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Home , Javad Khan, Karabakh Khanate

H  K K W J    R E: H  M   R Jamil HASANLI Doctor, Professor of History

16 www.irs-az.com AFTER THE KAZAN MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS OF RUSSIA, AND , THE NUMBER OF STORIES ABOUT THE HISTORY OF NAGORNO KARABAKH ON THE PAGES OF VARIOUS MEDIA OUTLETS BEGAN TO INCREASE. IN MOST OF THEM, THE HISTORY OF NAGORNO KARABAKH BOTH IN THE SOVIET PERIOD AND IN THE PERIOD OF ITS BEING JOINTED TO THE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY WAS SERIOUSLY DISTORTED.

istortion, and at times crude preserved in Russian archives? D. Tsitsianov, who commanded Rus- falsification of the history of With the arrival of Russia in Kara- sian forces in the Caucasus, laid siege Dactual events by professional bakh in the early 19th century, a new to Ganja, Azerbaijan’s biggest city, in historians, causes deep regret. Who political situation emerged. The policy March 1803. Having overcome the profits from this reworking of real of Russia, directed toward the estab- stiff resistance of the population led events and the creation of invented lishment of a social-ethnic base in the by Javad-, Russian forces entered history in order to support present- form of , led to the strength- the city on 3 January 1804. day political circumstances, when ening of the Christian element in Kara- In order to strengthen his positions a factually correct history has been bakh. The disputes observed today in the Trans-Caucasus, Tsitsianov had scrupulously prepared by Russian have roots that reach precisely to to conquer the Karabakh, Shaki and officials and when the actual corre- those times. Having finally conquered Shirvan , which were consid- spondence of the military and dip- Georgia in 1801, Russia moved toward ered the strongest in this region. Dur- lomatic services of Russia has been the borders of Azerbaijan. General P. ing the course of long negotiations, www.irs-az.com 17 Karabakh

The seizure of the strategically vital Karabakh , in fact, meant the beginning of the complete subordi- nation of all the khanates of northern Azerbaijan. The mountainous part of the khanate enabled real control over all the western districts of Azerbaijan. Subsequent actions did not represent a major problem for Russia. At the same time, different khans consid- ered the historical fates of the people in their own way and could not create a single union. Justly assessing the im- portance of the joining of Karabakh to Russia, Prince P. D. Tsitsianov reported to the Russian emperor after the sign- The Shahbulag fortress, 18th century ing of the Kurakchay Treaty on 22 May 1805 that, given its geographic loca- Tsitsianov threatened these khanates, tional ties with third countries. More- tion, Karabakh serves as the gate to demanded that they consider the sad over, the Karabakh Khanate lost the Azerbaijan and brings Georgia closer experience of Ganja and, taking into right of independent communication to Baku, the seizure of which was consideration the military might of with the neighboring khanates. And planned for the fall. [2] Russia, accept its protection without the Karabakh khan was also required The Azerbaijani khans had a close offering resistance. In doing so, Tsit- to contribute 8,000 chervontsy (24,000 watch on the first Russian-Iranian war sianov understood perfectly well that Russian rubles) to the Russian treasury (1804-1813). While they desired the had interests in the region and every year and pay for the expenses of victory of the southern neighbor, they therefore did not push events. More- his grandson who was held hostage were also afraid of it and never aban- over, he had to consider the strong in the residence of the commander doned hope that the results of the military potential of the Muslim khan- in chief in Tiflis. One of the most dif- war would enable them to enhance ates. ficult conditions of the treaty was an their own independence. The Russian Finding himself constantly “be- agreement on the deployment in the army, in turn, did not particularly trust tween the hammer and the anvil” fortress of 500 Russian soldiers the local Muslims. In 1806, when Iran (Russia in the north and Iran in the with cannons. attempted to attack Shusha, Major south), Ibrahim Khalil-khan, the ruler The only article of the Kurakchay Lisanevich, the chief of the fortress of Karabakh, decided to conclude Treaty that could be seen as favoring garrison, wary of the unexpected ac- “a solemn promise” with Russia, a Ibrahim Khalil-khan was the obliga- tions by the Karabakh khan, slaugh- treaty which in fact became the first tion by Russia not to interfere in the tered the entire family of Ibrahim legal document on the path to join- internal affairs of the khanate. Inter- Khalil-khan with the exception of one ing Karabakh to Russia. The treaty estingly, shortly after the treaty was son, Mehdi Guli-aga. This confirmed between the Karabakh Khanate and signed by a decree of Aleksandr I on the symbolic nature of the Karabakh the Russian Empire on the transition 8 July 1805, Ibrahim Khalil-khan was khan’s promotion to the rank of a lieu- of the khanate under the power of given the rank of general and from tenant general of the Russian forces. Russia was signed in the military en- that moment on, as a lieutenant gen- At the same time, having dealt with campment at Kurakchay on 14 May eral, he had to subordinate himself Ibrahim Khalil-khan, Russia did not 1805, so it went down in history as to the commander-in-chief of the change the status of his khanate. the “Kurakchay Treaty”. The document Russian forces in the Caucasus. The Mehdi Guli-aga, by order of Emperor consists of 11 articles and gives Russia treaty, being a diplomatic document, Aleksandr I of 10 September 1806, a one-sided primacy. From then on- testifies that the Karabakh Khanate was named ruler of Karabakh in place wards, the Karabakh Khanate rejected became a protectorate of Russia pre- of his father. [3] all attempts at independent interna- cisely as a Muslim state. [1] As a sign of Mehdi Guli-aga’s status

