Abd-Al Majid Mirza Eyn-ed-Dowleh (; 1845 â 2 November 1927), commonly referred to by his title Eyn-ed-Dowleh, was a Qajar prince who served as the 20th and last grand vizier of Iran from 1904 till 1906 and then as the 10th prime minister of Iran in 1915 and from 1917 till 1918. However, he is most notable as the governor-general of Azerbaijan during the Minor Tyranny, where he led the royalist forces against the constitutionalists in the Siege of Tabriz (1908âÂÂ1909).
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.
Abd-Al Major Mirza Eyn-ed-Dowleh was born in 1845 in Tehran to Prince Soltan-Ahmad Mirza Azod od-Dowleh, the 49th son of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar(<abbr>r.</abbr>âÂÂ1797âÂÂ1834). He was of partial Georgian descent through his paternal grandmother, Taj ol-Dowleh .
He was educated by a private tutor but his lack of academic motivation led to his removal from Dar al-Fonun (the Tehran Polytechnic). He was then sent to Tabrëz to the crown princeâÂÂs service where he learnt administrative skills and calligraphy. He was proud of his royal descent and renowned for his haughtiness, ostentatiousness, extortions, and meanness. Reportedly, he was a hot-tempered, rude, and greedy courtier.
In 1872 he married one of the crown princeâÂÂs daughters, Anës-al-dawla, who died without giving him any children. His only son was from a temporary (ṣëḡa) wife.
Eyn-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.
The country was burdened by heavy debts to the Russian Empire, currency depreciation, and the economic ripple effects of the Russo-Japanese War. Eyn-ed-Dowleh responded with a series of practical measures: he enforced stricter budgetary discipline at court, continued the customs reforms introduced by the Belgian advisor Joseph Naus (which had demonstrably increased revenue in previous years), and introduced additional levies on certain urban trades-measures.
He maintained close coordination with Russian representatives, seeing their support as a necessary counterweight to British influence and a means of preserving central authority amid growing provincial unrest. In Tehran, under his direction, the governor Ala al-Dowleh applied rigorous enforcement against market irregularities, including public punishments for alleged profiteering, to stabilize prices and supply chains during a time of scarcity.
During his time as premier, the Constitutional Revolution gradually intensified, driven by a combination of economic grievances, resentment toward foreign advisors, and broader calls for institutional change. Demonstrations in 1905 led to a significant bast at Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine, where large numbers of merchants and ulama demanded reforms, including the removal of certain officials and the creation of a house of justice.
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.
After the bombardment of the Majlis (June, 1908) and the intensification of the resistance at Tabrëz, Eyn-ed-Dowleh was sent to Azerbaijan (Iran) as governor to quell the Siege of Tabriz (1908âÂÂ1909), which was started by Sattar Khan and Baqir Khan.
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 January 16, 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 February 4, 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. The food shortage became so dire that people began eating grass due to hunger. Consequently, a significant number of people died of starvation.
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 royalistâÂÂs siege on the city, and the appointment of a new governor to Azerbaijan. Eyn-ed-dowleh resigned shortly after.