Napoleon III

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte

Famous As: Emperor Of The Second French Empire

Nationality: French

Birth Date: April 20, 1808

Died At Age: 64

Sun Sign: Aries

Born In: Paris, France

Father: Louis Bonaparte

Mother: Hortense De Beauharnais

Siblings: Napoleon Louis Bonaparte, Napoleon Charles Bonaparte, Charles De Morny, Duke Of Morny

Spouse/Partner: Eugénie De Montijo (M. 1853–1873)

Children: Napoléon, Prince Imperial, Eugène Bure, Alexandre Bure

Religion: Roman Catholic Church

Died On: Janaury 9, 1873

Place Of Death: Chislehurst

Founder/Co-Founder: Compagnie Générale Des Eaux, École Centrale De Lille

Napoleon III was the Emperor of the Second French Empire from 1852-70. Prior to becoming the emperor, he had served as the President of the French Second Republic, becoming the first Head of State of France to hold the title President. As the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, he ascended to the throne on 2 December 1852, the day marking the 48th anniversary of his uncle's coronation. He was an authoritarian ruler and the initial years of his administration were especially harsh. In order to establish himself as a powerful ruler to be feared, he had thousands of citizens imprisoned or sent away from the country. Unable to bear the harshness of his regime, many others voluntarily went into exile. Eventually the emperor softened his political stance and his government came to be known as the “Liberal Empire” during the 1860s. This also prompted many of his opponents to return to France and join the National Assembly. Today, he is best remembered for his grand reconstruction of Paris and efforts to establish French influence in Europe and around the 

Childhood & Early Life

• Napoleon III was born as Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte on the night of 20–21 April 1808 in Paris, France. He was the third son of Louis Bonaparte, the King of Holland, and Hortense de Beauharnais, the stepdaughter of Napoleon I through his wife Joséphine de Beauharnais.
  
• His parents, whose marriage was primarily a political alliance, had a difficult relationship and often lived separately. He was baptized at the Palace of Fontainebleau on 5 November 1810 where Emperor Napoleon served as his godfather.
  
• Following the defeat of Emperor Napoleon at Waterloo, all members of the Bonaparte family were sent into exile. Thus Charles-Louis spent most of his early years in exile, traveling between Switzerland, Germany, and Italy.
  
• He received some of his education at the gymnasium school at Augsburg, Bavaria, in Germany. He was also tutored by eminent scholars at home. Philippe Le Bas, the son of a revolutionary, taught the young boy French history and radical politics.

Presidency

• In 1831, Louis-Napoleon’s cousin Duke of Reichstadt—Napoleon I’s only son—died. Since neither Louis-Napoleon’s father, Louis, nor his uncle, Joseph, were interested in taking the title, Louis-Napoleon became the heir to the Imperial Crown.
  
• Over the ensuing years, he twice tried to seize power by force but was unsuccessful both the times. In his first attempt in 1836, he faced considerable resistance from King Louis-Philippe I of France who first had him imprisoned and then sent into exile to the United States. He later went to Switzerland, before eventually moving to England. He spent his years in exile plotting how to seize power in France.
  
• Following his second unsuccessful attempt to seize power in 1840, he was arrested and imprisoned in the fortress of Ham in the Somme. However, he managed to escape in 1846 and travelled to England once again. In July the same year, his father died, making Louis-Napoleon the clear heir to the Bonaparte dynasty.
  
• The French Revolution broke out in 1848, and King Louis-Philippe abdicated as a result of growing opposition within his own government and army. On hearing of the revolution, Louis-Napoleon returned to France but was sent back by the provisional government.
  
• By this time, he had built quite a sizeable following in France and was nominated for candidacy by his followers in the French presidential election in 1848. In his election campaigns, he proclaimed his support for "religion, the family, property, the eternal basis of all social order."
  
• He emerged successful in the elections which were held on 10–11 December, winning 74.2 percent of votes cast. Thus he was sworn in as the First President of the French Second Republic on 20 December 1848. According to the constitution of 1848, he was supposed to step down at the end of his term.
  
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Accession & Reign

• Not willing to step down, Louis-Napoleon tried to change the constitution in order to run again in 1851 but the Legislative Assembly refused. Thus on 2 December 1851, Louis Napoleon organized a coup d’état, proclaimed the dissolution of the National Legislative Assembly, and announced new elections.
  
