Agha Mohammad Khan
Agha Mohammad Khan (1742 – June 17, 1797) was the chief of a Turkic tribe, the Qajars. He became shah of Persia in 1794 and established the Qajar dynasty.
Born in 1742, he was castrated by family enemies at the age of five. Despite being a eunuch, he became the chief of his tribe in 1758. In 1762 he was captured by a rival tribe and sent to Shiraz as a prisoner to Karim Khan's court. Agha Muhammad spent the next 16 years as a hostage, until he escaped in 1779. That same year, the death of the shah Karim Khan plunged the country into a series of civil wars and disputes over the succession, with many members of the Zand dynasty acceding to the Peacock Throne in the space of only ten years. Agha Muhammad took the opportunity to launch a rebellion which, in 1794, succeeded in capturing Lotf Ali Khan, the last Zand ruler. Two years later he proclaimed himself Shahanshah (King of Kings).
In 1795 he ravaged Georgia, a Christian kingdom to the north of Persia. In the same year he also captured Khorasan. Shah Rukh, ruler of Khorasan and grandson of Nadir Shah, was tortured to death because Agha Muhammad thought that he knew of Nadir's legendary treasures.
in 1796 Agha Muhammad moved his capital from Sari to Tehran. He was the first Persian ruler to make Tehran, then only a village, his capital. He successfully expanded Persian influence into the Caucasus, reasserting Iranian sovereignty over its former territories in the region. He was, however, a notoriously cruel ruler and was assassinated in 1797 after about 16 years in power. He was succeeded by his nephew, Fath Ali Shah Qajar.
The Legend has it that at the night of his death, Agha Mohammad Khan orders one of his servants to bring him a melon, but threatens him that should the melon be bitter he would decapitate him; the servant poisons the melon out of fear, thereby killing the Persian shah.
| Preceded by: - | Qajar dynasty 1781–1797 | Succeeded by: Fath Ali Shah Qajar |
| Preceded by: Lotf Ali Khan Zand | King of Persia 1794–1797 |
See also
fa:آقامحمدخان قاجار fr:Agha Mohammad Shah os:Агъа Мухаммад хан