12 Facts About Hassan Taqizadeh

Sayyed Hasan Taqizadeh was an influential Iranian politician and diplomat, of Azerbaijani origin, during the Qajar era under the reign of Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar, as well as the Pahlavi era under the reign of Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza Shah.

Hassan Taqizadeh was a prominent scholar; his studies on Iranian calendars remain reference work up until now.

Hassan Taqizadeh's father, Sayyed Taqi, was a clergyman and when Sayyed Hasan became a mullah, it seemed likely that he would follow in his father's footsteps.

From an early age Hassan Taqizadeh showed interest in enlightened ideas and the Western concept of constitutionalism.

Secretly Hassan Taqizadeh studied French and English for the purpose of becoming acquainted with the Western Age of Enlightenment and modern political thoughts.

Hassan Taqizadeh was then secured safe passage to England where he worked with Edward Granville Browne to lobby parliament for support of the constitutionalist movement.

Shortly after the outbreak of World War I, Hassan Taqizadeh allied with Germany against Russia and Britain.

Under the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi, Hassan Taqizadeh contributed to the formation of the modern Iranian nation-state.

Hassan Taqizadeh described his life as a "tempestuous life", which he later used as the title of his autobiography.

Hassan Taqizadeh's views are not characterised by ideological continuity, but by many breaks in the course of his life, which have contributed to the difficulty of writing a consistent account of his life.

Views vary as to the degree to which Hassan Taqizadeh served the interests of Iran and her people.

Hassan Taqizadeh briefly moved with SOAS to University of Cambridge when SOAS was evacuated to there at the beginning of the World War II.