1.

Gajar Russian war

None of the Azerbaijani khans succeeded in uniting together, and at a time when
intermediate wars between the khanates continued on a large scale, Aga
Muhammad Khan Qajar, who was originally an Azerbaijani Turk and from the
Qajar tribe, established a unified state in the territory of South Azerbaijan. After
the death of Karim Khan Zand, Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar, who turned to
Shiraz, came to Astrabad. After standing here and after long and bloody struggles,
Yazidu was able to properly subjugate Kerman and Shiraz. Agha Muhammad
Khan met the swift resistance of the declining Hidayat Khan and then his own
brother Murtuzaghulu Khan in Gilan.
He chooses this area to occupy other khanates of Azerbaijan. The command of the
Russian army called Ganja "the key to the northern administrations of Iran."
General Sisianov wrote that the Ganja fortress plays a special role in Azerbaijan
due to its capabilities, therefore it is the most important thing for Russia to capture
it.
Sisianov, who demanded to surrender to Javad Khan several times, was refused
every time. On November 20, 1803, General Sisianov started moving towards
Ganja as a result of Tiflis, and reached Ganja fortress in December. Realizing that
it was difficult to take the fortress, Sisianov ordered an attack at 5 o'clock in the
morning on January 3, 1804, after a year of preparation, and after a heavy battle,
the Russians took the fortress. Javad Khan and his two sons won this battle
heroically. In addition to the wounded in the Ganja war, there were more than two
thousand people, it turned into eighteen thousand people. After this occupation, the
name of the city of Ganja was changed to Yelizavetpol, after Alexander's wife
Yelizaveta.
The invasion of Georgia, Azerbaijan by Russia caused the concern of Qatar and
Turkey, behind them and France. According to A. Bakikhanov, an Azerbaijani
historian who lived in the first half of the 19th century, "he gathered 70,000
connections of the Iranian people from the borders of Transcaucasia." The royal
palace prepared for the war with Russia in the spring of 1801, after signing the
treaty.
In September of the same year, coastal fortifications were built in Anzali.
Preparing to capture Transcaucasia, Fatali Shah first intended to seize the
territories of all the khanates bordering Georgia and Ganja. For this purpose, he
decided to send 20,000 troops to the border in July 1802. Fatali Shah tried to get
help by writing to European kings and emperors. But the turmoil within the Qajar
and the lack of real help from England had a chilling effect on the quarrelsome
royal court. England concluded from the killing of Paul I and especially from the
departure of French troops from Syria and Egypt that the plan to march to India
was removed from the agenda of Napoleon's Eastern policy, and the king no longer
needed help. Therefore, England did not go far to promise. However, he was
inciting Iran to war with Russia. The Iranian palace sent its representatives here in
order to involve Georgia in a joint action against Russia, preparing for war with
Russia. A decree was sent everywhere in Transcaucasia, informing about the
Shah's intention to march on Ganja and Georgia, demanding obedience and help
from the Khans. He wrote that the 50,000-strong army of Abbas Mirza, the heir to
the throne, will be sent to Transcaucasia to seize the provinces annexed to Russia.
The shah himself, who had proudly declared that he would cleanse all the countries
up to Kizilyara from "infidel Russians", was preparing to follow Abbas Mirza's
troops with the main forces. In May 1804, the upper feudal classes of Iran, led by
Fatali Shah, demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transcaucasia. The
request was rejected, and on July 10, 1804, diplomatic relations between Russia
and Iran were severed, beginning the 10-year Russo-Iranian War. The attitude of
the local population of Azerbaijan to the Russian-Iranian war was not the same.
Some of the feudal rulers of Azerbaijan, as well as a part of the feudal lords,
fearing to lose their power, looked at the war as their savior, and thinking that they
would retain their power if Shah Iran were to win, they were ready to help him and
helped him as much as possible. a part of the population that was looking for a way
out and thought that it could be achieved thanks to Russia, wanted to help the
Russian troops. In general, the population did not want to be invaded by either Iran
or Russia, they turned to their khans and promised to provide them with all
possible help in the fight against the invaders.
At the beginning of the war, the command of the Russian troops in Transcaucasia
chose an offensive plan to conduct the war. The first battle took place on July 2,
1804 in the territory of the Iravan Khanate near the walls of Uchkilsa. Russian
troops consisting of 3,600 infantry, cavalry squadrons and 2 Cossack hundreds
with 12 cannons faced 20,000 Iranian troops. Russian troops gained advantage
with the help of Georgian cavalry units. In mid-June 1805, Qajar troops entered
Karabakh. On July 26, the Shah's troops besieged the Shahbulag fortress, where
the Russian garrison was located.
The second battle took place near Iravan, near the village of Gamarli, on the night
of July 29-30, 1804, there was a bloody battle between a detachment of Russian
troops and a large group of Iranian troops. Russian troops were able to maintain
their positions. However, on September 4, the Russian troops retreated from
Yerevan due to the lack of supplies, the small number of troops, as well as the
advance of Iranian troops towards Ganja, where a small Russian detachment was
stationed.
The capture of Ganja and the subsequent successes of the Russian troops played an
important role in the acceleration of the invasion of the Azerbaijani khanates. At
the beginning of 1804, General Sisianov sent Major Lisanevich to Karabakh to
Ibrahimkhalil Khan and demanded that he become a Russian citizen. Ibrahimkhalil
Khan asked Sisianov for military help to prevent the attack of Iranian troops, and
promised to help Russia and remain loyal to it. The Iranian court, alarmed by the
rapprochement of Karabakh Khan with Russia, sent Abulfath Khan, the son of
Ibrahim Khalil Khan, to Karabakh with a group of 500 people. However,
Ibrahimkhalil Khan met him with hostility and crushed his group near Dizakh.
After this victory of Karabakh Khan, Sisianov sent a detachment headed by Major
Lisanevich to Karabakh at his request. At the same time, he demanded to speed up
the response on accepting Russian citizenship.
Ibrahimkhalil Khan agreed to meet Sisianov in order to preserve his khanate.
General Sisianov came to the bank of Kurek River near Ganja and camped.
Ibrahimkhalil Khan also came here and met Sisianov on May 14, 1805. An
agreement was signed at the meeting. According to this contract, Khan. His heirs
and the entire population of the khanate were accepted as Russian subjects, and the
threat of loyalty to the Russian tsar was imposed on them. The tsar, in turn,
confirmed the rights of this khan dynasty "for all time", but each time the
successors of the khan had to be approved by the tsar. Khan undertook to entrust
his grandson. He had to stay in Tbilisi. The internal administration of the khanate
was kept in the hands of the khan. But he undertook to leave the Russian garrison
in Shusha and provide it with the necessary things. Khan undertook to allocate
8,000 chervons from his income to the Russian treasury every year.
