Karabakh Karabakh as independent

A ydin A sla n ov khanate PhD in History (1747–1805)

At the time of the Safavid state, the entire territory of Azerbaijan was made up of four beylerbeydo- ms: Shirvan, Karabakh (or Ganja), Chukhursaad (or Iravan) and Azerbaijan (or Tabriz) (Rahmani A. A. Azerbaijan in the late 16th and 17th centuries (1590-1700). Baku, 1981, pp. 87-89).

At the time of the Safavid state, the entire territory of Azerbaijan was made up of four beylerbey- doms: Shirvan, Karabakh (or Ganja), Chukhursaad (or Iravan) and Azer- baijan (or Tabriz) (Rahmani A. A. Azerbaijan in the late 16th and 17th centuries (1590–1700). Baku, 1981, pp. 87–89). These regions were headed by the shah’s gover- nors-general who were called bey- lerbeys. The first beylerbey of Kara- bakh was Shahverdi-Sultan from the Ziyad-oglu clan of the Azer- baijani Gajar tribe, who was ap- Gara Beyuk khanum’s Castle. Second half of the 18th century pointed by Shah Tahmasib I in the

18 www.irs-az.com Azerbaijan in the mid-18th century (formation of khanates)

1540s. The nobility of the tribe was Ziyad-oglu, leaving him with Ganja was one of the most significant granted pastures and land plots in and a county, which he and his heirs ones, emerged on the lands be- Karabakh (A collection of articles owned until 1804 (A collection of tween the Kura and the Araz. Most on the history of Azerbaijan, edi- articles…, p. 250). of its population was made up of tion 1, Baku, 1949, p. 250). The In 1747, Nadir-shah was killed as the Azerbaijani tribes of Otuziki, power of the Karabakh beylerbey a result of a conspiracy. His empire Javanshir and Kabirli, who were “in- covered a vast territory – from the split up into independent feudal digenous ilats of the Karabakh vilayet” Georgian border near “Sinig Korpu” possessions. “Before Persian troops and inhabited lowland areas. These Bridge (currently “Red Bridge”) to withdrew from this region, indepen- tribes were forcibly resettled to Kho- Khudafarin Bridge on the Araz River dent rulers emerged in every province” rasan under Nadir-shah (Mirza Ad- (Mirza Adigozal-bey, Karabakh- (A. K. Bakikhanov, Gulistan-i Iram, igozal-bey, ibid., p. 47). After his nameh, Baku, 1950, p. 47). The Baku, 1991, p. 154). death, they returned to Karabakh, descendants of Shahverdi-Sultan Thus, sovereign feudal state en- “and everyone who arrived in their were Karabakh beylerbeys with a tities – 20 khanates – emerged in former camp started to live quietly” khan’s title until 1736 when Nadir- Azerbaijan. (Mirza Jamal Javanshir, The Histo- shah took Karabakh proper from The Karabakh khanate, which ry of Karabakh, Baku, 1959, p. 67). www.irs-az.com 19 Karabakh

Panahali Khan’s Shahbulag Castle. Shahbulag Village. 18th century

The founder of the Karabakh vanshir and Gazakh (G. Abdullayev, achen, Varanda, Talish (or Gulistan), khanate was Panah Ali-bey Javan- Azerbaijan in the 18th century Dizak and Jeraberd, which totally shir (1747–1763) from the Sarijali oy- and its mutual relations with Rus- depended on Karabakh khans and mag of the Javanshir tribe, who “was sia, Baku, 1965, p. 91). He served did not play an independent role one of the most significant statesmen Nadir for some time, but “fearing for in history. There were five melik- of Azerbaijan in the 18th century” (I. P. his life”, he fled Khorasan to Kara- doms, which is why they were called Petrushevskiy, The Khanates of bakh together with a group of his “khamsa” (“five” in Arabic). Azerbaijan and the Emergence supporters and close circle in 1738. The meliks of Karabakh were as- of Russian Orientation. News of There, he took charge of armed de- similated Albanians. It is not without the Academy of Sciences of the tachments that fought Iranian op- reason that not a single surname Azerbaijan SSR (department of pression (Mirza Jamal Javanshir, of Karabakh meliks hailed from Ar- general science), edition 2, 1946, ibid., pp. 66–67). menian families. Moreover, they No 5, p. 100). The future Karabakh In the mountainous part of the had Muslim names. These were lo- khan was the leader of the Otuziki Karabakh khanate, there were small cal feudal rulers whose ancestors tribe and emir of 20,000 courts of Ja- feudal entities – melikdoms: Kh- were Armenianized after the Al-

