At the same time, he fought in the east the Russian-Persian War of 1804-1813, a war barely noticeable to contemporaries concerned about world events, nevertheless memorable for posterity both for the valor of Russian weapons and for the importance of the consequences. Marked by the exploits of Tsitsianov, Gudovich, Tormasov and Kotlyarevsky, the Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813 confirmed Russia's dominance over the Caucasus.
The voluntary allegiance of Kartli, Kakheti and Somkhetia, under the common name of Georgia, to Emperor Paul I was to have an inevitable consequence of the annexation of other small possessions of the Transcaucasus to Russia, already prepared by previous events: the Imeretian kings of the same faith and the Mingrelian princes were looking for the protection of our court during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailov ; Shamkhal Tarkovsky, the khans of Derbent and Baku have shown their devotion to the Russian throne since the time of Peter the Great; and the rulers of Shirvani, Sheki, Ganja and Karabakh, frightened by the victories of Count Zubov, surrendered to the patronage of Catherine II. It remained to finally bring them into Russian citizenship and subdue many more independent khans, beks, smileys and sultans who ruled between the Caucasus and the Araks, without which the possession of Georgia could not be safe or useful for Russia. Alexander entrusted the execution of this important matter to General Prince Pyotr Tsitsianov, a Georgian by birth, Russian by heart, passionately in love with Russia, equally a brave commander and a skillful ruler, who had a short acquaintance with the Transcaucasian region, where his house belonged to the number of noble families and was related to the latter. Georgian king George XIII, married to Princess Tsitsianova.
Pavel Dmitrievich Tsitsianov
Capture of Ganja by Tsitsianov
Appointed in 1802 by the Russian commander-in-chief of Georgia to replace General Knorring, Tsitsianov with tireless activity took up the internal improvement and external security of the region entrusted to him. For the first purpose, he tried to awaken the people's industry, introduce more order in management and ensure justice. For the second, he was in a hurry to humble the hostile khans who harassed Georgia from the east with a thunderstorm of arms. The most dangerous of all was the strong ruler of Ganja, Cevat Khan, a treacherous and bloodthirsty despot. Submitting to Catherine II in 1796, he later betrayed the Russians, went over to the side of Persia and robbed the merchants of Tiflis. Tsitsianov entered his area, laid siege to Ganja and took it by storm (1804). Khan was killed during the assault; his children died in the battle or fled. The people swore an oath of eternal citizenship to the Russian sovereign. Ganja was renamed Elizavetpol and annexed to Georgia with the entire khanate. From under the walls of Ganja, Tsitsianov dispatched General Gulyakov to humble the recalcitrant Lezghins who were disturbing Kakheti. The brave Gulyakov drove them into the mountains, penetrated into the most inaccessible gorges and although he paid with his life for his courage, for all that he brought such terror to the predatory inhabitants of Lezgistan that they sent deputies to Tiflis asking for mercy. Their example was followed by the Avar Khan and the Elisu Sultan. Soon the princes of Mingrelia and Abkhazia submitted to the Russian sovereign; Imeretian king Solomon also entered into eternal citizenship.
The beginning of the Russian-Persian war 1804-1813
Persia looked with envy and apprehension at the rapid successes of Russian arms beyond the Caucasus. Alarmed by the fall of Ganja, the Persian shah Feth-Ali sent the Georgian prince Alexander to anger the khans under our control; meanwhile, he ordered his son Abbas Mirza to cross the Araks in order to pacify the rebellious vassal of his sardar of Erivansky and to assist Tsarevich Alexander. This is how the Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813 began. Tsitsianov, knowing the hostile disposition of Persia and foreseeing the inevitable Russian-Persian war, decided to seize Erivan (Yerevan), dependent on the Persians, which, due to its strongholds, famous in the east, could serve him as a reliable support for military operations. On the banks of the Zanga, at the Echmiadzin monastery, he met Abbas Mirza with an army four times the strongest of the Russian detachment, and defeated him (1804); after that he struck the Persians a second time under the walls of Erivan; finally defeated the Persian shah himself, who came to the aid of his son, but could not take the fortress and after a grueling siege, from a lack of food and widespread disease, he was forced to return to Georgia. This failure had unfavorable consequences for the further course of the outbreak of the Russian-Persian war.
The revived Persians in the summer of 1805 gathered an army of 40,000 against the Russians. The Persian prince Abbas Mirza moved with her to Georgia. In Karabakh, on the Askeran river, the 20-thousandth Persian vanguard was met by the Russian detachment of Colonel Karyagin of 500 people, which had only two cannons. Despite this inequality of forces, the Karyagin huntsmen for two weeks - from June 24 to July 8, 1805 - repelled the enemy onslaught, and then managed to secretly retreat. During the fighting in the highlands, the Russian huntsmen were required to transport the cannons across the crevice. There was no way to fall asleep. Then Private Gavrila Sidorov suggested building a "living bridge". Several soldiers lay down on the bottom of the pit, and heavy guns drove right over them. Almost none of these brave men survived, but by a feat of self-sacrifice they saved their comrades. The delay of the Persian horde by the Russian detachment of Colonel Karyagin allowed Tsitsianov to gather troops and saved Georgia from bloody ruin.
F.A.Roubaud. Living bridge. Episode of the Russian-Persian War 1804-1813
The Persian Shah, with the assistance of Tsarevich Alexander, managed to outrage the whole of Lezgistan, Ossetia, Kabarda, the khans of Derbent, Baku and Kuba. The military road through the Caucasus was cut off by the mountaineers; Georgia has come under attack by agitated Lezghins and Ossetians. But Tsitsianov managed to extinguish such a dangerous fire. On July 28, 1805, he defeated Abbas Mirza at Zagam. The Persian army retreated, ending the campaign against Georgia. The successful expeditions of Russian troops to the mountains terrified the predatory inhabitants there and restored the communication of the Caucasian line with Georgia, which they had interrupted; the Ossetians were also brought into submission.
It remained to humble the rebellious khans of Dagestan, whose head was the ruler of Baku, the insidious Hussein Kuli Khan. Tsitsianov entered his area and, besieging Baku, demanded unconditional obedience. Khan, showing feigned humility, invited the commander-in-chief to accept the city keys. The prince with a small retinue went to the fortress and barely approached it, was struck by two bullets fired at the secret order of Hussein (February 1806).
The news of the death of the commander, fearless in the slaughter, with one thunderstorm of his name kept the obstinate tribes in obedience, again agitated the entire Transcaucasian region. Of all the khans under our control, one shamkhal Tarkovsky did not raise the banner of rebellion and remained faithful to the oath; even the king of Imereti Solomon entered into relations with the enemies of Russia. The Persians took courage and, continuing the war with the Russians, again crossed the Araks; the Turks, for their part, due to the break of Russia with Porto and the Russian-Turkish war that began in 1806, threatened to attack Georgia.
