The Qajar dynasty (also known as Ghajar or Kadjar) is
a common term to describe Iran (then known as
Persia) under the ruling Qajar royal family[1] that
ruled Iran from 1794 to 1925. In 1794, the Qajar family
took full control of Iran as they had eliminated all
their rivals, including Lotf 'Ali Khan, the last of the
Zand dynasty, and had reasserted Persian
sovereignty over the former Iranian territories in
Georgia and the Caucasus. In 1796 Agha Mo?ammad
Khan was formally crowned as shah (emperor or
king). European powers began to see Iran as a
strategic ally in the region, one with whom they could
work to undermine Ottoman power. Russia and Great
Britain were especially interested in establishing
themselves in Iran, which consequently became a
venue for their so-called "great game" of imperial
rivalry. (This term is attributed to Arthur Conolly, who
was an intelligence officer with the British East India
Company's Sixth Bengal Light Cavalry.)[2] Britain and
Iran fought a war in 1856 over territory between Iran
and their Indian empire. Britain also established
control of the Trucial States. In the Anglo-Russian
Agreement of 1907, Britain and Russia (with imperial
hubris) divided their playground into spheres of
influence. The Qazars became economically indebted
to Russia. In 1901, short of money caused by their
own extravagance, they sold a concession to
prospect for oil cheaply to a British engineer. During
the Qajar period, Western science, technology, and
educational methods were introduced into Iran.
Contact with Europe also encouraged a movement in
Iran for the development of democratic institutions
and a constitutional monarchy, which resulted in
mass demonstrations and civil unrest in 1906,
followed reluctantly by the granting of a constitution.
- (MS.2031)
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