20 www.irs-az.com banian Church was placed under the Khachen region were the major Hasan-Jalalyan, A Brief History of the jurisdiction of the Armenian feudal rulers Hasan-Jalalyans. Hav- the Agvan Country (1702–1722) , Church in the 8th century on or- ing built the Gandzasar monastery in Baku, 1989). ders from Arab Caliph Abd al-Malik 1240, they took secular and spiritual The Varanda, Talish and Jeraberd (Z.M.Bunyadov, Essays, Volume power in this region, keeping both up melikdoms emerged on the territory 1, Baku, 1999, chapter 3, § 2). For to the 19th century.” (P. T. Arutyunyan. of Karabakh only in the 17th century this reason, all surnames beginning The liberation movement of the and Dizak – in the early 18th century. from ”melik” are Albanian, while Armenian people in the first quar- They were formed by descendants their bearers are Albanians some ter of the 18th century. M., 1954, p. of noble Albanian families who mi- of whom Armenianized and most 60). Being a direct descendant of grated here. For example, concern- of whom converted to Islam and the Caucasian Albanians, the ruler ing the Varanda melikdom, Mirza joined the Azerbaijani people. Such of the Khachen principality, Hasan Adigozal-bey recorded that the rul- family names are Melik-Yeganov, Jalal, was regarded not only as “an ers of Varanda were “Melik-Shahn- Melik-Pashayev, Melik-Aslanov, Me- autocratic prince of princes, ruler of azarli – noble people of the Goyja lik-Shahnazarov and others. Such a Khachen” and “the prince of Khachen (Goycha) area which they fled, arrived metamorphosis also happened to and Aran”, but also “great ruler of Al- in Karabakh and became intoxicated some Georgian and Armenian fami- bania” and “ king of Albania”. with their melik rule in the Varanda

Asgaran Castle, 18th century ly names: Orbeli and Bagratov. Melik The Albanian roots of the Kh- mahal” (Mirza Adigozal-bey, ibid., is a term of Arabic origin and initially achen meliks are also proved by the p. 57). In the middle of the 18th cen- implied “king”. fact that not a single source men- tury, power in Varanda was seized Among these melikdoms, only tions the population of Khachen as by Melik Shahnazar who killed his one, Khachen, had historical roots Armenian. The “Khachen Armenians” brother, a legitimate melik (A. R. on the land of Karabakh. In the 13th themselves always call themselves Ioannisyan, Russia and the Arme- century, a representative of the Mi- “Agvans” in historical documents nian liberation movement in the hranid family, Hasan Jalal, restored (i.e. Albanians). This is evidenced by 1780s, Yerevan, 1947, p. 16). the power of the Artsakh-Khachen their message to Peter I in 1722, as Concerning the Talish (Gulistan) principality in a region of ancient well as by the work of the catholi- melikdom, they note: “According Albania (I.A.Orbeli, Hasan-Jalal – cos of the Gandzasar Monastery, to popular legend, the founder the Prince of Khachen, Selected Yesai Hasan-Jalalyan, who called of the Gulistan melikdom – the Works, Yerevan, 1963, p. 146). the land where his ancestors lived Melik-Beklaryans – was a certain According to the Armenian his- “Agvan” and his work –“A Brief His- ‘Gara-yuzbashi’ Abov who moved torian, P. Arutyunyan: “The rulers of tory of the Agvan Country” (Yesai from the Udin village of Nizh to the www.irs-az.com 21 Karabakh

