Assessment of the Causes of the Instability of Russian Military Presence in the Southern Coast of the Caspian Sea from Late Safavid to Early Qajar (1667 to 1797 AD)

Abstract

The geography of the Caspian Sea and its coasts have long attracted the attention of the enemies of Iran, particularly its northern neighbor, Russia, for its strategic position. From the late Safavid era, along with the emergence of Peter the Great in Russia, full domination on the Caspian Sea and its coasts was seriously included in the Russia’s military plan. Therefore, in order to reach their goals, they attacked the islands and coasts of Iran at different times and under different pretexts. However, despite the seizure of parts of Iran's territory, they could not survive long periods on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, and were forced to evacuate these regions. This paper intends, with a descriptive-analytic approach, to answer the question that: what are the causes of the instability of Russians military presence in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the considered time interval? The findings of the research indicate that a combination of internal and external factors along with the unique geographical, climatic, and social features of this area caused the southern sides of the Caspian Sea to act as a solid fortress against invaders, and even if they could access to it, they would not have the ability to stay in the long run

Keywords

• caspian sea
• russia
• iran
• safavid
• afsharid
• qajar