ЕРЕВАНСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY ____________________________________________ СТУДЕНЧЕСКОЕ НАУЧНОЕ ОБЩЕСТВО STUDENT SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY ISSN 1829-4367 СБОРНИК НАУЧНЫХ СТАТЕЙ СНО ЕГУ COLLECTION OF SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES OF YSU SSS 1.1 (18) Общественные науки (теология, востоковедение, история) Social Sciences (Theology, Oriental Studies, History) ЕРЕВАН - YEREVAN ИЗДАТЕЛЬСТВО ЕГУ - YSU PRESS 2017 2 ԵՐԵՎԱՆԻ ՊԵՏԱԿԱՆ ՀԱՄԱԼՍԱՐԱՆ ՈՒՍԱՆՈՂԱԿԱՆ ԳԻՏԱԿԱՆ ԸՆԿԵՐՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ ISSN 1829-4367 ԵՊՀ ՈՒԳԸ ԳԻՏԱԿԱՆ ՀՈԴՎԱԾՆԵՐԻ ԺՈՂՈՎԱԾՈՒ 1.1 (18) Հասարակական գիտություններ (աստվածաբանություն, արևելագիտություն, պատմություն) ԵՐԵՎԱՆ ԵՊՀ ՀՐԱՏԱՐԱԿՉՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ 2017 3 Խմբագրական խորհուրդ` Редакционная коллегия: բ.գ.թ., դոց. Ռ․ Մելքոնյան к.ф.н., доц. Р. Мелконян պ․գ․թ․, դոց․ Հ․ Քոչարյան к.и.н., доц. А. Кочарян բ․գ․թ․, դոց․ Վ․ Ոսկանյան к.ф.н., доц. В. Восканян պ.գ.թ., դոց. Մ․ Գաբրիելյան к.и.н., доц. М. Габриелян պ.գ.թ., դոց. Է․ Զոհրաբյան к.и.н., доц. Э. Зограбян պ.գ.թ., դոց. Կ․ Գասպարյան к.и.н., доц. К. Гаспарян պ.գ.թ., դոց. Ա․ Հովհաննիսյան к.и.н., доц. А. Ованисян պ.գ.թ. Ա․ Բալյան к.и.н. А. Балян ա․գ․թ․ Ս․ Վարդանյան к.и.н. С. Варданян Editorial Board PhD, Associate Prof. R. Melkonyan PhD, Associate Prof. H. Kocharyan PhD, Associate Prof. V. Voskanyan PhD, Associate Prof. M. Gabrielyan PhD, Associate Prof. E. Zohrabyan PhD, Associate Prof. K. Gasparyan PhD, Associate Prof. A. Hovhannisyan PhD A. Balyan PhD M. Vardanyan Հրատարակիչ՝ ԵՊՀ հրատարակչություն Հասցե՝ ՀՀ, ք. Երևան, Ալ. Մանուկյան 1, (+374 10) 55 55 70, [email protected] Հրատարակության նախապատրաստող ստորաբաժանում՝ ԵՊՀ ուսանողական գիտական ընկերություն Հասցե՝ ՀՀ, ք. Երևան, Ալ. Մանուկյան 1, (+374 60) 71 01 94, Էլ. փոստ՝ [email protected] ԵՊՀ ՈՒԳԸ կայք՝ sss.ysu.am. Հրատարակվում է ԵՊՀ գիտական խորհրդի որոշմամբ Издается по решению Ученого совета ЕГУ Published by the resolution of the Academic Council of YSU Vahagn Hakobyan Phd student of Institute of oriental students, E-mail: [email protected] TRANSCAUCASIA IN THE CONTEXT OF RUSSIAN-TURKISH AND RUSSIAN-IRANIAN RELATIONS (1760-1780-IES) At the 2nd half of the 18th century Russia began actively spread its influence in the Caucasus. This process is accompanied by gaining information on the political situation in the Caucasus by the Russian authorities, by policy to atract the local rulers to their side, by opposing Turkey's policy spreading towards the South Caucasus, as well as having a different relationship with the candidates fighting for the throne of Iran. It is therefore important to consider how the situation in the Caucasus, as well as a reflection of the Russian-Turkish and Russian-Iranian relations on the political situation in Transcaucasia. A number of sources are used for our study, as well as the activities of Russian agents in Iran and Transcaucasia and reports ambassadors, letters and other records. A large part of these documents is maintained in Russian State Archive of Ancient Documents and Russian State Archive of Ancient Documents: After the assassination of Nadir Shah for a long time there was no such a strong central authority in Iran as it had been before.InIran Iranian political priority in Transcaucasia violated as a result of the ongoing fightings betweenfeudalists in the second half of the 18th century; Eastern kingdom became independent and strong; khanates and principalities of Yerevan, Nakhchivan, Khoy, Maku, Garadagh, Urmia, Ganja, Guba (after 1765 Derbent khanate was also connected to this Khanate), Baku, Shirvan, Shaki, Talysh, Ardabil, Maraga, Savuj-Bulaghi, Karabakh obtained semi-independent status in Eastern Armenia and Azerbaijan, which were independent in the relationship with the various government units in the region.1 Transcaucasian policy of superpowers interested in Transcaucasia changed in this situation. In the present study we will refer to the Russian-Turkish and Russian-Iranian relations in the above-mentioned period and their influence on the political life of Transcaucasia. During the Russian-Turkish wars occurring regularly in the 18th century though military operations were mainly in Europe, Russia wanted to create 1 V. Grigoryan,Yerevan Khanate at the End of the 18th Century (1780-1800), Yerevan 1958, p.29. 