Britain and Russia define rival spheres of influence in Persia

A fatwa attributed to Mirza Hasan Shirazi circulated in Iran, forbidding tobacco consumption while the concession remained in force. The boycott linked religious authority with merchants, consumers,...

The government formally cancelled the tobacco concession after months of protest and boycott. The success of the campaign demonstrated the political force of coordinated action across bazaars,...

Mirza Hasan Shirazi issued a follow-up communication after the concession’s withdrawal, ending the prohibition on tobacco use and closing the immediate boycott. The campaign became a precedent for...

Mozaffar al-Din Shah’s government granted British subject William Knox D’Arcy a 60-year oil concession covering most of Iran except five northern provinces. It gave a private concessionaire broad...

After protest, strikes, merchant and clerical mobilization, and a royal sanctuary movement, Mozaffar al-Din Shah decreed an elected National Consultative Assembly. Fundamental Laws followed in...

The D’Arcy enterprise struck a substantial reservoir near Masjed Soleyman in Khuzestan after years of drilling. The discovery accelerated foreign investment and British strategic interest in Iranian...

Forces of Mohammad Ali Shah, including the Persian Cossack Brigade under Russian officer Vladimir Liakhov, shelled parliament in Tehran and suppressed constitutional institutions. The attack began the...

Constitutionalist forces from Tabriz, Gilan, and the Bakhtiari region entered Tehran. Mohammad Ali Shah was deposed and his young son Ahmad Shah succeeded him; constitutional government was...

The agreement proposed British advisers for Iran’s military and finances and a British-arranged loan. Opponents feared it would turn British influence into control over state policy. It faced public...

Cossack forces led by Reza Khan entered Tehran and helped install journalist Seyyed Zia al-Din Tabataba’i as prime minister. British officials had contacts with plotters and British policy shaped...