Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1246

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PERSIA.

(Iran.)

Reigning Shah.

Sultan Ahmad Shah, born January 20, 1898 (27th Shaban 1315), succeeded Ms father, Muhammad Ali Shah (who abdicated) July 16, 1909, under regency of Ali Reza Khan, Azud el Mulk, chief of the Kajar tribe Azud el Mulk, the Regent, died September 22, 1910, and on the 25th of the same month the National Council elected Abu'l Kassim Khan, Nasser el Mulk, who was then in Europe, as his successor. The Regent arrived in Teheran on February 8, 1911, and definitely assumed the functions of Regent by taking the oath before the National Council on March 4.

Brothers of the Shah. — ^I. Itezad es Saltaneh. II. Muhammad Hassan Mirza, Valiahd (heir appirent), born February 19, 1899 (9th Shaban 1316). III. Muhammad Mehdi Mirza. IV. Mahmud Mirza.

Uncles of the Shah. — I. Malik Mansur Mirza, Shua es Saltaneh, born 1880. II. Abu'l Fath Mirza, Salar ed Dowleh, born 1881. III. Abu'l Fazl Mirza, Azud es-Sultan, born 1883. lY. Husein Kuli Mirza, born 1894. V. Nasr-ed-din Mirza, born 1896.

The Royal Family is very numerous : there are some thousands of princes and princesses, but the last official year-book only mentioned about a hundred.

The Shah of Persia — by his official title, ' Shahinshah ' (a corruption of Shahan Shah), or King of Kings — was until 1906 absolute ruler within his dominions, and master of the lives and goods of all his subjects. The whole revenue of the country being at their disposal, recent sovereigns of Persia were able to amass a large private fortune, but that of the present occupant of the throne is reported to amount to barely two millions sterling, most of it lepresented by diamonds, the largest, the Derya i Nur, of 186 carats, and the Taj i Mah, of 146 carats, and other precious stones, forming the crown jewels.

The present sovereign of Persia is the seventh of the dynasty of the Kajars, which took possession of the crown after a civil war extending over fifteen years, from* 1779 to 1794. The date of accession of each of the sovereigns of the dynasty was as follows : —

5. Muzaffar-ed-din, son of Nasr- ed-din .... 1896

6. Muhammed Ali, son of Muzaffar-ed-din. . 1907

7. Sultan Ahmed, son of Mu- hammed Ali. . . 1909

1. Agha Muhammed. . 1794

2. Fath Ali, nephew of Agha Muhammed. . . 1797

3. Muhammed, grandson of Fath Ali 1835

4. Nasr-ed-din, son of Muham-

med .... 1848 i

According to the Constitution the Shah mu&t belong to the Shi'ah faith and his successor must be his eldest son, or next male heir in succession, whose mother was a Kajar princess.

Constitution and Government.

The form of government in Persia up to the year 1906 was, in its most important features, similar to that of Turkey. The Shah, within the limita- tions imposed by the Mohammedan religion, was an absolute ruler, generally regarded by the people as the vice-regent of the Prophet. In 1905, however, the Persian people demanded representative institutions, and in January,