Reasons for the course and results of the Russian-Iranian war. Iran and European countries in the XVIII
The annexation of Transcaucasia to Russia was actively opposed by Iran, which in its struggle against Russia relied on the help of both France and England. Both of these powers had a common goal - to prevent Russia from strengthening in the East. However, in seeking to establish their own dominance there, they waged a fierce struggle not only with Russia, but also with each other.
In 1801, at the time of Georgia's annexation to Russia, England managed to conclude two agreements with Iran - political and trade. Iran became an ally of England and took upon itself the obligation not to maintain any relations with the French. The British were granted political and economic privileges tantamount to a regime of capitulations.
The Anglo-Iranian alliance was directed against both France and Russia. Counting on the support of the British, the Iranian Shah Fath-Ali (who replaced Agha-Mohammed in 1797, who was killed by his entourage during his second invasion of Transcaucasia) decided in 1804 to enter the war with Russia. From the very beginning of the war, the British supplied Iran with weapons through the East India Company. By that time, however, the victories of France in Europe and the extraordinary growth of its power prompted Fath-Ali to establish relations with Napoleon, who offered Iran a wide military assistance against the Russians. In May 1807, an alliance treaty was signed between France and Iran, according to which Napoleon recognized Georgia as “legally belonging” to the Shah and pledged to force the Russians to leave Transcaucasia. A French mission led by General Gardan was sent to Iran.
Although this mission arrived in Tehran after the conclusion of the Franco-Russian alliance in Tilsit, it developed active activities in Iran directed not only against England, but also against Russia. At the same time, Gardan imposed an enslaving trade agreement on Iran.
French dominance in Iran turned out to be very short-lived. In 1809, the British managed to conclude a new treaty of alliance with Iran and expel the French from there. England began to pay the Shah an annual military subsidy of 200 thousand tomans to wage war against Russia. Since 1810, the British resumed the supply of weapons to Iran on a large scale. Numerous British officers who arrived there not only continued the training of Iranian troops begun by the French, but also took direct part in military operations against Russia. British diplomacy systematically disrupted peace negotiations between Russia and Iran that began from time to time and sought to conclude an alliance with Turkey directed against Russia.
The assistance provided by the British could not, however, significantly improve the condition of Iran's armed forces and prevent its defeat. In addition, the peoples of Transcaucasia actively fought on the side of Russia. Many Georgians and Armenians fought in the ranks of the Russian troops. The Russian army included Azerbaijani and Armenian detachments, military merits which were noted more than once by the Russian command. The local population offered fierce resistance to the Iranians. The population of the Kazakh district in 1805 expelled the invading Iranian troops with their own forces. The residents of Karabakh - Azerbaijanis and Armenians - also bravely resisted the repeated invasions of Iranian troops.
In October 1812, in the battle of Aslanduz, Russian troops defeated the army of the Iranian heir to the throne, Abbas Mirza, and soon captured the Lankaran fortress. The Shah's government was forced to resume peace negotiations with Russia. According to the Gulistan Peace Treaty signed in 1813, Iran recognized the annexation of the main part of Transcaucasia to Russia, but retained the Yerevan and Nakhchevan khanates under its rule. Only Russia could maintain a navy in the Caspian Sea. Merchants of both sides received the right to unhindered trade with the payment of an import duty of no more than 5% of the value of the goods.
Russo-Persian War 1804-1813
The cause of the war was the annexation of Eastern Georgia to Russia, accepted by Paul I on January 18, 1801. On September 12, 1801, Alexander the First (1801-1825) signed the “Manifesto on the establishment of a new government in Georgia”, the Kartli-Kakheti kingdom was part of Russia and became the Georgian province of the empire. Then Baku, Cuba, Dagestan and other kingdoms voluntarily joined. In 1803, Mingrelia and the Imeretian kingdom joined. January 3, 1804 - storming of Ganja as a result of which the Ganja Khanate was liquidated and became part of Russian Empire.
On June 10, the Persian Shah Feth Ali (Baba Khan) (1797-1834), who entered into an alliance with Great Britain, declared war on Russia. Shah Fath Ali Shah vowed to “drive out of Georgia, slaughter and exterminate all Russians to the last man.”
General Tsitsianov had only 8 thousand people, and even then they were scattered throughout Transcaucasia. But only the main forces of the Persians - the army of Crown Prince Abbas Mirza - numbered 40 thousand people. This army moved to Tiflis. But on the Askerami River the Persians met a detachment of Colonel Karyagin consisting of the 17th regiment and Tiflis musketeers. From June 24 to July 7, they repulsed the attacks of 20 thousand Persians, and then broke through their ring, transporting both their guns over the bodies of the dead and wounded. Karyagin had 493 people, and after the battle no more than 150 remained in the ranks. On the night of June 28, Karyagin’s detachment managed to capture the Shah-Bulakh castle with a surprise attack, where they held out for ten days until the night of July 8, when they secretly left there, unnoticed by the enemy .
With the beginning of navigation in 1805, a squadron was formed in Astrakhan under the command of Lieutenant-Commander F.F. Veselago. A landing force was landed on the ships of the squadron under the command of Major General I.I. Zavalishin (about 800 people with three guns). On June 23, 1805, the squadron approached the Persian port of Anzali. Three galliots landed troops under Persian fire. The Persians, not accepting the battle, fled. However, Zavalishin's attempt to capture the city of Rasht failed, and the landing party was accepted onto the ships. The Russian squadron set off for Baku. After unsuccessful negotiations on the surrender of the city, troops were landed, and the ships began to bombard the fortress, which responded with artillery fire. The Russian landing force, overcoming the stubborn resistance of the Baku residents, captured the heights dominating the fortress, to which, due to the lack of horses, the guns had to be dragged by people.
