Mirza Ali Asghar Khan Amin al-Soltan

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Ali Asghar Khan
علی‌اصغر خان
Mirza Ali Asghar Khan Atabak.jpg
3rd Prime Minister of Iran
In office
1 May 1907 – 31 August 1907
MonarchMohammad Ali Shah Qajar
Preceded bySoltan-Ali Vazir-e Afkham
Succeeded byAhmad Moshir al-Saltaneh
Premier of Iran
In office
13 March 1887 – 23 November 1896
Preceded by
Succeeded by
In office
1 June 1898 – 24 January 1904
Preceded by
Succeeded byAbdol Majid Mirza
Personal details
Born6 January 1858
Tehran, Iran
Died31 August 1907(1907-08-31) (aged 49)
Tehran, Iran
Cause of deathAssassination
Resting placeFatima Masumeh Shrine

Mirza Ali Asghar Khan (Persian: میرزا علی‌اصغر خان‎; 6 January 1858 – 31 August 1907), also known by his honorific titles of Amin al-Soltan and Atabak, was the last prime minister of Iran under Naser al-Din Shah Qajar.

Early life[]

Ali Asghar was born on 6 January 1858. He was the second son of Agha Ebrahim, an influential court minister of Georgian origin.[1][2] When Ali Asghar was 15 years old, he began helping his father in politics. The next year, Ali Asghar and his father accompanied Naser al-Din Shah to his pilgrimage to the holy Shi'a cities of Najaf, Karbala, Kadhimiya, and Samarra.

When Ali Asghar returned to his native Tehran, he was promoted to commander of the royal escort cavalry, and in the following years continued to rise to higher offices, eventually being promoted to the treasurer of the army. After the death of his father in 1883, he received the latter's honorific title "Amin al-Soltan" and became the Justice Minister. A few years later he received the title of "Atabak" and took over the post of Prime Minister.[3]

Exile and return[]

After Naser's assassination in 1896, Ali Asghar helped by securing the throne and its secure transfer to his son, Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar. In November 1896, Ali Asghar was dismissed from his prime minister office by Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar.[4] Ali Asghar then initially retired to Qom, later traveled through Russia to China and Japan, and then emigrated to Switzerland.[5][6] During the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, the new Qajar king Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar invited Ali Asghar back to Iran.

Although Ali Asghar had many who opposed him, he also had supporters in major Iranian cities such as Qazvin, Rasht, and his native Tehran. He was shortly appointed by Mohammad Ali Shah as the Prime Minister of Iran. At the time of Ali Asghar's re-appointment as prime minister, Iran was in chaos: the state owed money to the people who served them; British-Russian rivalry over Iran; Ottoman incursions on the west Iranian borders; and devastating rebellions. Ali Asghar managed to quickly stop the Ottomans, and also tried to make stability fix the financial problems in Iran.

Ali Asghar was assassinated in the front of the Iranian Parliament on August 31, 1907.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Rahimi, MalekMohammad. Gorji haye Iran. Esfahan: Yekta, (2000). (The Georgians of Iran)
  2. ^ Amanat: AMĪN-AL-SOLṬĀN, ĀQĀ EBRĀHĪM. Encyclopedia Iranica, 1989, pp. 949–951.
  3. ^ Cyrus Ghani: Iran and the rise of Reza Shah. I.B. Tauris, 1998, p. 5.
  4. ^ Abdollah Mostofi: The administrative and social history of the Qajar period. Vol. II. Mazda Publishers, 1997, p. 347.
  5. ^ Abdul Ali Masumi: Enghelab Mashruteh. Nonyad Rezaiha, 2006, p. 72. ISBN 2-916531-03-3
  6. ^ The administrative and social history of the Qajar period. Vol. II. Mazda Publishers, 1997, p. 378.

Sources[]

  • Rahimi, MalekMohammad. Gorji haye Iran. Esfahan: Yekta, (2000). (The Georgians of Iran)
  • Cyrus Ghani: Iran and the rise of Reza Shah. From Qajar collapse to Pahlavi rule. I. B. Tauris, London u. a. 1998, ISBN 1-86064-258-6, S. 78.
  • Amanat, A. (1989). "AMĪN-AL-SOLṬĀN, ĀQĀ EBRĀHĪM". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 9. pp. 949–951.
Political offices
Preceded by
 Premier of Iran
1887–1896 		Vacant
Title next held by
Preceded by
 Premier of Iran
1898–1904 		Succeeded by
Abdol Majid Mirza
Preceded by
Mirza Nasrullah Khan 		Prime Minister of Iran
1907 		Succeeded by
Mohammad Vali Khan Tonekaboni
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