(short for Jeraberd) on the Tartar River. Having chosen Jermykh Castle as their sanctuary, they took over the Chila- burd area (Jeraberd) and became its independent rulers where they gained fame” (Mirza Adigozal-bey, ibid., pp. 57–58). The source says that the forefa- ther of the Dizak melik “was melik- Yegan, the son of Gukas (Movses)- vardapet. According to a number of sources, the family of melik-Yegan moved to Karabakh in the early 18th century: according to some informa- tion, they moved to Dizak from Persia and according to other sources, from Lori (Georgia) ” (P. T. Arutyunyan, ibid., p. 61). Mirza Adigozal-bey wrote more clearly about the Dizak mahal: “The meliks of this mahal were called Melik- Yegans. These were refugees from Lori. They received the title of meliks under Flag. Symbol of power of Karabakh khans Nadir-shah and according to his de- cree, took the throne of the melikdom” village of Talish together with his bey, ibid., p. 58). Therefore, the th (Mirza Adigozal-bey, ibid., p. 57). people in the early 17 century” Talish melikdom is also often called By the middle of the 18th centu- (P.T.Arutyunyan, ibid., p. 60). The Gulistan in sources. ry, the Karabakh meliks enjoyed the village of Nizh (Gabala District) still Concerning the Jeraberd melik, rights of feudal rulers. They had their exists in Azerbaijan. Its residents – P. T. Arutyunyan noted in his work own armed detachments. However, one of the 26 Albanian tribes – are that “the forefather of the rulers of the their power did not go beyond the Udins who maintain their language, Charaberd melikdom was the son of melikdom. They were all vassals of Christian religion and material and melik-Israel, melik-Yesai, who killed the the Karabakh khan. spiritual culture (G. D. Javadov, R. Syuni khan and moved to Karabakh The title “melik” was characteris- A. Huseynov, A historical-eth- together with his subjects in 1678. Af- tic not only of Albanian feudal rul- nographic essay, Baku, 1999 (in ter the death of Yesai, the melikdom ers of Nagorno-Karabakh. They were Azerbaijani). Concerning the Talish was taken over by melik-Allakuli-Sul- known in the history of Azerbaijan melikdom, one document says that tan and his brother” (P. T. Arutyun- in the 13th–15th centuries. The title its founders moved to Karabakh yan, ibid., p. 61). The source notes “melik”, Azerbaijani historians point from Shirvan (Yerevan Matenada- that they moved to the Charaberd out, was held by separate Azerbai- ran, manuscript No 4463, p. 7. county and Jermuk Castle from jani feudal rulers in both Karabakh Concerning the Talish melikdom, Magavuz (Yerevan Matenadaran, and Shirvan (G. Abdullayev, ibid., Mirza Adigozal-bey recorded: “Its manuscript No 4463, p. 7. p. 156). Major feudal rulers of Sheki melik was Melik-Usub. The ancestors Mirza Adigozal-bey recorded in were also meliks. The meliks of Gut- of this melik hailed from Shirvan. They this regard: “The melik of this mahal gashen mahal were rich landowners lived in the village of Talish for some was Melik-Allah-Guli. His family came (Yesai Hasan-Jalalyan, ibid., pp. time. Many people from this family re- here from Magaviz (Magavuz – a vil- 24–26). peatedly became meliks. Subsequent- lage in Zangazur) and they became In the fight to strengthen the ly, Melik-Usub seized Gulistan Castle meliks and settled in an inaccessible khan’s power in Karabakh, the capi- and settled there” (Mirza Adigozal- and impassable place called Jermykh