Continuation of the Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813 by Generals Gudovich and Tormasov
Tsitsianov's successor, Count Gudovich, with repeated expeditions to the mountains, on both sides of the Caucasus, curbed the Lezgins, Chechens and their allies; took Baku (1806), humbled the Khan of Derbent; defeated the Turks at the Arpachai River (June 1807) and drove the Persians beyond the Araks. Admiral Pustoshkin, acting from the sea, took and destroyed Anapa. However, the second assault on Erivan, undertaken by Gudovich on November 17, 1808, again ended in failure.
The successor to Gudovich, General Tormasov, continued the Russo-Persian war and the pacification of the Transcaucasian region with success. With the capture of Poti and the second destruction of Anapa, he deprived the Turks of the opportunity to support the uprising in Imeretin and Abkhazia; the king of Imereti renounced the throne; his state became part of Russian possessions; calm in Abkhazia has been restored; and repeated victories over the combined Turkish and Persian troops secured Georgia from the invasion of its main enemies.
After Tormasov was recalled to Russia, where his talents were destined for an extensive field in the fight against Napoleon, the command over the Transcaucasian region, after a short management by the Marquis Paulucci, was entrusted to General Rtischev. The Bucharest Peace of 1812, meanwhile, ended the Russo-Turkish war. Persia, frightened by a continuous series of failures in its war with Russia, also expressed readiness for peace, and Abbas Mirza entered into negotiations with the commander-in-chief on the banks of the Araks with the mediation of the British envoy.
Battle of Aslanduz and capture of Lankaran
The negotiations were, however, unsuccessful and soon ended. Rtishchev returned to Tiflis, leaving on the left bank of the Araks General Kotlyarevsky with 2,000 men and 6 guns to observe the actions of the Persians. The Persian prince Abbas Mirza concentrated his main forces (30 thousand) on the right bank against the Russians and sent several thousand people with fire and sword to devastate the Sheki and Shirvan regions, meanwhile he was preparing for a crossing to destroy our small detachment on the left bank of the Araks.
With a brave and brilliant feat, Kotlyarevsky frustrated the enemy's plans and led the Russian-Persian war of 1804-1813 to a happy outcome. He himself crossed the Araks, swiftly attacked Abbas Mirza, knocked him out of the fortified camp, threw his entire army to the town of Aslanduz and turned it into a disorderly flight (October 19, 1812). The Persians lost 1,200 people killed and more than 500 prisoners, the Russian losses amounted to only 127 people. The consequence of this victory, won by a weak Russian detachment over an enemy ten times the strongest, was the cleansing of the entire left bank of the Araks from the Persians. The Persian Shah still persisted in the war, until the new feat of Kotlyarevsky, even more glorious than the first, the assault and capture of the fortress of Lankaran (January 1, 1813), persuaded him to peace. Strong Lankaran was defended by 4 thousand Persian soldiers under the command of Sadyk Khan. Kotlyarevsky had only 2 thousand people. Nevertheless, after the Persian stronghold fell to the Russian bayonet after a bloody assault, in which Kotlyarevsky lost about half of his fighters, and the Muslim enemy - nine-tenths.
Storming of Lankaran, 1813
Gulistan Peace 1813
Frightened by the formidable movement of the Russians towards the borders of Persia, the shah agreed to end the war and fulfill all the requirements of the Russian court. The treaty that ended the Russian-Persian war of 1804-1813 was signed in the Gulistan tract, in the Karabakh region and was named the Gulistan Peace. Persia recognized according to it the domination of Russia over the khanates of Karabakh, Ganja, Sheki, Shirvan, Derbent, Cuba, Baku, Talyshinsky and renounced any claims to Dagestan, Georgia, Imereti and Abkhazia.
Caucasus in the first half of the 19th century. Map showing the change of borders following the results of the Russian-Persian War of 1804-1813
The Russian emperor promised, for his part, in the Gulistan treaty, help and assistance to the son of the shah who would be appointed heir to the Persian throne.
foreign policy military turkey
Iran has long had its own interests in the Caucasus, and in this matter until the second half of the XVIII century. vied with Turkey. The victory of the Russian troops in the Russian-Turkish war of 1769-1774 and put Russia among the contenders for the North Caucasus. The transition of Georgia under the patronage of Russia in 1783 and its subsequent annexation to the empire in 1801 allowed Russia to extend its influence to the Transcaucasus.
In the beginning, the Russian administration in the Caucasus acted very cautiously for fear of provoking a war with Iran and Turkey. This policy was carried out from 1783 to the beginning of the 19th century. During this period, under the patronage of Russia came the shamkhalism of Tarkov, the princedoms of Zasulak Kumykia, the khanates of Avar, Derbent, Kuba, the Utsmiya Kaitagskoe, the Mysumism and the Qadis of the Tabasaran. But this was not the entry into Russia, the rulers retained political power over their subjects.
With the appointment in 1802 to the post of inspector of the Caucasian line of the commander-in-chief of Georgia, Lieutenant General P.D. Tsitsianov, a supporter of vigorous and drastic military measures to extend Russian power in the Caucasus, Russia's actions have become less prudent.
Tsitsianov mainly practiced power methods. So, in 1803, he sent a detachment of General Gulyakov against the Dzhars. The fortified point of Belokana was taken by storm, the inhabitants were sworn in allegiance to Russia and taxed. In early January 1804, Russian troops under the command of Tsitsianov himself, after a month's siege, seized the fortress of Ganja by assault and annexed it to Russia, renaming it Elizavetpol.
With these and other careless actions, Tsitsianov hurt Iran's interests in the Transcaucasus. The Shah in a sharp form demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Azerbaijani khanates, Georgia and Dagestan. Gerasimova, Yu.N. To ensure the fate of the Caucasus and destroy the hopes of the Turks / Yu.N. Gerasimova // Military History Journal. - 2010 - No. 8. - S. 7-8.
The number of tsarist troops in Transcaucasia was about 20 thousand people. The Iranian army was much larger, but the Russian troops outnumbered the Iranian irregular cavalry in training, discipline, weapons and tactics.
The first clashes took place on the territory of the Erivan Khanate. On June 10, the detachments of generals Tuchkov and Leontiev defeated the Iranian forces led by the heir to the Shah, Abbas Mirza. On June 30, the troops took the Erivan fortress in a siege, which lasted until early September. Repeated ultimatums and assaults yielded no results, the rebels Ossetians closed the Georgian Military Highway. It was necessary to lift the siege on September 2 and retreat to Georgia. The detachment of General Nebolsin was instructed to cover Georgia and the Shuragel region from the side of the Erivan Khanate.