The fact that some khanates accepted Russian power without a fight should not be
taken as a sign that tsarism did not pursue aggressive goals here. At first, when it
came to preserving the right of internal autonomy of some khanates, it was a
temporary measure of the tsarism, which was eager to act with great caution in
Transcaucasia, seeing competitors like Iran and Turkey encouraged by England
and France. In the very first year of the war, the royal palace's hopes for England
did not come true. During these years, England was trying to create a new anti-
Napoleon coalition with the participation of Russia. By inciting the Russo-Iranian
war, England pursued a hypocritical policy towards its ally Iran: demanding that
Iran comply with the terms of the 1801 treaty, it behaved as if it itself was free of
alliance debts. This policy of England resulted in the fact that in the fall of 1804,
the Shah of Iran sent a letter to Napoleon about his readiness to form an alliance
with France against Russia. Napoleon decided to take advantage of this and
instructed the French ambassador in Istanbul to start negotiations with Iran. During
the summer campaign of 1805, Iranian troops entered Karabakh in mid-June and
plundered it. Everywhere, which until recently had been barren lands, now only the
ruins of villages, the remains of vast mulberry groves, and abandoned and
neglected fields were to be seen.
Pirgulu Khan captured Askara and advanced into Karabakh. On June 26, 1805, the
Shah's troops, led by Colonel Koryagin, besieged Shahbulag, where a small
Russian garrison was located. Abbas Mirza demanded the surrender of the fortress.
Seeing the impasse of the situation, Koryagin agreed to surrender the fortress on
July 8, and he himself left the fortress on the night of July 7 without the knowledge
of the enemy. As soon as Abbas Mirza found out about the secret departure of the
Russian detachment, he began to pursue him, but did not dare to attack him. When
help came to Koryagin, who was stationed in Mukhrat Castle north of Shahbulak,
the Shah's troops retreated. Koryagin's detachment arrived in Ganja, where it
joined with Kotlyarevsky's detachment. In July, Iranian troops entered Gazakh.
The commander of the Iranian troops hoped for the help of the local population.
Addressing the Katkhudas with a statement, he called the residents of Gazakh to
revolt against Russia. Koryagin rushed to the battlefield with a detachment of 570
people and attacked the Iranian camp near Zayam on July 27. To further strengthen
their position in Azerbaijan in the summer military company of 1805, Shirvan. He
gave the opportunity to subjugate the Khans of Bsk and Guba.
At the time when the agreements were signed with the Karabakh and Sheki
khanates, Sisianov also demanded Mustafa Khan of Shirvan to accept Russian rule.
Shirvan Khan agreed to this demand on the condition that his authority over the
neighboring Azerbaijani khanates be recognized. Mustafa Khan refused to pay
annual taxes, demanded a guarantee of his independence in the internal
administration and a permanent salary. Sisianov demanded to accept Russian
power under the conditions he put forward, and after he was sure that the
negotiations would yield nothing, in November 1805 he crossed Kuru near
Mingachevir and marched towards Shamakhi. His detachment with 10 cannons
consisted of 1100 infantry and cavalry. General Sisianov, while moving towards
Shirvan, asked for help from Ibrahimkhalil Khan, and he was forced to send his
eldest son Mehdigul Agha with 1500 cavalry. Hearing the approach of Russian
troops, Mustafa Khan decided to accept Sisianov's request, to transfer the khanate's
right to foreign relations to Russia, to pay a tax of 10,000 chervons a year, to
ensure the security of trade within the khanate's borders, etc. agreed. However, the
khan refused to negotiate and strengthened his position in Fitdagh, a natural
fortress and a strong shelter. Sisianov began to withdraw his troops to the very
vicinity of Shamakhi. Russian troops approached Fitdag. Own situation Seeing the
hopelessness of his life, the khan refused to become a Russian citizen. The
agreement signed by Mustafa Khan and Sisianov on December 27, 1805 was the
same as the two earlier agreements. This agreement, which was the same as the
agreements on the passing of the Karabagh and Shaki khanates under Russian rule,
did not mention the absolute deployment of Russian troops in Shamakhi. The
annual tax of the Shamakhi Khanate was determined in the amount of 7 thousand
chervons. The Shamakhi Khanate was obliged to ensure the safety of caravans
passing through its territory. Khan also agreed to allow the construction of a
fortified Russian station on the banks of the Kura - Javad.
The subjugation of one of the largest khanates of Azerbaijan, the Shamakhi
khanate, was of great importance for tsarist Russia in capturing all of Northern
Azerbaijan. The Shamakhi khanate occupied a central position among other
khanates and had great economic, political and military-strategic importance.
After the subjugation of the Shamakhi Khanate, the road to Baku was open. At the
beginning of 1805, the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops in the Caucasus
decided to send the Russian fleet to the Caspian Sea to capture Gila and, on the
way back, to capture Baku.
The tsar's government attached great importance to the strengthening of the
Caspian fleet and the capture of the western shores of the Caspian with its help.
The tsar's minister of foreign affairs repeatedly reminded Sisianov of this. The
latter, in turn, was guided by Russia's right to establish complete military
supremacy over the Caspian Sea, and for this purpose did not allow the
commercial ships of local merchants to appear here. In April, they set off in the
direction of Rasht under the leadership of General Zavalishi. Apart from capturing
Anzali and Baku, these troops were also tasked with demanding the return of the
captured men and Georgian princes from the Shah. On June 23, the fleet reached
Anzali port. After the unsuccessful attempt to land and capture Rashti, the Russian
squadron approached the Baku region on August 12. Negotiations on the surrender
of the fortress began. Having received Zavalish's refusal, on August 15, he began
to fire the fortress, and on August 22, he began to besiege the city.
Important strategic points of the khanate were captured until August 29.
Huseyngulu Khan, the judge of Baku who was in contact with Iran, appealed to the
Shah's palace for help. According to the information of Iranian historian Nasir
Najmi, Asgar Khan of Urmia of Abbas Mirza ordered Baku Khan to leave
immediately with troops to help him. Gubali Sheikhali Khan was also preparing to
help Huseygulu Khan.
