Nasr Al-Din Shah

Born 1831; died May 1, 1896, in Tehran. In 1848 became shah of Iran (Qajar dynasty).

Nasr al-Din Shah ascended the throne at the onset of the Babi Uprisings of 1848–52 and ruthlessly crushed the revolts. During his rule the European powers expanded their influence in Iran. Nasr al-Din Shah offered British and Russian capitalists telegraph, banking, railroad, and other concessions. In 1892, Iran received a loan from Great Britain, the first of several massive loans that were accompanied by stringent conditions. In retaliation for the shah’s repressive measures against a movement opposing a foreign tobacco concession, Nasr al-Din Shah was assassinated by Mirza Reza Kermani, a member of a secret terrorist organization.