1908 bombardment of the Majlis

1908 attack in Tehran Bombardment of the Majlis Persian Constitutional Revolution and Russian involvement in the Persian Constitutional Revolution 300px The Majlis parliament building after the bombardement by the Cossack Brigade under the command of Colonel Liakhoff 23 June 1908 Tehran, Qajar Iran *Dissolution of 1st Iranian Majlis Arrest of Constitutionalists Early 20th Century Qajar Flag.svg Qajar IranRussian Empire Persian Cossack Brigade Flag of Persia (1907).svg Parliament Russian Empire Vladimir LiakhovEarly 20th Century Qajar Flag.svg Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar Flag of Persia (1907).svg Esmail Momtaz od-Dowleh Russian Empire Early 20th Century Qajar Flag.svg Around 800 CossacksFarrokh Kaveh Iran at War: 1500–1988 Osprey publishing 20 December 2011 224 978-1-78096-221-4 https://books.google.com/books?id=v6yHCwAAQBAJ Flag of Persia (1907).svg 100 constitutionalists Speaker of majlis Esmail Momtaz od-Dowleh escaped to Paris. In London, he was interviewed about the crisis which was then printed in European newspapers. The 1908 bombardment of the Majlis of Iran (fa به توپ بستن مجلس) took place on 23 June 1908 in Tehran, during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, when the Persian Cossack forces, commanded by Vladimir Liakhov and other Russian officers, bombarded and suppressed the Iranian parliament, the Majlis.Cronin Stephanie The Army and Creation of the Pahlavi State in Iran, 1921-1926 1997 I.B.Tauris 978-1860641053 61 On 23 June the brigade, commanded by Liakhov and the other Russian officers, bombarded and suppressed the Majlis thumb|A number of constitutionalists arrested in the Shah Garden. History Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar, who had ascended the throne on 3 January 1907, opposed the constitution of 1906 that had been ratified during the reign of his father, Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar.Donzel Emeri “van” 1994 Islamic Desk Reference 90-04-09738-4 registration https://archive.org/details/islamicdeskrefer00donz_0 p. 285-286 After his ascension, the Anglo-Russian Convention in August 1907 divided Iran into a Russian sphere of influence in the North, a British sphere of influence in the South, and a neutral zone in the center. The British abandoned the Constitutionalists in favour of the Shah.Mackey, Sandra The Iranians : Persia, Islam and the Soul of a Nation, New York : Dutton, c1996. p.150-55 The Shah later tried to subdue and eliminate the Majles with military and political support from Russia and Britain.BBC Persian thumb|right|The parliament of Iran, 1906 During the constitutional revolution, the Shah confined himself to his residence at the Bagh-e Shah fort in the west of Tehran. He enlisted the help of the Cossack Brigade to control the revolution, leaving the city of Tehran at their mercy.http://www.fouman.com/history/Iranian_History_1908.html Cossack Commander In Charge of Tehran - Russians Bombard Iranian Parliament 2010-10-29 2016-08-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20160826121719/http://www.fouman.com/history/Iranian_History_1908.html dead The loyalty of the Cossack Brigade was fully guaranteed, not only by the previous purge carried out by commander Vladimir Liakhov, but also by the Shah's distribution of a special bonus in 1908.Cronin Stephanie The Army and Creation of the Pahlavi State in Iran, 1921-1926 1997 I.B.Tauris 978-1860641053 61 Liakhov led the force in shelling the Majles and executing several leaders of the Constitutional Movement on 23 June 1908. His forces then plundered the parliament and damaged the building. This event led to the beginning of a period known as the "Minor Tyranny". Liakhov was subsequently made Military Governor of Tehran by the Shah, transforming the city into a military garrison. However, in July 1909, pro-Constitution forces marched from Iran's Azerbaijan province to Tehran. They were able to capture Tehran, depose the Shah in favour of his son, Ahmad Shah Qajar, and re-establish the constitution. Colonel Liakhov and his forces served the Shah until July 1909, when the Shah abdicated and fled to Russia, resulting in the surrender of Liakhov and the Persian Cossack Brigade. Liakhov was pardoned by the Constitutional leaders probably for the fear of a Russian attack and was sent back to Saint Petersburg, where he would be dismissed soon after to serve in the Caucasus campaign of World War I. Gallery See also Triumph of Tehran References Category:Persian Constitutional Revolution Category:20th century in Tehran Category:1908 conflicts Category:History of civil rights and liberties in Iran Category:1908 mass murders Category:1908 in Iran Category:1908 in the Russian Empire Category:Iran–Russia military relations Category:Coups d'état in Iran Category:1st Iranian Majlis Category:Attacks in Tehran Category:Looting in Asia Category:1900s coups d'état Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in the 1900s Category:Attacks on government buildings and structures in Iran Category:Attacks on legislatures in Asia Category:Building bombings in Iran Category:20th-century mass murders in Iran Category:Imperial Russian war crimes Category:Military history of Tehran Category:Self-coups