Fearing the approach of help from General Zavalish to Baku - Huseyngulu
Khanate from Urmia and Guba, he retreated to Sara Island in Talish Khanate
without capturing the fortress. At the beginning of February 1806, General
Zavalishi's landing party joined forces with Sisianov's large artillery unit 2 km
from Baku and camped in Nakhir-bulak. Sisianov demanded the surrender of the
fortress. According to the conditions proposed by Sisianov, the Baku Khanate
should accept Russian citizenship, the territory of the Khanate should be merged
with Russia, all the revenues of the Khanate should be sent to the tsar's treasury,
and the Khan should receive an annual salary of 10 thousand manats. The city had
to be governed by special rules. A garrison of 600,000 soldiers was supposed to be
stationed in the Baku fortress along with cannons. In foreign policy and military
matters, the khan had to obey the orders of the Russian troops in the Caucasus.
Huseyngulu Khan from Baku agreed to these conditions. On February 8, Sisianov,
accompanied by Colonel Eristavi, set out almost unguarded to meet the Khan, who
was waiting for him near the fort. In the meeting, he was killed by Huseyngulu
Khan's cousin Ibrahim Bey.
General Zavalishin was forced to take the Russian troops from Baku to Sara Island
and then to Kizilyar. After the killing of Sisianov in Baku, the situation of the
Russian troops in Transcaucasia worsened. Conditions in the South Caucasus also
became complicated. Many of the Khans began to hesitate. Some feudal rulers of
Dagestan took advantage of this moment and hastily started making preparations to
invade Transcaucasia. Gazigumukh judge Surkhay Khan entered Azerbaijan.
However, due to the activity of Russian troops in the North Caucasus, other
Dagestan rulers did not dare to help Surkhai Khan, who was approaching Kura and
hoped to capture the pass near Mingachevir, but was forced to return in a hurry.
In the spring of 1806, Iranian troops became active again. Napoleon's promised
help played no small role here. Iranian troops crossed Araz and entered Karabakh.
On June 8, the first armed clash of the campaign of 1806 took place between
Russian and Iranian troops. Between Shahbulag and Askaran, in Aghdam, the
Russian detachment encountered 4,000 Iranian soldiers. The Russian detachment
suppressed the Iranian army and, capturing Askara, advanced towards Shusha.
Abbas Mirza sent his messengers to attract Ibrahim Khalil Khan to his side. During
this period, due to the small number of the Russian garrison headed by Major
Lisanevich in Shusha, Ibrahimkhalil Khan agreed with Lisanevich in advance to
prevent the destruction of the Khanate, and decided to treat the Iranians gently
until the Russian troops arrived. The considerable delay in the arrival of the
Russian troops caused the Iranian troops to approach the fortress. In order to
ensure the safety of his family, Ibrahimkhalil Khan moved him to Khankendi near
the Shusha fortress. As the Azerbaijani historian who lived in the first half of the
19th century wrote, "some ill-intentioned people insulted Khan Major so that
Major went to his residence with a group of warriors at night, where Ibrahim Khan
was killed along with some of his family members and close friends by the cruel
fate of fate." This murder is a vivid example of the colonial brutality of the tsarist
officers. In this way, both the hesitant feudal lords and the population were
alienated from the Russians. It is no coincidence that immediately after these
events, Selim Khan severed relations with Russia, incited the population to revolt
and forced the Russian troops to leave the khanate. In those days, the summer
campaign of military operations of 1806 was heated. Abbas Mirza's troops were in
Karabakh and Shirvan, and another army of 15,000, headed by the Georgian prince
Alexander, camped 45 km from Ganja in late June. Prince was preparing to enter
Georgia in the direction of Tiflis, Garakilsa and Ganja. Despite the ruthlessness of
Lisanevich and the treacherous murder of his father, Mehdiglu Khan was forced to
join the Russian troops under the command of General Nebolsi and camped near
the Askeran fortress. Soon the Russians crushed the Iranian troops at the Khanashir
Pass, and the remnants of the Iranian troops hurriedly retreated across the Araz. In
the winter of 1806, General Gudovich, who was appointed as the new commander-
in-chief, presented the decree on the management of Karabakh to Mehdigulu Khan.
When the usurpers were retreating, they forcibly expelled the masses of civilians
and took them into captivity. 6,000 people were taken to Iran from Shirvan alone.
After the successful completion of the summer campaign, there was the question of
occupying the plundered territory of Northern Azerbaijan, first of all, the Baku and
Guba khanates. The Russian command attached great importance to the capture of
Baku and Darbend fortresses. General Glazenap wrote to the tsar on May 3, 1806:
As long as Baku is not taken, the achievements in Shirvan and Karabakh will be in
danger forever, and Georgia itself must wait for the Persian invasion. The Iranian
government clearly understood the importance of Baku for Russia and its plans,
and after the failures in Karabakh, in order to prevent the advance of Russian
troops, it moved military operations in the direction of the Shamakhi Khanate.
Meanwhile, one Russian detachment entered Zardab, and another entered Java.
Hearing the approach of the Russian troops, Abbas Mirza retreated from Agsu,
where he was encamped, to the Kura River. It created favorable conditions for
advancing towards Baku and Darban. Gubali Sheikhali Khan did not want to
accept Russian rule. In June 1806, Russian troops approached Darban under Guba
Khan and captured it on June 22. Then they were directed towards Baku under the
command of General Bulgakov. The general sent an appeal to the townspeople.
Huseyngulu Khan sent his delegation to Bugakov with the flag of the city, the key
to the fortress and bread and salt, but Huseyngulu Khan's son, fearing revenge, fled
with his family to Guba and from there to Iran. Thus, on September 3, 1806, the
Baku Khanate was subordinated to Russia. Soon, Guba Khan also fled, and his
khanate was subordinated to Russia. Derbend and Guba khanates were given to the
Turki Shamkhal, and later they became provinces. Thus, at the end of 1806, the
territory of Northern Azerbaijan, except for the Talish, Iravan and Nakhchivan
khanates, came under Russian rule.
After the invasion of the indicated khanates, Russian troops were sent to suppress
the rebellion in the Sheki khanate. On October 22, 1806, a decisive battle took
place near Nukha, and the troops of his successor, Salim Khan, were defeated.
Russian troops besieged the city of Nukha. The townspeople continued to resist.
They filled the city walls with incendiary materials and set fire to the Russian
troops when they attacked. However, the resistance of the people of Nukha was
broken and the Russian troops attacked and captured Nukha. Salim Khan fled to
Iran. A temporary administration consisting of local, pro-Russian gentlemen was
organized in Sheki to manage the Khanate. Then the Russian troops left for Tsar-
Balakan, where the rebellion was engulfed. Russian troops surrounded the Carda
rebellions and the cavalry of the Avar Khan, as well as other Dagestan feudal
lords. Soon this rebellion was suppressed. After the suppression of the rebellion in
the northern Azerbaijani khanates, the government changed a number of local
feudal rulers. At the beginning of the Russo-Iranian war, Jafargulu Khan Sheki
Khan, a former Khoylu, was appointed to the side of Russia. He transferred part of
the population of his former Khoy Khanate to Sheki. These settlers, consisting of
Azerbaijanis and Armenians, built several villages (Yenikend, Jafarabad, etc.)
around the city of Nukha.