In September 1806, Russian troops under the command of General Bulgakov again moved to Baku. The local Khan Huseyn-Kuli fled to Persia, and on November 3 the city surrendered and swore allegiance to the Russians. The Baku and then the Kuba khanates were declared Russian provinces and, thus, by the end of 1806, Russian rule was established along the entire coast of the Caspian Sea to the mouth of the Kura. At the same time, the Dzharo-Belokan region was finally annexed to Georgia. In place of Prince Tsitsianov, Count Gudovich was appointed, who had to fight a war on two fronts with weak forces - against Persia and against Turkey (with which the war had begun by that time), and at the same time maintain order in the newly pacified country. During 1806, Cuba, Baku and all of Dagestan were occupied, and the Persian troops, who tried to attack again, were defeated at Karakapet. In 1807, Gudovich took advantage of the inconsistency in the actions of the opponents and concluded a truce with the Persians.
In 1809, General Tormasov was appointed commander-in-chief. To this campaign fighting were carried out mainly on the Black Sea coast. There were fruitless negotiations with the Persians, and the Turks were gradually forced out of Transcaucasia. At the end of 1811, a truce was concluded with the Turks, and in May next year- Peace of Bucharest. But the war with Persia continued.
On October 19, 1812, General Kotlyarevsky defeated the Persian army at the small fortress of Aslanduz with a daring attack. August 9, 1812 The Persian army under the command of Serdar Emir Khan, who included English instructors led by Major Harris, captured the Lankaran fortress. The Russian command decided to recapture Lankaran. On December 17, 1812, General Kotlyarevsky with a detachment of two thousand set out from Akh-Oglan and, after a difficult campaign in cold and blizzards through the Mugan steppe, approached Lenkoran on December 26. On the night of January 1, 1813, the Russians stormed the fortress. Lenkoran was fired upon by ships of the Caspian flotilla from the sea.
On October 12, 1813, in the Gulistan tract in Karabakh on the Zeyva River, Russia and Persia signed a treaty (Peace of Gulistan). Russia finally acquired the khanates of Karabakh, Ganzhin, Shirvan, Shikinsky, Derbent, Kubinsky, Baku, part of Talysh, Dagestan, Georgia, Imereti, Guria, Mingrelia and Abkhazia. Russian and Persian subjects were allowed to travel freely by land and sea to both states, live in them as long as they wished, “and send merchants, and also have a return trip without any detention.”
In addition, Persia refused to maintain a navy in the Caspian Sea. “In the reasoning of the military courts, both before the war and during the peace, and always, the Russian military flag alone existed on the Caspian Sea, then in this respect and now it alone is given the former right with the fact that no other power except the Russian power may have a military flag on the Caspian Sea."
However, the Treaty of Gulistan did not contribute to the establishment of good neighborly relations between Russia and Persia. The Persians did not want to accept the loss of the vassal Transcaucasian khanates, and border skirmishes occurred quite often.
IN early XIX centuries, the Russian Empire and Persia argued for influence in Transcaucasia and on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Between these powers were countries such as Georgia, Armenia and Dagestan. In 1804, the first Russian-Persian war began. It ended after nine years. According to its results, enshrined in the Gulistan Peace Agreements, Russia annexed Georgian and partially Armenian lands.
The defeat did not suit the Persians. Revanchist sentiments became popular in the country. The Shah wanted to return the lost provinces. Because of this insoluble conflict of interests, the Russian-Persian War (1826-1828) began. The causes of the conflict and the tense situation in the region made it inevitable.
Diplomatic situation
Preparations for a new war began in Persia immediately after the defeat in 1813. First of all, Feth Ali Shah tried to enlist the support of the European powers. Before this, he relied on Napoleon Bonaparte, who entered into an alliance with the Persians on the eve of his attack on Russia in 1812. Its terms were stipulated in the Treaty of Finkestein.
However, since then the situation in the world has changed a lot. The Napoleonic Wars ended with the defeat of France and the ambitious emperor, who found himself in exile on the island of St. Helena. The Shah needed a new ally. Before the Russian-Persian War of 1826-1828 began, Great Britain began to show signs of attention to Persia.
This colonial power had its own interests in the Asian region. The kingdom owned India, and the British ambassadors extracted a promise from the Iranians not to allow any of London's enemies into this country. At the same time, a conflict broke out between Persia and Turkey. The British played the role of peacekeepers in negotiations with Ottoman Empire, trying to persuade the Shah to war with another neighbor - Russia.
On the eve of the war
At this time, Feth Ali Shah's second son Abbas Mirza was made commander-in-chief of the Persian army. He was instructed to prepare the army for new tests and carry out all the necessary reforms. The modernization of the army took place with the support of Great Britain. The soldiers received new weapons and uniforms, partly purchased in Europe. In this way, Abbas-Mirza tried to overcome the technical lag of his subordinates from the Russian units. Strategically, these were steps in the right direction, but in their reforms the Iranian headquarters was in an extremely hurry, trying not to waste time. This played a cruel joke. When the Russian-Persian War began, those who participated in the previous conflict could notice changes in the enemy’s camp. But they were not enough to bridge the gap that existed between the armies and the Shah.
In 1825, Iranian militarists gladly received news that Russian Emperor Alexander I died unexpectedly in Taganrog. His death led to a short dynastic crisis and (more importantly) the Decembrist uprising. Alexander had no children, and the throne was to pass to his next brother, Constantine. He refused, and as a result, Nikolai, who had never prepared for this, began to rule. He was a military man by training. The Decembrist uprising infuriated him. When the coup attempt failed, a lengthy trial began in St. Petersburg.
