- Karabakh Khanate
The Karabakh khanate was a
Turkic cite book
last = Bertsch
first =Gary Kenneth
title =Crossroads and Conflict: Security and Foreign Policy in the Caucasus and Central Asia
publisher =Routledge
date=2000
location =
pages =297: "Shusha became the capital of an independent "Azeri" khanate in 1752 (Azeri in the sense of Muslims who spoke a version of the Turkic language we call Azeri today)."
isbn =0415922739] [cite book
last = Cornell
first = Svante
title = Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus
publisher =Routledge
date=2001
location =
pages =67
isbn =0700711627]Muslim khanate founded in1747 , which remained under a nominal Persian suzerainty [Encyclopaedia Brittanica Online: History of Azerbaijan [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-129462/Azerbaijan] ] but was "de facto " independent [cite book
last = Nafziger, E. Wayne, Stewart, Frances and Väyrynen, Raimo
first =
title = War, Hunger, and Displacement: The Origins of Humanitarian Emergencies
publisher = Oxford University press
date=2000
location =
pages = 406
isbn = 0198297394] [cite journal |last=Kashani-Sabet |first=Firoozeh |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1997 |month=May |title=Fragile Frontiers: The Diminishing Domains of Qajar Iran |journal=International Journal of Middle East Studies |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=210 |id= |url= |accessdate= |quote=In 1795, Ibrahim Khalil Khan, the wali of Qarabagh, warned Sultan Selim III of Aqa Muhammad Khan's ambitions. Fearing for his independence, he informed the Sultan of Aqa Muhammad Khan's ability to subdue Azerbaijan and later Qarabagh, Erivan, and Georgia.] [cite book |last=Baddeley |first=John Frederick |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=The Russian Conquest of the Caucasus |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |date= |year=1908 |month= |publisher=Longmans, Green and Co. |location=Harvard University |language= |isbn= |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=71 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote=Potto sums up Tsitsianoff's achievements and character as follows: "In the short time he passed there (in Transcaucasia) he managed to completely alter the map of the country. He found it composed of minutely divided, independent Muhammadan States leaning upon Persia, namely, the khanates of Baku, Shirvan, Shekeen, Karabagh, Gandja and Erivan..."] [cite book |last=Avery |first=Peter |authorlink= |coauthors=Hambly, Gavin |editor= |others= |title=The Cambridge History of Iran |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |date= |year=1991 |month= |publisher=Cambridge UniversityPress |location= |language= |isbn=0521200954 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=126 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote=Agha Muhammad Khan could now turn to the restoration of the outlying provinces of the Safavid kingdom. Returning to Tehran in the spring of 1795, he assembled a force of some 60,000 cavalry and infantry and in Shawwal Dhul-Qa'da/May, set off for Azarbaijan, intending to conquer the country between the rivers Aras and Kura, formerly under Safavid control. This region comprised a number of independent khanates of which the most important was Qarabagh, with its capital at Shusha; Ganja, with its capital of the same name; Shirvan across the Kura, with its capital at Shamakhi; and to the north-west, on both banks of the Kura, Christian Georgia (Gurjistan), with its capital at Tiflis.] feudal state inKarabakh and adjacent areas [ [http://vostlit.info/Texts/rus2/Bakihanov/frametext4.htm Abbas-gulu Aga Bakikhanov. Golestan-i Iram] ] until1805 cite book |last=Gammer |first=Moshe |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=Muslim resistance to the tsar |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |date= |year=1992 |month= |publisher=Routledge |location= |language= |isbn=071463431X |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=6 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote=In 1805 the khans of Qarabagh, Shirvan and Sheki swore allegiance to Russia.] .Russian Empire gained control over the Karabakh khanate in1805 from Persia [cite book |last=Swietochowski |first=Tadeusz |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=Russia and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |date= |year=1995 |month= |publisher=Columbia University Press |location= |language= |isbn=0231070683 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=5 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote=The brief and successful Russian campaign of 1812 was concluded with the Treaty of Gulistan, which was signed on October 12 of the following year. The treaty provided for the incorporation into the Russian Empire of vast tracts of Iranian territory, including Daghestan, Georgia with the Sheragel province, Imeretia, Guria, Mingrelia, and Abkhazia, as well as the khanates of Karabagh, Ganja, Sheki, Shirvan, Derbent, Kuba, Baku, and Talysh,] , but the Russian annexation of Karabakh was not formalized until theTreaty of Gulistan in1813 , when, as a result ofRusso-Persian War (1804-1813) ,Fat′h Ali Shah Qajar ofPersia officially ceded Karabakh toTsar Alexander I of Russia cite book
last = Potier
first = Tim
title = Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia: A Legal Appraisal
publisher = Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
date = 2001
location =
pages = 1: "Panah Ali-Khan founded the Karabakh Khanate in the mid 18th century. To defend it, in the 1750s, he build Panakhabad fortress (subsequently renamed Shusha, after a nearby village) which became the capital of the Khanate. It was not until 1805 that the Russian empire gained control over the Karabakh Khanate, from Persia."
