Nasir al-Din Shah

Nasir al-Din Shah

 or Naser od-Din Shah

(born (b. July 17, 1831, Tehran, Iran—died May 1, 1896, Tehran) Qajar dynasty shah of Iran (1848–96) who began his reign as a reformer but became increasingly conservative. Domestically, he curbed the power of the clergy in secular affairs, introduced telegraph and postal services, built roads, opened the first school offering education along Western lines, and launched Iran's first newspaper. Later in his rule, however, he steadfastly refused to deal with the growing pressure for reforms. He granted a series of concessionary rights to foreigners in return for large payments. Foremost among these was a 50-year concession given in 1890 on the purchase, sale, and processing of all tobacco in the country, which led to a national boycott of tobacco and the withdrawal of the concession the following year. The incident—popularly termed the “Tobacco Rebellion”—is often considered to be the origin of modern Iranian nationalism.