Fatḥ ʿAlī Shāh | Qajar Dynasty, Expansion, Reforms | Britannica (original) (raw)

Fatḥ ʿAlī Shāh (born 1771—died Oct. 20, 1834, Eṣfahān, Iran) was the shah of Persia (1797–1834) whose reign coincided with rivalry among France, Great Britain, and Russia over eastern affairs.

Strong enough to subdue a rebellion in Khorāsān, he could not defeat the European powers. He became involved in a war with Russia in 1804 concerning the sovereignty of Georgia, whose ruler had transferred his allegiance from Persia to Russia. He purchased peace by abandoning his claim in 1813, after several years of war. He also lost Dagestan and Baku to Russia. In 1826 he took advantage of the recent death of Tsar Alexander I to renew the war but was compelled by the peace of 1828 to make an additional cession of territory, Persian Armenia.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.