| Pahlavi | |
| Type: | Royal house |
| Coat Of Arms: | Imperial Coat of Arms of Iran.svg |
| Coat Of Arms Size: | 200px |
| Coat Of Arms Caption: | Arms of dominion of the Shahs, and therefore coat of arms, of Pahlavi Iran from 1932. The emblem of the dynasty is the mountain and sun in the blue circle in the middle. |
| Country: | Imperial State of Iran |
| Origin: | Mazandaran |
| Founder: | Reza Shah |
| Current Head: | Reza Pahlavi |
| Final Ruler: | Mohammad Reza Pahlavi |
| Other Families: | Muhammad Ali dynasty (1941–1948) |
| Motto: | Persian: مرا داد فرمود و خود داور است |
| Motto Trans: | Justice He bids me do, as He will judge me |
The Pahlavi dynasty (Persian: دودمان پهلوی) was the last Iranian royal dynasty that ruled for almost 54 years between 1925 and 1979. The dynasty was founded by Reza Shah Pahlavi, a non-aristocratic Mazanderani soldier[1] in modern times, who took on the name of the Pahlavi language spoken in the pre-Islamic Sasanian Empire to strengthen his nationalist credentials.[2] [3] [4] [5]
The dynasty replaced the Qajar dynasty in 1925 after the 1921 coup d'état, beginning on 14 January 1921 when 42-year-old soldier Reza Khan was promoted by British General Edmund Ironside to lead the British-run Persian Cossack Brigade.[6] About a month later, under British direction, Reza Khan's 3,000-4,000 strong detachment of the Cossack Brigade reached Tehran in what became known as the 1921 Persian coup d'état.[7] The rest of the country was taken by 1923, and by October 1925 the Majlis agreed to depose and formally exile Ahmad Shah Qajar. The Majlis declared Reza Pahlavi as the new Shah of Iran on 12 December 1925, pursuant to the Persian Constitution of 1906.[8] Initially, Pahlavi had planned to declare the country a republic, as his contemporary Atatürk had done in Turkey, but abandoned the idea in the face of British and clerical opposition.[9]
The dynasty ruled Iran for 28 years as a form of constitutional monarchy from 1925 until 1953, and following the overthrow of the elected prime minister, for a further 26 years as a more autocratic monarchy until the dynasty was itself overthrown in 1979.
In 1878, Reza Khan was born at the village of Alasht in Savadkuh County, Mazandaran Province. His parents were Abbas Ali Khan and Noushafarin Ayromlou.[10] [11] His mother was a Muslim immigrant from Georgia (then part of the Russian Empire),[12] [13] whose family had emigrated to mainland Qajar Iran after Iran was forced to cede all of its territories in the Caucasus following the Russo-Persian Wars several decades prior to Reza Shah's birth.[14] His father was a Mazandarani, commissioned in the 7th Savadkuh Regiment, and served in the Anglo-Persian War in 1856.
| Name | Portrait | Family relations | Lifespan | Entered office | Left office | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahs of Iran | ||||||||
| 1 | Son of Abbas Ali | 1878–1944 | 15 December 1925 | 16 September 1941 (Abdication) | ||||
| 2 | Son of Reza Shah | 1919–1980 | 16 September 1941 | 11 February 1979 (Iranian Revolution) | ||||
| In pretence | ||||||||
| 1 | Son of Reza Shah | 1919–1980 | 11 February 1979 | 27 July 1980 (Death) | ||||
| — | Wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi | 1938– | 27 July 1980 | 31 October 1980 | ||||
| 2 | Son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi | 1960– | 31 October 1980 | Incumbent | ||||
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tadj ol-Molouk | Teymūr Khan Ayromlou | 1896 | 1916 | 15 December 1925 | 16 September 1941 husband's abdication | 1982 | Reza Shah | |
| Esmat Dowlatshahi | Gholam Ali Mirza Dowlatshahi | 1905 | 1923 | 1995 | ||||
| Princess Fawzia of Egypt | Fuad I of Egypt | 1921 | 1939 | 16 September 1941 | 17 November 1948 divorced | 2013 | Mohammad Reza Shah | |
| Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary | Khalil Esfandiary-Bakhtiary | 1932 | 12 February 1951 | 15 March 1958 divorced | 2001 | |||
| Farah Diba | Sohrab Diba | 1938 | 21 December 1959 | 11 February 1979 husband's deposition | Alive | |||
The former constitution of Iran specifically provided that only a male who was not descended from Qajar dynasty could become the heir apparent.[15] This made all half-brothers of Mohammad Reza ineligible to become heirs to the throne.[15] Until his death in 1954, the Shah's only full brother Ali Reza was his heir presumptive.[15]
The constitution also required the Shah to be of Iranian descent, meaning that his father and mother are Iranian.[16]
| Name | Portrait | Relationship to monarch | Became heir | Ceased to be heir; reason | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office vacant from 15 December 1925 to 24 April 1926 | |||||||
| 1 | Eldest son | 25 April 1926[17] | 16 September 1941 (Became king) | ||||
| Office vacant from 16 September 1941 to 26 October 1967 | |||||||
| 2 | Eldest son | 1 November 1960 (Proclaimed) ----26 October 1967 (Designated) | 11 February 1979 (Father deposed) | ||||
See main article: Pahlavi Crown, Empress Crown and Iranian Crown Jewels.
See main article: Mausoleum of Reza Shah and Shahyad Tower.
Emperor, followed by Shâhanshâh of Iran, with style His Imperial Majesty
Shahbânu or Empress, followed by first name, followed by "of Iran", with style Her Imperial Majesty