The Lion and The Sun: A Modern History of Iran

• Book Two – Special Episode: Exiled King

  Our podcast is a Finalist in the 2025 Signal Awards in the History category! Vote for the listener’s choice award here. This is a special episode of The Lion and the Sun to celebrate our nomination: As Iran crowns a new king, Reza Shah is forced into exile.Stripped of power and family, the fallen monarch begins his final chapter in isolation. Thank you so much for your support and for listening to our show. We’ll be back in November 2025 with season 3! Follow us on Instagram, TikTok or X (Twitter).For early access to episodes, become a supporter on Patreon. Episode Summary Reza Shah’s abdication represented his entire reign in a nutshell:Straightforward, without any fluff and to the point On September 16, 1941, with Allied forces closing in and no path left, he signed the letter of resignation drafted by his prime minister, ending his sixteen-year reign. What followed was humiliation. The ex-king’s family was split: his wife and heir stayed behind while others were forced to join him. His vast properties, amassed through intimidation and seizures, were stripped away. His belongings were searched as if he were a common thief, and he was escorted out of Iran, never to return. Believing he might find peace in South America, he instead became a pawn of British plans, first confined to Mauritius in suffocating isolation, then moved to South Africa. There he found brief fascination with Johannesburg’s modern life but soon withdrew into solitude. Friends and family drifted away, his health collapsed, and he became a shadow of the man who once commanded armies. By July 1944, he died alone in Johannesburg, little more than a mystery to his neighbors. Even in death, his journey continued. His body was carried to Cairo for temporary burial, then six years later returned to Iran to rest in a mausoleum built in his honor at Shahr-e Ray. For decades it stood as a monument to the dynasty he founded, visited by dignitaries and hailed as the tomb of a nation-builder. But the revolution of 1979 erased it in rubble, branding him an enemy of faith and people. Music: Roie Shpigler – Random Symmetries Veaceslav Draganov – Neanderthal Scott Buckley – Adrift Among Infinite Stars Yehezkel Raz – Ballerina Franz Schubert – Ständchen, D 889 Frédéric Chopin – Marche funèbre (Funeral March), from Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35 The post Book Two – Special Episode: Exiled King appeared first on The Lion and The Sun Podcast.

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• Book Two – Ep.10: Abdication

  In the season two finale, Britain and the Soviet Union invade Iran in hopes of a regime change … Follow us on Instagram, TikTok or X (Twitter). Support this show on Patreon. Sources for this episode. Episode Summary On August 25, 1941, Iran faced a coordinated invasion by British and Soviet forces. The military, unprepared for such an assault, collapsed swiftly. Naval, air, and ground forces were overrun. Reza Shah, who had built Iran’s military for internal control rather than full-scale war, found his efforts insufficient. Public anger, instead of uniting against the foreign invaders, turned inward and against Reza Shah. Years of autocratic rule, suppression of dissent, and secular reforms had alienated the population. As Allied forces advanced and internal order crumbled, Reza Shah reached out to Mohammad Ali Foroughi, a former prime minister he had once imprisoned, asking him to return and negotiate a solution. Foroughi engaged the British and Soviets in talks and realized that the Allies demanded not just Reza Shah abdication, but potentially the end of the Pahlavi dynasty. Foroughi resisted proposals to restore the Qajar dynasty or establish a republic, instead proposing a transfer of power to the crown prince, Mohammad Reza. With the Allies imposing a deadline of September 17, Reza Shah agreed to abdicate on September 16. He declared war on Germany, aligning Iran with the Allied powers. The day after Reza Shah abdication, Foroughi swore in Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as Shah. Reza Shah’s reign had seen dramatic modernization, railways, schools, legal reforms, and national identity building, but it came at the cost of political freedom, religious alienation, and deep corruption. In the end, his legacy was handed over in hopes that his son might preserve the state he built. Music Kai Engel – Sombre Descent Franz Schubert – Ständchen, D 889 Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen, Hanna Ekström, Anna Dager – The Dawning Frédéric Chopin – Prelude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 4 Mozart – Lacrimosa Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 – II. Allegretto The post Book Two – Ep.10: Abdication appeared first on The Lion and The Sun Podcast.

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• Book Two – Ep.9: World War II

  As the Second World War breaks out, Iran declares neutrality. But Britain and the Soviet Union fear that Reza Shah’s ties with Germany could tip the balance of power in the Middle East. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok or X (Twitter). Support this show on Patreon. Sources for this episode. Episode Summary In the late 1930s, Europe braced for conflict as Adolf Hitler expanded German territory and power. His ambition for domination led to the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939, which paved the way for the invasion of Poland and ignited World War II. Germany’s blitzkrieg tactics overwhelmed Poland’s defences, and soon all major powers were at war. Meanwhile, in Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi’s reign was marked by complex foreign relations. Initially perceived as a British puppet, Reza Shah’s quest for Iranian sovereignty led him to challenge British and Russian influences. He ended foreign extraterritorial rights, reduced the power of tribal leaders backed by Britain, and nationalized financial institutions. Despite these moves, his close ties to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company earned him criticism. Iran also maintained relations with the Soviet Union after signing the 1921 Treaty of Friendship, but tensions rose as Reza Shah repressed left-wing movements and communists. He viewed these groups as threats to national stability, enacting harsh laws to silence dissent. During the 1930s, Nazi Germany courted Iran by promoting a shared Aryan heritage and offering industrial support. Reza Shah embraced this relationship to advance his modernization agenda, welcoming German investments and military expertise. However, when Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the Allies (fearing Nazi influence in Iran) demanded the expulsion of German agents and transit rights for Allied troops. Reza Shah’s refusal triggered a joint British-Soviet invasion of Iran in August 1941 with the aim of removing him from power. Music Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen – Monarch of Fate Kai Engel – Somnolence Kai Engel – Counting Lights Antonio Vivaldi – Nisi Dominus, RV 608: IV. Cum dederit Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen – Digital Future The post Book Two – Ep.9: World War II appeared first on The Lion and The Sun Podcast.

