In the early 1750s you set out along the Caspian coast from Derbent to Lankaran. Three towns, three different khans: in Derbent one guarding a narrow pass, in Baku one living on oil and salt, in Lankaran the ruler of a land of rice and fish. Turn towards the mountains and the picture changes again: in Jar, communities with no khan, run by an assembly of the people; in Ilisu, a sultan; in the hills of Karabakh, meliks subject to a khan. The word «khanate» does not capture this variety. This lesson puts the Caspian khanates and the units beside them in order (see «Khanates with dual rule: Shamakhi and Ganja»).
Three khanates of the Caspian coast
The Baku khanate. After Nadir Shah’s death (1747) Mirza Muhammad Khan founded the khanate on the Absheron peninsula. It was small — Absheron and the coast — but rich: Baku’s oil and salt were shipped across the Caspian to Iran, Central Asia and the Caucasus, and the khan drew income from the oil wells and the port. A strong neighbour eyed this wealthy but militarily weak khanate: in 1767 Fatali Khan joined Baku to the Guba khanate through «marriage diplomacy» (see «The Guba khanate: Fatali Khan's unification policy»). After 1789, when Fatali Khan died, Baku became independent again; its last khan was Huseynquli Khan.
The Derbent khanate. Derbent lies in the narrow pass where the Caucasus mountains come down to the Caspian, behind ancient fortress walls, and it closed the coastal road from north to south. The khanate was small and weak; its people, unhappy with heavy taxes, asked Fatali Khan for help, and in 1759 Derbent was joined to Guba. In 1774–1775 Tuti Bike defended the city for nine months. Even after Fatali Khan, the influence of the Guba khans stayed strong here. In 1796 Zubov’s troops took Derbent but were recalled; in 1806 Russia annexed it.
The Lankaran (Talysh) khanate. The khanate arose on the south-western Caspian shore, in the narrow strip between the Talysh mountains and the sea; its centre was Lankaran. Its rise is linked with the name of Qarabey, and its best-known ruler was Mir Mustafa Khan. The damp subtropical climate allowed rice-growing, gardening and fishing, and Caspian trade brought income. Unlike Derbent and Baku, Lankaran was never joined to the Guba khanate by Fatali Khan. Mir Mustafa Khan manoeuvred between the Qajars and Russia and built alliances with his neighbours: in 1795 he allied with Ibrahimkhalil Khan of Karabakh. These manoeuvres did not save the khanate: in January 1813 General Kotlyarevsky stormed the fortress of Lankaran.
Communities and sultanates
Community (jamaat)Definition
A union of village communities with no khan or sultan; war, peace and taxes are decided by the assembly of the people.
The Jar-Balakan community was a union of the villages of Jar, Balakan and their surroundings in the north-west, at the foot of the Caucasus. Its people were mountain farmers, gardeners, herders and craftsmen. The community tried to stay free, but strong neighbours — the Shaki khanate, Kartli-Kakheti and the Dagestani rulers — wanted to draw it into their sphere. Haji Chalabi had beaten off the campaigns of the Georgian kings and taken the region under his protection (see «The Shaki khanate: Haji Chalabi and the struggle with Kartli-Kakheti»). With no khan and no standing army, the community faced a concentrated attack with local forces alone. In 1803 Russia subjugated the Jar-Balakan communities, and in 1830 a revolt broke out there.
In the north-west, smaller holdings that were subject to a khanate or half-independent were called sultanates. The Gabala and Gutgashen sultanates were directly subject to the Shaki khanate, while the Arash sultanate was abolished in 1795 and joined to Shaki; Gazakh, Shamshadil and Borchaly were sultanates too. The Ilisu sultanate, near Jar-Balakan, was ruled by a sultan; it was abolished after the Russian conquest.
The Karabakh meliks
MelikDefinition
The head of a small domain called a melikdom in the hills of Karabakh; a local lord who recognised the authority of the Karabakh khan.