It was in those days that the advisers of the new king began to inform the monarch that his southern neighbor was openly preparing for an armed conflict. The commander-in-chief in the Caucasus was the famous General Alexei Ermolov. The last Russian-Persian war took place before his eyes, and he, like no one else, realized the danger of a new conflict. It was this general who reminded Nicholas more often than others about the prospects in the Caucasus.
The emperor responded rather sluggishly, but still agreed to send Prince Alexander Menshikov to Tehran. The future naval minister was not found common language with Persian diplomats. The king gave his ward instructions according to which he was ready to cede part of the disputed Talysh Khanate in exchange for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. However, Tehran did not accept such proposals. Menshikov was even arrested along with all the ambassadors, although he was released already in 1827.
Persian intervention
The failure of preliminary negotiations led to the fact that the Russian-Persian war finally began. On July 16, 1826, the Iranian army crossed the border in the area of modern Azerbaijan, where the Talysh and Karabakh khanates were located. This operation was carried out secretly and treacherously, there was no official declaration of war.
On the border there were only defensive detachments, hastily assembled and consisting of local Azerbaijanis. They could not provide serious resistance to the trained Persian army. Some residents who professed Islam even joined the interventionists. According to Abbas Mirza's plans, the Persian army was supposed to move northwest along the valleys of the Kura River. The main goal was considered the provincial city of Tiflis. Ideally, Russian troops should have been thrown to the other side of the Terek.
The war in the Caucasus region has always had several tactical features related to the specific terrain. It was possible to cross the ridge by land only through certain passes. Operating in Transcaucasia, the Persians sent auxiliary detachments to the north, hoping to block all routes for the main Russian army.
War in Karabakh
The main group under the direct leadership of Abbas Mirza numbered 40 thousand soldiers. This army crossed the border and headed towards the Shushi fortress. Even the day before, the Persian command tried to enlist the support of the local khans, who were the leaders of the Azerbaijanis living in the city. Some of them actually promised Abbas Mirza support.
An Orthodox Armenian population also lived in Shusha, which, on the contrary, was loyal to the Russian authorities. The garrison of the fortress consisted of a detachment of Cossacks. The besieged decided to take hostage those Muslim khans who were suspected of betrayal and collaboration with the Persians. Hasty training of the militia, consisting mainly of Armenians, began. Despite the energetic actions of the Cossacks, Shusha did not have any large supply of food and weapons necessary for successful defense during an assault or siege.
At this time, the Karabakh Khan, who became a vassal of Russia after the war of 1804-1813, announced support for the Persian interventionists. Abbas Mirza, for his part, promised protection to all local Muslims. He also announced that he was fighting only the Russians, hoping that this would help him convert the population to his side.
Siege of Shushi
The new Russian-Persian war began from Shushi. The attackers and defenders were separated by fortifications made of walls. To get rid of this obstacle, the Persians installed mines obtained thanks to European assistance. In addition, Abbas Mirza ordered several demonstrative executions of Karabakh Armenians to be carried out right under the walls, hoping that this act of intimidation would quarrel between the Armenians and Russians holed up in the fortress. This did not happen.
The Persian army besieged Shusha for seven weeks. This delay greatly changed the course of the entire military campaign. The Iranians decided to divide the army and send an 18,000-strong detachment towards Elisavetpol (Ganja). Abbas Mirza hoped that this maneuver would allow him to reach Tiflis from the east, which would be a complete surprise for the Cossacks.
Battle of Shamkhor
The commander-in-chief of Russian troops in the Caucasus, General Ermolov, was in Tiflis at the beginning of the war and assembled regiments. His first plan was to quickly retreat into the depths of the region, luring the Persians away from his own territory. Already in new positions, the Cossacks would have had a noticeable advantage over the Shah's army.
However, by the time a detachment of 8 thousand soldiers was assembled in Tiflis, it became clear that the interventionists were stuck for a long time under the walls of Shushi. So, unexpectedly for everyone, the Russian-Persian war began. The year 1826 was in full swing, and Ermolov decided to launch a counterattack before the onset of cold weather. An army led by Major General Madatov was sent towards Elisavetpol to stop the enemy and lift the siege of Shushi.
This detachment encountered the enemy vanguard near the village of Shamkir. The ensuing battle in historiography was called the Battle of Shamkhor. It was she who influenced the results of the Russian-Persian War of 1826-1828. Up to this point, the Iranians had advanced, encountering virtually no organized resistance. Now they had to face a real Russian army.
By the time Madatov found himself in Azerbaijan, the Persians had already managed to besiege Elisavetpol. In order to break through to the blockaded city, the Russian army needed to defeat the enemy vanguard. On September 3, in the ensuing battle, the Persians lost 2 thousand people killed, while Madatov lost 27 soldiers. Due to the defeat in the Battle of Shamkhor, Abbas Mirza had to lift the siege of Shushi and move to the rescue of the regiments stationed near Elisavetpol.
Expulsion of the Persians from Russia
Valerian Madatov commanded only 6 thousand people. There were clearly not enough of them to drive the Persians away from Elizavetpol. Therefore, after the victory near Shamkhor, he made a small maneuver, during which he linked up with fresh reinforcements that came from Tiflis. The meeting took place on September 10. The new regiments were commanded by Ivan Paskevich. He also took command of the entire army that was marching to liberate Elizavetpol.
On September 13, Russian troops found themselves near the city. There were also Persians there. The parties began to prepare for a general battle. It began with intense artillery shelling. The first Persian infantry attack floundered due to the fact that the regiments ran into a ravine and, being trapped, came under enemy fire.
