Esmat Dowlatshahi

Esmat Dowlatshahi
Spouse Reza Shah (m. 1923 – death 1944)
Mohsen Rais
Issue Abdul Reza Pahlavi
Ahmad Reza Pahlavi
Mahmoud Reza Pahlavi
Fatimeh Pahlavi
Hamid Reza Pahlavi
House Qajar dynasty (by birth)
Pahlavi dynasty (by marriage)
Father Prince Gholam Ali Mirza Dowlatshahi
Born 1904
Tehran, Iran
Died 24 July 1995 (aged 90–91)
Tehran, Iran
Burial Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, Tehran

Esmat Dowlatshahi (1904 – 24 July 1995) was an Iranian aristocrat and the fourth and last spouse of Reza Shah.

Early life

Dowlatshahi was born in 1904.[1][2] She was a member of the Qajar dynasty.[3] Her parents were cousins.[4] Her father was Gholam Ali Mirza "Mojalal Dowleh" Dowlatshahi (1878–1934).[5] Her mother was Mobtahedj-od-Dowleh, daughter of Ebtehadj Saltaneh and Abou Nasr Mirza "Hessam Saltaneh II".[4] Her paternal grandfather was Hessam-Saltaneh I.[4] She had two brothers and one sister.[6] Mehrangiz Dowlatshahi, member of the Majlis and Iranian ambassador, was her cousin.[7]

Marriage

Tomb of Esmat Dolatshahi (2nd from the left) in Behesht-e Zahrā cemetery

Princess Esmat Dowlatshahi and Reza Shah wed in 1923.[7][8] She was his fourth, last and favourite wife.[9][10] Reza Shah was the minister of war when they married.[7] From this marriage five children were born: Abdul Reza, Ahmad Reza, Mahmoud Reza, Fatimeh and Hamid Reza Pahlavi.[3] When Dowlatshahi's husband became Shah of Iran in 1925, she became queen consort,[2] which she held until 1941 when her husband was deposed.

Dowlatshahi and Reza Shah lived in the Marble palace in Tehran with their children.[9] She accompanied her husband to Mauritius who exiled there in September 1941, and returned to Iran after a few months.[11] Following Reza Shah's death, Dowlatshahi married Mohsen Rais.[12]

Later life and death

Dowlatshahi stayed in Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.[11] She died on 24 July 1995.[13] She was buried in the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, Tehran.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Esmat Dowlatshahi". GeneaNet. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Esmat Dowlatshahi – (1904 – 1995)". A Bit of History. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Qajars (Kadjars) and the Pahlavis". Qajar Pages. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Dowlatshahi-Qajar (Kadjar)". Qajar Pages. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Dowlatshahi family". Qajar Pages. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "The Qajar Dynasty (Dowlatshahi, Jalali)". Royal Ark. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Camron Michael Amin (1 December 2002). The Making of the Modern Iranian Woman: Gender, State Policy, and Popular Culture, 1865-1946. University Press of Florida. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-8130-3126-2. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  8. ↑ Cyrus Ghani (6 January 2001). Iran and the Rise of the Reza Shah: From Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power. I.B.Tauris. p. 425. ISBN 978-1-86064-629-4. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Diana Childress (2011). Equal Rights Is Our Minimum Demand: The Women's Rights Movement in Iran 2005. Twenty-First Century Books. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-7613-7273-8. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  10. ↑ "Iranian Princess Fatemeh Pahlavi". Beaver Country Times (London). 2 June 1987. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jangravi, Mehdi. "Reza Shah's Wives". Institute for Iranian Studies. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "The Qajar Dynasty (Firouz, Farmanfarmaian, Farman-Farmaian, and Mossadeq)". Royal Ark. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  13. ↑ "Reza Shah Pahlavi". Iran Chamber Society. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery". Harmsen. Retrieved 1 August 2013.