The anniversary of the signing of the Decree of the Constitutional Revolution.

Today, August 5, Iran commemorates an anniversary of historic significance: the signing of the Decree of the Constitutional Revolution in the summer of 1906This event marked a radical turning point in the country's destiny, forever undermining the foundations of the absolutism of the Qajar dynasty.

Until then, the monarchy had ruled with absolute and unquestionable authority. However, the combined pressure of an unprecedented coalition—made up of Shiite scholars, the influential merchant class of the bazaar, and intellectuals also inspired by Western ideals—forced the rulers to give way to the sovereignty of the law.

The birth of Parliament and the leadership of the clergy With the establishment of the Majles, the first national parliament, Iran established itself as a pioneer of political modernity in Western Asia. It demonstrated that a people could unite to limit the sovereign's powers and obtain fundamental legal protections.

The spiritual and political leadership of these first major mobilizations was assumed by influential figures of the Shiite clergy, among whom the ayatollahs stand out. Sayyed Mohammad Tabataba'i e Sayyed Abdullah BehbahaniTheir intuition was to translate democratic demands into a message that was understandable and close to the devout population. Limiting royal power thus became a moral duty to stem injustice and prevent the national heritage from being sold off to European colonizers.

From subjects to citizens: an indelible legacy The truly revolutionary nature of 1906 lies in the civil metamorphosis of Persian society. The subjects, once relegated to passive obedience, discovered for the first time the active citizenship and political representation.

Although the path of the new constitutional order was immediately thwarted by bloody coups, hostility from foreign powers, and internal divisions, the 1906 decree left an indelible mark on the collective memory. It demonstrated that institutional change from below was possible, enshrining an inviolable principle in Iranian culture: the legitimacy of a government must always rest on public consensus and legality.

These were the first, fundamental seeds that decades later, in 1979, would lead Iran to experience its second and definitive revolution: the Islamic one.