Oriental Studies (Apr 2018)
The 1804-1813 Russo-Persian War and Diplomatic Activities of France and Britain
Abstract
The article focuses on the international situation in the Caucasus in the early 19th century when the region became a battlefront - both in terms of diplomacy and war - between the Persian Empire and Imperial Russia (1804-1813), and the active interference of Britain and France which significantly contributed to further escalation of the conflict. The paper provides a retrospective overview of external political arrangements by the King of Kartli and Kakheti, Heraclius II, a Persian subject, in between the Sublime Porte and Russia. The 1801 Manifesto by Paul I who was eager to settle the question of Kartli and Kakheti only exacerbated the situation in the East Caucasus. At the same time, there was an evident growth of pro-Russian sentiments in the North-East Caucasus. The mentioned factors aggravated by the siege of Ganja consequently resulted in the 1804-1813 Russo-Persian War. Presented are the reasons for the active participation of East-North Caucasian peoples in the events under consideration and the split in the community of highlanders on the topic of external political preferences caused by disinclination of most highlanders to follow the anti-Russian propaganda. With references to documentary evidence, it is shown that France and Britain not only took active part in the escalation of tensions between the Russian Empire and Persia, including by financing Tehran’s military campaign, but invested certain efforts for the establishment of an Ottoman-Persian alliance and their military coalition in the Caucasus. The article describes the reasons for Russia’s military and political success as well as the terms of the Treaty of Gulistan.
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