The tsarist administration in the Caucasus under Tsitsianov cruelly treated the local population, he himself behaved arrogantly with the khans, sent them insulting messages. The uprisings of the Ossetians, Kabardians, Georgians were brutally suppressed with the use of artillery.
In July 1805, a detachment under the command of Colonel P.M. Karyagina repulsed the attacks of Abbas Mirza in Shah Bulakh. This gave Tsitsianov time to gather forces and defeat the Iranian troops led by Feth Ali Shah.
In the same month, an expeditionary detachment of I.I. came from Russia to the western coast of the Caspian Sea (in Anzeli). Zavalishin, which was supposed to occupy Rasht and Baku. However, the task was not completed, and Zavalishin took the squadron with a detachment to Lankaran.
At the end of November 1805, Tsitsianov ordered Zavalishin to go to Baku again and wait for his arrival there. In early February 1806, Tsitsianov approached Baku with a detachment of 1600 people. He demanded that the Baku khan surrender the city, promising to leave the khanate behind him. He agreed, and on February 8 arrived at the commander-in-chief with the keys to the city. During the negotiations, one of the nukers (servants) of Huseyn Ali Khan killed Tsitsianov with a pistol shot. Zavalishin spent a month at Baku inactive, and then led the squadron to Kizlyar. Gerasimova, Yu.N. To ensure the fate of the Caucasus and destroy the hopes of the Turks / Yu.N. Gerasimova // Military History Journal. - 2010 - No. 8. - S. 9-11.
After assuming the post of commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, General I.V. Gudovich in 1806 tsarist troops occupied Derbent, Baku, Cuba. Derbent was annexed to Russia. Gudovich managed to establish spoiled relations with the feudal lords of the North Caucasus. At the end of December 1806, Turkey also declared war on Russia. Gudovich's attempt in 1808 to seize Erivan by storm was unsuccessful. He returned to Georgia and submitted his resignation letter.
General A.P. Tormasov replaced him in the post of commander-in-chief, who continued the course of his predecessor and did a lot to develop trade with the North Caucasian peoples. Abbas Mirza's attempt to occupy Elizavetpol was unsuccessful, but on October 8, 1809 he managed to occupy Lankaran. In the summer of 1810 Abbas Mirza invaded Karabakh, but was defeated by Kotlyarevsky's detachment near Migri. Hasanaliev, Magomed (Candidate of Historical Sciences). Russian-Iranian war 1804-1813 / M. Hasanaliev // Questions of history. - 2009 - No. 9 - P. 152.
Iran's attempt to act against Russia together with Turkey has also failed. Turkish troops were defeated on September 5, 1810 near Akhalkalaki. At the same time, the Iranian detachment standing nearby did not enter the battle. In the years 1811-1812. the Cuban and Kyurin khanates of Dagestan were annexed to Russia.
In early 1811, with the help of the British, Iran reorganized its army. The new commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, General N.F. Rtishchev made an attempt to establish peace negotiations with Iran, but the Shah put forward impossible conditions: to withdraw the Russian troops across the Terek.
On October 17, 1812, General Kotlyarevsky, without the permission of Rtishchev, with one and a half thousand infantry, 500 Cossacks with 6 guns crossed the river. Arak and defeated the forces of Abbas Mirza. In pursuit of him, Kotlyarevsky defeated the detachment of the Shah's heir at Aslanduz. At the same time, he took 500 prisoners and captured 11 guns. On January 1, 1813, Kotlyarevsky took Lankaran by storm. During the continuous 3-hour battle, Kotlyarevsky lost 950 people, and Abbas-Mirza lost 2.5 thousand. The tsar generously awarded Kotlyarevsky: he received the rank of lieutenant general, the Order of St. George 3rd and 2nd degrees and 6 thousand rubles. Rtishchev was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. In this battle, Kotlyarevsky was seriously wounded, and his military career ended.
In early April 1813, after the defeat at Kara-Benyuk, the shah was forced to agree to peace negotiations. He instructed the British envoy to Iran, Auzli, to lead them. He tried to negotiate with minimal concessions from Iran or conclude a truce for one year. Rtishchev did not agree with this. Auzli advised the Shah to accept Russia's terms. In his report, Rtishchev indicated that Auzli had greatly contributed to the conclusion of peace. Ibragimova, Isbaniyat Ilyasovna. Russia's relations with Iran and Turkey in the first half of the 19th century. / I.I. Ibragimova // Questions of history. - 2008 - No. 11 - P. 152 - 153.
On October 1, hostilities were stopped for fifty days. On October 12 (24), 1813, in the town of Gulistan in Karabakh, the commander of the tsarist troops in the Caucasus Rtischev and the authorized representative of the Iranian shah Mirza-Abdul-Hasan signed a peace treaty between the two countries.
The exchange of instruments of ratification took place on September 15 (27), 1814. The agreement contained a clause (secret article) that later the ownership of the disputed lands could be revised. However, it was omitted by the Russian side when the treaty was ratified.
Large territorial acquisitions, obtained by Russia on the basis of this document, led to the complication of its relations with England. A year later, Iran and England entered into a treaty directed against Russia. Britain pledged to help Iran achieve a revision of certain articles of the Gulistan Treaty.
The Russian side was very pleased with the outcome of the war and the signing of the treaty. Peace with Persia has protected the eastern borders of Russia with calmness and security.
Feth-Ali-Shah was also pleased with the fact that he was able to settle accounts with the winner of foreign territories. He released 500 Tavrizian batman silk to Rtishchev, and also awarded the insignia of the Order of the Lion and the Sun, on a gold enamel chain, to be worn around the neck.
For the Peace of Gulistan, Rtishchev received the rank of general from infantry and the right to wear the diamond order of the Lion and the Sun of the 1st degree, which he received from the Persian Shah. Hasanaliev, Magomed (Candidate of Historical Sciences). Russian-Iranian war 1804-1813 / M. Hasanaliev // Questions of history. - 2009 - No. 9 - P. 153
Article 3 of the Gulistan Treaty reads: “E. sh. in. as proof of his sincere affection for the e. v., the emperor of all Russia, he solemnly recognizes both for himself and for the high successors of the Persian throne as belonging to the property of the Russian Empire the khanates of Karabagh and Ganzhinsky, now turned into a province called Elisavetpolskaya; as well as the Sheki, Shirvan, Derbent, Kuba, Baku and Talyshen khanates, with those lands of this khanate, which are now in the power of the Russian Empire; moreover, the whole of Dagestan, Georgia with the Shuragel province, Imeretia, Guria, Mingrelia and Abkhazia, as well as all the possessions and lands located between the now set border and the Caucasian line, with lands and peoples touching this last and the Caspian Sea. "
Historians have different assessments of the consequences of this treaty for Dagestan. Dagestan at that time was not a single and integral country, but was fragmented into a number of feudal possessions and more than 60 free societies. Part of its territory by the time of the signing of the Gulistan peace treaty had already been annexed to Russia (the Kuba, Derbent and Kyurin khanates). The first two of them are named separately in the contract. This agreement legally formalized their accession.