In the offensive of the Russian units, the Kherson regiment, which was directly led by Paskevich, played a decisive role. The Iranians could not be helped by either artillery or cavalry, which tried to attack the Georgian militias from the flank. The Russo-Persian War, the reasons for which lay in the Shah's desire to strike at his neighbor, once again showed how the eastern type of army was ineffective against Russian units trained in the European manner. The counterattack of Paskevich’s units led to the fact that the Iranians first retreated to their original positions, and by the evening they completely surrendered them.
The losses of both sides were again strikingly disproportionate. General Paskevich counted 46 killed and approximately two hundred wounded. The Iranians lost two thousand people. About the same number of soldiers surrendered. In addition, the Russians received enemy artillery and banners. The victory at Elisavetpol led to Russia now deciding what the Russian-Persian war would be like. The results of the battle were announced throughout the country and accepted as a gift to the new emperor, who needed to publicly prove his own competence as a ruler.
Campaign of 1827
Paskevich's success was appreciated. He was appointed commander-in-chief and viceroy of the Tsar in the Caucasus. By October, Iranian troops were driven back beyond the Araks. Thus the status quo was restored. The soldiers wintered, and a temporary lull established at the front. However, all parties understood that the Russian-Persian War (1826-1828) was not yet over. Briefly speaking, Nicholas decided to take advantage of the successes of the army and not only drive out the interventionists, but also complete the annexation of Orthodox Armenia, part of which still belonged to the Shah.
Paskevich’s main goal was the city of Erivan (Yerevan) and the Erivan Khanate, which was a vassal of Iran. The military campaign began in late spring. In the summer, the important fort of Sardar-Abad surrendered to Russian troops. Until August, the king's army did not encounter serious resistance. All this time Abbas-Mirza was in his homeland, collecting new regiments.
Battle of Oshakan
In early August, the Persian heir with a 25,000-strong army entered the Erivan Khanate. His army attacked the city of Etchmiadzin, which had only a small Cossack garrison, as well as an ancient Christian fortified monastery. The fortress had to be rescued by a detachment led by Lieutenant General Afanasy Krasovsky.
August 17th small Russian army 3 thousand people attacked the 30 thousand army of Abbas Mirza. This was one of the most striking episodes for which that Russian-Persian war is known. The date of the Battle of Oshakan (as it is known in historiography) coincided with the established unbearable Caucasian heat, which tormented all soldiers equally.
The goal of Krasovsky’s detachment was to break through to the besieged city through the dense ranks of the enemy. The Russians carried an extensive baggage train and supplies needed for the garrison. The path had to be paved with bayonets, because there was not a single road left where there were no Persians. To deter enemy attacks, Krasovsky deployed artillery, which from the very beginning of the operation occupied strategically convenient heights for shelling. Firing from the guns prevented the Persians from attacking the Russians with all their might, which was reflected in the result of the battle.
As a result, Krasovsky’s detachment managed to break through to Etchmiadzin, despite the fact that every second soldier from this army died fighting off Muslim attacks. The failure had an extremely strong demoralizing effect on the entire Persian leadership. Abbas Mirza tried to besiege the city for some time, but soon wisely retreated.
The main forces of the empire under the leadership of Paskevich at this time planned to invade Azerbaijan and go to Tabriz. But at the end of August, the commander-in-chief received news of the events in Etchmiadzin, because of which the Russian-Persian War (1826-1828) moved to another stage. The reasons why Paskevich sent a small detachment to the west were simple - he believed that Abbas Mirza was in a completely different region. Realizing that the main Iranian army was in his rear, the commander-in-chief abandoned the campaign to Tabriz and moved towards the Erivan Khanate.
Capture of Yerevan
On September 7, Paskevich and Krasovsky met in Etchmiadzin, from which the siege had been lifted the day before. At the council it was decided to take the Armenian Erivan. If the army had managed to capture this city, the Russian-Persian war would have ended. The year 1828 was already approaching, so Paskevich immediately set off, hoping to complete the operation before the onset of winter.
The Russian-Persian War, the years of which occurred during a period of turbulence in the Russian state, nevertheless showed that, in spite of everything, the tsarist army could solve operational problems in the most difficult conditions. Nicholas I, not without reason, believed that he needed to establish a protectorate over all of Armenia. The indigenous people of this country were also Orthodox Christians and suffered from Muslim domination for centuries.
The first attempts of the Armenians to establish contact with St. Petersburg took place back in It was from that time Russian army liberated province after province in Transcaucasia. Paskevich, once in eastern Armenia, was greeted with enthusiasm by the local residents. Most of the men joined the general as militiamen.
The Russian-Persian War of 1828 became a chance for Armenians to start living in a Christian country again. There were many of them in Erivan. Realizing this, the Persian commandant of the fortress expelled from the city members of influential Armenian families who could incite the townspeople to revolt. But the precautionary measures did not help the Iranians. The city was taken by Russian troops on October 1, 1827 after a short assault.
Negotiation
Two weeks after this victory, it became known at headquarters that another royal detachment had captured Tabriz. This army was commanded by Georgy Eristov, sent by Paskevich to the southeast after the commander-in-chief left for Erivan. This victory was the last front-line event for which the Russian-Persian War (1826-1828) is known. The Shah needed a peace treaty. His army lost all strategically important battles. In addition, the royal regiments now occupied part of its territory.
Therefore, with the onset of winter, both states began to exchange diplomats and envoys. They met in Turkmanchay, a small village not far from captured Tabriz. The treaties signed in this place on February 10, 1828 summed up the results of the Russian-Persian War (1826-1828). All the conquests that tsarist army did in the previous conflict. In addition, the imperial crown received new territorial acquisitions. This was eastern Armenia with its main city Yerevan, as well as the Nakhichevan Khanate. The Iranians agreed to pay a large indemnity (20 million rubles in silver). They also guaranteed their non-interference in the process of resettlement of Orthodox Armenians to their homeland.
