Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar
| Agha Mohammad Shah Qajar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahanshah | |||||||||
Portrait of Agha Mohammad Shah Qajar in 1820. | |||||||||
| Shah of Iran | |||||||||
| Reign | 1794 – 17 June 1797 | ||||||||
| Coronation | March 1796 | ||||||||
| Predecessor |
| ||||||||
| Successor | Fath-Ali Shah Qajar | ||||||||
| Vizier | Hajji Ebrahim Shirazi | ||||||||
| Born | 14 March 1742 Astarabad, Afsharid Iran | ||||||||
| Died | 17 June 1797 (aged 55) Shusha, Qajar Iran (modern-day Azerbaijan) | ||||||||
| Burial | Imam Ali Mosque | ||||||||
| Spouse | Golbakht Khanom Maryam Khanom Asiya Khanom | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Dynasty | Qajar dynasty | ||||||||
| Father | Mohammad Hasan Khan Qajar | ||||||||
| Mother | Jeeran Khanum | ||||||||
| Religion | Twelver Shia Islam | ||||||||
| Tughra | |||||||||
Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (Persian: آقامحمدخان قاجار, romanized: Âqâ Mohammad Xân-e Qâjâr; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (آقامحمد شاه),[1] was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as Shah. Originally a chieftain of the Quwanlu branch of the Qajar tribe, Agha Mohammad Khan was enthroned as the king of Iran in 1789 and crowned shāhanshāh (“King of Kings”) in 1796, after leading the Unification of Iran (1779–1796).[2] Agha Mohammad Khan is often renowned as a "shrewd and relentless" leader whose "iron will" and military campaigns were pivotal in the establishment of present-day Iran.[3]
Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar was castrated as a toddler upon his capture by Adel Shah Afshar and hence was childless. He was assassinated on 17 June 1797, and was succeeded by his nephew, Fath-Ali Shah Qajar.
Agha Mohammad Khan's reign is noted for the return of a centralized and unified Iran and for relocating the capital to Tehran, where it still stands today. He is noted for his cruel and rapacious behavior, particularly during his Georgia and Kerman campaigns. However, he has also been described as a "pragmatic, calculating, and shrewd military and political leader."[4]
- ^ "پاسخ به یک سؤال تاریخی آقامحمدخان یا آغامحمدخان؟". www.cgie.org.ir (in Persian). Archived from the original on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ "Āghā Moḥammad Khān | Qajar Dynasty, Persian Empire, Reformer | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ^ Gilliot, Claude; Avery, Peter; Hambly, Gavin; Melville, Charles (1994). "The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 7. From Nadir Shah to the Islamic Republic". Studia Islamica (80): 182. doi:10.2307/1595863. ISSN 0585-5292.
- ^ Behrooz, Maziar (2023). Iran at War: Interactions with the Modern World and the Struggle with Imperial Russia. I.B. Tauris. pp. 24–25. ISBN 978-0755637379.