between 1795 and 1801 Abu'l-Fath Khan was a member of the
Javanshir tribe, a
Turkic tribe which lived in the
Karabakh region of the
South Caucasus. He was one of the youngest sons of
Ibrahim Khalil Khan, the
khan (governor) of the
Karabakh Khanate under Iranian suzerainty. Abu'l-Fath Khan's mother was an
Armenian concubine, which lowered his chance of becoming the legitimate successor of his father. He might have attempted to use his Armenian heritage as an opportunity to solicit assistance from Karabakh's substantial Armenian community. Abu'l-Fath Khan's family, especially Ibrahim Khalil Khan, would occasionally shift their allegiance between
Qajar Iran and the
Russian Empire. In contrast to his father and other family members, Abu'l-Fath Khan always supported Iran and is reported to have fought bravely in the army of
Abbas Mirza, the crown prince of Iran during the reign of
Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (). Abu'l-Fath Khan's first political experience likely occurred when, at his father's request, he accompanied the
funeral procession of Agha Mohammad Khan—who had been killed outside the
Shusha fortress—to
Nakhchivan. There he gave Agha Mohammad Khan's body to the latter's nephew and successor, Fath-Ali Shah. Following this, Fath-Ali Shah gave Abu'l-Fath Khan an official reception in his residence in
Mianeh. Ibrahim Khalil Khan quickly established friendly relations with Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, who married his daughter
Agha Baji Javanshir and confirmed him as the khan of Karabakh. Abu'l-Fath Khan, who was around the same time sent as a hostage the shah, accompanied Agha Baji to the Iranian court. When the
Russo-Iranian War of 1804–1813 erupted, Abu'l-Fath Khan was made a commander and advisor of Abbas Mirza. , whom Abu'l-Fath Khan served under as a commander and advisor Fath-Ali Shah lost trust in Ibrahim Khalil Khan because he declined to help
Javad Khan against the Russian
siege of Ganja in 1804. He therefore appointed Abu'l-Fath Khan as the new khan. Despite this, Ibrahim Khalil Khan continued to rule Karabakh. Abu'l-Fath Khan was also appointed the ruler of lands outside Karabakh,
Kapan and
Meghri, where he successfully established control. In May 1805, Ibrahim Khalil Khan submitted to the Russians, signing the
Treaty of Kurekchay, which granted them full authority over Karabakh's external affairs in exchange for a yearly payment. Soon finding himself in a difficult position, Ibrahim Khalil Khan rejoined the Iranians. Abu'l-Fath Khan and
Farajollah Khan Shahsevan were subsequently dispatched to repel the Russians from Karabakh, but Ibrahim Khalil Khan was killed by a group Russian soldiers shortly afterwards. This was done under the instigation of his grandson Ja'far Qoli Agha and the commander of the Russian garrison. Afterwards, Abu'l-Fath Khan and Ata Allah Khan Shahsevan helped in relocating some Karabakh tribes such as the Jabraillu to the periphery of Kapan. Abu'l-Fath Khan fought the Russian troops in multiple encounters throughout this operation, even losing to Ja'far Qoli Agha in one of them. Although Ja'far Qoli Agha had hoped to become the new khan for helping the Russians against his grandfather, they ultimately appointed Ibrahim Khalil Khan's 30-year-old son
Mehdi Qoli Khan Javanshir, due to the support he enjoyed amongst the distinguished figures of Karabakh. Although Mehdi Qoli Khan held the title of khan of Karabakh, he was in reality a figurehead, the real authority being held by the Russians. In April/May 1810, the Russians conquered Meghri. Abu'l-Fath Khan subsequently relocated some of the nomads near Meghri to Iran, for which he was rewarded with rule over the fortress of Dezmar, located on the southern bank of the
Aras river. Iran and Russia made peace in 1813, signing the
Treaty of Gulistan, which among other things, led to the Iranian surrender of Karabakh. Abu'l-Fath Khan seemingly continued to control Dezmar after the war had ended. In 1818, he was given the governorship over some
de facto Russian land that Abbas Mirza had just seized. His life and activities are unknown from this point until his death, and it is unknown if he participated in the following
Russo-Iranian War of 1826–1828. The precise date of Abu'l-Fath Khan's death is not mentioned in any of the contemporary or nearly contemporaneous sources. The Iranian historian Seyyed Ahmad Divan Beygi Shirazi is the only one who somewhat brings up this subject, mentioning that it happened soon after 1834. The Iranian intellectual
Mohammad Ali Tarbiat, whose research was based on numerous unidentified sources, estimated that Abu'l-Fath Khan died in 1839, which the Iranian historian Seyyed Ali Al-i Davud considers to be with consistent with Divan Beygi Shirazi's assertion. == Cultural patronage ==