• Later that month, he held a referendum, asking the voters if they approved of the coup or not. A majority—76%--of the voters accepted the coup. A year later, he asked the French citizens to accept the return of the Imperial regime. The response was once again favourable, and thus Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte became Emperor Napoleon III on 2 December 1852, as the ruler of the Second French Empire.
  
• As the emperor, Napoleon III was very much interested in the modernization and development of France. He initiated the process of industrial and trade reforms to boost the economy. As the first step, he launched a series of massive public works projects in Paris in order to improve the transportation, sanitation, water supply, and medical facilities in the city.
  
• He built new railway stations, ports, shipping lines, parks, gardens, theatres, hospitals and educational institutes. He felt strongly about social causes and implemented a series of social reforms aimed at improving the life of the working class. He also gave impetus to girls’ education.
  
• He aimed to make France a very powerful empire in Europe and wanted to expand the territories under his rule. For this he sought to strengthen France’s ties with her allies. The Crimean War started in 1854 and Napoleon III allied France with Britain and the Ottoman Empire against Russia. Their alliance won the war, and as a result, France was able to increase her influence in Europe.
  
• Buoyed by this success, he attempted to capture territories in other regions as well. He made numerous attempts between 1861 and 1867 to conquer Mexico albeit unsuccessfully. However, he was still able to expand the French colonial empire under him. He annexed several countries in Africa, including Senegal and Algeria.
  
• France prospered under his rule. By the 1860s, his infrastructural and fiscal policies had brought about dramatic changes to the country’s economy and society. He opened France’s first public school libraries and made education more accessible to girl students.
  
• During his rule, the industrial production increased by 73%--growing at double the rate as that of the United Kingdom. As trade and industry thrived, the exports grew by sixty percent between 1855 and 1869. Agricultural production also greatly increased as a result of the adoption of new farming techniques.
  
• In spite of all the economic progress the country was making, disillusionment was brewing within his own government. While his policies supported certain industries, many businessmen, particularly in the metallurgical and textile industries, were not very happy with his policies as they brought British products in direct competition with their own. His expensive public works projects also led to rapidly mounting government debts.
  
• During the later years of his regime, the French army became weaker and the nation no longer had any ties with powerful allies. These factors, combined with Napoleon III’s failing health put France at a vulnerable position.
  
• In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War started. France entered the war with a weakened army and without allies. The Second French Empire of Napoleon III was pitted against the German states of the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia.
  
• From the very beginning, the German coalition was much stronger than the French forces. They mobilised their troops more quickly than the French and wasted no time in invading north-eastern France. The German forces were superior to the French in many aspects and soon the French defeat became inevitable.
  
• Following the Siege of Metz and the Battle of Sedan, Napoleon III was captured by the German forces. Following the decisive victory of the Germans, the Third French Republic was proclaimed in Paris.

Major Works

• Emperor Napoleon III is best known for his grand reconstruction of Paris which was directed by his prefect of the Seine, Georges-Eugène Haussmann. The program included building of wide avenues, demolition of neighbourhoods deemed unhealthy by officials, construction of better roads, parks, and public utilities. The massive project continued from 1853-70.
  
• He played a major role in modernizing the French economy which lagged far behind that of the United Kingdom and Germany. Under his regime, promotion of industry and trade was given utmost priority and he brought about several economic reforms to boost the industrial growth of the French economy.
  
• He prioritized the development of better transportation facilities. During his reign, new shipping lines and ports were created in Marseille and Le Havre, which connected France by sea to Latin America, the USA, the Far East, and North Africa. In the 1870s France possessed the second-largest maritime fleet in the world, only behind England.
  

Personal Life & Legacy

• Napoleon III was known to be a womaniser. He had been involved with many women by the time he became the emperor. Once coming to power, he started looking for a suitable woman to marry and produce an heir.
  
• After his proposals were rejected by a few royal families, he finally found his bride in Eugénie du Derje de Montijo, 16th Countess of Teba and 15th Marquise of Ardales, who he wed in 1853.
  
• In 1856, his wife gave birth to a son and heir-apparent, Napoleon, Prince Imperial. Napoleon III, however, continued his womanising ways despite being married while his wife performed all her imperial duties faithfully.
  