End of the conflict
It is curious that a member of the royal embassy was the diplomat and writer Alexander Griboedov. He took part in the discussion of the conditions under which the Russian-Persian War (1826-1828) ended. In short, the agreement did not suit the Iranians. A few months later a new one began and the Persians tried to violate the terms of the peace.
In order to resolve the conflict, an embassy was sent to Tehran, headed by Griboyedov. In 1829, this delegation was brutally murdered by Islamic fanatics. Dozens of diplomats were killed. The Shah sent rich gifts to St. Petersburg to smooth over the scandal. Nikolai did not agree to confrontation, and since then there has been a long peace between the neighbors.
Griboedov's mutilated body was buried in Tiflis. While in Yerevan, which had just been liberated from the Iranians, he staged his most famous play, “Woe from Wit,” on stage for the first time. This is how that Russian-Persian war ended. The peace treaty allowed the creation of several new provinces, and from then on Transcaucasia remained part of the empire until the fall of the monarchy.
Iran actively opposed the annexation of Transcaucasia to Russia. In this matter, Iran was supported by both England and France, who, in turn, were in conflict with each other.
In 1801, at the time of Georgia’s annexation to Russia, England concluded a political and trade agreements. The British were given broad political and economic privileges. The Anglo-Iranian alliance was directed against France and Russia. The peculiarity of England's policy in Iran was that it was always anti-Russian in nature, even in cases where both powers were allies in European affairs. Through the East India Company, England supplied Iran with weapons and economic assistance. In 1804, Iran started a war against Russia, for which this came as a big surprise. However, a few Russian troops managed to hold back the attack and inflict a series of defeats in Eastern Armenia and blockade Erivan. In 1805, military operations took place mainly in the territory of Northern Azerbaijan. In 1806, Russian troops occupied Derbent and Baku. By this time, France's victories in Europe and the extraordinary growth of its military power pushed the Shah of Iran to enter into active negotiations with Napoleon against Russia. In May 1807, an alliance treaty against Russia was signed between France and Iran, according to which Napoleon committed to force the Russians to leave Transcaucasia. A French military mission arrived in Iran and launched a variety of activities both against Russia and England.
French dominance in Iran was short-lived. In 1809, England managed to conclude a new treaty of alliance with Iran and expel the French mission from there. New treaty did not bring relief to Russia. England began to pay Iran a military subsidy to wage war against Russia and resumed arms supplies. British diplomacy systematically thwarted the beginning attempts at Russian-Iranian peace negotiations.
The assistance provided by the British could not significantly improve the situation in Iran, although it drew Russia's economic and military resources away from the European theater of operations. In October 1812, after the Battle of Borodino, Russian troops defeated the Iranian army and peace negotiations began. In October 1813, the Gulistan Peace Treaty was signed, according to which Iran recognized the annexation of the main part of Transcaucasia to Russia, but retained the Yerevan and Nakhichevan khanates. Russia received a monopoly right to maintain a navy in the Caspian Sea. Merchants of both sides received the right to unhindered trade.
Russian - Persian war 1804-1813
The activity of Russia's policy in the Transcaucasus was mainly associated with Georgia's persistent requests for protection from the Turkish-Iranian onslaught. During the reign of Catherine II, the Treaty of Georgievsk (1783) was concluded between Russia and Georgia, according to which Russia pledged to defend Georgia. This led to a clash first with Turkey and then with Persia (until 1935, the official name of Iran), for which Transcaucasia had long been a sphere of influence. The first clash between Russia and Persia over Georgia occurred in 1796, when Russian troops repelled an invasion of Georgian lands by Iranian troops. In 1801, Georgia, by the will of its king George XII, joined Russia.
GeorgiyXII
This forced St. Petersburg to become involved in the complex affairs of the troubled Transcaucasian region. In 1803, Mingrelia joined Russia, and in 1804, Imereti and Guria. This caused discontent in Iran, and when in 1804 Russian troops occupied the Ganja Khanate (for the raids of Ganja troops on Georgia),
After the annexation of Georgia to Russia and the granting of governance to it, which existed in other regions of the Empire, the pacification of the Caucasus became a necessary, although extremely difficult, task for Russia, and the main attention was paid to the establishment in Transcaucasia. By annexing Georgia, Russia became openly hostile towards Turkey, Persia and the mountain peoples. The small ruling Transcaucasian princes, who managed to become independent, taking advantage of the weakness of the Georgian kingdom, under whose protectorate they were, looked with extreme hostility at the strengthening of Russian influence in the Caucasus and entered into secret and open relations with the enemies of Russia. In such a difficult situation, Alexander I chose the prince. Tsitsianov.
Pavel Dmitrievich Tsitsianov
Realizing that for successful operations in Georgia and Transcaucasia, not only an intelligent and courageous person is needed, but also familiar with the area, with the customs and customs of the highlanders, the Emperor recalled the commander-in-chief Knorring, appointed by Paul I, and, on September 9, 1802, appointed Astrakhan military governor and the commander-in-chief in Georgia, Prince. Tsitsianova. Entrusting him with this responsible post and informing Count Zubov’s plan, which consisted of occupying lands from the Rion River to the Kura and Araks, to the Caspian Sea and beyond, Alexander I ordered: “to bring into clarity and system the confused affairs of the region, and meek, fair, but also with firm behavior, try to gain trust in the government not only of Georgia, but also of various neighboring possessions." “I am confident,” the Emperor wrote to Tsitsianov, “that, convinced of the importance of the service entrusted to you, and guided both by the knowledge of my rules for this region and by your own prudence, you will fulfill your duty with the impartiality and righteousness that I have in you I always assumed and found it."