Another part of the Dagestani feudal lords and some free societies swore an oath of allegiance to Russia, they were not annexed to Russia, but passed under its patronage (shamkhalstvo Tarkovskoe, Avar Khanate, Utsmiyskoe Kaitagskoe, Mysumism and Qadisstvo Tabasaran, princedoms of Zasulakskaya Kumykia free societies and some others). But there remained in Dagestan territories that did not enter into citizenship or under the patronage of Russia (the Mehtulinskoye and Kazikumukhskoye khanates and many free Avar societies). So, it is impossible to speak of Dagestan as a single entity.
The Persian representative, realizing this, did not want to sign the document in such a formulation. He stated that "... he does not dare to even think of deciding in the name of his shah to renounce any rights about peoples they do not know at all, fearing to give the right case to his ill-wishers ...".
With the signing of the Treaty of Gulistan, all the possessions of Dagestan (annexed, accepted citizenship and did not accept it) were included in Russia.
A different interpretation of article 3 of this treaty could entail negative consequences. However, until 1816 the tsarist government skillfully maintained patronizing relations with the Dagestani feudal lords.
The Dagestani rulers expressed their pro-Russian orientation by taking oaths, which testified to the consolidation of the patronizing relations that existed before. At that time there was practically no other kind of "citizenship" of Russia for the peoples of the Caucasus. Magomedova, Laila Abduivagitovna. Kabarda and Dagestan in Russia's eastern policy in the last quarter of the 18th - early 19th centuries. / L.A. Magomedova // Questions of history. - 2010 - No. 10 - S. 157-160.
The feudal possessions of the North Caucasus were state associations with which the rulers of Russia, Iran and Turkey maintained constant communication and correspondence. Persia could abandon further claims to Dagestan, but could not dispose of other people's possessions. At the same time, the recognition of Iran did not give the tsarist autocracy the right to declare the Dagestani lands annexed to itself, except for the three indicated feudal possessions, which had already been annexed by that time. Not a single Dagestan or North Caucasian feudal lord took part in either the preparation or the signing of this document. They were not even informed about their expected fate. For more than two years the tsarist authorities hid the content of Art. 3 contracts.
Undoubtedly, as a positive fact, it should be noted that the Gulistan Peace Treaty created the preconditions for the elimination of the feudal fragmentation of Dagestan and other North Caucasian possessions in the future, their inclusion in the common European market, and introduction to advanced Russian culture and the Russian liberation movement. Hasanaliev, Magomed (Candidate of Historical Sciences). Russian-Iranian war 1804-1813 / M. Hasanaliev // Questions of history. - 2009 - No. 9 - P.154-155.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Russian Empire and Persia argued over influence in the Transcaucasus and on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Countries such as Georgia, Armenia and Dagestan were located between these powers. In 1804, the first Russian-Persian war began. It ended nine years later. Following its results, enshrined in the Gulistan Peace Agreements, Russia annexed Georgian and partly Armenian lands.
The defeat did not suit the Persians. Revanchist sentiments have become popular in the country. The Shah wanted to return the lost provinces. Because of this insoluble contradiction 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 setting
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 that, he relied on Napoleon Bonaparte, who made an alliance with the Persians on the eve of his attack on Russia in 1812. Its terms were stipulated in the Finkestein Treaty.
However, since then the situation in the world has changed dramatically. The Napoleonic Wars ended with the defeat of France and the ambitious emperor, who ended up in exile on Saint Helena. Shah needed a new ally. Before the Russo-Persian War of 1826-1828 began, Great Britain began to show attention to Persia.
This colonial power had its own interests in the Asian region. The kingdom owned India, and the British ambassadors secured a promise from the Iranians not to let 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 the Ottoman Empire, trying to persuade the Shah to go to war with another neighbor - Russia.
On the eve of the war
At this time, the second son of Feth Ali Shah, 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 the UK. The soldiers received new weapons and uniforms, partly purchased from Europe. Thus, Abbas-Mirza tried to overcome the technical lag of his subordinates from the Russian units. Strategically, these were steps in the right direction, but the Iranian headquarters was in a great hurry in its reforms, trying not to waste time. This played a cruel joke. When the Russo-Persian war began, those who participated in the past conflict could notice changes in the enemy's camp. But they were not enough to bridge the gap that was between the armies and the Shah.
In 1825, the Iranian militarists gladly accepted the news that the Russian Emperor Alexander I had unexpectedly died 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 in the end, Nikolai began to rule, who never prepared for this. He was a military man by education. The uprising of the Decembrists enraged 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 the southern neighbor was openly preparing for an armed conflict. The commander-in-chief in the Caucasus was the famous General Alexei Ermolov. The past 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 more often than others reminded Nikolai of the prospects in the Caucasus.
The emperor answered rather languidly, but nevertheless agreed to send Prince Alexander Menshikov to Tehran. The future naval minister did not find a common language with the 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 settlement of the conflict. However, Tehran did not accept such proposals. Menshikov was even arrested along with all the ambassadors, although they were released already in 1827.
Persian intervention
The failure of the preliminary negotiations led to the fact that the Russian-Persian war nevertheless began. On July 16, 1826, the Iranian army crossed the border in the region of modern Azerbaijan, where the Talish and Karabakh khanates were located. This operation was carried out in secret and treacherously; there was no official declaration of war.
On the border, there were only defensive detachments, assembled in a hurry and consisting of local Azerbaijanis. They could not offer serious resistance to the trained Persian army. Some residents who professed Islam even joined the interventionists. According to the plans of Abbas Mirza, the Persian army was to move northwest along the valleys of the Kura River. The main target 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 associated with the specifics of the area. It was possible to cross the ridge by land only through certain passes. Operating in the Transcaucasus, the Persians sent auxiliary troops north, hoping to block all routes for the main Russian army.
War in Karabakh
The main group under the direct leadership of Abbas Mirza consisted of 40 thousand soldiers. This army crossed the border and headed towards the Shushi fortress. 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 did indeed promise support to Abbas Mirza.