18 www.irs-az.com as the administrator of the khanate, Northern Azerbaijan, including Kara- (Lori-Pambak, Shamshadin, Zangazur, Emperor Aleksandr I presented him bakh, Nakhchivan and Irevan, became Kafan and Shoragel districts), the Gan- with a banner and sword set with pre- part of the Russian Empire. ja and Karabakh khanates were trans- cious stones. And just as in the Kurak- There were many interesting mo- ferred to Russia as well … According chay Treaty, so too in the emperor’s ap- ments in the process of joining the to the Turkmanchay Treaty (February pointment of Mehdi Guli-aga as ruler South Caucasus to Russia. A number 1828), which ended the second Rus- of Karabakh, there is reference to the of Armenian and Russian historians sian-Persian War (1826-1828), the Ye- Javanshir family as the rulers of Kara- and certain political circles have been revan and Nakhchivan khanates and bakh, both mountainous and lowland, claiming lately that Karabakh was district passed to Russia. This and to the fact that all strata of the joined to Russia as an Armenian dis- completed the final unification of all population are subordinate to Mehdi trict. Certain contemporary Russian eastern Armenian lands to Russia.” [4] Guli-aga. The new khan was filled with and Armenian scholars insist that in In an effort to support their falsi- hatred of the Iranians and distrust for the course of the entire 18th century, fication of history, they cite the col- the Russians who had slaughtered his the Armenians of Karabakh made up lection of documents published by family, but in the end, the anti-Iranian 97 per cent of the region’s total popu- G. Yusefovich in Petersburg in 1869. attitudes came out on top. lation. A question arises: if this was re- [5] They do so even though they The victory over Napoleon led to a ally the case, why then wasn’t it an Ar- know perfectly well that neither the toughening of Russia’s eastern policy. menian state that arose in Karabakh in Gulustan nor the Turkmanchay trea- General A. Yermolov, who was ap- the mid-18th century but a Karabakh ties contain any reference to Arme- pointed governor of the Caucasus in khanate which was led by representa- nian lands. Nor is there a reference to 1816, did not trust the Muslim people, tives of the famous Turkic tribe of the Christian lands. There is only reference seeing them as a potential enemy. For Javanshirs? Indeed, there is no single to Muslim khanates and their unifica- this reason, he sought the opportu- precedent in history where three per tion with Russia. The vast majority of nity for the formal liquidation of the cent of the population could create a the population of the Irevan khanate khanates, which he thought could state on the backs of the other 97 per consisted of Muslims and this was re- become the nucleus of a movement cent. flected in Russian sources. In 1828, for for independence. Yermolov’s repre- However, a careful study of the in- example, when the “Armenian oblast” sentative in Northern Azerbaijan, an ternational legal documents of this pe- was created within the borders of Armenian General V. Madatov, actively riod raises some interesting questions the Irevan and Nakhchivan khanates, helped him in this. Slowly but steadily, concerning the form of the inclusion three-quarters of its population were they realized their plan. In 1819, they into Russia not only of Karabakh, but Muslims. This is confirmed by a letter liquidated the Shaki khanate. Unable also of Armenia proper. Thus, Georgia, of General Paskevich to the chief of to resist Russian pressure, Mehdi Guli- according to the Georgiyev treaty of the General Staff, where he expressed aga fled to Iran, and the Karabakh 1801, and the Azerbaijan khanates, his dissatisfaction with the actions of khanate was converted into a Russian by the Gulustan (1813) and Turkman- General Krasovsky, the chief of the province. A. Griboyedov wrote that chay (1828) treaties, were included in “provisional administration” of Irevan, together with the khan, 3,000 Muslim Russia. A reasonable question arises: and of Archbishop Nerses, a member families moved to Iran. Thus, in spite According to what treaty, agreement of this administration. Paskevich criti- of what had been written in various or declaration did Armenia and the cizes Krasovsky for allowing Nerses to treaties, the liquidation of the khan- territories to which it makes claims exert unlimited influence on all affairs ates reached its logical conclusion. pass into Russia? Well-known Arme- when “three quarters of the oblast In 1826, the second Russian-Irani- nian historians have found a very easy population consist of Muslims.” [6] an war began. And again, the main answer. Not observing scholarly eth- The khanates’ loss of their spe- events unfolded in Karabakh. For 48 ics and historical evidence and not cial status meant the transformation days, the Iranian forces laid siege to being restrained by long established of Karabakh into a colony, and this Shusha, but could not take the city. historical truth, they write that “Ac- process lasted for decades. In this On 10 February 1828, in the settle- cording to the Gulustan Treaty of 1813 period, the administrative division of ment of Turkmanchay near , the which ended the Russian-Persian War the Trans-Caucasus was frequently two sides concluded a new peace of 1804-1813, along with other north- changed and only had finally formed treaty, whereby all the khanates of eastern provinces of Eastern Armenia by the second half of the 19th c entury. www.irs-az.com 19 Karabakh