Realizing the seriousness of the danger threatening from Persia and Turkey, Tsitsianov decided to secure our borders from the east and south and started with the Ganzhinsky Khanate closest to Georgia, which had already been conquered by the gr. Zubov, but, after the removal of our troops, again recognized the power of Persia. Convinced of the inaccessibility of Ganja and hoping for help from the Persians, its owner, Javat Khan, considered himself safe, especially since the Jarians and Elisuis, convinced by the Dagestan princes, disobeyed, despite Tsitsianov’s convictions. Javat Khan, in response to Tsitsianov’s letter inviting him to submit, declared that he would fight the Russians until he won. Then Tsitsianov decided to act energetically. Having strengthened the detachment of Gulyakov, who had a permanent post on the river. Alazani, near Aleksandrovsk, Tsitsianov with 4 infantry battalions, part of the Narva Dragoon Regiment, several hundred Cossacks, a detachment of Tatar cavalry, with 12 guns, moved towards Ganja. Tsitsianov did not have a plan of the fortress or a map of its surroundings. I had to do reconnaissance on the spot. On December 2, for the first time, Russian troops clashed with the troops of Javat Khan, and on December 3, Ganja was besieged and bombardment began, since Javat Khan refused to surrender the fortress voluntarily. Tsitsianov hesitated for a long time to storm Ganja, fearing heavy losses. The siege lasted four weeks and only on January 4, 1804, the main mosque of Ganja was already “turned into a temple to the true God,” as Tsitsianov put it in his letter to General Vyazmitinov. The assault on Ganja cost 38 people killed and 142 wounded. Among those killed by the enemy was Javat Khan.
Javat Khan
The Russians got as booty: 9 copper guns, 3 cast iron, 6 falconets and 8 banners with inscriptions, 55 pounds of gunpowder and a large grain supply.
Persia declared war on Russia. In this conflict, the number of Persian troops many times exceeded the Russian ones. Total number Russian soldiers in Transcaucasia did not exceed 8 thousand people. They had to operate over a large territory: from Armenia to the shores of the Caspian Sea. In terms of weapons, the Iranian army, equipped with British weapons, was not inferior to the Russian one. Therefore, the final success of the Russians in this war was associated primarily with more high degree military organization, combat training and courage of the troops, as well as the leadership talents of military leaders. The Russian-Persian conflict marked the beginning of the most difficult military decade in the country's history (1804-1814), when the Russian Empire had to fight along almost the entire perimeter of its European borders from the Baltic to the Caspian Sea. This demanded from the country something unprecedented since the times Northern War voltage.
Campaign of 1804 .
The main hostilities of the first year of the war took place in the Erivan (Yerevan) region. The commander of the Russian troops in Transcaucasia, General Pyotr Tsitsianov, began the campaign with offensive actions.
The main forces of the Persians, under the command of Abbas Mirza himself, had already crossed the Araks and entered the Erivan Khanate.
Abbas-Mirza
On June 19, Tsitsianov approached Etchmiadzin, and on the 21st, an eighteen-thousandth Persian corps surrounded Tsitsianov, but was driven back with heavy losses. On June 25th the attack resumed and again the Persians were defeated; Abbas Mirza retreated beyond the Araks. Notifying the Erivan Khan about this, Tsitsianov demanded that he surrender the fortress and take an oath of citizenship. The treacherous Khan, wanting to get rid of the Russians and gain favor with the Persian Shah, sent to ask him to return back. The result of this was the return of the 27,000-strong Persian army camped near the village of Kalagiri.
Abbas-Mirza was making preparations here for decisive action, but Tsitsianov warned him. On June 30, a detachment of three thousand Russian troops crossed the river. Zangu and, having repelled a sortie made from the Erivan fortress, attacked the enemy, who occupied a strong position on the heights. At first the Persians stubbornly defended themselves, but in the end they were forced to retreat to their camp, located three miles from the battlefield. The small number of cavalry did not allow Tsitsianov to pursue the enemy, who left his camp and fled through Erivan. On this day, the Persians lost up to 7,000 killed and wounded, the entire convoy, four banners, seven falconets and all the treasures looted along the way. Tsitsianov's reward for the victory was (July 22, 1804) the Order of St. Vladimir 1st Art. Having won a victory over the Persians, Tsitsianov directed his forces against the Erivan Khan and on July 2 besieged Erivan. At first, the khan resorted to negotiations, but since Tsitsianov demanded unconditional surrender, on July 15, part of the garrison and several thousand Persians attacked the Russian detachment. After a ten-hour battle, the attackers were repulsed, losing two banners and two cannons. On the night of July 25, Tsitsianov sent Major General Portnyagin with part of his troops to attack Abbas Mirza, whose camp was located in a new place, not far from Erivan. This time victory was on the side of the Persians and Portnyagin was forced to retreat. Tsitsianov's position became more and more difficult. Intense heat exhausted the army; convoys with provisions arrived significantly late or did not arrive at all; the Georgian cavalry, which he sent back to Tiflis, was captured by the enemy on the road and taken to Tehran; Major Montresor, who held a post near the village of Bombaki, was killed by the Persians, and his detachment was exterminated; Lezgins raided; the Karabakh people invaded the Elisavetpol district; the Ossetians also began to worry; The detachment's relations with Georgia were interrupted. In a word, Tsitsianov’s position was critical; Petersburg and Tiflis were awaiting news of the death of the detachment and Tiflis was preparing for defense. Only Tsitsianov did not lose heart. Unshakable will, faith in himself and in his army gave him the strength to continue the siege of Erivan as persistently as before. He hoped that with the onset of autumn the Persian troops would withdraw and the fortress, without their support, would be forced to surrender; but when the enemy burned out all the grain in the vicinity of Etchmiadzin and Erivan and the detachment began to face inevitable famine, Tsitsianov faced a dilemma: lift the siege or take the fortress by storm. Tsitsianov, true to himself, chose the latter. Of all the officers he invited to the military council, only Portnyagin joined his opinion; everyone else was against the assault; yielding to the majority of votes, Tsitsianov gave the order to retreat. On September 4, Russian troops set out on a return campaign. During the ten-day retreat, up to 430 people fell ill and about 150 died.
