As war minister, he was the real power behind several prime ministers in succession until 1923, when he became prime minister himself. The sovereign, Aḥmad Shah, was ill and undergoing a lengthy cure in Europe. In spite of the entreaties of Reza Khan and the speaker of the Majles (Iranian parliament), the shah refused to return to Iran. Reza Khan then considered proclaiming a republic but was dissuaded by the strong opposition to the idea by the majority of the people. In 1925 the Majles deposed the absentee monarch, and a constituent assembly elected Reza Khan as shah, vesting sovereignty in the new Pahlavi dynasty.
