The assassination of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar by Mirza Reza Kermani in 1313 AH is considered one of the most important political events that, beyond an individual act, was a reflection of the political and social dissatisfaction accumulated in Iranian society. The present study, using Charles Tilly’s theory of political action, which emphasizes the transformation of individual and collective dissatisfaction into actions aimed at political power, examines the individual, social, and intellectual contexts of the formation of this event with a descriptive-analytical method and based on library resources and documents. This article seeks to answer the question of how Mirza Reza Kermani transformed from an individual affected by the power structure and a victim of government injustices to a political activist? And how did his action become a symbol of protest against Nasser’s tyranny?
The findings of the research show that although personal experiences such as humiliation, imprisonment, and deprivation were influential in shaping Mirza Reza's initial motivations, his familiarity with the critical ideas of Seyyed Jamal al-Din Asadabadi and his connection with circles opposing the government transformed his individual protest into a political act with goals beyond personal revenge. In addition to challenging the political authority of the Qajar government, the assassination of Naser al-Din Shah played an important role in expanding political awareness and strengthening the freedom-seeking movements that led to the Constitutional Revolution. The innovation of the present research lies in reinterpreting this event based on the theory of political action and explaining the process of transition from individual protest to political action.