Having refused to take Erivan, Tsitsianov hoped that through peaceful negotiations he would be able to expand the borders of Russia, and his attitude towards the mountain khans and rulers was the opposite of that followed by the Russian government before Tsitsianov. “I dared,” he wrote to the chancellor, “to accept a rule contrary to the previously existing system here and instead of paying some kind of tribute for their imaginary citizenship with salaries and gifts determined to soften the mountain peoples, I myself demand tribute.” In February 1805, Prince. Tsitsianov took the oath of allegiance to the Russian Tsar from Ibrahim Khan of Shusha and Karabakh; in May Selim Khan of Sheki took the oath; in addition, Jangir Khan of Shagakh and Budakh Sultan of Shuragel expressed their submission; Having received a report on these annexations, Alexander I awarded Tsitsianov a cash lease in the amount of 8,000 rubles. in year.
But although Tsitsianov’s troops in the battle of Kanagir (near Erivan) defeated the Iranian army under the command of Crown Prince Abass-Mirza, Russian forces were not enough to take this stronghold. In November, a new army under the command of Shah Feth Ali approached the Persian troops.
Shah Feth Ali
Tsitsianov’s detachment, which had already suffered significant losses by that time, was forced to lift the siege and retreat to Georgia.
Campaign of 1805 .
The failure of the Russians at the walls of Erivan strengthened the confidence of the Persian leadership. In June, a 40,000-strong Persian army under the command of Prince Abbas Mirza moved through the Ganja Khanate to Georgia. On the Askeran River (region of the Karabakh ridge), the vanguard of the Persian troops (20 thousand people) met stubborn resistance from a Russian detachment under the command of Colonel Karyagin (500 people), which had only 2 cannons. From June 24 to July 7, Karyagin's rangers, skillfully using the terrain and changing positions, heroically repelled the onslaught of a huge Persian army. After a four-day defense in the Karagach tract, on the night of June 28, the detachment fought its way into the Shah-Bulakh castle, where it was able to hold out until the night of July 8, and then secretly left its fortifications.
Shah-Bulakh Castle
The selfless resistance of Karyagin’s soldiers actually saved Georgia. The delay in the advance of the Persian troops allowed Tsitsianov to gather forces to repel the unexpected invasion. On July 28, at the Battle of Zagam, the Russians defeated the troops of Abbas Mirza. His campaign against Georgia was stopped and the Persian army retreated. After this, Tsitsianov transferred the main hostilities to the Caspian coast. But his attempts to conduct a naval operation to capture Baku and Rasht ended in vain.
Campaign of 1806 .
P.D. Tsitsianov set out on a campaign against Baku.
The Russians moved through the Shirvan Khanate, and, in this case, Tsitsianov managed to persuade the Shirvan Khan to join Russia. Khan took the oath of citizenship on December 25, 1805. From Shirvan, the prince notified the Khan of Baku about his approach, demanding the surrender of the fortress. After a very difficult transition through the Shemakha Mountains, Tsitsianov and his detachment approached Baku on January 30, 1806.
Sparing people and wanting to avoid bloodshed, Tsitsianov once again sent the khan an offer to submit, and set four conditions: a Russian garrison would be stationed in Baku; the Russians will manage the income; the merchants will be guaranteed from oppression; The eldest son of the khan will be brought to Tsitsianov as an amanate. After quite long negotiations, the khan declared that he was ready to submit to the Russian commander-in-chief and betray himself into eternal citizenship of the Russian Emperor. In view of this, Tsitsianov promised to leave him as the owner of the Baku Khanate. The Khan agreed to all the conditions set by the prince and asked Tsitsianov to set a day for accepting the keys. The prince set February 8th. Early in the morning he went to the fortress, having with him 200 people who were supposed to remain in Baku as a garrison. Half a mile before the city gates, the Baku elders were waiting for the prince with keys, bread and salt and, presenting them to Tsitsianov, announced that the khan did not believe in his complete forgiveness and asked the prince for a personal meeting. Tsitsianov agreed, gave back the keys, wanting to receive them from the hands of the khan himself, and rode forward, ordering Lieutenant Colonel Prince Eristov and one Cossack to follow him. About a hundred steps before the fortress, Hussein-Kuli Khan, accompanied by four Baku residents, came out to meet Tsitsianov, and while the khan, bowing, brought the keys, the Baku men fired; Tsitsianov and Prince. The Eristovs fell; the khan's retinue rushed towards them and began to chop down their bodies; at the same time, artillery fire opened on our detachment from the city walls.
Body of the book Tsitsianov was first buried in a hole, at the very gate where he was killed. General Bulgakov, who took Baku in the same 1806, buried his ashes in the Baku Armenian Church, and the governor in 1811-1812. Georgian Marquis Paulucci transported him to Tiflis and buried him in the Zion Cathedral. A monument was erected over Tsitsianov’s grave with an inscription in Russian and Georgian.
