Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831-1896

Abbas Amanat

When he was assassinated in 1896, Nasir al-Din Shah had sat on the Peacock Throne for nearly half a century. In this book, the first in English about Nasir al-Din Shah, Abbas Amanat gives us both a biography of the man and an analysis of the institution of monarchy in modern Iran. Amanat poses a fundamental question: how did monarchy, the center-piece of an ancient political order, withstand and adjust to the challenges of modern times, both at home and abroad? Nasir al-Din Shah's life and career, his upbringing and personality, and his political conduct provide remarkable material for answering this question. By examining the way Nasir al-Din Shah was transformed from an insecure crown prince and later an erratic boy-king in the 1840s and 50s into a ruler with substantial control over his government and foreign policy in the 1860s and beyond, Amanat explores a pattern in the consolidation of traditional monarchies as they accommodated themselves to the forces of modernity.

Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831-1896

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Mage Publishers

<p>Packed into all major monotheistic religions is a powerful theological punch: apocalypse. This provocative volume explores how apocalyptic visions have expressed themselves in different ways in Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam. The contributors also consider how Millennialism has expressed itself in a historical context, and why has it has so powerfully excited the human imagination. The essays demonstrate that the apocalyptic legacy of all four traditions has shaped major currents in human history from the rise of new religions to political revolution.<br></p>

Imagining the End: Visions of Apocalypse from the Ancient Middle East to Modern America

Politics & Social Sciences

Magnus Bernhardsson

Social Sciences

I.B.Tauris

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Abbas Amanat. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Abbas Amanat