After capturing the Guba and Baku khanates, the tsarist government was eager to
make peace with Iran, so the Russian command foresaw the imminent war with
Turkey and therefore wanted to free its hands and, if possible, even provoke Iran
into a war against Turkey. The Iranian government also hoped for concessions and
wanted to make peace. In mid-September 1806, the royal palace sent its
representative to Gudovich, the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops, with a
proposal to conclude peace. The tsarist government was not going to make any
concessions to Iran, on the contrary, it demanded the khanates of Nakhchivan and
Iravan from Iran. On October 4, 1806, Gudovich received instructions from
Alexander I that "...in the existing circumstances, the cessation of hostilities with
Iran is the most important matter." The tsarist government was even willing to sign
a temporary truce. But the negotiations were prolonged. England and France
played no small role in this.
Although the main interests of England and France were more occupied with other
international issues, they did not lose sight of the South Caucasus for a moment,
England openly and France secretly defended Iran and provoked Turkey to war
with Russia. After Austerlitz, Napoleon's diplomacy became more active in Iran
and Turkey. In 1806, Napoleon sent his representative General Romyen to Iran.
Iran's negotiations with France alarmed England. Harford Jones, the British
ambassador in Baghdad, appealed to the king's minister and assured him that
England would abide by the terms of the 1801 treaty. Negotiations were
interrupted due to the sudden and mysterious death of General Romeu. But soon
another French representative Jober arrived in Iran. The king himself accepted him.
Napoleon proposed to Iran "to allow the French troops to land on the shores of
Iran... in order to expel the Russian troops from Transcaucasia".
France was trying to raise Turkey against Russia by all means. State Chancellor
A.R. Vorontsov informed General Sisianov about this as early as 1803. Under the
influence of France, Turkey intended to conclude a military alliance with Iran for
its joint struggle against Russia. Turkish official Feyzi Mahmud Efendi came to
Tehran in the fall of 1805 for this purpose. Napoleon's ambassador, General
Sebastian, who arrived in Istanbul in 1806, succeeded in inciting Turkey to break a
number of Russian-Turkish agreements, including the newly signed alliance
agreement, with threats and attractive promises. At the end of 1806, Turkey started
a war against Russia.
The start of the war by Turkey aggravated the situation of the Russian troops in the
Caucasus. The main forces of the Russian army were focused on the fight against
Napoleon's troops and could not be sent to the Caucasus. Now it was necessary to
wage a war with Turkey as well as with Iran in the field of operations in the
Caucasus. Russia foresees this and therefore tried to make peace with Iran.
However, negotiations with Iran did not result in success.
After the beginning of the Russo-Turkish war, the command of the Russian troops
in the Caucasus decided to build a fortification on the Tartar River. The troops that
had just captured Guba, Baku and Darben, and had suppressed the rebellion in
Sheki and Jar-Balak were sent there. General Gudovich, the commander-in-chief,
headed to Gyumri at the head of the Russian army. A bloody battle took place
between Russian and Turkish troops here. Mirza Adigozal Bey wrote about this
battle: "Both armies met at the Arpa River and positioned themselves in front of
each other. After some time, a battle took place. The Ottomans were defeated
before dusk. The Russians captured booty and many cannons from the Ottomans."
This battle took place on June 18, 1807. In the same year, the devastating
campaigns of Iranian troops to Transcaucasia began again. At the beginning of
1807, Napoleon urged the Shah of Iran to strengthen the fight against Russia. On
January 17, 1807, Napoleon wrote to the Shah of Iran that Russia is coming
Victory in Russia "brings me closer to you", so he advised to attack Russia, capture
Transcaucasia, "close the Caspian Sea to the Russians". He called for an "eternal
alliance of the three powers" (ie the alliance of France, Iran and Turkey). Fatali
Shah, in turn, sent a delegation to Napoleon with rich gifts and offered to conclude
an alliance. In his reply to Fatali Shah, Napoleon urged him to strengthen the fight
against Russia and proposed to create an anti-Russian bloc consisting of France,
Iran and Turkey. The Shah's government accepted this proposal.
A new French delegation arrived in Iran. At the end of April 1807, Iran's
plenipotentiary arrived in East Prussia, where Napoleon I was, and started
negotiations. Napoleon I did not wait for the conclusion of the agreement and
ordered to prepare 50 cannons, 10 thousand rifles and 4 thousand infantry to be
sent to Iran. On May 4, 1807, the Franco-Iranian treaty was signed in Finkenstein.
According to this agreement, military assistance was provided to Iran to capture
Transcaucasia. Soon, a French diplomatic delegation led by General Garda arrived
in Iran. Upon his arrival, the Finkenstein Treaty was hastily ratified. On January
21, 1808, the contract was concluded. According to this agreement, Iran could buy
20,000 rifles from the French arsenal.
The visible signs of reconciliation between Russia and Iran disappeared with the
conclusion of the Franco-Iranian treaty and the arrival of a French diplomatic
delegation to Iran. "As a result of the intrigues of the French government, our
affairs in this country are beginning to turn against our hopes." Cannon production
was regulated in Isfahan under the leadership of the French. An artillery park was
organized in Tehran.
The French began to rebuild the Iranian army. At the same time, General Gardan
obstructed the negotiations between Iran and Russia by all means. Already in the
summer of 1807, changes occurred in the international situation. The Tilzit
Agreement was signed between Russia and France, as well as a secret Russo-
French agreement on offensive and defensive alliance. In Tilzit, Napoleon did not
insist on securing the interests of Iran and Turkey. In the second secret article of
the Tilzit Treaty, it was mentioned that France renounces its mediation in the
affairs of Turkey and Iran. However, subsequent events show that this alliance
concluded between France and Russia at Tilzit was a forced alliance. French
experts continued to prepare Iran for new armed conflicts with Russia, and the
royal palace did not lose hope for Napoleon's help and did not want to cut ties with
France. However, the situation pushed the Shah to get closer to England. The
British government immediately took advantage of the situation and decided to
strengthen its position in Iran by all means. However, despite bribes and threats,
the king did not accept Malcolm. The Shah still believed in the power of Napoleon,
who had promised to return Georgia to him. Soon, a second diplomatic delegation
led by Jackson arrived in Iran. Jackson succeeded in breaking the shah's ties with
France. He used large sums of money to buy off the king and the royal palace. In
February 1809, General Gardan was forced to leave Tehran. In 1809, England
signed a treaty with Iran. According to this agreement, Iran undertook to cut off
relations with all nations hostile to Britain. England promised to provide financial
aid to the Shah in the amount of 120 thousand pounds annually during the war with
Russia, and to provide weapons, ammunition and instructors.
