Qajars

Qajars (or Qajar) refer to the Qajar dynasty and its ruling family, members of the Qajar tribe, a Turkic-speaking group from the Iranian plateau. The dynasty began with Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, who unified Iran and established the Qajar state in 1789 after defeating the Zand dynasty. He moved the capital to Tehran, which remained the capital for much of the dynasty. The Qajars ruled Iran from 1789 to 1925, making them the last native Persian dynasty to rule Iran before the Pahlavis. The early Qajar period saw territorial losses in the Caucasus to Russia after the wars of 1804–1813 and 1826–1828, formalized by the treaties of Gulistan and Turkmenchay.

During the 19th century, the Qajar state implemented limited centralization and modernization but remained autocratic and heavily influenced by foreign powers, notably Britain and Russia. Nasir al-Din Shah (r. 1848–1896) pursued modernization and concessions, culminating in the Tobacco movement of 1891–1892. The Constitutional Revolution of 1905–1907 forced concessions and the creation of a constitution and elected parliament, though the state repeatedly struggled with reform and uprisings. In 1909 Mohammad Ali Shah briefly dissolved the parliament but was deposed after a British-supported constitutionalist victory and the siege of Tehran.

The dynasty’s decline continued into the 20th century, with foreign interventions during World War I and domestic instability. In 1921 a coup led by Reza Khan culminated in the exclusion of the Qajar monarchs from power, and in 1925 Ahmad Shah Qajar was formally replaced by Reza Shah Pahlavi, marking the end of the Qajar dynasty. The Qajars left a legacy of centralized governance attempts, significant modernization projects, and a constitutional framework that shaped later Iranian politics.