Russo-Persian War (1804–1813)

Did You Know?

• The Russians were unable to commit a large portion of their troops to the Caucasus because Alexander was distracted by simultaneous wars with France, the Ottoman Empire, Sweden and Great Britain.
• Some estimates put the Persian numerical advantage at five to one.

Origins

The war's origins lay in Tsar Paul I's annexation of Eastern Georgia (Kartli-Kakheti) in December 1800. In 1783, the Georgian king Heraclius II had signed the Treaty of Georgievsk, placing his kingdom under Russian protection, but Russia failed to defend Georgia against Agha Mohammad Khan in 1795. After reasserting its protectorate in September 1799, Russia annexed Georgia in December 1800, which Iran's new shah, Fath-Ali Qajar, saw as a threat to Iran's territorial integrity. Tsar Alexander continued this policy after Paul's assassination in March 1801, seeking to incorporate the eastern Caucasus khanates. The capture of Shia Muslim territory provoked strong reaction in Iran, as Tsitsianov aimed to expand southward beyond the Kur and Aras rivers. Fath-Ali Shah viewed the Russian threat as a direct challenge to Qajar authority.

Outbreak of war and first battles

After taking Ganja, Tsitsianov pressured the Khanate of Yerevan using a dispute over the election of the Armenian Catholicos. Fath-Ali Shah sent a letter requesting Tsitsianov leave Tiflis and place Prince Alexander on the Georgian throne, warning of a large army but seeking to avoid bloodshed. Tsitsianov's hostile response led the Shah to dispatch Abbas Mirza with an army of 20,000 or 30,000 toward the South Caucasus on 8 May 1804. Mohammad Khan of Yerevan, caught between the Iranian army and the Russians, offered submission to Tsitsianov but received threats. Abbas Mirza abandoned his siege of Yerevan to confront Tsitsianov, who crossed into the Yerevan Khanate with about 5,000 men on June 24. Abbas Mirza's army, reinforced by local forces, numbered around 40,000.

War

In early 1805, the Shoragel sultanate, including the town of Gyumri, was taken by the Russians. The Karabakh Khanate submitted on 14 May, and the Shaki Khanate on 21 May. Abbas Mirza occupied the Askeran Fortress, and the Russians sent Koryagin to take Shahbulag Castle. Abbas Mirza besieged the place, but Koryagin slipped out at night toward Shusha.

He was caught at the Askeran gorge but not defeated; more Russian troops relieved the blockade. Abbas Mirza then besieged Ganja, but 600 Russian infantry routed his camp at Shamkir on 27 July. A naval attack on Baku failed in September. Tsitsianov marched east, accepting the Shirvan Khanate's submission on 27 December, but was murdered on 8 February 1806 while accepting Baku's surrender.

Glazenap restored Russian honor by taking Derbent, Quba, and Baku. Ivan Gudovich replaced Tsitsianov as viceroy. In December, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia. Fighting resumed in 1808 when Russia took Echmiadzin.

Abbas Mirza was defeated south of Lake Shirvan, leading to occupation of Nakhichevan. Gudovich's assault on Yerevan in September 1808 failed, with 1,000 men freezing to death on retreat. Gudovich resigned and was replaced by Alexander Tormasov. In 1809, Fath Ali was driven back from Gyumri and Abbas Mirza from Ganja. In 1810, Abbas Mirza was defeated at Meghri on the Aras River.

Anglo-French diplomacy in Persia

The war's course was affected by European diplomatic maneuvering during the Napoleonic era. After the Russian occupation of the khanates, Fath Ali Shah requested British support in December 1804. However, Russia and Britain allied in the Third Coalition in 1805, preventing Britain from assisting Persia at Russian expense. As the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire noted in August 1806, Britain had thrown away its influence in Persia to please Russia.

This opened the door for France, and Napoleon sent envoys including Pierre Amédée Jaubert and Claude Matthieu, Count Gardane. Their efforts culminated in the Treaty of Finckenstein on 4 May 1807, under which France recognized Persian claims to Georgia and promised military assistance. Only two months later, Napoleon and Alexander I signed the Treaty of Tilsit on 7 July 1807, rendering French commitments untenable, though the French mission continued some military aid and attempted mediation. The French efforts failed, prompting Gudovich to resume the Siege of Erevan in 1808.