Following the liquidation of the khan- families were forced to wait on the the former advises that the appear- ates, the comendant system of admin- shores of the , but were eventu- ance of new Armenian communi- istration was introduced in Northern ally sent to Karabakh. [10] ties in the Trans-Caucasus will create Azerbaijan. All of Karabakh with a cen- Russian writer S. Glinka provides problems in the future. When writing ter in Shusha was included in the Mil- some interesting data on the move- his historical novels, Pikul scrupulous- itary-Muslim District. However, such ment of Armenians from Iran to Kara- ly worked in the archives and strictly distribution certainly did not corre- bakh. The political nature of the reset- guided himself on the basis of histori- spond to the ethnographic, historical, tlement of Iranian Armenians to Mus- cal documents. At the moment of the and religious peculiarities of the local lim lands just seized by Russia is clear- formation of this oblast, 75 per cent of population. ly evident in the appeal to the Persian its population consisted of Muslims. Demography was gradually con- Armenians by an active participant of Whereas 49,875 Muslims lived with verted into a political instrument. this resettlement, G. Lazarev: “Chris- 20,073 Armenians during the period At the dawn of Armenian resettle- tians! According to reliable rumors of the Russian conquest, then immedi- ment into these areas, a document which have reached me, badly inten- ately after the formation of “the Arme- of 19 July 1811 noted that there lived tioned people are trying to dissemi- nian oblast” 45,200 Armenians were 12,000 families in Karabakh oblast, of nate not only foolish and false news, resettled from neighboring countries. which 2,500 were Armenian and the but even to sow fear in those seek- [19] The situation in Nakhchivan oblast rest were followers of the religion of ing resettlement over Russia’s good evolved in a similar way. By the end of Muhammad. [7] In 1823, the Rus- intentions and to change the desire the Russian occupation, 17,138 Mus- sian administration prepared “A De- of their hearts.” [11] He writes further lims and only 2,690 Armenians lived scription of the Karabakh Province,” that “Armenians from various settle- there. With the liquidation of the khan- which contained statistical data on ments, emboldened by Turkmanchay, ate, 10,670 Armenians resettled there the district population and its ethno- moved toward Karabakh,” [12] and in in a short interval of time. Similarly, religious composition. Judging by the the course of three and a half months, in the Ordubad part of Nakhchivan, statistical data prepared by Russian in- “more than 8,000 families crossed the where initially 7,247 Muslims and 2,388 stitutions, there were 600 settlements Aras.” [13] In the spring of 1828, when Armenians lived, 1,340 Armenians in the Karabakh oblast, of which 450 the Armenians moved toward the were resettled in order to change the were Muslim and only 150 Armenian. Aras, Paskevich issued a directive to balance between them. [20] [8] According to this reliable source, resettle the poorest in Karabakh. [14] Russian researcher N. Shavrov 20,095 families lived in Karabakh As a result, in 1832, Armenians formed published a book in 1911 in which oblast in 1823, of them 15,729 were 31.6 per cent of the Karabakh popula- he noted that 40,000 Armenians from Muslims and only 4,366 (21.7 per tion, with Muslims still retaining their Iran and 84,600 from Turkey resettled cent) were Armenians. majority of 68.4 per cent. [15] in the Caucasus in 1828-1830. They According to the 1832 census, After 1828, the resettlement of Ar- were settled in Yelizavetpol and Irevan the number of families in Karabakh menians into the Muslim provinces provinces, where there were almost reached 20,456, but the number of Ar- of the South Caucasus was regulated no Armenians prior to that. Shavrov menian families over this same period by Paragraph XV of the Turkmanchay wrote that “of the 1.3 million Arme- rose to 31.6 per cent. [9] In Shusha, Treaty. [16] By a decree of Emperor nians living in the Trans-Caucasus, considered the center of Karabakh, of Nikolay I on 21 March 1828, “an Ar- more than a million are settlers. We the 1,532 families in 1823, 1,111 were menian oblast” was established on resettled them here.” [21] Muslim (72.5 per cent), 421 were Ar- the lands of the former Irevan and Apparently, the desire to com- menian (27.5 per cent), but already Nakhchivan khanates. [17] The Rus- pletely Christianize the Trans-Cau- by 1832 this figure reached 44.9 per sian general and Georgian Prince A. casus was strong. But the specific cent. Russian military historian V. Pot- Chavchavadze was named the head features of the situation led the Rus- to notes that the first major resettle- of “the Armenian oblast.” [18] sians to act carefully, and A. Griboye- ment of Armenians to Karabakh took In the second volume of the his- dov, Russian ambassador to Persia, place in 1828. He writes that on 16 torical novel of Catherine’s time, “The warned that the Armenians would March 1828, some 40,000 Armenian Favorite” by V. Pikul, there is an interest- remain permanently in the lands to families left Persia for Irevan. However, ing conversation between Count G. which they were resettled, something because of a shortage of bread, 5,000 Potemkin and Catherine II, in which that could trigger problems with the

