Mohammad Hassan Mirza Qajar (Persian: شاهزاده محمدحسن میرزا قاجار; 20 November 1899 – 7 January 1943) was a younger brother of the last Qajar Shah of Iran Ahmad Shah Qajar, and former Crown Prince of the Qajar dynasty. Soon after Reza Shah deposed the Qajar dynasty and installed himself as Shah of Iran in 1925, Mohammad Hassan and his family were sent into permanent exile to England. In 1930, he declared himself the rightful heir to the crown as pretender to the throne. He died on 7 January 1943 in Maidenhead, England and was buried in Kerbala, Iraq.
| Mohammad Hassan Mirza Qajar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 20 November 1899 Tabriz, Azerbaijan, Persia |
| Died | 7 January 1943 (aged 43) Maidenhead, England, United Kingdom |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Mahin Banou Malek-Mansour Muhtaram-os-Saltaneh Homayoun-os-Saltaneh princess Shams-ol-Molouk Aziz Aghdas |
| Issue | Princess Shirin Prince Soltan Hossein Mirza Prince Soltan Hamid Mirza Prince Rokn al-Din Mirza Princess Shams Aqdas Princess Giti Afrouz |
| Dynasty | Qajar |
| Father | Mohammad Ali Shah |
| Mother | Malakeh Jahan |
Tension with Ahmad Shah Qajar
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Even before the dethronement of his brother Ahmad Shah Qajar by Reza Shah, he was still an inconsequential figure in Iranian politics.[1] 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.[1] The High Commissioner's office in Baghdad informed Herman Norman in a telegram that Zia'eddin Tabatabaee informed them that Mohammad Hassan Mirza was "very dissatisfied with the shah and fears for safety of Persia from the Bolsheviks...",[2] and that "he [Mohammad Hassan Mirza] is prepared to form new government as he considers the Shah useless...".[2] Mohammad Hassan Mirza proposals were ignored, except by Percy Cox who was the former attache of Britain in Iran.[1] Herman Norman who was current British diplomat to Iran thought of the dethronement of Ahmad Shah Qajar by his brother as a tactical mistake which would divide Persia; "[I am prevented] from 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".[1]
Honours
edit- Persian Empire:
- Member 1st Class of the Order of the Lion and the Sun
- 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, (14 January 1915)[3]
Offspring
edit- Prince Soltan Hosein Mirza (25 August 1916, Tabriz-1986, Canada)
- Princess Shirin (28 May 1938, Tehran, 28 December 2022, New Zealand)
- Prince Soltan Hamid Mirza (23 April 1918, Tabriz-5 May 1988, London)
- Prince Rokn al-Din Mirza (1923, Tehran-1996, Canada)
- Princess Shmas Aghdas (1919, Tehran-1991, Paris)
- Princess Giti Afruz (1922, Tehran-2022, New York City[4])
Government Positions Held
edit- Governor-General of Azerbaijan (1918)
References
edit- ^ a b c d Ghani, Cyrus (2000). Iran and the Rise of Reza Shah From Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 1860646298.
- ^ a b FO 371/6446, Cox to Norman, Foreign Office and the Government of India, 10 July 1921.
- ^ "Maison Souveraine" (PDF). Journal de Monaco (in French) (2966). 19 January 1915.
- ^ "GUITY WAMBOLD Obituary (2022) New York Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
External links
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Media related to Mohammad Hassan Mirza at Wikimedia Commons
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