majesty (''His/Her Imperial Majesty'', abbreviated as ''HIM'') is a style used by Emperors and Empresses. It distinguishes the status of an emperor/empress from that of a King/Queen, who are simply styled Majesty. Holders of this style h ...

''. Their children were addressed as ''

Imperial Highness His/Her Imperial Highness (abbreviation HIH) is a style used by members of an imperial family to denote ''imperial'' – as opposed to ''royal'' – status to show that the holder in question is descended from an emperor rather than a king ( ...

'', while male-line grandchildren were entitled to the lower style of ''

Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adjecti ...

''; all of them bore the title of '' Shahzadeh'' or ''Shahzadeh Khanoum''.

Qajar dynasty since 1925

; Heads of the Qajar Imperial Family The headship of the Imperial Family is inherited by the eldest male descendant of Mohammad Ali Shah. * Sultan Ahmad Shah Qajar (1925–1930) *

Fereydoun Mirza Prince Fereydoun Mirza (born between 1810 and 1812 – 26 December 1855Nader Nasiri Moghaddam, Un traité « secret » Irano-Russe de 1881, in: CAHIER DE STUDIA IRANICA 45, 2011, pp. 107–120) Persian Prince of Qajar dynasty, was the 5th son of A ...

(1930–1975) * Sultan Hamid Mirza (1975–1988) * Sultan Mahmoud Mirza (1988) * Sultan Ali Mirza Qajar (1988–2011) * Sultan Mohammad Ali Mirza (2011–present) ; Heirs Presumptive of the Qajar dynasty The Heir Presumptive is the Qajar heir to the Persian throne. * Sultan Ahmad Shah Qajar (1925–1930) *

(1930–1943) *

(1943–1975) * Sultan Hamid Mirza (1975–1988) *

(1988–)

Notable members

; Politics * Prince Abdol-Hossein Farmanfarma (1859–1939),

prime minister of Iran The Prime Minister of Iran was a political post that had existed in Iran (Persia) during much of the 20th century. It began in 1906 during the Qajar dynasty and into the start of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1923 and into the 1979 Iranian Revolution ...

Mohammad Mosaddegh 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 ...

, prime minister of Iran and nephew of Prince Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma. * Prince Firouz Nosrat-ed-Dowleh III (1889–1937), son of Prince Abdol-Hossein Farmanfarma, foreign minister of Iran *

Hossein Khan Sardar Hossein Qoli Khan Sardar Qajar ( fa, حسین قلی خان سردار قاجار), better simply known as Hossein Khan Sardar () (born ca. 1742 – died 1831) was an Iranian statesman in Qajar Iran, who was the last governor of the Erivan Khanate ...

(1740–1830), last ruler of the

Erivan Khanate The Erivan Khanate ( fa, خانات ایروان, translit=Xānāt-e Iravān; hy, Երեւանի խանութիւն, translit=Yerevani xanut'iwn; az, ایروان خانلیغی, translit=İrəvan xanlığı), also known as Chokhur-e Sa'd, was ...

administrative division *

Amir Abbas Hoveyda Amir-Abbas Hoveyda ( fa, امیرعباس هویدا, Amīr 'Abbās Hoveyda; 18 February 1919 – 7 April 1979) was an Iranian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran from 27 January 1965 to 7 August 1977. He was the l ...

, Iranian economist and politician,

from 1965 to 1977, a Qajar descendant on his maternal side *

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 ...

* Prince

Iraj Eskandari Iraj Eskandari ( fa, ایرج اسکندری; 1907–1985) was an Iranian communist politician. A Qajar prince, Eskandari received French education.Behrooz, Maziar. Rebels with a Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran'. London: I.B. Tauris, 2000. ...

, Iranian communist politician * Princess

Maryam Farman Farmaian Maryam Firouz or Maryam Farman Farmaian (1914, in Kermanshah, Iran – 23 March 2008, in Tehran, Iran) was an Iranian politician. She was a daughter of Prince Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma and Batoul Khanoum. She founded the women's section of ...

(b. 1914–d. 2008) Iranian communist politician, founder of the women's section of the

Tudeh Party of Iran The Tudeh Party of Iran ( fa-at, حزب تودۀ ایران, Ḥezb-e Tūde-ye Īrān, lit=Party of the Masses of Iran) is an Iranian communist party. Formed in 1941, with Soleiman Mirza Eskandari as its head, it had considerable influence in i ...

Ardeshir Zahedi Ardeshir Zahedi, GCVO ( fa, اردشیر زاهدی; 16 October 1928 – 18 November 2021) was an Iranian politician and diplomat who served as the country's foreign minister from 1966 to 1971, and its ambassador to the United States and the Uni ...

(b. 1928–d. 2021) Iranian diplomat, Qajar descendant on his maternal side. * Prince Sabbar Farmanfarmaian, health minister in Mosaddeq cabinet *

Abdol-Hossein Sardari Abdol Hossein Sardari ( fa, عبدالحسین سرداری; 1914–1981) was an Iranian diplomat. He is credited with saving thousands of Jews in Europe, He has since been known as “The Iranian Schindler” or "The Schindler of Iran". Earl ...

