Mohammad Hassan Mirza

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Mohammad Hassan Mirza
Regent of Iran24 March 1924 – 31 October 1925
Born(1899-11-20)20 November 1899
Tabriz, Azerbaijan, Sublime State of Persia
Died7 January 1943(1943-01-07) (aged 43)
Maidenhead, Berkshire, England
Burial
Imam Husayn Shrine
SpouseMahin Banou Malek-Mansour
Muhtaram-os-Saltaneh
Homayoun-os-Saltaneh
princess Shams-ol-Molouk
Aziz Aghdas
IssuePrincess Shirin
Prince Soltan Hossein Mirza
Prince Soltan Hamid Mirza
Prince Rokn al-Din Mirza
Princess Shams Aqdas
Princess Giti Afrouz
DynastyQajar
FatherMohammad Ali Shah
MotherMalakeh Jahan
ReligionShia Islam

Mohammad Hassan Mirza (Persian: شاهزاده محمدحسن میرزا قاجار; 20 November 1899 – 7 January 1943) was the last crown prince of the Qajar dynasty, who served as the Regent of Iran from 1924 till 1925, after his brother, Ahmad Shah Qajar, permanently departed from Iran in late 1923.[1] In 1924, he successfully halted Reza Khan's attempt to declare Iran a republic, unifying a parliamentary alliance against the legislative votes required to change Iran's constitution from a monarchy to a republic.[2] The following year, 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 Karbala, Iraq.

Tension with Ahmad Shah Qajar

Photograph of Mohammad Hassan Mirza, Ahmad Shah Qajar and Reza Khan Pahlavi

Even before the dethronement of his brother Ahmad Shah Qajar by Reza Shah, he was still an inconsequential figure in Iranian politics.[3] 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 shah of Iran at the time.[3] 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...",[4] and that "he [Mohammad Hassan Mirza] is prepared to form new government as he considers the Shah useless...".[4] Mohammad Hassan Mirza's proposals were ignored, except by Percy Cox who was the former attache of Britain in Iran.[3] Herman Norman who was current British diplomat to Iran thought of the dethronement of Ahmad Shah by his brother as a tactical mistake which would divide Iran; "[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".[3]

Honours

National

Foreign

Offspring

  • Prince Soltan Hosein Mirza (25 August 1916, Tabriz-1986, Canada)
  • 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[7])

Government positions held

  • Governor-General of Azerbaijan (1918)

References

  1. "Birth of the Pahlavi Dynasty: Reza Shah's coronation and his ascention to the Throne". The Lion and The Sun Podcast. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  2. "The Fall of the Qajar Dynasty: How Reza Khan Transformed Iran in 1925". The Lion and The Sun Podcast. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  3. Ghani, Cyrus (2000). Iran and the Rise of Reza Shah From Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 1860646298.
  4. FO 371/6446, Cox to Norman, Foreign Office and the Government of India, 10 July 1921.
  5. Elenco dei Cavalieri dell'Ordine supremo della Santissima Annunziata
  6. "Maison Souveraine" (PDF). Journal de Monaco (in French) (2966). 19 January 1915.
  7. "GUITY WAMBOLD Obituary (2022) New York Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved 10 August 2022.