• In 1871, Napoleon III, who was at that time in German captivity, was released. He then moved to England where he spent his last years. During this period his health declined rapidly and he had surgery to remove bladder stones. His health continued to fail and he died on January 9, 1873, in Chislehurst, London, England.

Kublai khan

Quick Facts

Famous As: Founder Of The Yuan Dynasty In Mongolia And China,

Nationality: Mongolian

Birth Date: September 23, 1215

Died At Age: 78

Sun Sign: Virgo

Born In: Mongolia

Father: Tolui

Mother: Sorghaghtani Beki

Siblings: Möngke Khan, Hulagu Khan, Ariq Böke

Spouses/Partners: Nambui (M. 1286–1294), Chabi (M. ?–1281)

Children: Zhenjin

Religion: Buddhist

Died On: February  18, 1294

Place Of Death: Khanbaliq

Kublai khan was a Mongol emperor who founded the Yuan or Mongol dynasty in Mongolia and China, and became the first emperor to rule over this dynasty in a reign that lasted from 1260 to 1294. A grandson of Genghis Khan, he is considered to be the greatest of the Mongol emperors after his illustrious grandfather. As the emperor of the Mongol dynasty, he was also the overlord of all the Mongol dominions that covered areas in Southern Russia and Persia. However, his real power was limited to China and Mongolia, and he was the first non-Han Emperor to conquer all of China. Kublai Khan was well known for his acceptance of different religions and he reorganized the government, establishing three separate branches to deal with civilian affairs, to supervise the military, and to keep a check on major officials. He greatly supported trade, science and arts and introduced the use of paper money in his empire to facilitate trade dealings. He established effective transportation systems within the empire, and ordered the creation of a new alphabet for the Mongol language. A much respected ruler, his reign lasted for over three decades over the period of which he established a vast, thriving empire. His death in 1294 marked the ending of an important era in Chinese history

Childhood & Early Life

• He was born on 23 September 1215. He was the son of Tolui and Sorghaghtani Beki,. His grandfather was the great Genghis Khan, the founder and emperor of the Mongol Empire. At the behest of Genghis Khan, Kublai’s mother chose a Buddhist Tangut woman as her son’s nurse.
• During his early years, he was strongly attracted to contemporary Chinese culture and invited Haiyun, the leading Buddhist monk in North China to Mongolia to teach him the philosophy of Buddhism.

Accession & Reign

• After the Mongol-Jin War in 1236 Kublai received an estate of his own, which included 10,000 households. Because of his inexperience, he let the local officials have their way which resulted in widespread corruption. He immediately implemented reforms to set the affairs of the state right.
• His elder brother Mongke became the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire in 1251 and Kublai was given control over Chinese territories in the eastern part of the empire. He organized a group of Chinese advisers to introduce reforms in his territories.
• He was also entrusted with the responsibility of unifying China under the Mongol empire. Mongke put him in command of the Eastern Army in 1258 and asked him to assist with an attack on Sichuan. However, Mongke was killed while leading an expedition into Western China in 1259 and Kublai was elected as Mongke’s successor in 1260.
• His younger brother Ariq Boke raised troops to fight Kublai for the throne and the warfare between the brothers resulted in the destruction of the Mongolian capital at Karakorum. A bitter war continued between the two for years before Ariq Boke finally surrendered to Kublai in 1264.
• Under Kublai Khan’s administration, the government was re-organized and a new capital city was constructed at present-day Peking, China, in 1267. The initial years of his rule were marked by political instability and threats from invaders though he stabilized his empire within a few years.
• He was particularly famous for his acceptance of all religions. He promoted science, art, and trade, leading to the economic, scientific and cultural development of his empire. He focused on building effective infrastructural facilities and transportation systems, thus earning the goodwill and respect of his people.
• Once he strengthened his administration in northern China, he focused on expanding his empire. He undertook several expeditions over the course of which he conquered vast areas of land including Xiangyang which he captured after the key Battle of Xiangyang. In 1271, he proclaimed his own dynasty under the title of Da Yuan, or Great Origin. Eventually he also captured Hangzhoum, the wealthiest city of China.
• His government started facing financial difficulties after 1279 and his future expeditions were no longer as successful as his past expeditions. His invasion of Japan, Annam, Champa, and Java were all met with failures. Most of his future campaigns were plagued with extreme climatic conditions, mismanagement of funds, and disease. Kublai Khan lost much of his glory during his later years.