20 www.irs-az.com indigenous Muslim population. [22] References A.D. Berzhe, Tiflis, 1868, vol. 2, p. Such concerns were shared by the 336-337. Azerbaijanis. The Armenians started [1] “The Treaty between the Kara- [4] Nagorny Karabakh: Istoricheska- to settle down on Azerbaijani lands bakh Khan and the Russian Em- ya Spravka, in Russian, Yerevan, and to display hostility toward Azer- pire concerning the transfer of 1988, p. 14-15. baijanis. I. Chavchavadze justly noted the khanate under the power of [5] Dogovory Rossii s Vostokom, in his appeal to Armenians seeking to Russia of 14 May 1805,” State His- Politicheskiye i Torgovyye, in Rus- settle in Georgia that they must not torical Archive of the Azerbaijan sian, assembled and published view those accepting them as en- Republic, p. 245-248. by T. Yusefovich, St. Petersburg, emies. [23] [2] “Akty Kavkazskoy Arkheogra- 1869, p. 208-214. In the course of the entire 20th ficheskoy Komissii,” Arkhiv [6] See Potto, V.A. (1993) Kavkazs- century, especially in the last two de- Glavnogo Upravleniya Namest- kaya Voyna. Persidskaya Voyna cades, Azerbaijan and its people ex- nika Kavkaza, in Russian, ed. by 1826-1828, in Russian, Stavropol, perienced pain and suffering for their A.D. Berzhe, Tiflis, 1868, vol. 2, p. vol. 3, p. 594-595. “hospitality” to Armenians. 698. [7] The Unificaiton of Eastern Arme- [3] “Akty Kavkazskoy Arkheogra- nia to Russia, Yerevan, 1972, p. The maps used in this article have ficheskoy Komissii,” Arkhiv 560-561. been borrowed from “The Karabakh Glavnogo Upravleniya Namest- [8] “Opisaniye Karabakhskoy Saga” by Emin Mammadli. nika Kavkaza, in Russian, ed. by provintsii, sostavlennoye v 1823 www.irs-az.com 21