Russo-Persian War (1826–1828)

Background

Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, the second shah of Iran's Qajar dynasty, was embroiled in a conflict with Russia over the Caucasus from his accession in 1797. The Christian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti in Eastern Georgia, long subject to Iranian rule, rejected Qajar authority and sought Russian protection. The war of 1804–1813 erupted after Russia invaded the Iranian city of Ganja and massacred its residents. Iran lost that war and signed the Treaty of Gulistan, ceding several khanates and abandoning claims over Georgia. The treaty's territorial arrangements were unclear, particularly in Talish, where boundaries were left to mutually appointed administrators. The region between Lake Gokcha and the city of Erivan remained especially disputed, ensuring continued conflict.

Prelude

In early 1825, Russian forces under Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov, governor of Georgia, seized the northern bank of Lake Gokcha, which Iran considered its territory. The Russians soon captured Balagh-lu as well. Yermolov conceded the area was Iranian but justified the action by claiming Iran was clinging to a large portion of Karabakh. The Russians also built a small fort on the frontier with Erivan, which crown prince Abbas Mirza protested.

In mid-1825, the fort was attacked by troops of Hossein Khan Sardar, the Iranian governor of the Erivan Khanate. On 8 July, the Russians captured Bash Aparan in the northern Erivan Khanate, deep inside Iranian territory, which historian Maziar Behrooz considers the start of the war. In Fath-Ali Shah's court, a peace faction led by figures such as Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi and a war faction debated policy. The peace faction feared Russian capability and sought to avoid armed conflict.

The war

Iran's entry into the war in summer 1826 started successfully. Yermolov was initially engaged in Chechnya, leaving his forces unprepared. The Muslim population, tired of oppression, rose against the Russians with support from their former khans. In Shirvan, Ganja, Talish, Shakki, and Karabakh (except Shusha), Russian troops were driven out or withdrew.

On 25–26 July, Russian and Iranian forces engaged at Talish. Between 28–30 July, Sardar conquered Pambak and Shuregol in northern Erivan, while his brother Hasan Khan Sari Aslan attacked further north, forcing Russians to withdraw to Tiflis. On 1–3 August, Sardar recovered Bash Aparan and fought at Gyumri. On 12 August, Iranian forces took Lankaran and Saliyan.

A Russian battalion of 800 soldiers was ambushed and defeated by 35,000 troops under Abbas Mirza; 400 heads were sent to Fath-Ali Shah's camp at Ardabil, and 400 POWs including the commander and 17 officers were sent to Tabriz. Abbas Mirza besieged Shusha on 6 August but rejected advice to storm the fortress, leading to a prolonged siege. Colonel Iosif Reutt disarmed local Muslims and mounted an effective defense with Armenian aid, buying time for Russian reinforcements.

Aftermath

On 2 February 1828, Abbas Mirza signed the Treaty of Turkmenchay, ceding Erivan and Nakhichevan and agreeing to significant war reparations. The province of Azerbaijan and Abbas Mirza's personal fortune provided most of the payment; a minor portion came from the British, none from the shah. The reparations obligation allowed Russia to pressure Iran. The treaty also gave Russia a role in Iranian politics, as the shah now required Russian acknowledgment of his chosen heir.

Iran was potentially saved from further loss or vassalage either by Iranian negotiators with British help or by Russia's desire for quick peace before a likely war with the Ottomans. After the war, the Qajar state never again faced Russia on equal terms. The defeat changed the outlook of Abol-Qasem Qa'em-Maqam, who acknowledged in a poem that Russia had become the superior force. In 1829, Russian poet Alexander Griboyedov led an embassy to Tehran to enforce the treaty, ordering the release of Georgian concubines from Qajar harems under a prisoner-of-war clause.