(1914–1981), Consul General at the Iranian Embassy in Paris 1940–1945; helped and saved the lives of Jews in danger of deportation by issuing them with Iranian passports. A Qajar Qoyunlu and through his mother a grandson of Princess Malekzadeh Khanoum Ezzat od-Doleh, the sister of Nasser ed-Din Shah. *

Aga Khan III Sultan Muhammad Shah (2 November 187711 July 1957), commonly known by his religious title Aga Khan III, was the 48th Imam of the Nizariyya. He played an important role in British Indian politics. Born to Aga Khan II in Karachi, Aga Khan II ...

(1877–1957), President of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

from 1937 to 1938, one of the founders and the first president of the

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subcont ...

and the 48th

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims. ; Military * Prince Amanullah Mirza Qajar,

Imperial Russian The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...

, Azerbaijani, and

ian military commander * Prince

Feyzulla Mirza Qajar Feyzullah Mirza Qajar (russian: Фейзулла Мирза Каджар; fa, فیض الله میرزا قاجار; az, Feyzulla Mirzə Qacar) also Fazullah-Mirza Qajar (russian: Фазулла-Мирза-Каджар; fa, فضل الله م� ...

, Imperial Russian and Azerbaijani (ADR) military commander * Prince Aleksander Reza Qoli Mirza Qajar, Imperial Russian military leader, commander of Yekaterinburg (1918) * Prince

Amanullah Jahanbani Amanollah Jahanbani ( fa, امان ‌الله جهانبانى; 1891 – 1 February 1974) was a member of the Qajar dynasty and a senior general of Reza Shah, Reza Shah Pahlavi. Early life and education Jahanbani was born in 1895. He was the gr ...

, senior Iranian general *

Nader Jahanbani '' Sepahbod'' Nader Jahanbani ( fa, نادر جهانبانی, Nāder-e Jahānbānī; 16 April 1928–13 March 1979) was an Iranian general, distinguished fighter pilot of Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) and the deputy chief of the IIAF under M ...

, general and vice-deputy chief of the Imperial Iranian Air Force ; Social work * Princess Sattareh Farmanfarmaian, Iranian social work pioneer ; Business * Princess

Fakhr-ol-dowleh Princess Ashraf al-Muluk (1883–1955), titled Fakhr-ol-Dowleh (meaning ''pride of the state''), was one of the most prominent daughters of Mozaffar ad-Din Shah of the Qajar dynasty, who had a reputably strong character, to the point that s ...

Religion *

Aga Khan IV Shāh Karim al-Husayni (born 13 December 1936), known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV, is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis, a denomination within Shia Islam. He ha ...

(1936–), the 49th and current

Nizari Ismailism The Nizaris ( ar, النزاريون, al-Nizāriyyūn, fa, نزاریان, Nezāriyān) are the largest segment of the Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasize independent ...

, a denomination of

Isma'ilism Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...

within

Shia Islam Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...

. ; Women's rights * Princess Mohtaram Eskandari, intellectual and pioneering figures in Iranian women's movement. * Dr. Iran Teymourtash (Légion d'honneur) (1914–1991), journalist, editor and publisher of the newspaper ''Rastakhiz'', founder of an association for helping destitute women. Daughter of court minister Abdolhossein Teymourtash and through both her maternal grandparents a Qajar.L. A. Ferydoun Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn (Khosrovani) (ed.), "Qajar Studies". ''Journal of the International Qaja Studies Association'', vol. X–XI, Rotterdam, Gronsveld, Santa Barbara and Tehran 2011, p. 220. ; Literature * Prince

Iraj Iraj ( fa, ایرج - ʾīraj; Pahlavi: ērič; from Avestan: 𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 airiia, literally "Aryan") is the seventh Shah of the Pishdadian dynasty, depicted in the ''Shahnameh''. Based on Iranian mythology, he is the youngest son of ...

(1874–1926), Iranian poet and translator * Princess Lobat Vala (b. 1930), Iranian poet and campaigner for the Women Liberation *

Shahrnush Parsipur Shahrnush Parsipur ( fa, شهرنوش پارسی‌پور; born 17 February 1946) is an Iranian-born writer and translator. Biography Shahrnush Parsipur was born on 17 February 1946; she was born and raised in Tehran. Parsipur received her B.A. ...

, Iranian novelist, a Qajar descendant on her maternal side * Sadegh Hedayat, a Qajar descendant through the female line * Dr. Anvar Khamei, the Iranian economist, politician, and sociologist. ; Entertainment *

Gholam-Hossein Banan Gholām-Hossein Banān ( fa, غلامحسين بنان; 5 May 1911 – 27 February 1986) was an Iranian musician and singer. One of the most prominent Iranian singers of the 20th century, he was renowned for the quality of his voice. Biography B ...

, Iranian musician and singer, Qajar descendant on his maternal side.

Family tree

Mothers of Qajar Shahs

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * Gvosdev, Nikolas K.: ''Imperial policies and perspectives towards Georgia: 1760–1819'', Macmillan, Basingstoke 2000, * Lang, David M.: ''The last years of the Georgian Monarchy: 1658–1832'', Columbia University Press, New York 1957 * * *

External links

The Qajar (Kadjar) Pages

The International Qajar Studies Association

Dar ol-Qajar

Qajar Family Website

Women's Worlds in Qajar Iran Digital Archive by Harvard University

Qajar Documentation Fund Collection
at the

International Institute of Social History The International Institute of Social History (IISH/IISG) is one of the largest archives of labor and social history in the world. Located in Amsterdam, its one million volumes and 2,300 archival collections include the papers of major figu ...

{{Authority control 1785 establishments in Iran 1925 disestablishments in Iran * Middle Eastern dynasties Shia dynasties