The five melikdoms in the hills of the Karabakh khanate — Khachin, Varanda, Dizak, Gulustan (Talysh) and Jraberd — were ruled by meliks. In Azerbaijani textbooks they are regarded as heirs of Christian Albanian lords; in Armenian literature the same men are called Armenian meliks. Panahali Khan subdued them: first the melik of Varanda accepted his authority, the melik of Khachin was beaten at the battle of Balligaya, and then the others also recognised their dependence (see «The Karabakh khanate: Panahali Khan and Ibrahimkhalil Khan»). The meliks were subject to the khan, but kept secret contacts with Russia and hoped for the khanate to weaken. So the Karabakh khanate had a layered structure: the khan, the meliks beneath him and the district beys.
- 1747
Nadir Shah dies; the Baku, Derbent and Lankaran khanates arise
- 1759
Derbent is joined to the Guba khanate
- 1767
Baku is joined to the Guba khanate
- 1789
Death of Fatali Khan; Baku is independent again
- 1795
Mir Mustafa Khan allies with Ibrahimkhalil Khan
- 1795
The Arash sultanate is abolished and joined to Shaki
- 1796
Zubov’s troops take Derbent and Baku
- 1803
The Jar-Balakan communities are subjugated by Russia
- 1806
Tsitsianov is killed at the gates of Baku; Baku and Derbent are taken by Russia
- 1813
Kotlyarevsky storms the fortress of Lankaran
- 1813
Treaty of Gulistan: the Baku, Derbent and Talysh khanates are recognised as part of Russia
- 1830
The Jar-Balakan revolt
| Unit | Centre | Ruler | Economy | Relations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baku khanate | Baku | Mirza Muhammad Khan; last khan Huseynquli Khan | oil, salt, port trade | subject to Guba 1767–1789; then independent; occupied 1806 |
| Derbent khanate | Derbent | khans of Derbent; later the influence of the Guba khans | transit trade, the coastal road | joined Guba in 1759; Zubov in 1796; annexed in 1806 |
| Lankaran khanate | Lankaran | Mir Mustafa Khan | rice, gardening, fishing | not joined to Guba; alliance with Karabakh (1795); fortress stormed 1813 |
| Jar-Balakan community | Jar, Balakan | no khan; assembly of the people | farming, herding, crafts | pressure from Shaki, Kartli-Kakheti, Dagestan; subjugated 1803 |
| Ilisu sultanate | Ilisu | a sultan | foothill farming and herding | near Jar-Balakan; abolished after the Russian conquest |
| The five meliks | hills of Karabakh | the meliks | farming, herding | subject to the Karabakh khan; secret contacts with Russia |
| Person | Date | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Mirza Muhammad Khan | after 1747 | founder of the Baku khanate |
| Mir Mustafa Khan | 1795; 1813 | khan of Lankaran; ally of Ibrahimkhalil Khan; his fortress fell in 1813 |
| Valerian Zubov | 1796 | took Derbent and Baku, was recalled |
| Pavel Tsitsianov | 1802–1806 | commander of the Russian troops in the Caucasus; Jar-Balakan, Ganja, Baku; killed at Baku |
| Huseynquli Khan | 1806 | last khan of Baku; the khanate was occupied in his time |
| Pyotr Kotlyarevsky | 1813 | stormed the fortress of Lankaran |
| Cause | Result |
|---|---|
| Baku’s oil, salt and port | the khanate was rich but militarily weak; Guba and Russia took notice |
| Derbent’s place in a narrow pass | control of the coastal road; an object of struggle for Guba, Dagestan and Russia |
| No khan and no standing army in the community | only local resistance to outside pressure; subjugation in 1803 |
| The meliks’ subordination to the khan | centralisation in Karabakh, but the meliks’ secret contacts with Russia |
| No lasting common alliance and no single state among the khanates | Russia took the khanates one by one; the Treaty of Gulistan (1813) confirmed this |
Interactive
Source: the keys of Baku
The Russian army approached the rich port of the Caspian. The commander of the Russian troops in the Caucasus sent word to the city’s khan: he must hand over the keys of the city in person before the gates. A meeting was fixed. The khan came with his men, while the general went out to meet him with only a few people.
