Russo-Persian War (1804–1813): Difference between revisions

| date = 22 June 1804 – 24 October 1813

| place = [[North Caucasus]], [[South Caucasus]], North [[Iran]]

[[Treaty of Gulistan]]

| casus = Border dispute between [[Persia]] and [[Russia]] over eastern [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] ([[Kartli]], [[Kakheti]]), which had been annexed by the Russian Empire in 1801, and the Russian [[Battle of Ganja (1804)|capture]] of the Persian town of Ganja.

| combatant1 = {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Russian Empire]]

| commander1 = {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]]<br>{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Ivan Gudovich]]<br>{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Pavel Tsitsianov]]{{KIA}}<br>{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Pyotr Kotlyarevsky]]<br>{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Alexander Tormasov]]

| commander2 = [[Image:Flag of Agha Mohammad Khan.svg|22px]] [[Fath Ali Shah Qajar]]<br>[[Image:Flag of Agha Mohammad Khan.svg|22px]] [[Abbas Mirza]]<br />[[Image:Flag of Agha Mohammad Khan.svg|22px]] [[Dowlatshah|Ali Mirza]]<br>[[Image:Flag of Agha Mohammad Khan.svg|22px]] [[Javad Khan|Javad Khan Qajar]]{{KIA}}<br>[[Image:Flag of Agha Mohammad Khan.svg|22px]] [[Sadeq Khan Qajar]]{{KIA}}<br>[[File:Coat of Arms of the Bagrationi of Mukhrani.svg|22px]] [[Alexander of Georgia]]

The '''Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813'''{{efn|Also called the '''Russo-Iranian War of 1804–1813'''.{{sfn|Pourjavady|2023}}}} was one of the many wars between the [[Qajar Iran|Persian Empire]] and [[Imperial Russia]], and, like many of their other conflicts, began as a territorial dispute. The new [[Persians|Persian]] king, [[Fath Ali Shah Qajar]], wanted to consolidate the northernmost reaches of his kingdom—modern-day [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]—which had been annexed by Tsar [[Paul I of Russia|Paul I]] several years after the [[Persian Expedition of 1796|Russo-Persian War of 1796]]. Like his Persian counterpart, the Tsar [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]] was also new to the throne and equally determined to control the disputed territories.

 

 

==Origins==

{{Main|Siege of Ganja (1804)}}

 

==Unequal forces==

The Russians were unable to commit a large portion of their troops to the [[Caucasus]] region, because Alexander's attention was continually distracted by simultaneous wars with [[French invasion of Russia|France]], the [[Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812)|Ottoman Empire]], [[Finnish War|Sweden]] and [[Anglo-Russian War (1807–1812)|Great Britain]]. Therefore, the Russians were forced to rely on superior technology, training, and strategy in the face of an overwhelming disparity in numbers. Some estimates put the Persian numerical advantage at five to one. Shah Fath Ali's heir, [[Abbas Mirza]], tried to modernize the Persian army, seeking help from French experts through the [[Franco-Persian alliance]], and then from British experts, in order to address the tactical disparity between the forces.

 

 

 

==War==

{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=38.90|long=46.23|label=M|position=bottom}}

}}

 

In early 1805 the [[Shoragel sultanate]] was taken by the Russians. This was a small area at the junction of Georgia, the Yerevan Khanate, and Turkey and included the militarily important town of [[Gyumri]]. On 14 May, the [[Karabakh Khanate]] submitted to the Russians, and on 21 May the [[Shaki Khanate]] did the same. In response to the loss of Karabakh, Abbas Mirza occupied the [[Askeran Fortress]] at the mouth of a valley leading from the plain southwest to [[Shusha]], the capital of Karabakh. The Russians responded by sending Koryagin to take [[Shahbulag Castle]]. Abbas Mirza marched north and besieged the place. On hearing of the approach of another army under Fath Ali, Koryagin slipped out at night and headed for Shusha. He was caught at the [[Askeran]] gorge but not defeated. More Russian troops relieved the blockade of Koryagin and Shusha. Seeing that the main Russian force had pushed far to the southeast, Abbas Mirza made a wide swing north and besieged Ganja. On 27 July, 600 Russian infantry routed his camp at [[Shamkir (city)|Shamkir]].

In September, a naval attack on [[Baku]] failed. In November, Tsitsianov marched east toward Baku, en route to accepting the submission of the [[Shirvan Khanate]] (27 December). On 8 February 1806, he was murdered while accepting the surrender of Baku. Russian honor was restored by Glazenap, who marched from north of the mountains and took [[Derbent]], [[Quba]], and Baku (technically Baku surrendered to Bulgakov). [[Ivan Gudovich]] replaced Tsitsianov as viceroy. In December, the [[Ottoman Empire]] declared war on Russia.

 

 

In early 1812, Persia invaded Karabagh. They occupied Shahbulag Castle, which the Russians later recaptured. They attacked a Russian battalion at "Sultan-Buda" using European-style infantry and a few British officers. After a day of fighting the Russians surrendered. Russia responded to this unusual defeat by moving [[Pyotr Kotlyarevsky]], the hero of [[Akhalkalaki]], from the Turkish to the Persian front.

 

 

Thirteen years later, in another [[Russo-Persian War (1826–1828)|Russo-Persian War]] fought from 1826 to 1828, Persia tried to regain its territory. It was defeated and lost the khanates of [[Erivan Khanate|Yerevan]] and [[Nakhichevan Khanate|Nakhichevan]], roughly corresponding to modern Armenia.

Then, in the third and final twist to this story, [[French invasion of Russia|Napoleon invaded Russia in June 1812]], making Russia and Britain allies once again. Britain, like France after Tilsit, was thus obliged to steer a course between antagonizing Russia and violating its commitments to Persia, with its best option being to broker a settlement of the conflict between the two. The Russians had been periodically interested in finding a negotiated settlement since the setbacks of 1805–6 and as recently as 1810, when [[Alexander Tormasov]], who had replaced Gudovich as commander after his unsuccessful siege of Erevan, and [[Ghaem Magham Farahani|Mirza Bozorg Qaem-magham]] had sought to arrange an armistice . Yet the Russians were unwilling to make serious concessions in order to end the war, and the Persians were also less than eager to settle since from their point of view the war was not going all that badly. Ouseley, however, realized the awkwardness of having Britain's resources deployed against its Russian ally and that the situation for Persia was likely to worsen once Russia was freed from the struggle with Napoleon. He was thus receptive to Russian requests to act as an intermediary and sought ways to pressure the Qajars into accepting a settlement. He proposed revisions to the Definitive Treaty, scaled back British military involvement (leaving two officers, [[Charles Christie (officer)|Charles Christie]] and [[Henry Lindsay Bethune|Lindesay Bethune]], and some drill sergeants with the Persian army), and threatened to withhold payment of the subsidy promised to the Qajars.

 

 

==1813: Treaty of Gulistan==

{{main|Treaty of Gulistan}}

 

==Assessment and aftermath==

{{expand section|date=January 2016}}

 

 

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== Notes ==

 

==References==

{{reflist}}

 

==Sources==

 

==Further reading==

* {{cite book|last1=Behrooz|first1=Maziar|authorlink=Maziar Behrooz|title=Iran at War: Interactions with the Modern World and the Struggle with Imperial Russia|date=2023|publisher=I.B. Tauris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TnevEAAAQBAJ|isbn=978-0755637379}}

 

{{Russian Conflicts}}

 

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russo-Persian War (1804-13)}}

[[Category:19th century in Azerbaijan]]

[[Category:19th century in Georgia (country)]]