Following the accession of Mozzafar al-Din Shah in 1896, Farmanfarma led the entourage of the new Shah from Tabriz to Tehran and established himself firmly within Persian politics. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the army and Minister of War and quickly took over the government as a self-appointed premier and emerged as the real power behind the throne. It is said “he acted as the true sovereign.” During this time he drafted the first laws relating to national conscription and worked towards establishing a military academy in Iran.