I.V. Gudovich
General Ivan Gudovich was appointed commander-in-chief and continued the offensive in Azerbaijan. In 1806, the Russians occupied the Caspian territories of Dagestan and Azerbaijan (including Baku, Derbent, and Cuba). In the summer of 1806, the troops of Abbas Mirza, who tried to go on the offensive, were defeated in Karabakh. However, the situation soon became more complicated. In December 1806 it began Russian-Turkish war. In order not to fight on two fronts with his extremely limited forces, Gudovich, taking advantage of the hostile relations between Turkey and Iran, immediately concluded a truce with the Iranians and began military operations against the Turks. The year 1807 was spent in peace negotiations with Iran, but they came to nothing. In 1808, hostilities resumed.
Campaign of 1808-1809 .
In 1808, Gudovich transferred the main hostilities to Armenia. His troops occupied Etchmiadzin (a city west of Yerevan) and then besieged Erivan. In October, the Russians defeated Abbas Mirza's troops at Karababa and occupied Nakhichevan. However, the assault on Erivan ended in failure, and the Russians were forced to retreat from the walls of this fortress a second time. After this, Gudovich was replaced by General Alexander Tormasov, who resumed peace negotiations. During the negotiations, troops under the command of the Iranian Shah Feth Ali unexpectedly invaded northern Armenia (Artik region), but were repulsed. The attempt of Abbas Mirza’s army to attack Russian positions in the Ganja region also ended in failure.
A.P. Tormasov in the troops
Campaign of 1810-1811 .
In the summer of 1810, the Iranian command planned to launch an attack on Karabakh from its stronghold of Meghri (a mountainous Armenian village located in the area of the left bank of the Arak River). To prevent the offensive actions of the Iranians, a detachment of rangers under the command of Colonel Kotlyarevsky (about 500 people) went to Meghri, who on June 17, with an unexpected attack, managed to capture this strong point, where there was a 1,500-strong garrison with 7 batteries. Russian losses amounted to 35 people. The Iranians lost more than 300 people. After the fall of Meghri, the southern regions of Armenia received reliable protection from Iranian invasions. In July, Kotlyarevsky defeated the Iranian army on the Arak River. In September, Iranian troops attempted to launch a westward offensive towards Akhalkalaki (southwestern Georgia) to link up with Turkish troops there. However, the Iranian offensive in the area was repulsed. In 1811 Tormasov was replaced by General Paulucci. However, Russian troops did not undertake during this period active actions because of limited number and the need to wage a war on two fronts (against Turkey and Iran). In February 1812 Paulucci was replaced by General Rtishchev, who resumed peace negotiations.
Campaign of 1812-1813 .
P.S. Kotlyarevsky
At this time, the fate of the war was actually decided. The sharp turn is associated with the name of General Pyotr Stepanovich Kotlyarevsky, whose brilliant military talent helped Russia victoriously end the protracted confrontation.
Battle of Aslanduz (1812) .
After Tehran received news of the occupation of Moscow by Napoleon, negotiations were interrupted. Despite the critical situation and the obvious lack of forces, General Kotlyarevsky, who was given freedom of action by Rtishchev, decided to seize the initiative and stop a new offensive by Iranian troops. He himself moved with a 2,000-strong detachment towards the 30,000-strong army of Abbas Mirza. Using the factor of surprise, Kotlyarevsky’s detachment crossed Arak in the Aslanduz area and on October 19 attacked the Iranians on the move. They did not expect such a quick attack and retreated to their camp in confusion. Meanwhile, night fell, hiding the real number of Russians. Having instilled in his soldiers an unshakable belief in victory, the undaunted general led them into an attack against the entire Iranian army. Courage trumped strength. Having burst into the Iranian camp, a handful of heroes with a bayonet attack caused an indescribable panic in the camp of Abbas Mirza, who did not expect a night attack, and put the entire army to flight. Iranian casualties amounted to 1,200 killed and 537 captured. The Russians lost 127 people.
Battle of Aslands
This victory of Kotlyarevsky did not allow Iran to seize the strategic initiative. Having crushed the Iranian army at Aslanduz, Kotlyarevsky moved to the Lankaran fortress, which covered the path to the northern regions of Persia.
Capture of Lankaran (1813) .
After the defeat at Aslanduz, the Iranians placed last hopes to Lankaran. This strong fortress was defended by a 4,000-strong garrison under the command of Sadyk Khan. Sadyk Khan responded to the offer to surrender with a proud refusal. Then Kotlyarevsky gave the order to his soldiers to take the fortress by storm, declaring that there would be no retreat. Here are the words from his order, read to the soldiers before the battle: “Having exhausted all means of forcing the enemy to surrender the fortress, having found him adamant to do so, there remains no longer any way to conquer this fortress with Russian weapons except by force of assault... We must take the fortress or everyone should die, why were we sent here... so we’ll prove it, brave soldiers, that nothing can resist the power of the Russian bayonet..." On January 1, 1813, an attack followed. Already at the beginning of the attack, all the officers in the first ranks of the attackers were knocked out. In this critical situation The attack was led by Kotlyarevsky himself. After a brutal and merciless assault, Lankaran fell. Of its defenders, less than 10% survived. Russian losses were also great - about 1 thousand people. (50% of the composition). During the attack, the fearless Kotlyarevsky was also seriously injured (he became disabled and left the armed forces forever). Russia has lost a bright successor to the Rumyantsev-Suvorov military tradition, whose talent was just beginning to work “Suvorov’s miracles.”
assault on Lankaran
Peace of Gulistan (1813) .
The fall of Lankaran decided the outcome Russian-Iranian war(1804-1813). It forced the Iranian leadership to stop hostilities and sign the Peace of Gulistan [concluded 12(24). October 1813 in the village of Gulistan (now the village of Gulustan, Goranboy region of Azerbaijan)]. A number of Transcaucasian provinces and khanates (Khanate of Derbent) went to Russia, which received the exclusive right to maintain a navy in the Caspian Sea. Russian and Iranian merchants were allowed to trade freely on the territory of both states.
