Aga Khan I

Hasan Ali Shah (1804–12 April 1881), known as Aga Khan I, was the 46th hereditary imam in the Nizari Ismaili tradition and the first to bear the title Aga Khan. A prominent political and religious leader, he served as governor of Kerman under the Qajar dynasty before spending much of his later life in India, where he became a central figure in the organisation of the South Asian Nizari Ismaili community. His career spanned periods of favour and conflict within Qajar Iran, collaboration with British authorities, and leadership during formative years of the global Ismaili community.

Early Life and Family Background

Hasan Ali Shah was born in 1804 in Kahak, near Delijan in Iran. He was the eldest son of Shah Khalil Allah III, the 45th Nizari Ismaili imam, and Bibi Sarkara, daughter of the poet and Nimatullahi Sufi, Muhammad Sadiq Mahallati. During his childhood, his family divided its time between Kahak and Yazd, where Shah Khalil Allah moved in 1815 to remain accessible to Indian Nizari followers who travelled to Persia for visitation.
In 1817 Shah Khalil Allah was killed in Yazd during a violent confrontation between some of his followers and local merchants. Hasan Ali, still a youth, succeeded his father as imam. Following the imam’s death, disputes over land and inheritance arose between the family and local Nizaris, leaving the widow and her children in financial hardship. The family relocated to Qumm, and Bibi Sarkara petitioned the Qajar court for redress. She was successful: those involved in the killing were punished, and the reigning monarch, Fath Ali Shah, bestowed exceptional favour upon the young imam. The king married his daughter, Sarvi-Jahan Khanum, to Hasan Ali Shah, granted him a substantial dowry of lands in Mahallat, appointed him governor of Qumm, and conferred upon him the title Aga Khan, marking the beginning of its use among Nizari imams.

Governorship of Kerman

After Fath Ali Shah’s death in 1834, his grandson Muhammad Shah Qajar appointed Hasan Ali Shah governor of Kerman in 1835. The province was plagued by rebellion, rival Qajar claimants, and frequent Afghan incursions. Hasan Ali Shah restored order in Kerman, Bam and Narmashir, defeating numerous insurgent groups. Despite these successes, he received little recognition and was removed from office in 1837 in favour of Prince Firouz Mirza Nosrat al-Dowleh.
Refusing to accept dismissal, Hasan Ali Shah held out at Arg-e Bam for more than a year. Eventually promised safe passage, he surrendered but was immediately seized, imprisoned, and deprived of property. After eight months he was transferred to Tehran, where the Shah pardoned him on condition that he retire peacefully to Mahallat.

Renewed Conflict and Flight from Iran

Hasan Ali Shah lived quietly in Mahallat for two years but later mobilised followers, alarming the Qajar king. Although he gained royal permission to leave for the hajj pilgrimage, he sought instead to reassert authority in Kerman. Armed with forged documents reinstating him as governor, he travelled to Yazd and defeated the local governor, Bahman Mirza, in battle. Subsequent victories allowed him to advance toward Kerman, though a large government force eventually routed him near the Baluchistan frontier in 1841.
Facing defeat, Hasan Ali Shah fled with relatives and supporters to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan and Relations with the British

Arriving in Kandahar in 1841 during the First Anglo-Afghan War, he forged close ties with the British authorities. He proposed to conquer and govern Herat on behalf of the British, plans disrupted by the uprising led by Wazir Akbar Khan. After the British retreat from Kabul, Hasan Ali Shah moved on to Sindh, where he again provided assistance to British forces. In recognition, Sir Charles Napier granted him a pension and maintained cordial relations with him.

Move to India and Permanent Residence

In 1844 Hasan Ali Shah travelled to Bombay, visiting Nizari Khoja communities across western India. The Persian government demanded his extradition, prompting the British to relocate him temporarily to Calcutta. After the death of Muhammad Shah Qajar in 1848, British officials attempted to negotiate his safe return to Iran, but political obstacles made it impossible. He therefore remained in India as a permanent resident.
During his years in Bombay, Hasan Ali Shah enjoyed British protection and growing prestige. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, visited him during a state tour, and British officials addressed him as His Highness. He maintained active leadership of the Ismaili community and cultivated the transregional network of Nizari followers.

Khoja Leadership and Internal Disputes

Most Khoja Ismailis in India welcomed the imam warmly and acknowledged his authority. However, a faction of dissident community members, concerned about losing influence over communal institutions and properties, resisted his leadership. In response, and to consolidate legitimate succession and communal organisation, Hasan Ali Shah required members of the Khoja community to affirm allegiance to him as imam. This eventually led to a series of legal and communal disputes—most famously the Aga Khan Case of 1866, resolved after his death—that would formally define the Khojas as Nizari Ismailis and reinforce the authority of the imamate.

Legacy and Later Life

Aga Khan I spent the remainder of his life in India, where he continued to guide and reorganise the Nizari Ismaili community. His tenure marked a significant transition in the history of the Imamate: from the relative isolation of earlier Persian imams into a more public, internationally recognised leadership connected closely to South Asia and the wider Muslim world. His adoption of the title Aga Khan established a dynastic appellation that would continue through his successors.