Major Accomplishment

• Kublai Khan founded the Great Yuan Great Mongol State also known as the Mongol or Yuan dynasty, which he officially proclaimed in the traditional Chinese style in 1271. It was the first foreign dynasty to rule all of China and the Yuan rule stretched throughout most of Asia and Eastern Europe.

Personal Life & Legacy

• His first marriage was to Tegulen, but she died very early. He then married Chabi Khatun of the Khunggirat who went on to become his most favorite empress.
• Chabi died in 1281 and Kublai married Chabi’s younger cousin, Nambui.
• He had several children including Dorji who was made the director of the Secretariat and head of the Bureau of Military Affairs in 1263. Another one of his children was Zhenjin whose son Temur Khan succeeded Kublai. Some of his other children were Nomukhan, Khungjil, Aychi, Saqulghachi, Qughchu, and Toghan.
• His later years were difficult, marked by the deaths of his beloved wife and son. Seeking comfort, he turned to food and alcohol and indulged in excess. He became obese and was plagued by many diseases including gout and diabetes. He also went into depression when no physician could heal his maladies and finally died on 18 February, 1294, at the age of 78.
• Kublai Khan is the subject of the English Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem ‘Kubla Khan’, written in October 1797.

Peter The Great

Quick Facts

Nick Name: Peter The Great, Peter I, Pyotr Alexeyevich

Also Known As: Peter The Great, Peter I, Peter Alexeyevich

Famous As: First Emperor Of Russia

Nationality: Russian

Birth Date: June 9, 1672

Died At Age: 52

Sun Sign: Gemini

Height: 2.03 M

Born In: Moscow

Father: Alexis Of Russia

Mother: Natalya Naryshkina

Siblings: Sofia Alekseyevna Of Russia, Feodor III Of Russia, Ivan V Of Russia

Spouses/Partners: Catherine I Of Russia, Eudoxia Lopukhina, Maria Cantemir

Children: Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich Of Russia, Elizabeth Of Russia, Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna Of Russia, Grand Duke Alexander Petrovich Of Russia, Pavel Petrovich, Peter Petrovich, Catherine Petrovna, Margarita Petrovna

Religion: Russian Orthodox Church, Eastern Christianity, Orthodox Christianity

Died On: February 8, 1725

Place Of Death: Saint Petersburg

Founder/Co-Founder: Russian Navy, Saint Petersburg State University

Peter the Great was a Russian Tsar in the late 17th century who later on became the first Emperor of Russia. A very powerful ruler, he was famous for engaging in numerous military campaigns in order to expand his Tsardom into a large empire. Born as the 14th child of Tsar Alexis by his second wife, he was forced to shoulder the responsibilities of Tsardom from an early age. Tsar Alexis died when Peter was just four, and the deceased Tsar was succeeded by Peter’s elder half-brother, Feodar III. Feodar was a sickly youth and he died after a few years, leaving behind no legitimate sons. This gave rise to a dispute over who should inherit the throne. The next in line for the throne was another one of Peter’s elder half-brothers, Ivan V. However, Ivan was chronically ill and not viewed as a suitable ruler, so Peter, aged just 10, was chosen to become Tsar with his mother as regent. For a few years he ruled jointly with his brother Ivan and after Ivan’s death in 1696, Peter became the sole ruler. As ruler, Peter expanded his territories greatly and implemented several radical reforms in order to make Russia a great country and a major power in Europe

Childhood & Early Life

• He was born as Pyotr Alekseyevich on June 9, 1672 in Moscow, Russia, as the son of Tsar Alexis and his second wife, Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. He was his father’s 14th child but his mother’s first son. Most of his elder half-siblings were weak and sickly while Peter himself was healthy and full of energy and vigor.
• The Tsar Alexis died when Peter was just four years old. His elder half-brother, Feodar III succeeded to the throne. Feodar was a sickly person and he died in 1682.
• Another ill half-brother, Ivan V, inherited the throne. But since Ivan was also sickly and of infirm mind, the Russian nobles chose the healthy ten-year-old Peter to become Tsar with his mother as regent. From 1682, the two brothers Ivan and Peter ruled jointly.

