Amazon.com: Pivot of the Universe: Nasir al-Din Shah and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831-1896: Abbas Amanat: Books

Review

"Amanat’s book combines formidable scholarship with an understanding of broad historical questions and human interaction. He has created a book that is readable, reliable and full of ideas, which will be a must-read for all interested in Iranian history or in historical comparisons." -- Nikki Keddie, University of California, Los Angeles

"Amanat’s biography of Nasir al-Din Shah sheds profound illumination on the historical development of Iran…He makes his analysis implicit in his eloquent, textured and sensitive narrative. We are given a shah’s-eye view on issues ranging from Ottoman oppression of Shi’ites in Iraq to British imperialism in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. It is both fresh and fascinating." -- Juan Cole, University of Michigan

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
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.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 532 pages
Publisher: University of California Press (April 4, 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0520083210
ISBN-13: 978-0520083219
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,839,503 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
In September 1819 the Qajar ruler of Iran, Fath 'Ali Shah, summoned to the capital his grandson Muhammad Mirza, the twelve-year-old son of crown prince 'Abbas Mirza, to marry him with Malik Jahan, a fourteen-year-old bride of the Quvanlu branch of the ruling dynasty. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
amir kabir, amir nizam, ooo tumans, fallen premier, heir apparency, young shah, late shah, autograph note, foreign envoys, new shah, royal mind, royal harem, neighboring powers, royal wrath, royal camp, royal wishes

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Mirza Taqi Khan, Muhammad Shah, Bahman Mirza, Amir Qasim, Malik Jahan, Qa'im Maqam, Muhammad Mirza, Persian Gulf, Foreign Office, Farhad Mirza, Vazir Nizam, Ottoman Empire, United States, Vagayi'-i Ittifaqiya, Hashim Khan, Mas'ud Mirza, Crimean War, Malkum Khan, Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri, Aqa Muhammad Khan, Sa'id Khan, Dust Muhammad, Hajji Mirza Aqasi, Mahmud Khan, Sulayman Khan

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 41 books:

Qajar Persia by Ann K. S. Lambton on 5 pages
Persia and the Persian Question, Vol. 1 (of 2) by George N Curzon on 4 pages
The Cambridge History of Iran (Volume 6) by Peter Jackson on 4 pages
Karim Khan Zand (Makers of the Muslim World) by John R. Perry in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 7: From Nadir Shah to the Islamic Republic (Volume 7) by Peter Avery on page 170, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)

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9 books cite this book:

Iran and the Rise of the Reza Shah: From Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power by Cyrus Ghani in Front Matter, and Back Matter
For God, Mammon, and Country: A Nineteenth-Century Persian Merchant, Haj Muhammad Hassan Amin al-Zarb (1834-1898) by Shireen Mahdavi in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran by Elaine Sciolino in Back Matter
A Concise History of the Middle East (7th Edition) by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. in Back Matter
Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran by Elaine Sciolino in Back Matter

See all 9 books citing this book

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History revisited, improved, but not tampered with. Bravo!, September 4, 1998

By	History Buff (Woodland Hills, CALIFORNIA United States) - See all my reviews

My compliments to Professor Amanat on this incredible book on the reign of Nasir al- Din Shah Qajar of Iran. What a refreshing new look on this Qajar ruler. Although Professor Amanat's book concentrates on the first half of Nasir al-Din's monarchy, his work is of great historical and academic value to Iranian history. Since the dawn of the Pahlavi Dynasty in the 1920's, Nasir al-Din has always been presented in a vacuum, by a resume style listing of events in his political career. These highlights of Nasir al-Din Shah's monarchy have shaped the popular understanding of this ruler. Most importantly, the killing of, Mirza Taqi Farahani (Amir Kabir), his disliked mother (Malik Jahan, Mahd `Ulya), Nuri, his unpopular premier, the Herat military campaign, the Anglo-Iranian War, the Babi suppression (Baha-i Koshi), foreign intervention in domestic affairs, obsession with Malijak (Aziz-al- sultan), the tobacco concession, and his assassination in 1896. In this book, we finally get to understand Nasir al-Din by learning about his childhood, his world, and his time.

What one learns from reading Professor Amanat's book is that ruling Persia during the age of Europe's Imperial expansion, industrialization, and modernization, Nasir al-Din was able to prove himself quite effectively as an astute diplomat. What he lacked in military might, he made up for in diplomatic wit, playing the great powers against one another (namely Britain and Russia). What has never been acknowledged about him prior to this book is that he fared quite well in his attempt to assure Iranian territorial integrity and independence (preventing the partitioning of Iran).

Professor Amanat does not in any way put Nasir al-Din at par with Peter the Great, Nadir Shah, or Napoleon. He simply fills the vacuum surrounding the psyche, environment, and the character of this King, and presents the reader with a fresh new look on the Nasir-i era. This book is objective and focused on preserving history. It has not re-written history, it has contributed to it greatly. Having read this book, I still do not believe Nasir al-Din was by any measure a great king. In fact his religious beliefs, rooted in predestination, repeatedly resigned him to accept that which was quite unacceptable. Nasir al-Din's personal hero, Peter the Great of Russia, was never as docile as he was. Peter reformed, built, and strengthened his country, while Nasir al-Din Shah, at best, preserved the status quo. As for his capital modernization attempts, the introduction of the telegraph, the purchasing of the four cannon ship Persepolis, and the five mile long railway from Tehran to Shah `Abd al-`Azim, were too little for a reign of 48 years to win him great praise. Great reform at times of weakness is indeed a historical possibility. Peter The Great of Russia set such an example prior to Nasir al-Din, as well as Mustafa Kemal Ataturk of Turkey, two decades after him. Change is facilitated through effective leadership. Let us never forget the praise given to Ataturk when it was written that "the will of the believer, become the creator of miracles."

I recommend Professor Amanat's book highly to anyone interested in history, biography, or nineteenth century imperialism. I give his book five GIANT stars and hope that the professor writes another book covering the second half of Nasir al-Din's reign.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A facinating history of a 19th Century King of Persia, January 27, 1999

By A Customer

Such insight and dedication to perfection is difficult to find. This is a fascinating book on the life of a Qajar Monarch that ruled Persia for one half of the 19th century. You will learn a great deal about how the era of industrial colonialism pushed an otherwise mighty and ancient empire into a defensive position that just keeping the nation in one piece became a major accomplishment. The life of the Nassir Al-Din Shah Qajar is so well depicted in this book that you live in 19th century Iran while reading it. A scholarly work of history by Professor Amanat that is a true contribution to Middle Eastern, Russian, and British History.

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