'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎8r] (20/610)

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PARA. 1.—Growth of Russian influence in Northern Persia
Persia first came into contact with Russia in 1723 when 1723-182&,
Peter the Great sent an army from the Volga which occupied
Rasht and the greater part of the plain of Gllan, and Shah
Tahmasp, the last of the Safavls, agreed to cede the Caspian
provinces of Gilan ? IVlazandaran and Astarabad to the Tsar
in return for his assistance against the Afghans. The
Russians, however, did not enter IVlazandaran or Astaiabad
and in 1734 they evacuated Gilan.
No further conflict occurred with Russia until the end of
the 18th century when Russian armies invaded Georgia, then a
dependency of Persia, and Agha Muhammad Khan Kajar was
murdered while marching to meet them in 1797. Fighting 1
co ntinued during the early years of the reign of Fath AH Shah,
who succeeded him, and was ended by the peace of Gulistan
in 1813 by which Persia ceded Georgia, Darbend, Baku, Shirwan,
Shaki, Ganja (Elisavetopol), Karabagh, Mughan, Lenkoran,
and ail naval rights on the Caspian, and in return Russia under
took to secure the succession of Abbas Mirza, the. heii-
apparent. This last clause is significant as the first sign of
Russian interference in the internal concerns of Persia.
The exasperation of the Persians against the over-bearing
attitude *of the Russians, against their interpretation of doubtful
clauses in the treaty of Gulistan and their ill-treatment of the
Muhammadan population of the provinces ceded to them,
forced the Shah into a 2nd war with Russia in 1826.
After some initial successes it proved disastrous to him
and after the capture of Erivan and Tabriz by the Russians
it was terminated in 1828 by the treaty of Turkomanchai
which superseded the treaty of Gulistan. The Khanates/ o
Erivan and Nakhichivan were ceded to Russia and the new
Russo-Persian frontier was defined. The Shah was also to
pay an indemnity of 5,000,000 2 tumans. The conditions o • e
peace of Gulistan allowing no ships of war on the Caspian
except those flying the Russian flag, and safeguarding e
succession of the Heir-Apparent to the throne of Persia were
re-iterated.
In addition the treaty of Turkomanchai contained an
important commercial compact.
1 In 1804 the Russians made a descent in Gilan. They landed at Enzali.but
when attempting to advance through the jungle to Rasht, were ambushed by the
Gilakis, retreated to Enzali and gave up the enterprise.
a The equivalent at that time to rather more than £3,000,000.