Malek Jahan Khanom (Persian: ملک‌جهان خانم; 26 February 1805 – 2 April 1873) was the wife of Mohammad Shah Qajar of Persia and the mother of Naser al-Din Shah.[1] She was the de facto regent of Persian Empire for one month, from 5 September until 5 October in 1848, between the death of her husband and the accession to the throne of her son.

Malek Jahan Khanom
Mahd-e Olia
Regent of Persia
Regency5 September – 5 October 1848
PredecessorMohammad Shah Qajar
SuccessorNaser al-Din Shah Qajar
PremierHaji Mirza Aqasi
Queen consort of Persia
Tenure23 October 1834 – 5 September 1848
BornMalek Jahan Khanom Qajar Qovanlou
(1805-02-26)26 February 1805
Tehran, Persia
Died2 April 1873(1873-04-02) (aged 68)
Tehran, Persia
SpouseMohammad Shah Qajar
Issue
Names
Malek Jahan Khanom, Mahd-e Olia
DynastyQajar
FatherAmir Mohammad Ghassem Khan Qajar Qovanlou
MotherPrincess Begom Jan Khanom Qajar
ReligionShia Islam

Life

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Early life

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Malek Jahan Khanom was an Iranian princess of the Qajar dynasty by both birth and marriage. By birth, being the daughter of Amir Mohammad Qassem Khan Qajar Qovanlou 'Amir Kabir' and Princess Begom Jan Khanom Qajar, she was the granddaughter of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar of Persia. Her paternal grandfather was the powerful Qajar commander Amir Soleyman Khan Qajar Qovanlou 'Amir Kabir' 'Nezam od-Doleh' 'Etezad od-Doleh' and her paternal grandmother was a princess of the Zand dynasty.[2]

Marriage

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Malek Jahan Khanom (middle), Naser al-Din Shah (her son, the fourth Shah of Qajar dynasty, left), and Ezzat ed-Dowleh (her daughter, right). The photo was taken before 1874.
 
An illuminated marriage contract of Malik Jahan Khanum, grand-daughter of Fath Ali Shah to Mirza Muhammad Hassan, Persia, Qajar, dated 1833-4

She was married at a young age to her cousin, Mohammad Shah Qajar of Persia (reign 1834–1848).[3] Her husband married about fifteen women during his lifetime, but she was one of his earliest wives. She held prestige within the harem for several reasons: because of her seniority among the Shah's wives; because she was a member of the family by birth and therefore well-networked and well-versed in their ways; because she bore her husband as many as five children (two of whom reached adulthood) and most of all because she was the mother of the crown prince.

Her only surviving son, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, would succeed his father to the throne of Persia.[3] Her title Mehd-i-aulia or Mehd-e-olia means "Sublime Cradle" and this title was generally bestowed on the mother of the heir apparent.[3]

Widowhood

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As widow, she was the de facto regent of Persian Empire for one month, from 5 September until 5 October in 1848, between the death of her husband and the accession to the throne of her son.

As queen mother, she exerted considerable political influence during the reign of her son from 1848 until her death in 1873.[3] She is described as a strong personality and politically gifted.[3] Strongly rooted in family and clan networks, she tended to favour and support the Qajar nobility rather than merited commoners, partly also perhaps because members of the Qajar family and clan had much better access to her as compared to outsiders.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "مادر ناصرالدین شاه / عکس" [Nasser al-Din Shah's mother / Photo]. jomhouriat.ir (in Persian). پایگاه خبری تحلیلی جمهوریت Republic Analytical News Base. 2014-08-24. Archived from the original on 2015-07-06.
  2. ^ Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn, Leonardus Alexander Ferydoun (2011). "Genealogy of the Qajar Qovanlou Family: a First Draft, Qajar Studies X-XI". Journal of the International Qajar Studies Association. Rotterdam/Santa Barbara/Tehran: 197–259. ISSN 1572-0993.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Iran Heads of State". Worldwide Guide To Women in Leadership. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
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