The Orthodox Armenian population also lived in Shusha, which, on the contrary, was loyal to the Russian government. The garrison of the fortress consisted of a detachment of Cossacks. The besieged decided to take hostage those Muslim khans who were suspected of treason and collaboration with the Persians. A hasty training began for the militia, which consisted mainly of Armenians. Despite the energetic actions of the Cossacks, Shusha did not have at least a large supply of food and weapons necessary for a 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 his support for the Persian invaders. Abbas Mirza, for his part, promised protection to all local Muslims. He also announced that he was only fighting the Russians, hoping that this would help him to turn the population to his side.
Siege of Shushi
A new Russo-Persian war began in Shushi. The attackers and the defenders were separated by fortifications from the walls. To get rid of this obstacle, the Persians laid mines obtained with European aid. In addition, Abbas-Mirza ordered several demonstrative executions of the Karabakh Armenians to be carried out right under the walls, hoping that this act of intimidation would embroil the Armenians and Russians who had settled 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 split up 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.
Shamkhor battle
At the beginning of the war, the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops in the Caucasus, General Yermolov, was in Tiflis and assembled regiments. His first plan was to quickly retreat into the interior of the region, luring the Persians away from their own territory. Already in new positions, the Cossacks would have 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 invaders 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 collided with 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 have been advancing with little or no organized resistance. Now they had to face a real Russian army.
By the time Madatov ended up in Azerbaijan, the Persians had already laid siege to Elisavetpol. 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. Because of the defeat in the Shamkhor battle, Abbas Mirza had to lift the siege of Shushi and move to the rescue of the regiments stationed near Elisavetpol.
Expulsion of Persians from Russia
Valerian Madatov commanded only 6 thousand people. They were clearly not enough to drive the Persians away from Elizabeth. Therefore, after the victory near Shamkhor, he made a small maneuver, during which he joined up with fresh reinforcements that came from Tiflis. The meeting took place on 10 September. The new regiments were commanded by Ivan Paskevich. He also took command over the entire army, which was marching to liberate Elizavetpol.
On September 13, Russian troops were near the city. There were also Persians. The parties began to prepare for the general battle. It began with intense artillery shelling. The first Persian infantry attack was choked by the fact that the regiments ran into a ravine and, being trapped, came under enemy fire.
In the offensive of the Russian units, the decisive role was played by the Kherson regiment, which was directly led by Paskevich. The Iranians could not be helped by either artillery or cavalry, which tried to attack the Georgian militia from the flank. The Russo-Persian war, the reasons for which were 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 evening they surrendered them altogether.
The losses of the parties were again surprisingly disproportionate. General Paskevich counted 46 killed and about two hundred wounded. The Iranians killed two thousand people. About the same number of soldiers surrendered. In addition, the Russians got the enemy's artillery and banners. The victory at Elisabethpol led to Now Russia was 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 governor of the tsar in the Caucasus. By October, Iranian troops were driven back beyond the Araks. Thus the status quo was restored. The soldiers spent the winter, and a temporary lull was established at the front. However, all sides understood that the Russian-Persian war (1826-1828) was not over yet. In short, Nikolai decided to take advantage of the successes of the army and not only expel the invaders, but also complete the annexation of Orthodox Armenia, part of which still belonged to the Shah.
The main target of Paskevich 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 the Russian troops. Until August, the tsar's army did not meet with serious resistance. All this time Abbas Mirza was at home, collecting new regiments.
Oshakan battle
In early August, the Persian heir with 25,000 troops entered the Erivan Khanate. His army attacked the city of Echmiadzin, 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.
On August 17, a small Russian army of 3,000 people attacked the 30,000th army of Abbas Mirza. This was one of the most striking episodes for which that Russian-Persian war is known. The date of the Oshakan battle (as it is known in historiography) coincided with the established unbearable Caucasian heat, which equally tormented all the soldiers.
The goal of Krasovsky's detachment was to break through to the besieged city through the dense ranks of the enemy. The Russians were carrying an extensive baggage train and provisions for the garrison. The path had to be paved with bayonets, because there was not a single road left where there would be no Persians. To restrain the enemy's attacks, Krasovsky used artillery, which from the very beginning of the operation occupied heights strategically convenient for shelling. The firing from guns did not allow the Persians to attack 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 Echmiadzin, despite the fact that every second soldier from this army died, repelling the attacks of Muslims. The failure had an extremely strong demoralizing effect on the entire Persian leadership. Abbas Mirza for some time still tried to besiege the city, but soon he prudently retreated.
The main forces of the empire under the leadership of Paskevich at that 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 Echmiadzin, 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 refused to march on Tabriz and moved towards the Erivan Khanate.
Taking Yerevan
On September 7, Paskevich and Krasovsky met in Echmiadzin, from which the siege had been lifted the day before. At the council, it was decided to take the Armenian Erivan. If the army managed to capture this city, then the Russian-Persian war would end. The year 1828 was already approaching, so Paskevich immediately set out on the road, hoping to complete the operation before winter.
The Russian-Persian war, the years of which fell on a period of turbulence in the Russian state, nevertheless showed that, in spite of everything, the tsarist army could solve operational tasks in the most difficult conditions. Nicholas I, not without reason, believed that he needed to establish a protectorate over the whole 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 that time, the Russian army liberated province after province in the Caucasus. Paskevich, once in eastern Armenia, was greeted with enthusiasm by local residents. Most of the men joined the general as militias.
The Russian-Persian year of 1828 became a chance for Armenians to start living again in a Christian country. There were many of them in Erivan as well. Realizing this, the Persian commandant of the fortress expelled members of influential Armenian families from the city, who could incite the townspeople to revolt. But the preventive measures did not help the Iranians. The city was taken by Russian troops on October 1, 1827 after a short assault.
Conversation
Two weeks after this victory, the headquarters learned that another tsarist 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 tsarist regiments have now occupied part of its territory.
Therefore, with the onset of winter, both states began to exchange diplomats and parliamentarians. They met in Turkmanchay, a small village not far from the 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 the tsarist army had made in the previous conflict were recognized for Russia. 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 contribution (20 million rubles in silver). They also guaranteed their non-interference in the process of resettlement of Orthodox Armenians to their homeland.
The end of the conflict
It is curious that the diplomat and writer Alexander Griboyedov was a member of the tsarist embassy. He took part in the discussion of the conditions under which the Russian-Persian war ended (1826-1828). In short, the Iranians were not happy with the treaty. A few months later, a new one began and the Persians tried to violate the terms of the peace.
In order to settle 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 Petersburg to make amends for the scandal. Nikolai did not go to confrontation, and since then there has been a long peace between the neighbors.
The mutilated body of Griboyedov was buried in Tiflis. While in Yerevan, just liberated from the Iranians, for the first time he staged his most famous play "Woe from Wit" on stage. That is how that Russian-Persian war ended. The peace treaty allowed the creation of several new provinces, and since then Transcaucasia remained part of the empire until the fall of the monarchy.