isbn = 9041114777] [cite book
last = Croissant
first = Michael
title = The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Causes and Implications
publisher = Praeger/Greenwood
date = 1998
location =
pages = 12
isbn = 0275962415] . The khanate was abolished in1822 , after a few years of Russian tolerance towards its Muslim rulers, and a province, with a military administration, was formed.History
Karabakh khanate was initially founded as a feudal "mulk" (landholding) given by
Safavid shahs ofIran toQajar -related Ziyadoglu family in1606 . However, following the collapse of Safavid dynasty and the death of Nadir Shah Afshar in1747 ,Safavid domain split into several independent khanates. During this period,Panah-Ali khan Javanshir ofKarabakh consolidated his local power by establishing a "de facto" independent khanate and subordinating the five Armenian meliks (princes) in the region, who were referred to as Khamsa (five in Arabic) [http://www.armenianhouse.org/raffi/also-ru/ulubabyan.html Raffi. Melikdoms of Khamsa] ] , with support ofMelik Shah-Nazar ofVaranda , who first accepted Panah-Ali Khan's suzerainty.Panah-Ali khan was from the Sarijali branch of the clan of Javanshir, who with their associate clan of "Otuz-Iki" (meaning "thirty-two" in Azerbaijani) had for long been rivals of the "Yirmi-Dört" (meaning "twenty-four" in Azerbaijani) and Ziyadoglu Qajars of Ganja, whose chiefs had been official rulers of Karabakh since
Safavid timescite book
last = Tapper
first = Richard
title = Frontier Nomads of Iran: A Political and Social History of the Shahsevan
publisher = Cambridge University Press
date = 1997
location =
pages = 114-115
isbn = 0521473403] .The capital of the khanate was first the castle of
Bayat in 1748, followed by the newly built town ofPanahabad in 1750-1752. During the reign of Ibrahim-Khalil khan, son of Panah-Ali khan, Panahabad became a large town and was renamed toShusha , apparently after the name of the nearest village of Shüshükent. Panah Ali khan expanded the territory of Karabakh khanate subjugating territory ofKarabakh ,Meghri ,Tatev , Karakilise, Kafan inZangezur , andNakchivan Khanate .In less than a year after Shusha was founded, the
Karabakh khanate was attacked by Muhammed Hassan khan Qajar, one of the major claimants to the Iranian throne. During the Safavid rule Karabakh was for almost two centuries ruled by the Turkic-speaking clan of Qajar, as rulers of Ganja khanate Ziyadoglu Qajars extended their power to Karabakh, and therefore, Muhammed Hassan khan considered Karabakh his hereditary estate.Muhammed Hassan khan besieged Panahabad, but soon had to retreat because of the attack on his khanate by one of his major opponents to the Iranian throne,
Karim Khan Zand . His retreat was so hasty that he even left his cannons under the walls of Shusha fortress. Panah Ali khan counterattacked the retreating troops of Muhammad Hassan khan and even briefly tookArdabil across theAras River in the Iranian Azerbaijan.In
1759 , Shusha and Karabakh khanate underwent a new attack fromFatali khan Afshar , ruler ofUrmia . With his 30,000-strong army Fatali khan also managed to gain support from the meliks (feudal vassals) of Jraberd and Talysh (Gulistan ), however melik Shah Nazar of Varan continued to support Panah Ali Khan. The siege of Shusha lasted for six months and Fatali khan eventually had to retreat.In
1761 , Karim Khan Zand allied with Panah Ali Khan of Karabakh to defeat Fat'h Ali Khan Afshar of Urmia, who earlier subordinated the khanates of Karabakh, Marageh, and Tabriz [cite book
last = Swietochowski
first = Tadeusz
title = Russia and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition
publisher = Columbia University Press
date = 1995
location =
pages = 3
isbn = 0231070683] .In
1762 , during his war with Kazem Khan of Qaradagh, Panah Khan submitted toKarim Khan Zand, who was consolidating different Khans under his Rule and was bout to besiegeUrmia . After the fall of the city, Karim took Panah Khan among the hostages toShiraz , where he soon died. Panah-Ali Khan's son Ibrahim-Khalil Khan was sent back to Karabakh as governor.Under
Ibrahim-Khalil khan Javanshir Karabakh khanate became one of the strongest state formations of theSouth Caucasus andShusha turned into a big town. According to travellers who visited Shusha at the end of 18th-early 19th centuries the town had about 2,000 houses and an approximate population of 10,000, which was mostly Muslim.In the summer of
1795 , Shusha underwent a major attack by Aga Muhammad khan Qajar, son of Muhammad Hassan khan who attacked Shusha in1752 . Aga Muhammad Khan Qajar's goal was to end with the feudal fragmentation and to restore the oldSafavid imperial domain. For this purpose he also wanted to proclaim himselfshah (king) of Iran. However, according to Safavid tradition, the shah had to control the South Caucasus before his coronation. Therefore, Karabakh khanate and its fortified capital Shusha were the first and major obstacle to achieve these ends.Aga Muhammad khan Qajar besieged Shusha with his 80,000 strong army. Ibrahim Khalil Panah khan mobilized the population for a long-term defense. The number of militia in Shusha reached 15,000 and women fought alongside the men. The Armenian population of Karabakh also actively participated in this struggle against the invaders and fought side by side with Muslim population jointly organizing ambushes in the mountains and forests.
