Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (Persian: فتح‌على شاه قاجار‎‎; var. Fathalishah, Fathali Shah, Fath Ali Shah; 5 September 1772 – 23 October 1834) was the second Qajar king (shah) of Persia. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death. His reign saw the forced and irrevocable ceding of Iran's integral northern territories (Caucasian territories), which had made part of its concept for centuries, comprising what is nowadays Georgia, Dagestan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to Imperial Russia following the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813), the Russo-Persian War (1826-1828) and the respectively resulting Treaty of Gulistan and Treaty of Turkmenchay. Historian Joseph M. Upton says that he "is famous among Persians for three things: his exceptionally long beard, his wasp-like waist, and his progeny."

Early life

He was born in Damghan on 5 September 1772, and was called Fath-Ali, a name which his great-grandfather, a prominent figure bore. He was the son of Hossein Qoli Khan Qajar, brother of Agha Mohammad Khan. He was also known by his second name of Baba Khan, a name he would use until his coronation in 1797.