The middle of the 1820s is associated with the growing tension in Russian-Persian relations. To a large extent, this was caused by Tehran's desire to renegotiate the terms of the Gulistan Peace of 1813. Since 1823, Tehran, having enlisted the support of England and Turkey, began to systematically prepare for a war with Russia. But the constant reports of the Russian governor in the Caucasus A.P. Yermolov about the inevitability of a military clash with Persia were not seriously considered by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rather, on the contrary, fearing to provoke a conflict with its southern neighbor, Petersburg tried in every possible way to limit military preparations in the Transcaucasus.
Shamkhor battle. On September 3, 1826, the 3,000-strong detachment of Major General V.G. Madatov defeated the 10,000-strong army of Mehmed (son of Abbas-Mirza). According to the memoirs of A.P. Ermolov, "the son of Abbas-Mirza in his first military exploits became like a parent, for he began by fleeing." Photo source: mediasole.ru
The cost of this mistake turned out to be very significant: on July 29, 1826, the troops of the Erivan sardar crossed the Russian border without declaring war, and two days later the Persian army of Crown Prince Abbas-Mirza invaded Karabakh. Persian troops occupied Lankaran, Elizavetpol (present-day Ganja), laid siege to the Russian garrison in Baku, ruined the rich Salyan fisheries on the Kura, and some detachments even broke through to the Tiflis region.
Shusha bound the main forces of the Persians for 48 days
The offensive of the Persian troops was stopped by the courageous resistance of the garrison of the Shusha fortress in Karabakh, which for 48 days fettered the main enemy forces. This made it possible for the Russian command to gain time and prepare a counterstrike. On September 15, 1826, the vanguard of the Russian army under the command of V.G. Madatov defeated a large enemy detachment in the Battle of Shamkhor and liberated Elizavetpol two days later. And on September 25, on the plain near Elizavetpol, a general battle took place, where the Persian army was defeated and retreated in disarray beyond the Araks. Soon, due to unfavorable weather conditions, active operations were stopped until the spring of next year.
Denis Vasilievich Davydov (1784−1839). One of the most famous heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. In 1826 he returned to military service and went to the Caucasus. At the head of a small detachment, on September 21, 1826, he defeated the 4,000-strong Persian army of Gassan Khan near the village of Mirok, then led the construction of the Jalal-Oglu fortifications. After the resignation of A.P. Ermolov, due to disagreements with I.F.Paskevich, he left the theater of military operations. Photo source: media73.ru
The Caucasian Corps began a new campaign without Ermolov, who was replaced by the more loyal to the emperor and diplomatic I.F.Paskevich. In addition to the very difficult relations between the former “proconsul of the Caucasus” and Nicholas I, the change of command can be explained by the desire of St. Petersburg to end the war as soon as possible, without leading to the complete defeat of the enemy, to which Yermolov slowly and methodically led. Denis Davydov recalled that later Nicholas I said to one of the Persian nobles: “Thank God that it was not Yermolov who led my troops in the last war; they would certainly be in Tehran. "
In mid-April 1827, hostilities were resumed. The main events unfolded on the territory of the Erivan and Nakhichevan khanates. In July 1827, Russian troops occupied Nakhichevan and defeated the Persian army at Djevan Bulak, and after the capture of Erivan (present-day Yerevan) and Tabriz (present-day Tabriz) in October, Tehran was forced to begin peace negotiations. Russia was also interested in an early cessation of hostilities, since after the Navarino naval battle, the prospect of a new Russian-Turkish war took on quite real outlines.
In an effort to gain time, Persia proposed a 10-month truce
In an effort to gain time to strengthen the army and waiting for the Ottoman Empire to enter the war, the Persian side in every possible way delayed the signing of the treaty, proposing a long 10-month truce. An unfavorable factor for Russian diplomats was also the mediating participation of representatives of England in the negotiations, which sought to strengthen its position in the region. As a result, Persia canceled all previously reached agreements. In response, the Russian troops resumed their offensive and, without meeting serious resistance, occupied Urmia and Ardebel, forcing the opposite side, after short negotiations, on the night of February 21-22 in the village of Turkmanchay, to sign a peace treaty that ended the last Russian-Persian war.
Abbas Mirza (1789-1833). Son of the Iranian shah, governor in South Azerbaijan. He commanded the Persian troops in the wars with Russia 1804−1813. and 1826-1828 In the second conflict, he suffered defeats at Elizavetpol, Dzhevan-Bulak and Echmiadzin. Photo source: litobozrenie.ru
The preliminary negotiations and the development of conditions were conducted by the head of the diplomatic office of the governor in the Caucasus A.S. In response to Abbas-Mirza's remarks about the tough demands of the Russian side, Griboyedov replied: “At the end of every war, unjustly begun with us, we alienate our borders and at the same time the enemy who dared to cross them. That is what in the present case requires the concession of the Erivan and Nakhichevan regions. Money is also a kind of weapon, without which one cannot wage a war. This is not bargaining, Your Highness, not even a reward for the losses suffered: by demanding money, we deprive the enemy of ways to harm us for a long time. "
"Medal" For the Persian War ". Silver medal. It was established on March 15, 1828 and was intended to award all officers and lower ranks who participated in the Russian-Persian War of 1826−28. It was worn on a combined St. George-Vladimir ribbon. Photo source: medalirus.ru
According to the terms of the Turkamanchay peace: the terms of the Gulistan Treaty were canceled (article II), Persia ceded the Nakhichevan and Erivan khanates to the Russian Empire (article III), Tehran paid an indemnity of 20 million rubles in silver (article VI), the exclusive right of Russia to have a naval fleet in the Caspian Sea was confirmed (Article VIII), the transfer of citizens of Azerbaijan from Persian to Russian citizenship is allowed within a year (Article XV). The treaty was supplemented with a number of secret articles related to the deployment of Russian troops in the north of Persian Azerbaijan before Tehran paid the entire amount of indemnity. In case of failure to comply with the order and terms of making contributions, these territories were annexed to the Russian Empire.
Turkmanchay world strengthened Russian positions in Transcaucasia
The Turkmanchay world marked the entry of Eastern Armenia and Northern Azerbaijan into the Russian Empire; strengthened the Russian position in Transcaucasia and its conditions became the basis of Russian-Persian relations up to 1917. At the same time, the successful end of the Russian-Persian war allowed Russia to intensify its actions against the Ottoman Empire, which resulted in the war of 1828−1829. Note that in general, very long (about one and a half years) hostilities were characterized by a small number of major battles. During the entire period of the war, the Russian army lost 35 officers and 1495 lower ranks killed; the enemy - more than 6 thousand people. Much greater losses were suffered by both sides from disease in the extreme heat and from the lack of water and food.
