Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar

Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar
Shah
Portrait of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, 1820.
Shah of Iran
Reign	1789 – 17 June 1797
Coronation	March 1796
Predecessor	Lotf Ali Khan
Successor	Fath-Ali Shah Qajar
Vizier	Hajji Ebrahim Shirazi
Born	14 March 1742 Astarabad, Persia
Died	17 June 1797 (aged 55) Shusha, Persia
Burial	Imam Ali Mosque
Spouse	Maryam Khanom
Issue	None
Names Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar Regnal name Agha Mohammad Shah
Dynasty	Qajar dynasty
Father	Mohammad Hasan Khan Qajar
Mother	Jeeran Khanum
Religion	Twelver Shia Islam
Tughra

Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (Persian: آقامحمدخان قاجار, romanized: Âqâ Mohammad Xân-e Qâjâr; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (آقا محمد شاه, Âghâ Mohammad Šâh), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as Shah. Originally a chieftain of the Quwanlu branch of the Qajar tribe, Agha Mohammad Khan was enthroned as the king of Iran in 1789, but was not officially crowned until March 1796, having deposed Lotf Ali Khan of the Zand dynasty in 1794. Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar was famously the eunuch Monarch, being castrated as a toddler upon his capture by Adel Shah Afshar, and hence was childless. He was assassinated on 17 June 1797, and was succeeded by his nephew, Fath-Ali Shah Qajar.

Agha Mohammad Khan's reign is noted for the return of a centralized and unified Iran and for relocating the capital to Tehran, where it still stands today. He is noted for his cruel and rapacious behavior, particularly during his Georgia and Kerman campaigns. However, he is also viewed as a pragmatic, calculating, and shrewd military and political leader.^[1]