Europe also offered an alternative model to the traditional concept and practice of government to which rulers such as Nasir al-Din Shah were accustomed. European impact during the reign of Nasir al-Din Shah was not only limited to military expansion and diplomatic competition between Iran's two powerful neighbors, Russia and Britain.
By examining how he was transformed from an insecure crown prince and, later, an erratic boy-king in the 1840s and 1850s into a ruler with substantial control over his government and foreign policy in the 1860s and beyond, this study attempts to explore a pattern in the consolidation of traditional monarchies that often perpetuated, rather than being hampered by, the forces of modernity. His life reflects dilemmas and vulnerabilities shared by most rulers of the Islamic world in the nineteenth century, though few shared his resilience in facing the hazards and upheavals that characterized the early part of his long reign. How did monarchy, the centerpiece of an ancient political order, withstand and adjust to the challenges of modern times, both international and domestic? Nasir al-Din Shah's life and career, his upbringing and personality, and his political conduct provide remarkable materials for such a study. In this study I have tried to answer a fundamental question. It focuses on the life and times of Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar (1831–1896) during the first phase of his reign between 18. Preface This book is about the institution of monarchy in modern Iran.
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