Literature:
1. Balayan BP Diplomatic history of the Russian-Iranian wars and the accession of Eastern Armenia to Russia. Yerevan, 1988.
2. History of Russian foreign policy. First half of the 19th century (from the wars with Napoleon to the Paris Peace of 1856). M., 1999.
3. Kruglov AI, Nechitailov MV Persian army in wars with Russia in 1796−1828. M., 2016.
4. Medvedev A. I. Persia. Military Statistical Review, St. Petersburg, 1909.
5. Orlik O. V. Russia in international relations 1815−1829, M., 1998.
6. Potto V. A. Caucasian War: In 5 volumes. T. 3. Persian war of 1826−1828. M., 2006.
7. Accession of Eastern Armenia to Russia, Sat. doc. T. 2. (1814−1830), Yerevan, 1978.
8. Starshov Yu. V. The Russo-Persian War of 1826−1828: A Brief Dictionary-Reference on the Pages of the Russian-Persian War of 1826−1828. M., 2006.
9. Yuzefovich T. Treaties between Russia and the East. Political and commercial. M., 2005.
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Lead image: aeslib.ru
During that period, Persia was in a state of collapse and anarchy. The weakness of the Persian state opened the way for Turkish expansion into the Caspian region. This did not suit Russia, which itself sought to control the Caspian zone.
First Persian campaign (1722-1723)i\u003e
8 months after the end of the Northern War, in May 1722, Peter I set out on the Persian campaign. The reason for this was the fact of the robbery of Russian merchants in Persia for a total of 500 thousand rubles. The reason for such decisive actions was the desire to seize the shores of the Caspian and preempt Turkey's access to them. During that period, Persia was in a state of collapse and anarchy. The weakness of the Persian state opened the way for Turkish expansion into the Caspian region. This did not suit Russia, which itself sought to control the Caspian zone. It should be noted that back in 1721, almost all the princes of Dagestan swore allegiance to the Russian emperor, and the Kartli king Vakhtang VI asked to send Russian troops into Georgia. About 50 thousand people took part in the Persian campaign, including 5 thousand sailors, 22 thousand infantrymen, 9 thousand cavalry, as well as irregular troops (Cossacks, Kalmyks, etc.). In the summer of 1722, the Russian army, led by Peter I, left Astrakhan on ships, and the cavalry went on foot from Tsaritsyn. Having united in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Agrakhan Gulf, the Russians moved to Derbent, in the area of \u200b\u200bwhich they defeated the troops of the Utemish Sultan Mahmud. On August 23, 1722, the Naib of Derbent handed over the keys to the fortress to Peter. This was the end of the 1722 campaign. Its continuation was hampered by autumn storms in the Caspian, which complicated the delivery of food by sea. The leaks in the ships partially deteriorated the stocks of flour, which put the Russian army in a difficult situation. Then Peter left a garrison in Derbent under the command of Colonel Juncker, and he himself with his troops set off on foot back to Russia. The troops maintained strict discipline. In particular, refusal to a patient in a place on a cart was punishable by death. On the way by the Sulak River, the tsar laid a new fortress, the Holy Cross, to cover the Russian border. From there, Peter went to Astrakhan by sea. Further military operations in the Caspian were directed by General Matyushkin. They actually boiled down to the landing of Russian troops on the western and southern shores of the Caspian Sea. At the same time, negotiations were underway with the Persian government. Peter offered the Persian Shah Tahmasp assistance in the fight against Turkey, Afghans and other aggressors. For this, the tsar demanded that the shah cede the eastern and southern coast of the Caspian to Russia.
Petersburg Treaty (1723). In December 1722, Colonel Shilov's detachment took over to guard against attacks by the Shah Rasht's opponents. In July 1723 General Matyushkin occupied Baku. Under the Russian-Persian treaty (1723), signed in St. Petersburg, Russia provided military assistance to Persia. The same, in return, ceded to Russia the entire western and southern coast of the Caspian (Derbent and Baku, the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Astrabad). The firm position of Russian diplomacy did not allow Turkey, whose troops invaded Transcaucasia at that time, to continue its offensive against Persia. According to the Russian-Turkish treaty (1724), Transcaucasia (Armenia, eastern Georgia and part of Azerbaijan) remained with the Ottoman Empire, and the Caspian coast - with Russia. Peter's death canceled out the surge of Russian activity in the south. After the death of the king, Persia tried to return the lost lands in the Caspian. In the next decade, in this area, there were frequent military skirmishes between the Russians not only with the Persians, but also with the troops of the local princelings. As a result, a quarter of the entire Russian army was used in the Caucasus-Caspian region in the second half of the 1920s. In parallel, negotiations were underway on the return of these areas. Constant military skirmishes, raids, as well as a high mortality rate from diseases (only in 1723-1725, diseases took away 29 thousand people in this area) made the Caspian possessions of Russia unsuitable for both trade and economic exploitation. In 1732, the powerful ruler Nadir Shah came to power in Persia. In 1732-1735. Empress Anna Ioannovna returned to Persia the Caspian lands conquered by Peter the Great. The final impetus for the return of the land was the preparation of Russia for the war with Turkey (1735-1739). The successful conduct of hostilities with the Turks required, in particular, the settlement of territorial relations with Persia to ensure a peaceful rear in the south.
Second Persian campaign (1796)i\u003e
The campaign of Russian troops in the Azerbaijani provinces of Persia in response to the invasion of Persian troops into Georgia in 1795. In December 1796, the troops were withdrawn by Emperor Paul I.
War of 1804-1813i\u003e
The activity of Russia's policy in the Transcaucasus was mainly associated with Georgia's insistent requests for protection from the Turkish-Iranian onslaught. During the reign of Catherine II, the Treaty of Georgievsk was concluded between Russia and Georgia (1783), according to which Russia was obliged 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 has long been a sphere of influence. The first clash between Russia and Persia over Georgia occurred in 1796, when Russian troops repulsed the invasion of Georgian lands by Iranian troops. In 1801 Georgia, by the will of its Tsar George XII, joined Russia. This forced St. Petersburg to be drawn into the complex affairs of the troubled Transcaucasian region. In 1803 Mingrelia joined Russia, and in 1804 Imeretia and Guria. This displeased Iran, and when in 1804 Russian troops occupied the Ganja Khanate (for the raids of the Ganja detachments on Georgia), Persia declared war on Russia. In this conflict, the number of Persian troops was many times greater than the Russian. The total number of Russian soldiers in Transcaucasia did not exceed 8,000. They had to operate over a large territory: from Armenia to the shores of the Caspian Sea. In terms of armament, the Iranian army, equipped with British weapons, was not inferior to the Russian one. Therefore, the ultimate success of the Russians in this war was associated primarily with a higher degree of military organization, combat training and courage of the troops, as well as with the leadership talents of military leaders. The Russian-Persian conflict marked the beginning of the most difficult war decade in the country's history (1804-1814), when the Russian Empire had to fight practically along the entire perimeter of its European borders from the Baltic to the Caspian Sea. This demanded from the country an unprecedented tension since the Great Northern War.