Along with negotiations, preparations for future military operations were
underway. Already in May 1808, 10,000 Iranian troops were moving towards
Iravan. General Gudovich, the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops, also
directed his troops towards the border of Iran and on September 40, he marched
from the Soganliq camp to Pambak with a little more than 3,000 troops. He
intended to attack the Iranian troops from there. Gudovich ordered General
Nebolsin to capture Nakhchivan at the same time. Nebolsin left Shusha with an
army of 3000 people on September 11. On September 26, Gudovich defeated the
Iranian army consisting of 4 thousand people, led by Huseyn Khan from Yerevan.
Russian troops pursued Huseyn Khan, who was retreating to Yerevan, and
captured Echmiadzi on the way. At that time, General Nebolsin advanced towards
Nakhchivan, destroyed the Iranian troops near the village of Garababa at the end of
October and captured Nakhchivan. The combined forces of Russian troops began
the siege of Yerevan and attacked the fortress in mid-May. However, he was
unsuccessful and retreated. Russian troops were also forced to leave Nakhchivan.
Abbas Mirza captured Nakhchivan and began to pursue the Russian troops. A
battle took place in the Garababa village district, Gudovich was defeated again.
The campaign of 1808 ended in failure and Gudovich was forced to resign.
From the beginning of 1809, the situation of Russia in Transcaucasia became more
complicated. Iran England was preparing to continue military operations under the
leadership of 14 thousand soldiers were concentrated in Sarigamish. At a time
when the number of Russian troops in the Caucasus reached 43,500 people, Iran
intended to send out an army of 150,000 people. The new Commander-in-Chief
Tormosov hoped to regulate relations with Iran through negotiations. However, in
June 1809, the shah himself came to South Azerbaijan with the intention of not
being satisfied with Karabakh and Iravan and expanding the front of military
operations in the West in order to unite his forces with Turkey. The Shah sent
decrees to the judges and inhabitants of Transcaucasia, urging them to act against
Russia.
The military operations of 1809 began at the same time as the marches of two
Iranian troops to Karabakh and Pembaka. The third army unit stopped near Goycha
(Sevan) lake. His operational area should be Ganja, Gazakh and Shamshaddil.
However, the Iranian troops could not implement their plans. Abbas Mirza avoided
meeting the Russian troops by all means. In August, he attacked Ganja. Russian
troops also rushed there. Abbas Mirza again retreated to the other side of Araz
without engaging in battle, looting several settlements.
In September 1809, an eleven-thousand-strong Iranian cavalry troop entered
Talysh Khanate and plundered Lankaran. Mir Mustafa Khan was forced to hide in
the peninsula with the remnants of his troops and his family. During those days,
negotiations between Iran and Russia were restarted. General Tormosov demanded
the Iranian representative Mirza Bezurk to recognize the independence of Talysh
Khanate.
The British ambassador in Iran prevented the conclusion of the peace treaty by all
means. He convinced the shah that the conditions set before Iran were not put
forward by the tsar's palace, but by Tormosov. At the same time, England supplied
Iranian troops with weapons. For example, during the negotiations, Iran received
3,000 soldiers, 100 cannons, 2,000 rifles, and 1.2 million mans from England.
money, bought "various craftsmen to cast cannon and build ships in Astrabad,
Mazandaran, Gilan and Langerud". Negotiations were interrupted due to the
obstruction of England and Turkey. Turkey was afraid of the strengthening of
Russia at the expense of the troops that would be freed from the war with Iran.
Therefore, the sultan sent his authorized representative to Tehran with valuable
gifts to disrupt the negotiations. Abbas offered to give Mirza a 12-man regular
selection Turkish army at his complete disposal. Russian troops in Transcaucasia
were in a difficult situation. In June 1810, Iranian troops advanced towards
Karabakh, Ganja and Pambek. Their detachments of Iranian troops stopped near
the village of Tugh, in a place called Garghabazar. Iranians also strengthened in
Mehrid. Taking into account the important strategic importance of Mehri, which
plays the role of the key to advance to South Azerbaijan in the direction of Tabriz,
Kotlyarevsky, with a detachment of a little more than 400 people, moved towards
Mehri. On June 15, he was able to attack the village. The Iranians, who retreated
across Araz, approached Mehri again on July 2. The siege lasted 5 days. But the
Shah's command was forced to retreat, convinced of its impossibility. On the night
of July 8, Kotlyarevsky suddenly attacked the camp of Iranian troops located near
Mehri. In the bayonet battle, the Iranian detachment was defeated and thrown
beyond the borders of Karabakh. This victory of Russian troops changed the whole
situation in Transcaucasia. However, the royal palace was preparing a new attack
in the direction of Pambak and Shuraghel. Iranians gathered near Abaran. The
threat expected by Turkey did not allow them to attack the Iranian troops. In
August 1810, a military alliance against Russia was concluded between Iran and
Turkey. But that didn't help either. Iranian troops were defeated near Ahalkalaki.
Abbas Mirza, avoiding new clashes with the Russian troops, decided to restart the
peace talks. At the same time, he was actively preparing for a new campaign, while
the British were seriously engaged in strengthening the forts on the Russian-
Iranian borders. Meanwhile, a group of Malholm instructors arrived in Tehran with
cannons and other weapons. In 1811, Harford replaced Jackson in Tehran with
another ambassador - Ousley. He brought with him all three years of financial aid,
as well as 3,000 rifles, 20 cannons, ammunition and supplies.
On March 14, 1812, on the eve of the severance of relations between France and
Russia and the formation of the Anglo-Russian alliance against Bonoparte, Ousley
signed the treaty. This treaty confirmed the treaty of 1809. According to this
agreement, Britain undertook to send the necessary amount of troops to Iran or to
pay 200,000 dumans annually for the maintenance of the army under the direct
supervision of the British ambassador throughout the war. The British government
organized shipbuilding in the Caspian Sea, construction of military warehouses
because he undertook to separate the group of specialists and, if necessary, to send
his warships to the Persian Gulf. These ships had the right to occupy any port of
the bay. Iran, receiving such significant help from England, refused to make peace
and began to actively prepare for an attack. This was also due to the fact that the
British convinced the royal court that the situation in Russia was very complicated,
that the troops had been thrown from Transcaucasia to the West, and that Napoleon
was preparing to attack Russia. On the advice of the British, Fatali shah summoned
the head of the clergy and ordered him to give a fatwa about jihad - holy war
against the Russians. The Shah wanted to give the new campaign the character of a
war for religion. In Tabriz, the ulema gathered a large group of preachers and sent
them to various places in Transcaucasia to instruct them.
