Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar

Mohammed Ali Shah (Persian محمدعلی شاه; * June 21, 1872, † April 5, 1924 in Sanremo ) was from 1907 to 1909 Shah of Persia. He was married to two women, who bore him six sons and two daughters.

Accession

On January 19, 1907, the son of Muzaffar al-Din Shah Mohammed Ali was crowned Shah of Persia. Before his accession, he managed in his capacity as Crown Prince, the province of Azerbaijan in an absolutist manner and was not willing to share the absolute power of the Shah with a parliament. He thought it was a big mistake of his father, to have agreed a constitution and wanted to return the existing constitutional monarchy since 1906 revert to the old absolutist form of government. He was supported by the conservative clergy who refused the newly introduced democratic institutions as too secular and too western. Nationalism was not to agree to a foreign, Western idea and basically with Islam for the Clergy. Some clerics had indeed supported the Constitutional Revolution, but did so out mainly from the resistance against the Western concessionaires.

From the outset ruled Mohammed Ali Shah, irrespective of the Parliament. He negotiated with Russia and England a loan of £ 400,000, repayable over taxes and duties, which had applied the population. To stop further debt Persia abroad by the Qajar ruler, Parliament was planning the establishment of a National Bank, which should manage the revenues from taxes and customs duties. As a first step in this direction, the Parliament forced the dismissal of the former head of the customs administration, a Belgian named Naus, who had for several years managed the Qajar rulers customs revenue. That it was possible to force the regent to a decision, the Parliament brought in the population a considerable prestige.

In the reign of Mohammed Ali Shah, however, a contract should fall, which represented a new level of interference in the territorial integrity of Persia. The statement signed by the foreign ministers of Russia and Great Britain on August 31, 1907 Treaty of Saint Petersburg Persia divided into three zones, one Russian, one British and one neutral zone. The Russian zone included the area north of the ( coarse ) line Kermanshah - Yazd - Sarakhs, the British the south-eastern part of the country (now the Iranian Baluchistan ). After the treaty had become known in Iran in September 1907, there were demonstrations and protests throughout Iran.

Dissolution of Parliament

With the backing of Russia now prompted Mohammed Ali Shah, the dissolution of Parliament and the arrest of the Prime Minister and several leaders of the constitutional movement. In Azerbaijan and the northern provinces around the Caspian Sea riots broke out. End of the year, a new government after the order was restored, was appointed. In February 1908 there had been an assassination attempt on Mohammed Ali Shah. A bomb had been thrown at his car, but not seriously injured the Shah. The dispute between the rulers and the Parliament on the future policy has escalated into a battle, intervened directly in the then in June 1908, Britain and Russia. They put the government and the parliament under pressure to yield to the wishes of the Shah. End of June 1908 broke then on the streets around the Parliament building of open fighting between pro-government and parliament loyal troops. A little later broke out and street fighting in Tabriz. The whole country was in turmoil.

Loss of the throne

Parts of the regular troops under the leadership of Mohammad Vali Khan denied the Shah allegiance and marched from Mazandaran to Tehran to support the constitutional movement. On 22 June 1909, the "freedom fighters" were how the troops of the constitutionalists called now, in Qom, which they occupied on July 8, 1909. The road to Tehran was free. A little later there was street fighting in Tehran between the troops of the constitutionalists and the shah loyal Cossack Brigade. On July 16, 1909 Mohammed Ali Shah fled his palace at the Russian Embassy. On the same day, the Parliament set in an extraordinary meeting Mohammed Ali Shah in favor of his son Ahmad Shah. With the deposed Shah and the representatives of Russia and Great Britain now began negotiations, the terms on which Muhammad Ali Shah to leave the country and the government would be recognized under Ahmad Shah. Agreement was reached after Mohammed Ali Shah a pension of $ 80,000 was pledged per year. On September 10, 1909 Mohammed Ali Shah left the Russian Embassy and went into exile in Odessa in Russia.

Ahmad Shah was at that time only twelve years old. For this reason, Ali Reza Khan Azod al Molk was used as regent, which should represent the Shah to his majority.

Exile

In June 1911 Mohammed Ali Shah attempted to regain his throne with Russian assistance. He marched from the north to Iran, assisted by his brother Abolfath Mirza Salar al Dowleh who occupied from the west to Iran. After fierce fighting Mohammed Ali Shah's troops were defeated in September 1911. He retired then organized to Odessa in Russia back into exile. Later he moved to Constantinople Opel. Mohammed Ali Shah died on 5 April 1924 in Sanremo in Italy. His remains were taken to the Imam Husayn Shrine in Karbala (Iraq).