Campaign of 1804. The main hostilities of the first year of the war took place in the Erivan region (Yerevan). The commander of the Russian troops in the Transcaucasus, General Pyotr Tsitsianov, began the campaign with offensive actions. He moved to the Erivan Khanate (the territory of present-day Armenia), dependent on Iran, and laid siege to its capital Erivan. But although Tsitsianov's troops in the battle of Kanagir (near Erivan) defeated the Iranian army under the command of the crown prince Abass-Mirza, the 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. 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 under 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 river Askeran (region of the Karabakh ridge), the vanguard of the Persian troops (20 thousand people) met stubborn resistance from the Russian detachment under the command of Colonel Karyagin (500 people), which had only 2 guns. From June 24 to July 7, the Karyagin huntsmen, skillfully using the terrain and changing positions, heroically repelled the onslaught of the huge Persian army. After a four-day defense in the Karagach tract, the detachment on the night of June 28 with a fight broke through to the Shah-Bulakh castle, where it could hold out until the night of July 8, and then secretly left its fortifications. 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, in the battle of Zagam, the Russians defeated the troops of Abbas Mirza. His march on Georgia was stopped and the Persian army retreated. After that, Tsitsianov moved the main hostilities to the Caspian coast. But his attempts to carry out a naval operation aimed at capturing Baku and Rasht ended in vain.
Campaign of 1806. In February 1807, Tsitsianov set out on a campaign against Baku, but on February 8 he was cunningly killed by the Bakuvians during negotiations with the local khan under the walls of the fortress. 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, the Russian-Turkish war began. 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. 1807 passed in peace negotiations with Iran, but they did not lead to anything. In 1808, hostilities resumed.
Campaign 1808-1809. In 1808 Gudovich moved the main military operations to Armenia. His troops occupied Echmiadzin (a city west of Yerevan) and then laid siege to Erivan. In October, the Russians defeated Abbas Mirza's troops at Karabab and occupied Nakhichevan. However, the assault on Erivan ended in failure, and the Russians were forced to retreat from the walls of this fortress for the second time. After that, 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 repelled. An attempt by Abbas Mirza's army to attack Russian positions in the Ganja region also ended in failure.
Campaign 1810-1811. In the summer of 1810, the Iranian command planned to launch an offensive on Karabakh from their stronghold of Meghri (a mountainous Armenian village located in the area of \u200b\u200bthe 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, by an unexpected attack, managed to seize this stronghold, where there was a 1.5 thousand 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 forces attempted to launch an offensive in a westerly direction to Akhalkalaki (southwestern Georgia) to link up with Turkish troops there. However, the Iranian offensive in the area was repelled. In 1811 Tormasov was replaced by General Paulucci. However, the Russian troops did not undertake active actions during this period due to the limited number and the need to wage a war on two fronts (against Turkey and Iran). In February 1812. Paulucci was replaced by General Rtischev, who resumed peace talks.
Campaign 1812-1813. 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 leadership talent helped Russia to victoriously end the protracted confrontation.
Battle of Aslanduz (1812). After the news of the occupation of Moscow by Napoleon was received in Tehran, the negotiations were interrupted. Despite the critical situation and the apparent lack of forces, General Kotlyarevsky, to whom Rtishchev gave freedom of action, decided to seize the initiative and stop a new offensive by the Iranian troops. He himself moved with a detachment of 2 thousand to meet the 30 thousand army of Abbas Mirza. Using the surprise factor, Kotlyarevsky's detachment crossed the Arak near Aslanduz 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. In the meantime, night fell, hiding the real number of Russians. Having instilled in his soldiers an unshakable faith in victory, the fearless general led them into an attack against the entire Iranian army. Courage has surpassed strength. Bursting into the Iranian camp, a handful of heroes with a bayonet charge caused an indescribable panic in the camp of Abbas Mirza, who did not expect a night attack, and put an entire army to flight. The Iranian casualties were 1,200 killed and 537 prisoners. The Russians lost 127 people. This victory of Kotlyarevsky did not allow Iran to seize the strategic initiative. Having crushed the Iranian army near Aslanduz, Kotlyarevsky moved to the Lankaran fortress, which covered the way to the northern regions of Persia.
Capture of Lankaran (1813). After the defeat at Aslanduz, the Iranians pinned their last hopes on Lankaran. This strong fortress was defended by a 4,000-strong garrison under the command of Sadyk Khan. Sadyk Khan responded with a proud refusal to the offer to surrender. Then Kotlyarevsky ordered his soldiers to take the fortress by storm, stating that there would be no retreat. Here are the words from his order, read out to the soldiers before the battle: "Having exhausted all means to compel the enemy to surrender the fortress, finding him adamant, there is no longer any way to conquer the fortress with this Russian weapon, as soon as by the force of the assault ... We must take the fortress or all to die, why were we sent here ... so we will prove, 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 forefront of the attackers were knocked out. In this critical situation, the attack was led by Kotlyarevsky himself. After a cruel and ruthless assault, Lankaran fell. Less than 10% of its defenders survived. The losses of the Russians were also great - about 1,000 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 vivid successor of the Rumyantsev-Suvorov military tradition, whose talent was just beginning to create "Suvorov miracles."
Gulistan Peace (1813). The fall of Lankaran decided the outcome of the Russian-Iranian war (1804-1813). It forced the Iranian leadership to stop hostilities and go to the signing of the Gulistan peace [concluded on 12 (24). October 1813 in the village of Gulistan (now the village of Gulustan of the Goranboy region of Azerbaijan)]. A number of the Transcaucasian provinces and khanates (the Derbent Khanate) 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.
War of 1826-1828
The war was started by Persia with the aim of returning the Eastern Transcaucasia. Russian troops took Nakhichevan, Erivan (later - Yerevan), Tabriz. It ended with the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty of 1828 [concluded on February 22, 1828, in the village. Turkmanchay (near Tabriz)]. The Erivan (Armenia) and Nakhichevan khanates went to Russia. The Gulistan Peace of 1813 confirmed the right of Russia to keep a navy in the Caspian Sea. The basis of Russian-Iranian relations until 1917.
"From Ancient Rus to the Russian Empire". Shishkin Sergey Petrovich, Ufa.