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• Book Two – Ep.8: The Heir

  Groomed for power from childhood, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was more than a prince. He was Reza Shah’s guarantee for a successful political project. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok or X (Twitter). Support this show on Patreon. Episode Summary Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was born into a family driven by ambition and structured by discipline. His father, Reza Khan, was a military officer on the rise, determined to transform both his own life and the future of Iran. As Reza Khan climbed the ranks, ultimately becoming Reza Shah, he envisioned a dynasty rooted in strength, modernity, and national identity. Central to this vision was preparing his son not just to inherit a crown but to embody a new political order. From a young age, the monarchy separated Mohammad Reza from his domestic environment and placed him in a carefully curated space designed to shape a future monarch. Education was rigorous and symbolic, emphasizing languages, military discipline, and formal conduct. His life became a political project. Everything, from how he walked to how he wrote letters to his father, was meant to reflect the authority and continuity of the Pahlavi dynasty. Despite his father’s authoritarian and emotionally distant demeanour, the young heir internalized the values instilled in him—loyalty, order, and nationalism. Yet, his nature diverged. While Reza Shah embodied secularism and control, Mohammad Reza showed a more spiritual, reserved disposition, shaped by reflection rather than command. His affinity for ceremony and symbolism contrasted with his father’s practical militarism. He marked the father-son relationship by structure rather than intimacy. Reza Shah rarely showed affection, focusing instead on moulding his son through routine, exposure to power, and calculated mentorship. Their interactions served as preparation for leadership, not emotional connection. His marriage to Princess Fawzia of Egypt was another element of dynastic strategy. Orchestrated by Reza Shah to forge regional alliances, it reflected political calculation more than personal choice. The marriage, however, was strained—culturally mismatched and lacking mutual interest. As he grew older, Mohammad Reza became more confident, gradually asserting his role within the state. Reza Shah, in turn, began to consult him more directly, not out of warmth, but as part of succession planning. The dynasty’s future hinged on his readiness. In the end, Reza Shah passed down the tools of power—discipline, order, and control—but not the comfort of paternal warmth. They built their relationship as a mirror of the regime: building it on strength, maintaining it through structure, and binding it by duty over affection. Mohammad Reza inherited not only a throne but the heavy architecture of a vision that prioritized legacy over love. Music Arash Safaian and Sebastian Knauer – Adagietto Kai Engel – Sunset Niccolò Paganini – Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 7 Kai Engel – Remedy for Melancholy Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen – Covert Affairs The post Book Two – Ep.8: The Heir appeared first on The Lion and The Sun Podcast.

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• Book Two – Ep.7: Unveiling

  After his first foreign trip, Reza Shah declares war on Islam and orders women to remove their hijab. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok or X (Twitter). Support this show on Patreon. Episode Summary The drive for Iran’s modernization, particularly the push for secular reforms, began in the 1920s, when Reza Shah came to power. He marked his rule by efforts to modernize Iran’s infrastructure, improve education, and build a stronger national identity. Behind these actions was a man who played a crucial role in Reza Shah’s political and reform agenda: Mohammad Ali Foroughi. Foroughi, a distinguished intellectual and politician, had been a close ally of Reza Shah. His influence within the government was significant, and he had been involved in numerous important positions, including as prime minister. Reza Shah drew inspiration for his vision of the future, in part, from the reforms seen in neighbouring Turkey under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. After a trip to Turkey in 1934, Reza Shah became even more determined to accelerate Iran’s transformation, seeking to emulate Atatürk’s efforts in secularizing Turkish society. In 1936, the government forced strict dress codes for men and women, requiring them to adopt Western-style attire. While many younger people in urban centers embraced the change, there was strong resistance from older generations and more conservative factions of society, especially in rural areas. Religious groups saw this as a direct assault on hijab and their traditions, opposed the policy fiercely. This resistance came to a head in Mashhad, where protests broke out against the forced unveiling. The protests turned violent when the military intervened, resulting in a massacre of hundreds, possibly thousands, of people. This brutal crackdown further soured Reza Shah’s relationship with the clergy and the Shia religious establishment, who had already been alienated by the king’s secular policies. Music Kai Engel – Sunset J. S. Bach – Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, BWV 1041: I. Allegro Piotr Hummel – Phenomenal Antonio Vivaldi – Nisi Dominus, RV 608: IV. Cum dederit Kai Engel – Deserted City Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Six Pieces, Op. 51, TH 143: 6. Valse sentimentale, Tempo di Valse The post Book Two – Ep.7: Unveiling appeared first on The Lion and The Sun Podcast.

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