Amir Kabir

c. 1807 – 10 January 1852

Amir Kabir (Mirza Taghi Khan Farahani, c. 1807-1852) was chief minister of Iran under Naser al-Din Shah Qajar and one of the country's most celebrated reformers. He modernized state finances, curbed court corruption, and founded Dar ul-Funun, Iran's first modern institution of higher education. Dismissed through court intrigue in 1851, he was exiled to Kashan and murdered on the Shah's orders in 1852.

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Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Amir Kabir.

Life events

Born in Hazaveh, Farahan region of Iran
c. 1807

Mirza Taghi Khan was born around 1807 in the village of Hazaveh near Arak, the son of a cook in the household of the Qajar statesman Qa'em Maqam Farahani.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Educated in the household of Qa'em Maqam Farahani
c. 1820

He received his education alongside the children of the statesman Qa'em Maqam Farahani, whose patronage launched his administrative career.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Served on diplomatic mission to Russia
1829

He accompanied the Qajar delegation to Russia sent to apologize for the killing of the Russian envoy Griboyedov, gaining early exposure to European-style institutions.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Led Iranian delegation at the Erzurum negotiations with the Ottoman Empire
1843 – 1847

As chief Iranian negotiator he helped conclude the Treaty of Erzurum of 1847, settling boundary disputes between Iran and the Ottoman Empire.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Appointed chief minister to Naser al-Din Shah
1848 – November 1851

Upon Naser al-Din Shah's accession in 1848, Amir Kabir became his chief minister and launched sweeping reforms of taxation, the army, and the administration.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Married Ezzat od-Dowleh, sister of Naser al-Din Shah
1849

In 1849 he married the Shah's sister Malekzadeh Khanom, Ezzat od-Dowleh, binding him to the royal family.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Founded Dar ul-Funun, Iran's first modern school of higher learning
1851

The polytechnic Dar ul-Funun opened in Tehran in 1851 to teach medicine, engineering, and military science with European instructors.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Dismissed from office and exiled to Kashan
November 1851

Court intrigue led by the queen mother and rival courtiers persuaded the Shah to dismiss Amir Kabir in November 1851 and banish him to Kashan.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Murdered in the Fin Garden bathhouse in Kashan
10 January 1852

On the Shah's orders, Amir Kabir was killed in the bathhouse of the Fin Garden on 10 January 1852.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Death ✓