Karabakh Khanate - History

History

The precursor of the Karabakh khanate, Karabakh beylerbeylik (province) was one of the 4Th provinces established in Northern part of Safavid Empire. The Safavid shah of Iran Tahmasp I granted the governance of province to Qajar-related Ziyadoglu family in 1540, was initially founded in the lowland part of Karabakh ("Karabakh Steppe"), away from the lands currently known as Nagorno-Karabakh. According to prominent historian of Karabakh Khanate - Mirza Adigozal bey "The power of the Karabakh beylerbeylik covered a vast territory – from the Georgian border near “Sinig Korpu” Bridge (currently “red Bridge”) to Khudafarin Bridge on the Araz river. However, following the collapse of Safavid dynasty and the death of Nadir Shah Afshar in 1747, Safavid domain split into several independent khanates. During this period, Panah-Ali khan Javanshir of Karabakh consolidated his local power by establishing a de facto independent khanate and subordinating the five Armenian meliks (princes) in the region, which were referred to as Khamsa (five in Arabic), with support of the Armenian prince Melik Shahnazar II Shahnazarian of Varanda, who first accepted Panah-Ali Khan's suzerainty.

The capital of the khanate was first the castle of Bayat in 1748, in the Karabakh Steppe, followed by the newly built town of Panahabad in 1750-1752. During the reign of Ibrahim-Khalil khan, son of Panah-Ali khan, Panahabad became a large town and was renamed to Shusha, apparently after the name of a nearby Armenian village Shushi, known also as Shushikent, Shoshi or Shosh. Later, Panah Ali khan expanded the territory of Karabakh khanate subjugating territory of Karabakh, Meghri, Tatev, Karakilise, Kafan in Zangezur, and Nakchivan 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 took Ardabil across the Aras River in the Iranian Azerbaijan.

In 1759, Shusha and Karabakh khanate underwent a new attack from Fatali khan Afshar, ruler of Urmia. 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 Shahnazarian of Varanda 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.

In 1762, during his war with Kazem Khan of Qaradagh, Panah Khan submitted to Karim Khan Zand, who was consolidating different Khans under his Rule and was bout to besiege Urmia. After the fall of the city, Karim took Panah Khan among the hostages to Shiraz, 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 the South Caucasus and Shusha turned into a big town. According to travelers 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 in 1752. Aga Muhammad Khan Qajar's goal was to end with the feudal fragmentation and to restore the old Safavid imperial domain. For this purpose he also wanted to proclaim himself shah (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 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-day Tbilisi), 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 bodyguards. 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 Beyim. 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 Karabakh.

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 the Russian 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 the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813 and Treaty of Turkmenchay of 1828 after defeating Iran in the Russo-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.

Abul-Fath Khan Javanshir, was one of the sons of the Ibrahim-Khalil Javanshir, that through his sister brother-in-law of Fath-Alī Shah Qajar.In the First Russo-Persian War Abul-Fath Khan supported the Iranians and fought on the side of the crown prince Abbas Mirza.After Karabakh was ceded to Russia; and even before it, Abul-Fath Khan withdrew from Karabakh along with his fellow tribesmen, and Abbās Mirza made him governor of Dezmār. Dezamār lay on a southern tributary of the Aras, which flowed into the main river at Ordubad.In the years following 1813 Abul-Fath Khan smuggled his warriors back across the Aras into southern Karabakh and took up residence in the village of Garmī (eight farsangs south of Shusha). Presumably this must have been done with the connivance of his brother Mahdi-qoli Khan, who had succeeded his father in 1806 as governor of Shusha in the service of the Russians.In 1818, long before the outbreak of the Second Russo-Persian War, Abbas Mirza invaded the territory to which the Russians laid claim and which was de facto under their sovereignty; supported by 100 horsemen, he brought Abul-Fath Khan back by force.What happened to Abul-Fath Khan thereafter is not known; he does not appear to have taken part in the battles of the Second Russo-Persian War. His brother Mahdī-qolī Khan crossed into Persian soil in 1822. Under the terms of the peace of Torkmanchay in 1828, the whole of Karabakh was finally ceded to Russia.