History of Modern Iran

In 1873 the Shah embarked on his first tour of Europe. When he returned to his homeland, he found the country in turmoil as word had leaked out of a highly controversial deal concluded with a British businessman.

In 1870 Iran was afflicted by two years of drought. The result was one of the most devastating famines of the modern era; a demographic tragedy in which millions of Iranians died of starvation and disease.

In the wake of the Anglo-Persian war, a new generation of reformers sought to rescue Iran from its seemingly terminal decline. Today we meet two of these young intellectuals and enter the House of Oblivion.

In 1856, Iran seized the city of Herat. Doing so triggered a military response from Britain leading to a one-sided war between the two countries.

In 1852, with the death of Amir Kabir, power in Iran fell into the hands of the Shah and his new vizier, Mirza Agha Khan Nuri. The change in leadership precipitated a change in foreign policy - one which would conclude in a war between Iran and the British empire.

In 1848, the great Iranian statesman Amir Kabir stood ready to transform Iran's fortunes through a program of political and administrative reform. Four years later, he found himself out of power and waiting for his own execution.

Between 1848 and 1850, a new religious movement - 'Bábism' - emerged in Iran. Followers of a Shirazi merchant known as the 'Báb' (the Arabic word for 'gate') believed in the imminent arrival of the Mahdi and a new revelation for mankind. Relations between the Bábis and the Iranian state and religious establishment quickly deteriorated, leading to bloodshed and armed conflict.

In 1848, Muhammad Shah, the King of Kings and Pivot of the Universe, died. Crown Prince Nasir al Din Qajar - a teenager with little experience of governance or politics - prepared to ascend the peacock throne. To do so, he would need the help of his energetic and capable mentor: Amir Kabir.

In the second part of this episode we delve further into the Iran of the 1840s, looking at the country's economy, society, economy and culture.

In 1848, Nasir al Din Qajar became the Shah of Iran. In this episode we explore the country he had inherited.