Abdol Majid Mirza

Abdol Majid Mirza Eyn-ed-Dowleh (; 1845 – 2 November 1927), commonly referred to by his title Eyn od-Dowleh, was one of the major leaders of the Minor Tyranny. He led the royalist forces against the constitutionalists in the Siege of Tabriz (1908–1909), during which he deliberately inflicted a famine that led to the deaths of an estimated 100,000 civilians.

Eyn-ed-Dowleh was a staunch conservative and a supporter of absolute monarchy. He was furthermore anti-clerical, anti-liberal and an opposer of Persian Constitutionalism.

Premier of Iran (1904–1906) Eyn-ed-Dowleh as PremierEyn-ed-Dowleh's time as Premier of Iran (1904–1906) unfolded during one of the most delicate phases of Qajar rule, when the monarchy faced mounting internal pressures and external financial constraints. Appointed wazir-e a'zam in January 1904 and confirmed as full premier by September, he stepped into the role after having already served as minister of the interior from 1903. His appointment reflected a deliberate choice by Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar for a figure known for administrative firmness and long experience in provincial governance.

Eyn-ed-Dowleh accompanied the shah on his European journey that summer, leaving day-to-day management to the crown prince, whose handling of Tehran affairs added further.

Tehran Mosque Massacre of 1906 On 11 July 1906, Eyn ed-Dowleh ordered the arrest of the revered preacher Seyyed Mohammad Waez. As royal guards dragged the scholar through the streets, a massive, spontaneous crowd of theology students (tollab), bazaar merchants, and ordinary Muslim citizens swarmed the central government barracks to block his imprisonment. Refusing to negotiate, Eyn ed-Dowleh ordered the military to clear the streets by force. In the ensuing chaos, infantrymen fired a direct volley into the dense, unarmed crowd. A single bullet struck and instantly killed Sayyid Hosein, a young seminary student. Viewing this religious mourning as an act of overt treason against the crown, Eyn ed-Dowleh deployed heavy infantry units to the nearby mosque.

With the arrival of a new detachment of 400 Cossacks, six cannons, and regular tribal cavalry, the camp of Eyn-ed-Dowleh regained vitality. On 16 January 1909, his forces encircled the city. Although their assault was unsuccessful, they managed to impose a siege. Thus, a new and more intense phase of the conflict began.

On 4 February 1909, Eyn-ed-Dowleh completed the siege, and all entry and exit points of the city fell into the hands of the royalist forces . Despite the efforts of the constitutionalists to ration essential goods, including bread, and repeated attempts to break the siege during February and March, the scarcity of supplies worsened and trade collapsed. to less than 100.000 in the course of a year.

The residents of Tabriz were exhausted from the siege, which brought them suffering without delivering the promised results. Groups of impoverished women publicly cursed Sattar Khan and Baqir Khan, instead of blaming the famine on Eyn-ed-Dowleh.

The constitutionalists however declared that they would not surrender. In order to end the resistance, they put forward a set of demands, which included the establishment of a constitutional regime in the country, a general amnesty, the lifting of the royalist’s siege on the city, and the appointment of a new governor to Azerbaijan. Eyn-ed-dowleh resigned shortly after.