276 problems for Turkey in the Transcaucasia, forcing Turkey to centralize a part of power in the East, or at least not to focus all the attention on European front. With the weakening of Iranian influence in Transcaucasia Russia had created favorable conditions for the implementation of the above-mentioned policy. Russia's policy of spreading its influence in Transcaucasia was in the interests of Georgian kings2 Solomon, Teimuraz II and Heraclius II who tried to have a powerful ally like Russia in order to protect their independence from Turkey and later from Iran.3Not only Turkey threatened the stability in Georgia, but also Muslim rulers of a region and especially Lezgins who regularly, sometimes at the instigation of Turkey, invaded territories of Georgian kingdoms, ruined the country and captured the population.Introducing the consequences of the invasion of Lezgins in Kartli and Kakheti kingdom the Russian representative in Georgia writes “There is little population in the country of Heraclius,one-third of the land is deserted.”4Before that the king of Kartli Teimuraz II, expecting Russia's help in this hard situation, left his kingdom to his son Heraclius II, the king of Kakheti and went to Russia in 1760.5 But Russian royal court didn’t rush to deepen Russian- Georgian relations. The Sublime Porte was following the Russian-Georgian relations and had negative attitude towards their strengthening. And at that time Russia avoiding a new war with Turkey, did not want to endanger the fragile peace while deepening relations with Georgia. Russia avoided to openly interfere in the internal affairs of Georgia and Iran and did everything that Turkey would not interfere as well. Perhaps this is the reason that the Board of Foreign Affairs were afraid that Teimuraz visit might bring tension and suspicion in Turkey.6 The entrance of the delegation to Moscow was allowed only after the assertions and the consent introduced to the Sultan's government that the delegation went there only for living and not for other affairs.7Despite such careful attitude of Russia towards Russian-Georgian relations, Turkey viewed any progress in Russian- Georgian relations as an organized alliance against Turkey,andThe Georgian 2 In this period there were three Georgian Kingdoms: Solomon reigned in Imereti, Teimuraz II reigned in the east of Imereti, Kartli and his son Heraclius II reigned in Kakheti. In 1762 Kartli and Kakheti joined under the rule of Heraclius II as a single kingdom. Since the kingdom of Heraclius II was also called Georgia in sources and documents of its time, we will consider the Kingdom of Heraclius II under the name of Georgia in this work too. 3 In Iran there was a struggle between the various pretenders to the throne and it was predictable that the winner of this fight will claim to restore Iran’s power in Transcaucasia. 4 A. Tsagareli, Diplomas and Other Historical Documents of the 18th Century Relating to Georgia, vol.1, 1768 - 1774, St Petersburg 1891, p. 358. 5 A. Ioannesyan, Joseph Emin, Yerevan 1945, p. 70. 6 Օ. Markovа, Russia, the Caucasus and International Relations in the XVIII Century, Moscow 1966, p. 129. 7 Օ. Markovа, ibid, p. 130. 277 Imereti and Kartli-Kakheti kingdomswere perceived by Turkey as allies of Russia in the Caucasus against Turkey. A number of factors contribute to the formation of such opinion in Turkey: King Solomon of Imeretia managed to defeat with small forces the Turkish army in a series of battles in the 1760's,8 Western and Turkish media wrote about Irakli II’s victories, Heraclius II allegedly captured Isfahan and made anti-Turkish calls; in 1761 Russian-Austrian anti-Turkish alliance signed in 1746 was renewed, Russian Chancellor M. Vorontsov wanted to use the liberation movements ofChristians of Turkey in the fightagainst Turkey.9 Perhaps due to these factors people began to speak in Turkey that the Georgians are experiencing great progress with the help of the Russians.10 Besides Teimuraz II, in 1762 Montenegrins also turned to Catherine the Great at the request of fight against Turkey. The Greeks, in their turn, assured the Empress that in case of war they would fight against the Sultan with the 50-thousand army.11 Due to the tension in Russian-Turkish relations in the 1760's in Transcaucasia the progress of the Russian troops on one hand and the Turkish troops on the other hand was expected. Although on June 10, 1764 Simeon I of Yerevan reported to the representative of Russia that the rumors about the intention of troops raiding by Turkey were far from reality, Tbilisi residents were terrified of the Turkish attack throughout 1764, because Turkey openly threatened Georgia with war.12 In 1768, when the Turkish war was declared, the military council decided to raise the Eastern Christians against Turkey in order to press that Muslim empire from four sides as Catherine the Great said. For this purpose people were sent to the Greeks and the Slavs, i.e Montenegrins. But all in vain.13 Turkey, in its turn,took steps to inclinethe Kabardiniars, the Crimean Tatars and the Turks against Russia. The latters were causing great distress for the Russians. In addition, the sultan sent a delegation to Dagestan feudal lords trying to persuade them to act against Georgia.14 Wanting to punish the Kurds15 raiding the Georgian borders, in 1769 Heraclius II invaded and destroyed villages in Kars.16 It was decided to send 8For more details see А. Ioannesyan, Joseph Emin, p. 160. 9 А. Ioannesyan, ibid, p. 94. 10 Օ. Markovа, ibid, p. 130.