Russian troops won a number of victories on the Caucasian and Balkan fronts of
the Russo-Turkish war. The victory in the Balkans under the command of M.I.
Kutuzov was especially impressive, which forced Turkey to ask for peace. On May
16, 1812, a peace treaty was signed between Russia and Turkey in Bucharest.
According to this agreement, Turkey approved the occupation of a large part of
Transcaucasia by Russia. Now Iran was eager to induce Russia to conclude such an
agreement with certain concessions. Russia was also interested in making peace
with Iran, because relations with France in the West were becoming tense. On
April 20, 1812, when General Rtishshev began to rule the Transcaucasia region
and command the Russian troops there, he received instructions to make peace
with Iran. Now Russia is abandoning the earlier proposals that the demarcation line
should run along the Kura, Araz and Arpachay rivers and agreeing to establish the
border as it was after the occupation. But the negotiations dragged on because
Abbas Mirza demanded territorial concessions. At this time, it happened in
international relations. Despite the signing of an anti-French treaty between
Napoleonic France and Russia in the summer of 1812, Britain took advantage of
Russia's involvement in the war with Napoleon and became active in Iran. Abbas
Mirza took advantage of the fact that the main forces of the Russian army were
directed to the war against Napoleon and began to prepare his army for a new
attack on Transcaucasia. First of all, Iran wanted to push Russia out of Karabakh.
For this, first of all, I had to capture the fortified Mehri, where General
Kotlyarevsky's detachment was located. On July 12, Iranian troops entered
Karabakh, but were defeated and thrown across Araz. In August, 20,000 Iranian
troops captured the territory of Talysh Khanate, including Lankaran. Other
detachments of Iranian troops captured Archivan, thereby opening the way to the
interior of Azerbaijan. Russia's situation in Transcaucasia has become complicated
again. The Russian command decided to use Abbas Mirza's offer of a 40-day truce
to conclude peace. Negotiations started on September 20 in Aslanduz and
continued until October 10. Since the parties did not want to give up their previous
positions, the negotiations did not bring any results. The Shah's troops started a
military operation again. An army of 30,000 under the command of Abbas Mirza
was concentrated on the Araz coast near Aslanduz. He intended to advance to
Karabakh and Yelizavetpol (Ganja), and then to Georgia, attacking the Russian
units standing in front of him under Kotlyarevsky's command. However, all the
attempts of Huseyngulu Khan to capture the fortress were unsuccessful. Iranian
troops also encountered strong resistance in Shamakhi. Mustafa Khan managed to
capture Yeni Shamakhi. Despite the help of the entire population, he could not
capture the old Shamakhi. At the same time, Huseyin Khan, the son of Selim
Khan, entered Sheki Khanate with a group of Iranian soldiers, and Mirhasan Khan
came to Talish. He suppressed the Khazar battalion and the Cossack unit,
succeeded in capturing Salyan, Kizilagac and besieging Lankaran. Isolated from
the north and running out of food supplies, the head of the garrison, Major
Ilyinsky, burned the city on the night of June 27 and put his army on board the
Caspian fleet and sailed to Sara Island. The main task of the khans, who took over
their former properties, was to organize subversive groups that destroyed bridges,
mills, and destroyed food supplies, acting together with the forces of the Iranian
army. General Yermolov decided to take harsh measures against the former
Azerbaijani khans and sent the troops stationed in Dagestan against them. This
troop moved to Guba, where it arrived in Old Shamakhi on June 23. But the
appearance of Sultan Ahmed, the son of the last ruler of Guba, in the vicinity of
Guba, as well as the depletion of food supplies, forced the Russian troops to retreat
and enter Guba. The city was besieged by the Iranian army. Abbas Mirza's son
robbed the local population and turned it against him. South bi Dagestan passed
into the hands of Surkhay Khan, who was appointed as the judge of Dagestan by
Abbas Mirza. While Abbas Mirza and his army were standing around the fortress
of Shusha, other units of the Iranian army moved towards Tiflis after capturing
Ganja. On the way, they met the detachment of General Madatov, who was
originally from Karabakh Armenians. Russian military detachments and Georgian
cavalry defeated Prince Aleksadr's detachment. Madatov's group moved to Ganja,
developing the success it gained. However, on the road to Ganja, large Iranian
military forces were stationed in Shamkhor. This force, consisting of 2,000
infantry, 8,000 regular cavalry, artillery and volcanets trained by British officers,
was preparing to attack the Russian detachment. This detachment consisted of 3
infantry battalions with a total of 2900 people and 1360 Cossacks and Georgians.
Early in the morning on September 3, 1812, the Iranian army moved towards the
camp of the Russian troops. A bloody battle began on the plain near Shamkhor.
Cossacks and cavalry entered the battle first. The Georgian detachment operated
on the right flank of the attacking Russian army. He was defeated several times by
the superior force of the Iranian troops. Madatov, fearing that he would not be able
to hold his position at the decisive moment of the battle, sent one of his officers
and ordered him to take the Georgian volunteers to help. The combined forces
engaged the Iranian cavalry. Then the entire Russian army attacked and the enemy
was forced to retreat. The Iranian army decided to strengthen near Shamkhorchai,
and then attack the Russian army. However, under the blows of the attacking
Russian troops, the Shah's troops were scattered. The royal guard was put to the
sword, and the surviving soldiers, pursued by the cavalry, began to flee. This
cavalry troop "dealt considerable blows against the Iranian armies and captured
much booty."
After the defeat of Shamkhor, the Iranian army hastily retreated from Ganja, and
on September 4, the Russian detachment of General Madatov entered Ganja. On
September 9, the main forces of the Russian corps arrived in Ganja and joined
General Madatov's group. At that time, hearing of Shamkhor's defeat, Abbas Mirza
was forced to abandon the siege of Shusha and move to the aid of his son's
defeated army. He kept 10,000 troops with food and other supplies around Shusha.