22 www.irs-az.com Saatli Mosque. Ceiling. 18th century tal of the khanate was moved three strongest feudal rulers of Azerbaijan. by Nadir-shah. A fight began be- times. The first residency of the khan Trying to prevent the strengthening tween the Karabakh khan and me- became Fort Bayat, which was built of Panah Ali-khan, Haji Chelebi-khan liks, and it had a political rather than in 1748. “In a short period of time, the and his ally – the khan of Shamakhi, religious nature. It was a feud typical external walls were erected, ditches besieged Fort Bayat. The allies un- of feudalism. were dug and a market, bath and successfully tried to seize the cen- The melik of Varanda, Shahnazar, mosque were built.” Craftsmen from tre of the Karabakh khanate for a was the first to recognize the power outskirts were resettled to the fort. month. Failing to achieve success of the Karabakh khan. He married “[Apart from them], many residents and sustaining great losses, the She- his daughter to the son and heir of of neighboring areas and even resi- ki and Shirvan khans retreated. Haji Karabakh Khan Ibrahim Khalil-aga dents and especially, craftsmen of Chelebi-khan was forced to admit: (Mirza Adigozal-bey, ibid., p. 59). the Tabriz vilayet and Ardabil, who “Panah-khan was like uncoined silver. Thus, Varanda broke away from the heard about the success, polite- We came here, coined it (silver) and “khamsa” and finally fell under the ness and mercy of Panah Khan, also went back” (Mirza Adigozal-bey, patronage of the khan, becoming came with their families and settled ibid., p. 54). his vassal and true stronghold in the in Fort Bayat” (Mirza Jamal Javan- The establishment of an inde- future. shir, ibid., p. 68). pendent Karabakh khanate on the Panah Ali-khan encountered The strengthening of the power vast territory of the former Karabakh strong resistance from residents of of Panah Ali-khan met with resis- beylerbeydom in the 18th century the Khachen melikdom. “The fire tance from a number of other Azer- and the fortification of Fort Bayat of battle and fighting raged for three baijan khans. In 1748, the Karabakh by Panah Ali-khan strongly alarmed days. On the third day, Panah khan khan started a fight against Sheki the meliks who did not want to lose took their fortification” (Mirza Ja- khan Haji Chelebi-khan, one of the their power and privileges granted mal Javanshir, ibid., p. 69). Having www.irs-az.com 23 Karabakh s­uffered a defeat and lost up to 300 The Karabakh khan’s fight against vassals, for nothing could stop the men, the Khachen melik surren- the melik of Dizak also dragged on. establishment of strong khan rule dered to the mercy of the victor. In Melik Isai resettled most of his pop- in Karabakh and the submission of honor of this victory, Panah Ali-khan ulation to the fortified village of Tuk small feudalists to the suzerain of erected a monument at the site of where Dizak’s armed detachments this part of Azerbaijani soil. the battle (Mirza Jamal Javanshir, of up to 3,000 people were based. On orders from Panah Ali-khan, ibid., p. 120). Having subjugated Bloody clashes, accompanied with the ancient castles of Asgaran and the Khachen melik, Panah Ali-khan great casualties, occurred between Shah-Bulag, where the centre of the allowed him to mint the khan’s coin the sides. Panah Ali-khan, wounded khanate was moved, were restored. – the panabad. in one of them, was forced to re- In 1751, the construction of an- Having realized that the fight treat. Only a new attack on melik other castle began on a high steep was lost, the Jeraberd melik Allah- Isai’s fortification was successful for mountain. The new centre of the Guli-Sultan also laid down his weap- Panah Ali-khan. The defeated melik Karabakh khanate was surrounded ons and signed a peace treaty (Mir- of Dizak, “on seeing his situation, es- by rocks and high walls and was za Jamal Javanshir, ibid., pp. 120– pecially the lack of food and losing all strongly fortified. Initially, the castle 121). However, the peaceful rela- hope to get any help, decided to ask bore the name of its founder – Pana- tions between the Karabakh khan for peace” (Mirza Jamal Javanshir, habad, but then it adopted its previ- and the Jeraberd melik did not last ibid., p. 123). ous name Shusha or Shusha Galasi long. The melik of Varanda, Shahna- On orders from Panah Ali-khan, and quickly turned into the eco- zar, who “had long been hostile to melik Isai was deprived of his prop- nomic centre of Karabakh, becom- Allah-Guli-Sultan”, persuaded Panah ing one of the major cities of trade Ali-khan to sever relations with the and craftsmanship in Azerbaijan. Jeraberd melik. As a result, on orders Caravan routes lied through Shusha, from the Karabakh khan, the Jerab- connecting the South Caucasus to erd melik Allah-Guli-Sultan was cap- Iran. tured and executed (Mirza Jamal Relying on the impregnable Javanshir, ibid., p. 121). Panah Ali- capital of Panahabad-Shusha, the khan appointed his brother – melik Karabakh khan started to unite Khatam – melik of the Jeraberd ma- neighboring Azerbaijani lands. As a hal (Mirza Adigozal-bey, ibid., p. result of successful military and po- 59). Despite his appointment, melik litical actions by Panah Ali-khan, his Khatam soon allied himself with the supremacy was recognized by the melik of Talish against Panah Ali- khans of Iravan, Nakhchivan, Ganja, khan. These meliks refused to rec- Karabakh khanate, Garadag and Ardabil. The territory ognize the power of the Karabakh Panahabad, 1786, silver of the Karabakh khanate expanded khan for several years. significantly. Panah Ali-khan launched sev- erty and resettled to Fort Shusha Less than one year after the eral military campaigns against the together with his family. Other secu- construction of the new castle, the intractable meliks. However, due rity measures were taken too. Spe- Karabakh khanate was attacked to the impregnability of Jeraberd cifically, all residents of the village by Muhammad Hasan-khan Gajar, Castle, the rebellious meliks man- of Tuk were forcibly resettled by the one of the main contenders for the aged to repel all attacks. Only after Karabakh khan to other parts of the shah’s throne in Iran. Deciding not Panah Ali-khan destroyed all crops khanate. to besiege the strong castle, Gajar in the county and blockaded Jerab- Thus, in the 1750s the Karabakh and his troops stayed for a month erd Castle, were the besieged meliks ruler Panah Ali-khan managed to far away from Shusha in the Khatun- forced to flee to Ganja. “They lived in break the resistance of local feu- arkhi area, for “he could not [even] the Ganja vilayet and [Shamkur] ma- dal rulers, the “khamsa” meliks, and approach the outskirts of the castle hal for seven years” (Mirza Jamal Ja- subjugate them in a fierce and bru- with such a [big] army” (Mirza Ja- vanshir, ibid., p. 69). tal feud. The melikdoms became mal Javanshir, ibid., p. 73). Having