The siege lasted for 33 days. Not being able to capture
Shusha , Agha Muhammad khan ceased the siege and advanced to Tiflis (present-dayTbilisi ), which, despite desperate resistance, was occupied and exposed to unprecedented destruction.In 1797, Agha Muhammad shah Qajar, who by that time had already managed to declare himself Shah (albeit he did not succeed in conquering the Caucasus as the tradition required) decided to carry out a second attack on Karabakh.
To avenge the previous humiliating defeat, he devastated the surrounding villages near Shusha. The population could not recover from the previous 1795 attack and also suffered from a serious drought which lasted for three years. The artillery of the enemy also caused serious losses to the city defenders. Thus, in 1797 Aga Muhammed shah succeeded in seizing Shusha and Ibrahim Khalil Khan was forced to flee to
Dagestan .However, several days after seizure of Shusha, Aga Muhammed shah was killed in enigmatic circumstances by his
bodyguard s. Ibrahim-Khalil Khan returned Agha Mohammad Shah's body to Tehran, and in return Fath' Ali Shah appointed him the governor of Karabakh and married his daughter Agha Beyimcite book
last = Tapper
first = Richard
title = Frontier Nomads of Iran: A Political and Social History of the Shahsevan
publisher = Cambridge University Press
date = 1997
location =
pages = 123
isbn = 0521473403] . Agha Baji, as she came to be called, was brought to court accompanied by her brother Abol' Fath Khan, and became Fath' Ali Shah's twelfth wife; highly respected at the court, for some reason remained a virgin.The Iranian troops left and Ibrahim Khalil khan returned to Shusha and restored his authority as khan of KarabakhFact|date=December 2007.
During the rule of Ibrahim-Khalil khan, the Karabakh khanate grew in importance and established ties with other neighbouring khanates as well as with
Iran , Ottoman and Russian empires. In 1805, the Kurekchay Treaty was signed between the Karabakh khanate and theRussian Empire . According to this treaty, the Karabakh khan recognized supremacy and dominance of the Russian Empire, gave up his right to carry out independent foreign policy and took obligation to pay the Russian Treasury 8 thousand gold roubles a year. In its turn, the Czarist government took obligation not to infringe upon the right of the legitimate successors of the Karabakh khan to administer the internal affairs of their possessions.However in the same year, Russians reneged on the treaty, apparently acting on suspicion that Ibrahim-Khalil Panah Khan was a traitor. He was killed near Shusha together with some members of his family by Major
Lisanevich .The Russian Empire consolidated its power in
Karabakh with theTreaty of Gulistan in 1813 andTreaty of Turkmenchay of 1828 after defeating Iran in theRusso-Persian Wars .In 1822 Russian Empire abolished the khanate, along with the other khanates that it had subdued by the early 19th century. A Karabakh province was created in its place, administered by Russian officials.
The Panah Khan descendants subsequently scattered around the Persian Kingdom with some remaining. Abdul Wakil Panah Khan became the Emir of
Greater Khorasan .Rulers
[http://www.rulers.org/rula2.html#azerbaijan 1] Khans"- Ziyad oghlu Qajar dynasty -"
1722-1728 Davud Khan
1728-1730 Makhitar
1730-1738 Ughurlu Khan
"Javanshir dynasty"
1747-1761 Panah Khan Ali Bey
1761-1806 Ibrahim Khalil Panah Khan
1806-1822 Mehdi Qulu Khan Muzaffar
1822- khanate abolished
ee also
*
Khanates of the Caucasus Sources
* Abbasqulu Bakihanov, Gulistan-i-Iram, 1841 (Baku, Elm, 1991)
* Mirza Karabaghi, Karabakh-name
References
External links
* [http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/7124/treaty-intro.html Kurekchay Treaty between the Karabakh khanate and the Russian Empire]
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