Ascension & Reign

• Ivan died in 1696 and Peter was officially declared Sovereign of all Russia. When Peter came to power, Russia was severely underdeveloped as compared to the other European nations which were prosperous and culturally rich. Russia lagged behind in modernization and this was something Peter vowed to change.
• He implemented a series of progressive reforms during his reign in an attempt to bring Russia at par with the other European nations. He reorganized his army according to Western standards and invited experts in the fields of shipbuilding, engineering, architecture and business from all over Europe to come to Russia and help modernize the country. He also encouraged the Russians to move out to different parts of Europe for furthering their education.
• Industrial development was boosted in an unprecedented way during the reign of Peter. He encouraged the Russians to adopt the latest European technologies and this led to a surge in the number of factories being built. Trade and commerce flourished during his reign.
• Peter realized that it was important to make Russia a maritime power in order to make trading with other nations easier. He sought to create more maritime outlets and after several wars with Turkey in the south, he secured access to the Black Sea. He officially founded the first Russian Navy base, Taganrog, in September 1698.
• He also embarked on extensive military campaigns in order to expand his territories. He started the Northern War with Sweden in 1700. The city of St. Petersburg was founded (1703) on the delta of the Neva River during the course of the war and in 1712 Peter the Great moved the Russian capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg which prospered as a hub of trade and culture.
• The war went on for 21 long years and ended with the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. By the time the war ended, Russia had acquired Ingria, Estonia, Livonia, and a substantial portion of Karelia. After the end of the Northern War in 1721, Russia was declared an Empire and Peter the Great proclaimed himself its Emperor.
• His later reign too was marked by several radical reforms. In 1722, Peter created a new order of precedence known as the Table of Ranks. The Russian Orthodox Church was also reformed during his reign.

Major Works

• Peter the Great is famous as the ruler under whose administration Russia became a great European nation. He implemented several reforms to modernize Russia. Among other things, he focused on the development of science and technology, encouraged trade and commerce, secularized schools and modernized the Russian alphabet, introduced the Julian calendar, and established the first Russian newspaper.

Personal Life & Legacy

• When Peter was a young man, his mother arranged his marriage with Eudoxia Lopukhina, the daughter of a minor noble. The marriage which took place in 1689 was unhappy from the very beginning. Peter divorced his wife in 1698 and forced her to join a convent. This union produced three children.
• A few years after his divorce, he took a mistress by the name Martha Skavronskaya who converted to the Russian Orthodox Church and took the name Catherine. He married her in Saint Petersburg on 9 February 1712. This marriage resulted in the birth of 11 children though only a few survived to adulthood.
• Peter the Great began having problems with his urinary tract and bladder in 1723. He had a surgery in 1724 though his health started failing again soon after. He died on February 8, 1725, without nominating an heir.

Mohammad Reza Pahalvi

Quick Facts

Nick Name: The Emperor Of Oil

Also Known As: Mohammad Reza Shah

Famous As: Last Shah Of Iran

Nationality: Iranian

Birth Date: October 26, 1919

Died At Age: 60

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Born In: Tehran

Father: Rezā Shāh

Mother: Tadj Ol-Molouk

Siblings: Ashraf Pahlavi, Shams Pahlavi, Ali Reza Pahlavi, Hamdamsaltaneh Pahlavi, Abdul Reza Pahlavi, Ahmad Reza Pahlavi, Mahmud Reza Pahlavi, Fatimeh Pahlavi, Hamid Reza Pahlavi, Gholam Reza Pahlavi

Spouses/Partners: Farah Diba, Fawzia Fuad Of Egypt, Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari

Children: Farahnaz Pahlavi, Leila Pahlavi, Ali-Reza Pahlavi, Shahnaz Pahlavi, Reza Pahlavi