The talk dragged on, and neither side trusted the other. Then one of the khan’s men fired a shot and the general fell. The Russian detachment withdrew in confusion. The city remained behind its walls, but a new army was being gathered against it.
Source tasks
Problem
1) Name the general, the khan and the city, none of which are named in the text, and give the year of the event.
2) Explain one political and one economic reason for Russia’s interest in this city.
3) Give two consequences of these events that are NOT stated in the text.
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Solution
2) Political: after annexing Georgia (1801), Russia wanted to take the South Caucasus and the Caspian coast and weaken Iran’s influence. Economic: Baku was a Caspian trading port and a key point on the Caspian trade route; salt and naphtha were local trade goods. Marks: both — 1; one — ½.
3) In the autumn Russian troops took Baku and the khanate lost its independence; by the Treaty of Gulistan (1813) the Baku khanate was recognised as part of Russia; Russia gained control of the port of Baku and of the Caspian coastal trade route. Marks: two consequences — 1; one — ½; «the general was killed» is in the text and earns nothing.
Exam-type tasks
Exam task: «similar, different»
Problem
The Baku khanate was similar to the Derbent khanate and different from the Lankaran khanate. Which feature is this?
1. Being joined to the Guba khanate by Fatali Khan
2. Lying on the Caspian coast
3. Having its fortress stormed in January 1813
4. Being recognised as part of Russia by the Treaty of Gulistan
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Solution
Step 2: Feature 3 concerns only Lankaran’s fortress, not Baku or Derbent.
Step 3: Only Derbent (1759) and Baku (1767) were joined to Guba, but Lankaran was not.
Answer: only 1.
Exam task: «not related»
Problem
Which does NOT belong to the Jar-Balakan community?
A) a union of communities with no khan
B) affairs decided in the assembly of the people
C) subjugation by Russia in 1803
D) power passing to the sultan’s heirs
E) the revolt of 1830
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Solution
Step 2: Hereditary power belongs to khanates and sultanates; the community had no sultan.
Answer: D.
Exam task: chronology
Problem
Put the events in chronological order:
1. Zubov takes Derbent and Baku
2. Derbent is joined to Guba
3. The fortress of Lankaran is stormed
4. Tsitsianov is killed at Baku
5. Baku is joined to Guba
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Solution
Step 2: Then Zubov’s campaign — 1796 (1), followed by the Russian conquest: Tsitsianov — 1806 (4), Lankaran — 1813 (3).
Answer: 2, 5, 1, 4, 3.
The Caspian khanates were rich in trade and ports but could not form a single state, while the smaller units lay under the pressure of stronger neighbours. The last attempt to unite the khanates is shown in the next lesson: «The last attempt at unification: Agha Muhammad Shah Qajar».
Remember
- The Baku khanate (Mirza Muhammad Khan) was rich from oil and salt; it was joined to Guba in 1767, became independent after 1789 and was occupied in 1806.
- The Derbent khanate lay in a narrow coastal pass; it was joined to Guba in 1759, taken by Zubov in 1796 and annexed in 1806.
- The Lankaran (Talysh) khanate was not joined to Guba; Mir Mustafa Khan allied with Ibrahimkhalil Khan in 1795; the fortress was stormed in January 1813.
- The Jar-Balakan community had no khan and its affairs were decided by the assembly of the people; it was subjugated in 1803. Ilisu, Gabala, Gutgashen and Arash were sultanates.
- In Karabakh the meliks of Khachin, Varanda, Dizak, Gulustan and Jraberd were subject to the Karabakh khan but kept secret contacts with Russia.