The chief of the Shusha fortress attacked the enemy camp with the forces of the
small garrison at his disposal and "victory was won, the Iranians fled and dispersed
and all the victors fell into their hands." Hearing that the Iranian army was
approaching, the Russian command concentrated its strike group near Ganja. On
September 10, Paskevich, who later replaced Yermolov, arrived here with
additional troops. The opponents stood facing each other on the battlefield. The
Russian army consisted of 8700 people. The Iranian army consisted of 15,500
regular infantry and 10,700 cavalry. Abbas Mirza also decided to use the forces of
Iravan Khan to attack the Russian border posts in Pambak and Shuragal. A 4,000-
strong detachment under the command of Pirgulu Khan restored the power of
Salim Khan in Sheki, and then In Kakheti, he united with the troops of the
Georgian prince Alexander and was sent to Sheki for a joint attack on Tiflis.
However, Abbas Mirza's plans did not materialize. He received the first blow near
the place called Agoghlan, on the coast of Araz. The troops of Huseyngulu Khan
from Iravan entered Pambak and Shuragal. They were met by numerous Russian
troops. These troops won a victory in the Dilijan valley with the help of the
Armenian population. Pirgulu Khan was also defeated in Shaki, Abbas Mirza
decided to go to Shaki himself and unite with the remaining forces of Pirgulu
Khan. For this purpose, he concentrated his troops in front of Aslanduz crossing in
Araz. Kotlyarevsky, the head of the Russian detachments, understood the intention
of Abbas Mirza and decided to prevent his actions. But Kotlyarevsky's forces were
few, so determination and suddenness were required. He made a 70-kilometer
power march with the mountains in order to get behind the enemy and strike
unexpectedly from the rear. The attack was so unexpected that the remnants of
Abbas Mirza's defeated army left the camp and ran for their lives. Abbas Mirza
collected the remains of the crushed parts and decided to avenge his defeat the next
day. But Kotlyarevsky attacked Aslanduz's fortifications and defeated his troops.
When Pirgulu Khan heard about the defeat of the Iranian troops, he hurriedly left
the territory of Shaki Khanate, in general, the territory of North Azerbaijan. Soon,
Kotlyarevsky was sent to Talysh Khanate to expel the Iranian troops. On
December 17, 1812, he left Agoghlan with a group of about 2,000 people, crossed
Araz and entered Talish Khanate on December 21. The Caspian fleet was also sent
here. The Iranians, instructed by the British, strengthened the Lankaran garrison.
250 to Lankaran garrison 0 pedestrians came to help
On December 21, the advance units of Iranian troops were defeated in Mughan.
Having heard about the approach of Russian troops, the Iranian troops retreated
from Erchivan. Kotlyarevsky left a small garrison in Erchivan and advanced
towards Lankaran. He entered the territory of the khanate. Kotlyarevsiki's repeated
offers to surrender the Lankaran fortress were rejected. The Russian troops fired
non-stop artillery fire, which continued until December 30. On December 31,
Kotyarevsiki divided his army into three parts and approached the fortress walls in
the evening, and on January 1, 1813, he began an attack in the early morning. The
merciless and bloody battle lasted no more than three hours and the fortress was
taken. The capture of Lankara decided the fate of the Russo-Iranian war. A French
officer who served under Abbas Mirza wrote about the importance of the victories
won by the Russian troops in Aslanduz and Lankaran: "Especially the battle of
Aslanduz and the capture of Lankaran ended almost all their (Iranians') military
equipment. Almost all of the artillery under the command of the British officer all
of them, as well as military ammunition and the camp of the heir to the throne, fell
into the hands of the Russians. Not a single tent, not even a single camel could
escape from this camp." Aslanduz and Lankaran victories decided the fate of the
war. It has already become clear that almost nothing can stop Russian troops from
advancing into Iran. The British ambassador to Iran, Ousley, received instructions
from London that it was necessary to stop the war between Russia and Iran. At the
beginning of 1813, correspondence began between Rtishshev and the royal court,
which expressed its readiness for peace negotiations. Rtishshev once again stated
that he was ready to make peace on the condition that all captured lands were kept
within Russia, which did not satisfy the royal palace. The royal court developed a
comprehensive plan for the summer campaign of 1813, sending its spies to
Azerbaijan and Transcaucasia in general, calling on local feudal lords to help the
royal troops. However, not receiving a positive response, as well as fearing the
strengthening of Russia in Transcaucasia after a series of brilliant victories, he
decided to start peace negotiations.
As a result of its aggressive policy in the South Caucasus, Tsarist Russia occupied
Kartli-Kakheti kingdom (Eastern Georgia), Borchali, Gazakh and Shamshaddil
sultanates, Pambek territory, Jar-Balakeni, Ganja Khanate. In such a situation, the
Gajar government gave an ultimatum to Tsarist General Sisianov to withdraw the
Russian army from Azerbaijan. This resulted in the ultimatum being met with
protest and the Gajar government declaring war on Russia. In the first battle, which
began with an unequal ratio of forces, the Russian army suffered losses and
stopped the attack.
Although Sisianov moved towards the Iravan Khanate and besieged the Sardarabad
fortress, he was unable to capture it and retreated with considerable losses. In such
a situation, Sisianov resorted to a political maneuver. On May 14, 1805, the
Kurakchay treaty was signed between the Khan of Karabakh and the Russian
emperor. The treaty was signed by the commander-in-chief of the Caucasian troops
Sisianov and Karabakh Khan Ibrahimkhalil Khan on behalf of the Russian
emperor. Despite being called a treaty or an agreement, this document, which is
essentially an act of surrender, marked the beginning of the tragic fate of
Karabakh. With a treaty consisting of 11 articles, the Karabakh Khanate was
accepted under Russian protection. This document, which is considered one of the
important documents on the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, played a
significant role in the fate of not only Karabakh, but Azerbaijan as a whole.
According to the terms of this treaty, the Karabakh Khanate became a vassal of the
Russian Empire and was deprived of the right to maintain relations with other
foreign states. Khan undertook to pay tribute to the Tsar's treasury every year. In
addition, it was agreed to deploy Russian troops in Shusha-Panahabad and the
territory of the khanate. In addition to these, Ibrahimkhalil Khan, who was given
the rank of lieutenant-general of the tsarist troops, was directly subordinated to the
tsarist commander-in-chief. At the same time, the Russian government also
undertook not to touch the internal management rights of the khan and his
successors.
Thus, with the agreements of Gulistan (1813) and Turkmenchay (1828),
Azerbaijan was divided into two parts. The territory of Karabakh also remained
part of Northern Azerbaijan.
