page_title: Russian conquest of the Caucasus
section_title: War with Persia and Turkey (1804–1813)
hierarchical_section_title: Russian conquest of the Caucasus / South of the mountains / War with Persia and Turkey (1804–1813)
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Пётр Степанович Котляревский. Данный рисунок был также использован для иллюстрирования статьи «Котляревский, Петр Степанович» опубликованной в тринадцатом томе «Военной энциклопедии», который был издан книгоиздательским товариществом Ивана Дмитриевича Сытина в 1913 году в столице Российской империи городе Санкт-Петербурге. Подробное описание к этой картинке можно прочесть в указанной статье.
context_page_description: The Russian conquest of the Caucasus mainly occurred between 1800 and 1864. In that era the Russian Empire expanded to control the region between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, the territory that is modern Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Iran and Turkey, as well as the North Caucasus region of modern Russia. Multiple wars were fought against the local rulers of the regions, as well as the dominant powers, the Ottoman Empire and Persian Empire, for control. By 1864 the last regions were brought under Russian control.
context_section_description: During this period Russia was at war with Persia (1804-13) and Turkey (1806-12). Most Russian forces were tied up dealing with Napoleon and the main Russo-Turkish conflict was on the other side of the Black Sea. The Turkish war left the frontier unchanged and the Persian war forced Persia to recognize the Russian conquest of the eastern Transcaucasus and Caspian coast.  Viceroys of the Caucasus during the war years were 1802: Pavel Tsitsianov , 1806: Ivan Gudovich 1809: Alexander Tormasov 1811: Philip Osipovich Paulucci 1812: Nikolay Rtischev.
  The war with Turkey need not concern us since it left the border unchanged, although Russia did retain the Black Sea port of Sukhum-Kale.  Russia might have accomplished something, but its soldiers were busy holding down the new-won Caucasus, fighting the Persians, fighting the Turks on the opposite side of the Black Sea and watching Napoleon. Apart from military heroics its main importance was to tie down troops that could have been used against Persia.
  The first two years of the Persian war involved the conquest of the Khanates. In 1804, Russia took Ganja but was defeated by the Persians when it tried to take Yerevan. Next year it took Shaki and Karabakh. Persia sent an army to rescue Karabakh and was defeated. By early 1806 Shirvan and the Caspian coast were taken. Russia now had all the Persian territory it would ever get, except Talysh, Yerevan and Nakhichevan.
  The Persian front became quiet when the Turkish war started. In 1808, Gudovich failed to take Yerevan and resigned. In 1812, Abbas Mirza invaded eastern Karabakh, defeating the Russian garrisons.  Pyotr Kotlyarevsky was sent east, defeated the Persians at Aslanduz, crossed the steppe and bloodily captured the capital of Talysh. In 1813, Persia signed the Treaty of Gulistan which recognized the Russian possession of the khanates.
  Internally, Imereti, Guria  and Abkhazia were annexed or brought under more complete control, thereby completing the second phase of the unification of Georgia. A rebellion in eastern Georgia was put down. In 1811, the Russians were defeated in Quba and stormed the capital of the Kureen khanate.  In 1812, the Ossets were driven back from Tiflis and a Dagestani army under Prince Alexander was defeated.. In 1813, Simonovich went deep into the mountains and took Shatili, the chief stronghold of the Khevsurs on the upper Argun.  With the end of the wars the mountain chieftains and Georgian rebels became quiet, seeing no hope for support from the two Muslim empires.
caption: Kotlyarevsky, the hero of Akhalkalaki and Lenkoran whose victory ended the Persian war
exif: {}