The Short-Lived Despotism: A Historical Novel

By Cyrus Mahan

This historical novel depicts the artillery attack ordered by Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar against the Iranian National Parliament during the Constitutional Revolution. On 23 June 1908, units of the Persian Cossack Brigade under the command of Colonel Vladimir Liakhov shelled the Majlis building in Tehran, marking the beginning of a period later known as the Short-Lived Despotism (1908-1909). The bombardment led to the arrest, execution, or exile of constitutionalist leaders and the temporary suspension of constitutional governance. Although the Shah initially succeeded in suppressing parliamentary authority, resistance movements in provincial centers, most notably Tabriz, and Bakhtiary region, mobilized against royal absolutism. Within a year, constitutionalist forces captured Tehran, deposed Mohammad Ali Shah, and restored the constitution. The Shah run from the palace and took refuge in the Russian Embassy. The event remains one of the defining moments of Iran's early twentieth-century struggle between autocratic monarchy and constitutional rule.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1738912566
• ISBN13: 9781738912568
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Canada College Inc.
• Length: 218 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"