Iran: Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878-1944), during his time as Minister of War, c. 1921-1923. He was born in the village of Alasht in 1878 and joined the Persian Cossack Brigade when he turned sixteen, rising to become a Brigadier General, the only Iranian commander in its history. Under British direction, Reza helped orchestrate a coup in 1921 that overthrew the previous government, naming himself Minister of War and Sardar Sepah (Commander-in-Chief of the Army). He became Prime Minister in 1923, and later was appointed as Shah and Iran's legal monarch in 1925, founding the Pahlavi Dynasty.