Russo-Persian War (1804–1813) during the
Russo-Persian War (1804–1813) by the Russian forces under the leadership of General
Pavel Tsitsianov. of Fath Ali Shah During the early reign of Fath Ali Shah,
Imperial Russia took control of
Georgia, a territory which
Iran had ruled intermittently since 1555 with the
Peace of Amasya. Georgia, led by
Heraclius II, had forged an alliance with Iran's rival, Russia, following the
Treaty of Georgievsk. To punish his Georgian subjects, his uncle, Agha Mohammad Khan, had invaded and
sacked Tbilisi, seeking to reestablish full Iranian suzerainty over Georgia, in which he succeeded. Even though the Russian garrisons in the city had to retreat, Iran did not manage to put back all of its needed garrisons over the country as Agha Mohammad Khan was assassinated soon afterwards in
Shusha, following with Russia's act of annexation of those previously-Iranian ruled parts of Georgia in 1801, after many Georgian embassies and a treaty. Also, not only was Georgia annexed, but
Dagestan was also invaded, which had also been under Iranian rule since the early Safavid era. As it was seen as a direct intrusion into Iranian territory, Fath Ali Shah, determined to reassert Iranian hegemony over the whole region, declared war on Russia after General
Pavel Tsitsianov attacked and
stormed the city of Ganja, massacring many of its inhabitants and forcing many thousands to flee deeper within the Iranian domains. In 1804, Fath Ali Shah ordered the invasion of
Georgia in order to regain it, under pressure from the
Shia clergy, who were urging a war against Russia. The war began with notable victories for the Iranians, but Russia shipped in advanced weaponry and cannons that disadvantaged the technologically inferior Qajar forces, who did not have the artillery to match. Russia continued with a major campaign against Iran; Iran asked for help from Britain on the grounds of a military agreement with that country (the military agreement was signed after the rise of Napoleon in France). However, Britain refused to assist Iran, claiming that the military agreement concerned a French attack, not a Russian one. , with colleagues
Jaubert and Joanin, at the court of Fath-Ali Shah in 1808. ) Iran had to ask for help from France, sending an ambassador to
Napoleon and concluding a
Franco-Persian alliance with the signature of the
Treaty of Finkenstein. However, just when the French were ready to help Iran, Napoleon made peace with Russia. At this time,
John Malcolm arrived in Iran and promised support, but Britain later changed its mind and asked Iran to retreat. Though the war had been stale for many years and was located in various parts of
Transcaucasia, the peace with Napoleon enabled the Russians to increase their war efforts in the Caucasus against Iran. In early 1813, under General
Pyotr Kotlyarevsky, the Russians successfully
stormed Lankaran. Russian troops invaded Tabriz in 1813, and Iran was forced to sign the
Treaty of Gulistan with Russia.
Siege of Erivan After the siege of Ganja, the Russians under
Pavel Tsitsianov proceeded to
Erivan, besieging it. The Iranian forces inside Erivan's citadel prevented the Russians from making a direct attack, while those outside the citadel surrounded the Russians and cut the invaders' supply lines. Commanded by Fath Ali Shah and
Abbas Mirza, the Iranians successfully defended the city and defeated the Russian attack.
Treaty of Gulistan ,
Dagestan,
Armenia, and
Azerbaijan, before being forced to cede the territories to
Imperial Russia per the
two Russo-Persian Wars of the 19th century. On account of consecutive defeats of
Iran and after the fall of
Lankaran on 1 January 1813, Fath Ali Shah was forced to sign the disastrous
Treaty of Gulistan. The text of the treaty was prepared by a British diplomat,
Sir Gore Ouseley, and was signed by
Nikolay Rtishchev from the Russian side and
Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi from the Iranian side on 24 October 1813 in the village of
Gulistan. By this treaty all of the cities, towns, and villages of
Georgia, villages and towns on the coast of the
Black Sea, all of the cities, towns and villages of the
Khanates in the
South Caucasus and
North Caucasus, and part of the
Talysh Khanate, including
Megrelia,
Abkhazia,
Imeretia,
Guria,
Baku khanate,
Shirvan Khanate,
Derbent,
Karabakh khanate,
Ganja khanate,
Shaki Khanate and
Quba Khanate became part of Russia. These territories altogether comprise modern-day Georgia, southern
Dagestan, and most of the contemporary
Azerbaijan Republic. In return, Russia pledged to support
Abbas Mirza as heir to the Iranian throne after the death of Fath Ali Shah.
Interlude on a different front Between 1805 and 1816, Qajar rulers began invading
Herat in neighboring
Afghanistan with small detachments. The Iranians were attempting to retake control of the city but were forced to abandon it due to Afghan uprisings. In 1818 the Shah sent his son
Mohammad Vali Mirza to capture the city but he was defeated at the
Battle of Kafir Qala.
Russo-Persian War (1826–1828) , 1826,
Franz Roubaud. Part of the collection of the Museum for History,
Baku. In 1826, 13 years after the
Treaty of Gulistan, the Shah, on the advice of British agents and the utter dissatisfaction with the outcome of the previous war, decided to occupy the lost territories. Crown prince
Abbas Mirza, head of the armies, invaded the
Talysh Khanate and
Karabakh khanate with an army of 35,000 on 16 July 1826. The first year of the war was very successful, and the Iranians managed to regain most of their lost territories of the 1804–1813 war, including the principal cities of
Lenkoran,
Quba, and
Baku. However, the tide turned after the winter. In May 1827,
Ivan Paskevich, Governor of
Caucasus, invaded
Echmiadzin,
Nakhichevan,
Abbasabad and on 1 October he
captured of Erivan. Fourteen days later, General
Georgiy Eristov entered
Tabriz. In January 1828, when the Russians reached the shores of
Lake Urmia,
Abbas Mirza urgently signed the
Treaty of Turkmenchay on 2 February 1828.
Treaty of Turkmenchay The Turkmenchay Treaty was signed on 21 February 1828 by
Hajji Mirza Abol Hasan Khan and General
Ivan Paskevich. By this treaty the
Erivan khanate (most of present-day
Armenia, and also a small part of
Eastern Anatolia),
Nakhchivan khanate (most of the present-day
Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of
Azerbaijan), the
Talysh Khanate (southeastern Azerbaijan), and the
Ordubad and
Mughan came under the rule of
Imperial Russia. By this treaty, Iran had lost most of its Caucasian territories, comprising all of
Transcaucasia and
Dagestan to neighboring Imperial Russia. Iran furthermore pledged to pay Russia 10 million in Gold, and in return, Russia pledged to support
Abbas Mirza as heir to the Iranian throne after the death of Fath Ali Shah. The treaty also stipulated the resettlement of Armenians from Iran to the Caucasus, which also included an outright liberation of Armenian captives who were brought and had lived in Iran since 1804 or as far back as 1795. ==Later life==