Persian and Iranian Kings and Queens

The First Persian Empire, also called the Achaemenid Empire, was established by Cyrus the Great in 549 BC. It was conquered by Alexander the Great in 330 BC. Alexander's successors, the Seleucid Empire, ruled for a time, but were eventually superseded by the Parthian Empire.

In 224 Ardashir I rose against and defeated the last Parthian king and established the Sassanid Empire, also called the Second Persian Empire. Persia was conquered by the Arabs during the Muslim conquest in 651. After centuries of foreign rule, the native Safavid Empire took power in 1501.

The last king (Shah in Persian) was overthrown in the 1979 Iranian Revolution.