Russo-Persian War (1804-1813): Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

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Russo-Persian War (1804-1813)

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	Topics Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) Topic Home The 1804-1813 Russo-Persian War, one of the many wars between the Persian EmpirePersian Empire The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau and beyond.... and Imperial Russia, began like many wars as a territorial dispute. The Persian king, Fath Ali Shah Qajar, wanted to consolidate the northernmost reaches of his Qajar dynastyQajar dynasty The Qajar dynasty was the ruling family of Persia from 1781 to 1925.... by securing land near the Caspian SeaCaspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on Earth by both area and volume, with a surface area of 371,000 square kilometres and ... 's southwestern coast (modern AzerbaijanAzerbaijan Summary Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan , is a country in the South Caucasus.... ) and the Transcaucasus (modern GeorgiaGeorgia (country) Georgia , known officially from 1990 to 1995 as the Republic of Georgia, is a country in Eurasia to the east of the Bl... and ArmeniaFacts About Armenia Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked mountainous country in the Southern Caucasus , bordered ... ). Like his Persian counterpart, the Russian czar Alexander IAlexander I of Russia Aleksander I Pavlovich , was Emperor of Russia from March 23, 1801–December 1, 1825 and King of Poland from 1815&nda... was also new to the throne and equally determined to control the disputed territories. Territorial claims In 1779, following the death of Karim KhanKarim Khan Karim Khan Zand,,, was a Shah of Iran who reigned from 1760 until 1779.... , the Zand dynastyZand dynasty The Zand dynasty ruled southern and central Iran.... ruler of southern Persia, Agha Mohammad Khan (reigned 1779-97), a leader of the TurkmenTurkmen people The Turkmen are a Turkic people found primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan and in northeast... Qajar tribe, set out to reunify Persia. By 1794 he had eliminated all his rivals, including Lotf Ali KhanLotf Ali Khan Lotf Ali Khan was the last shah of Persia of the Zand dynasty.... , the last of the Zand dynasty, and had reasserted Persian sovereignty over the former Persian territories in GeorgiaGeorgia (country) Georgia , known officially from 1990 to 1995 as the Republic of Georgia, is a country in Eurasia to the east of the Bl... and the CaucasusCaucasus The Caucasus or Caucasia is a region in Eurasia bordered on the south by Turkey and Iran in Asia, on the west by the B... . In 1796 he was formally crowned as shahShah Shah is a Persian term for a monarch that has been adopted in many other languages.... (Persian for emperorEmperor An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm.... ). Agha Mohammad was assassinated in 1797 and was succeeded by his nephew, Fath Ali Shah (reigned 1797-1834). Fath Ali attempted to maintain Persia's sovereignty over its new territories, but he was disastrously defeated by Russia in two wars. Persia at the time claimed KarabakhKarabakh khanate Karabakh khanate, a feudal state that existed in 1748-1822 in the present-day Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent lowland areas.... , ShirvanShirvan Khanate Summary In 1742 Shemakha was taken and destroyed by Nadir Shah of Persia, who relocated inhabitants into a new town under the same name ab... , TalyshTalysh Khanate Talysh khanate was an independent principality that existed on the territory of modern Azerbaijan Republic between 1747 and ... , and ShakkiShaki Khanate Shaki khanate was a principalty on the territory of Azerbaijan between 1743 and 1819 with a capital in a town of Shaki.... (parts of modern Azerbaijan) among its possessions; however, these claims appeared shaky after Russia's 1801 annexation of Georgia, a territory also claimed by the Persians. The Russians, eager to extend and consolidate their advantage, pushed forward militarily into the Persian frontier, planning to expand Imperial Russia's borders to the Aras RiverAraks River The Araks is a river rising near Erzurum, Turkey, flowing along the Turkey-Armenia border, the Iran-Armenia border, then alo... , bordering what is now northern TurkeyTurkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Sou... . Unequal forces The Russians were unable to dedicate a larger portion of their troops in the CaucasusCaucasus The Caucasus or Caucasia is a region in Eurasia bordered on the south by Turkey and Iran in Asia, on the west by the B... region, because Alexander's attention was continually distracted by concomitant wars with FranceFrance France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and whi... , the Ottoman EmpireFacts About Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire , is also sometimes known in the West as the Turkish Empire.... , and SwedenSweden The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country in Scandinavia.... . Therefore, the Russians were forced to rely on superior technology, training, and strategy in the face of an overwhelming disparity in numbers. Some estimates put the Persian numerical advantage at five to one. Shah Fath Ali's heir, Abbas MirzaAbbas Mirza Abbas Mirza ?, was a Qajar crown prince of Persia, known because of his wars with Russia and the Ottoman Empire, and his d... , tried to modernize the Persian army, seeking help from French and British experts with a mind to achieving this cause, but this merely delayed the Persian defeat. Outbreak of war The Russian commanders Ivan GudovichIvan Gudovich Count Ivan Vasilyevich Gudovich was a Russian noble and military leader of Ukrainian descent.... and Paul Tsitsianov catalysed the outbreak of war when they attacked the Persian settlement of EchmiadzinEchmiadzin Echmiadzin or Ejmiatsin is the holiest town in Armenia and the headquarters of the katholikos, the head of the Arm... , notable as the most holy town in Armenia. Gudovich, unsuccessful in the siege of Echmiadzin due to a lack of troops, withdrew to YerevanYerevan Yerevan is the largest city and capital of Armenia.... where he again prosecuted another failed siege. Despite these ineffective forays, the Russians held the advantage for the majority of the war, due to superior troops and strategy; however, Russia's inability to dedicate anything more than 10,000 troops allowed the Persians to mount a fairly respectable resistance effort, the Persian troops being of a low grade, mostly irregular cavalry. Holy war and Persian defeat The Persians scaled up their efforts late in the war, declaring a holy war on Imperial Russia in 1810; however, this was to little avail. Russia's superior technology and tactics ensured a series of strategic victories, culminating in Pyotr KotlyarevskyPyotr Kotlyarevsky Pyotr Stepanovich Kotlyarevsky was a Russian military hero in early 19th century.... 's victories at AslanduzBattle of Aslanduz The Battle of Aslanduz was fought on October 31, 1812, between Russia and Persia.... and Lenkoran, in 1812 and 1813 respectively. Upon the Persian surrender, the terms of the Treaty of Gulistan ceded the vast majority of the previously disputed territories to Imperial Russia. This led to the region's once-powerful khans being decimated and forced to pay homage to Russia. See also Russo-Persian WarsRusso-Persian Wars The Russo-Persian Wars were a series of wars fought between the Russian Empire and Persia in the 18th and 19th centuries:...