During the
Overthrow of the Qajar dynasty, Sardar Homayoun was encouraged by the local politicians and moderates, backed by
Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside and the
British Government, to become the
Shah of Persia (his ancestry as a member of the Qajar dynasty supported his claim to the throne). He declined out of his loyalty to
Ahmad Shah, although it was stated that it was out of his fear for his family's safety and his moral reluctance to use force against his countrymen, a measure which was inevitable for the maintenance of the monarchy. His reluctance was seen as cowardice by the British, who later gave the position to
Reza Shah Pahlavi. During
Reza Shah's reign, Vali was appointed commander of the Cossack Division in Northern
Iran. He was the first Mayor of Tabriz in 1908, (see
list of Tabriz Mayors), and as a modern man, he was at the origin of the first electrical generator to Tabriz. He also introduced the first metallic printing press in Iran. Sardar Homayoun also was one of the first modern economists in Iran. He soon withdrew to his family's estate to focus on writing and farming. An
aristocrat by birth, he believed in the character conferred by military education and discipline. == Family ==