Abbas Amanat
Pivot of the Universe
Nasir al-Din Shah and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831-1896
$70.00, hardcover
9780520083219
Available Now
532 pages,
April 1997, Not available in British Commonwealth; Include Canada;
Also in: Middle Eastern Studies; Biography
April 1997, Not available in British Commonwealth; Include Canada;
Also in: Middle Eastern Studies; Biography
When he was assassinated in 1896, Nasir al-Din Shah had occupied the Peacock throne for nearly half a century. A colorful, complex figure, he is frequently portrayed as indolent and indulgent. Yet he was in many ways an effective ruler who displayed remarkable resilience in the face of dilemmas and vulnerabilities shared by most monarchs of the Islamic world in the nineteenth century.
The Pivot of the Universe is the first biography of this fascinating monarch. In it Amanat traces Nasir al-Din Shah's transformation from an insecure crown prince, and later an erratic boy-king, to a ruler with substantial control over his government and foreign policy. He provides a vivid picture of the political culture that determined Nasir al-Din Shah's behavior and, ultimately, his conception of government: the mode of succession in an urbanizing nomadic dynasty, the complicated relationships of the harem and his family, and the fatherly role of his guardian-ministers.
Based on extensive research into public and private papers, illustrated with drawings and photographs from the period, this book offers a fresh interpretation both of the significance of Nasir al-Din Shah and the way in which the Iranian monarchy, the centerpiece of an ancient political order, withstood and adjusted to the challenges of modern times.
The Pivot of the Universe is the first biography of this fascinating monarch. In it Amanat traces Nasir al-Din Shah's transformation from an insecure crown prince, and later an erratic boy-king, to a ruler with substantial control over his government and foreign policy. He provides a vivid picture of the political culture that determined Nasir al-Din Shah's behavior and, ultimately, his conception of government: the mode of succession in an urbanizing nomadic dynasty, the complicated relationships of the harem and his family, and the fatherly role of his guardian-ministers.
Based on extensive research into public and private papers, illustrated with drawings and photographs from the period, this book offers a fresh interpretation both of the significance of Nasir al-Din Shah and the way in which the Iranian monarchy, the centerpiece of an ancient political order, withstood and adjusted to the challenges of modern times.
"Abbas Amanat's work is one of the first to utilize primary source materials that have been edited and published over the past 40 years to produce an intricate and detailed study of the period. . . . This historical narration flows smoothly in a style that is rare for books in the field. . . . Our understanding of the Qajar period, and especially of the lives of its shahs, has been hindered by misperceptions. This book makes a significant step toward shedding light on both."—Middle East Journal
"As Amanat shows in this splendidly erudite biography, the shah was no mere cipher, and Amanat has done his subject proud, writing perhaps the most detailed biography yet of any Middle Eastern ruler prior to the twentieth century. . . . While illuminating the cultural milieu which helped to shape Nasir al-Din Shah's personality and political ambitions, Amanat also provides perhaps the best portrait so far of Iran on the eve of wrenching changes. This is a magnificent biography, exhaustively researched and cogently argued, and it will henceforth occupy a central place in studies of nineteenth-century Iran."—International History Review
"This study lucidly demonstrates how much Nasir al-Din's approach to government owed to his understanding of time-honored Iranian traditions of kingship. the depth of Amanat's analysis enables him to place the beginning of this monarch's life in its true historical context. . . . [An] outstanding work."—MESA
"Explores the institution of monarchy in Iran through a biography of the Qajar Dynasty ruler who was assassinated in 1896."—Chronicle of Higher Education
"As Amanat shows in this splendidly erudite biography, the shah was no mere cipher, and Amanat has done his subject proud, writing perhaps the most detailed biography yet of any Middle Eastern ruler prior to the twentieth century. . . . While illuminating the cultural milieu which helped to shape Nasir al-Din Shah's personality and political ambitions, Amanat also provides perhaps the best portrait so far of Iran on the eve of wrenching changes. This is a magnificent biography, exhaustively researched and cogently argued, and it will henceforth occupy a central place in studies of nineteenth-century Iran."—International History Review
"This study lucidly demonstrates how much Nasir al-Din's approach to government owed to his understanding of time-honored Iranian traditions of kingship. the depth of Amanat's analysis enables him to place the beginning of this monarch's life in its true historical context. . . . [An] outstanding work."—MESA
"Explores the institution of monarchy in Iran through a biography of the Qajar Dynasty ruler who was assassinated in 1896."—Chronicle of Higher Education
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