24 www.irs-az.com met with resistance and received says: “Panah Ali-khan, who always The khanate included the whole of news from Iran about the start of a sought an opportunity to destroy Karabakh. The melikdoms, as well new fight for the shah’s throne, Ga- Fatali-khan, immediately created an as Zangazur, Hajisamli and Chalbair jar left Karabakh. His retreat was so enormous army and large cavalry were under its jurisdiction. Panah hasty that he even left his cannons and went to help Karim-khan” (Mir- Ali-khan sought to expand the khan- behind (Mirza Adigozal-bey, ibid., za Adigozal-bey, ibid., p. 72). The ate at the expense of neighboring p. 64). allies managed to gain a victory. feudal possessions: he engaged in a Soon, Panah Ali-khan encoun- After that, Karim-khan freed Ibra- lengthy fight for Garadag, Ganja and tered a new threat from the south. him Khalil-aga from captivity and Nakhchivan. The Karabakh khanate In 1759, the Karabakh khanate was sent him to Karabakh as a khan, always remained independent. “He invaded by the 30,000-strong army providing him with a special firman. [Panah-khan] did not serve anyone of one of Nadir-shah’s famous mili- As for his former ally, Karim-khan and did not put his neck under the tary commanders – the ruler of Ur- treacherously kept him as a hos- yoke of obedience to anyone…” (I. P. miya, Fatali-khan Afshar, who man- tage. Panah Ali-khan died in Shiraz Petrushevskiy, Essays on the his- aged to subjugate all the southern in 1763. His body, according to his tory of feudal relations in Azer- regions of Azerbaijan. He devastat- will, was buried in Agdam in a place baijan and Armenia in the 16th– ed a number of areas in Karabakh. called Imaret. 19th centuries, Leningrad, 1949, As soon as the enemy troops set Thus, the Karabakh khanate p. 137). foot in Karabakh soil, some meliks emerged and strengthened in a betrayed their suzerain and de- fierce fight. In the middle of the 18th To be continued fected to Fatali-khan: “The meliks of century, it occupied a vast territory. Chilaburd (Jeraberd) and Talish, who were covertly hostile to Panah khan, joined Fatali khan. They stayed near the castle for six months…” (Mirza Jamal Javanshir, ibid., p. 74). In a decisive battle, Fatali-khan’s troops suffered a major defeat.” The military failures and the on- set of the winter forced Fatali-khan to sign a peace treaty. The meeting between the two prominent rulers took place on Aga Bridge near Shu- sha (Mirza Adigozal-bey, ibid., p. 70). On the pretext of exchanging prisoners and marrying his daugh- ter to the elder son of the Karabakh khan, Ibrahim Khalil-aga, Fatali-khan managed to invite the heir to the khan’s throne to his camp. After that, declaring Panah Ali-khan his vassal, Fatali-khan took his son hostage (Mirza Jamal Javanshir, ibid., pp. 74–75). Soon, power in Iran was seized by Karim-khan Zand, who launched an offensive on Urmiya’s Fatali-khan and won over Panah Ali-khan of Karabakh. In this regard, a source Panahali Khan’s Tomb. Imaret Cemetery. 18th century www.irs-az.com 25