Religion: Islam, Shia Islam

Died On: July 27, 1980

Place Of Death: Cairo

Founder/Co-Founder: SAVAK, Rastakhiz Party

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was the last Shah of Iran who reigned from 1941 to 1979 and introduced many reforms to foster economic developments in Iran. One of the 11 children of his father, he was the eldest son among his siblings and was proclaimed the crown prince when his father established the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran. During the World War II, he was crowned as the Shah of Iran, at the age of 20, amidst international political commotion. During his reign, he maintained a pro-Western foreign policy and fostered economic development in Iran. He instituted a ‘White Revolution’ to modernize the country and redistributed extensive land holdings from the wealthiest, dividing them among four million small-holder farmers. He also supported new schools and adult literacy programs in small villages, and gave women the right to vote. He sponsored new manufacturing plants and universities in the cities. Corruption in the government and political turmoil resulted in a revolution which forced him to go into exile and was followed by the declaration of an Islamic republic in Iran. He assumed power during the turmoil of World War II, and his rule ended in similarly tumultuous circumstances. He served as the last Shah of Iran ending 2,500 years of monarchy.

Childhood & Early Life

• He, along with his twin sister, Ashraf, was born on October 26, 1919, to Reza Pahlavi and his second wife, Tadj ol-Molouk. He was the third child and the eldest son of the father’s eleven children from four wives.
• In 1925, when he was five years old, his father overthrew the Qajar Dynasty with British assistance, founded the Pahlavi Dynasty, and became the Shah of Iran. Upon his father’s coronation in April 1926, he was proclaimed crown prince.
• In 1931, he went to the ‘Institut Le Rosey’ in Switzerland becoming the first Iranian heir apparent to study overseas. In 1936, he graduated from a high school in Iran and spent the following two years at the military academy in Tehran.

Career

• In the fall of 1941, his father was forced to abdicate the throne by the British and Russian forces who had occupied the country after a short struggle and he was crowned as the new Shah of Iran.
• When World War II ended in 1945, the US and Britain withdrew from their spheres, but the Soviets refused to leave. With considerable American help, his government was able to pressurize the Soviet into withdrawing from northern Iran.
• Later, with assistance from the United States, he started the ‘White Revolution’ in which he nationalized forests and water, established profit-sharing plans for the workers, emancipated women, and established literacy, sanitation, and development corps.
• Gradually, he grew increasingly autocratic and took the extreme measure of outlawing all political parties except for his own favored Rastakhiz Party, thus abolishing the multi-party system. Displeased with his rule, his opponents soon began to hold strikes and street rallies to which he responded by deploying the army on the streets of Tehran.
• On September 8, 1978, his troops opened fire on a demonstration by religious dissidents, killing many people. This event, known as ‘Black Friday’ turned out to be the beginning of the end for him as a ruler.
• In 1979, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei led a revolution forcing him and his family into exile. His family traveled to Morocco, the Bahamas, and Mexico within the first six months of exile. Later, he became ill and was granted permission to receive medical treatment in the United States where he spent some time and then went to Egypt.

Major Works

• He introduced a national development program called the ‘White Revolution’ that included construction of an expanded road, rail, and air network, the encouragement and support to industrial growth, and land reforms.
• He also established literacy and health corps for the isolated rural population. In the 1960-70s, he sought to develop a more independent foreign policy and established working relationships with the Soviet Union and eastern European nations.

Awards & Achievements

• In 1957, he was decorated with the ‘Grand Collar of the Order of the Yoke and Arrows of Spain’. The same year, he received the ‘Grand Cross w/ Collar of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy’.
• In 1959, he was knighted with the ‘Order of the Elephant of Denmark’. The same year, he also got decorated with the ‘Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion’.
• In 1960, he received the ‘Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer of Greece’ and the ‘Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold of Belgium’.
• In 1965, he was decorated with the ‘Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross of Brazil’.
• In 1966, he was conferred with the ‘Order of the Flag with Diamonds’ by Hungary and the ‘Grand Cordon of the Grand Star of Yugoslavia’.

Personal Life & Legacy

• In 1939, he married Dilawar Princess Fawzia of Egypt, daughter of King Fuad I of Egypt. They had one child together, Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi, but the couple later got divorced.
• In 1951, Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari, a half-German half-Iranian woman, became his second wife. However, when it became apparent that even with help from medical doctors she could not bear children, he divorced her.
• Then he married Farah Diba and they were blessed with four children; two sons, Prince Reza Pahlavi and Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi, and two daughters, Princess Farahnaz Pahlavi and Princess Leila Pahlavi .
• In March 1980, he underwent treatment in Cairo for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. He died on July 27, 1980 at the age of 60, and was buried in the Al Rifa'i Mosque in Cairo.