Negotiations began on September 27 in the village of Gulistan in Karabakh and
ended with the signing of a peace treaty on October 12, 1813. According to the
Gulistan Treaty, Iran recognized Russia's victory, the territory of the Ganja,
Karabakh, Sheki, Shirvan, Guba, Baku and Lankaran khanates, as well as Eastern
Georgia and Dagestan, were transferred to Russia. The Khanates of Iravan and
Nakhchivan remained under the rule of Iran. Iran only recognized Russia's right to
keep warships in the Caspian Sea. A low customs tariff of 5% was imposed, which
meant that the way to Iran was opened for Russian merchants. Inside Iran, Russian
merchants were exempted from paying internal customs duties. With all this It
created favorable conditions for the development of Russian-Iranian trade. The
Gulistan Treaty confirmed the occupation of Northern Azerbaijan and all of
Transcaucasia by Tsarist Russia. With the conclusion of this agreement, the first
stage of the invasion of Northern Azerbaijan by Russia ended.
The Gulistan agreement did not satisfy Iran at all, the loss of the Caucasus was a
great loss. Iran was preparing for war with Russia. Britain, which had its own
interests in this war, helped Iran in every way it could. In this regard, an agreement
was signed between England and Iran in 1814, weapons factories were built in
Tabriz and other cities, and in the event of a war, the British Empire promised to
send 200,000 units of aid to Iran a year. Instead, Iran undertakes not to allow any
country from its territory to India. British diplomats succeeded in stopping the war
between Iran and the Ottomans in 1821 and prepared Iran for war against Russia.
The Shah's government also started negotiations with the Ottoman Empire against
the Russians. In addition, he used the khans of North Azerbaijan (they had lost
their khanates and fled to Iran as a result of the Russian invasion). The Decembrist
uprising in Russia in 1825 made the Shah's government even more ready for war.
As soon as General Yermolov learned that the war with Iran was approaching, he
informed the Tsar about it. The tsar wanted to achieve peace by conceding half of
the Talish Khanate to Iran against the backdrop of strained relations with the
Ottomans. However, the talks on changing the terms of the Gulistan Treaty with
Russia did not bear fruit.
In July 1826, Iranian troops crossed the border. The second Russo-Iranian war
began. At that time, the new Russian embassy headed by Prince Menshikov was
approaching Tehran. He was sent to introduce the new tsar (Nicholas I) and
brought a crystal throne to Shah Fatali. The Russian ambassador did not know that
the Iranian troops were already at the gates of Shusha and Ganja. In Tehran, they
did not give him a clear answer. The main goal of Iran was to capture Tiflis, to
drive the Russian army out of the South Caucasus and to the other side of the
Terek.
The main blow of the Russian troops was aimed at Tabriz. According to the
number of troops, the superiority was on the side of Iran. The Shah's regular
infantry consisted of 25 sarbaz (meaning "those who die") and 10 janbaz ("those
who die") battalions. All together, 38,500 people did. However, only Abbas
Mirza's Turkish infantry and the soldiers of the 43 artillery unit were under his
direct command. A large part of the Iranian infantry and soldier battalions
remained at the disposal of the shah. There are no regular horsemen in the Iranian
army, instead (during the war) about 6,000 irregular horsemen from South
Azerbaijan and 15,000 irregular horsemen from the Tarakama tribes were
gathered. This last "cavalry" could be compared neither with the regular cavalry
regiments (cavaieria) in the Russian army, nor with the Cossack cavalry units,
which received good military training from childhood. Articles about Abbas
Mirza's army of 60,000 are related to the name of Russian military personnel who
try to exaggerate their success.
The strength of the Russian Special Caucasian Corps was not large in number. But
it was a modern army that relied on the fighting traditions of countless wars in
Europe with Austrian, Ottoman and especially French troops for decades. 33
Russian infantry battalions and 1 regular cavalry regiment, 9 Don Cossack
regiments, 3 battalions in Baku and Lankaran, 2 battalions in Ganja, Sheki and
Shirvan were under arms in the South Caucasus. In addition, 2 battalions in
Shusha, 3 battalions in Pambak and Shurakel (Iravan border) were in garrison
service. It should not be overlooked that thousands of local mounted warriors were
also mobilized and joined the war.
The beginning of the war was unsuccessful for Russia. Abbas Mirza went to
Karabakh along the Garadagh-Gulanbar steppe road at the head of the troops, and
sent the second army (mostly irregular horsemen) along with Amir Khan and
Mehdigulu Khan to Karabakh via the Nakhchivan-Sisian mountain road. Ibrahim
Khan sent Qajar and Mustafa Khan of Shirvan to Shirvan, Mir Hasan Khan with
another army to Talysh, and his brother San Aslan (Hasan Khan) to Tiflis with
Iravan Sardar Huseyn Khan and Irakli's son Alexander Mirza. Ugurlu Khan
Ziyadoglu entered Ganja, Huseyn Khan (son of Salim Khan) and his brother Haji
Khan entered Sheki - their ancestral homes.
The advancing Iranian army quickly crossed the bridge of Khudafar and crushed
the Russian border regiment. Up to 300 Russian soldiers were killed and some
were captured. Colonel Nazimov and Major Kovatensky were among the latter.
Iranian troops pushed back the Russians in battles along the border. Abbas Mirza's
army besieged Shusha fortress on July 26. The siege lasted 48 days. Colonel Reut,
the head of the Shusha garrison, was well prepared. Attacks to capture the fortress
did not bring the desired results.The long siege of Shusha affected the entire course
of the war. A place where Abbas Mirza quickly continued the attack and crushed
the scattered Russian troops with what great force he was entertained under
Shusha. This allowed the Russian command to unite its scattered troops, seize the
strategic initiative and launch a counterattack.In August, the Russian command
began to recover. Dispersed army units gathered on the Ganja-Tbilisi line. Russian
troops were strengthened by new regiments. Nikolay I of the South Caucasian
command I.F. He entrusted Paskevich. Yermolov, who remained the commander-
in-chief, gave this position to him and resigned soon after. Conditions were created
for the Russian troops to attack. At the end of August, Iranian troops under the
leadership of the Georgian prince Alexander were near Shamkir. Mammad Mirza,
the son of Abbas Mirza, came with a new army and captured Shamkir, but could
not advance from here. On September 3, a battle took place between Iranian and
Russian troops at the foot of Zayam mountain in the plain under Shamkir. The
Russians won. The Iranian army retreated to Ganja, losing 1,500 fighters. Abbas
Mirza, who had been standing still under Shusha fort for more than a month and a
half, realized his mistake and hurriedly left for Ganja with the main army, but it
was already too late. The favorable situation created by mass public
demonstrations in the northern provinces of Azerbaijan was missed. After the
success under Shamkir, Russian troops captured Ganja on September 4. Caucasus
on September 9 the main forces of his corps joined them. Abbas Mirza, who left
the siege of Shusha and came here, knew that a new battle was inevitable. On
September 10, Paskevich came to Ganja with the army.