Persian expedition of 1796
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Russo-Persian War of 1796 | |||||||
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Part of Russo-Persian Wars | |||||||
Oath of allegiance of the Novoshemakhan Gasim khan to Russia among the corps under the command of Count V. A. Zubov off the Aksuchay River in 1796 by Gavriil Sergeev . A late 1790s painting. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Russian Empire | Qajar dynasty | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Catherine the Great Valerian Zubov |
Agha Mohammad Khan | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
50,000[1] (other estimates suggest 30,000–40,000)[2] |
Tofangchi musketeers Royal regiment of Mohammad Khan Northern town watch | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
2,150 men | Unknown |
The Persian expedition of Catherine the Great in 1796, like the Persian expedition of Peter the Great (1722–1723), was one of the Russo-Persian Wars of the 18th century which did not entail any lasting consequences for either belligerent.
The last decades of the 18th century were marked by continual strife between rival claimants to the Peacock Throne. Empress Catherine the Great of Russia (r. 1762–1796) took advantage of the disorder to consolidate her control over the weak polities of the Caucasus, which was, for swaths of it, an integral Persian domain. The kingdom of Georgia, a subject of the Persians for many centuries, became a Russian protectorate in 1783, when King Erekle II signed the Treaty of Georgievsk, whereby the Empress promised to defend him in the case of Iranian attack. The shamkhals of Tarki followed this lead and accepted Russian protection three years later.
With the enthronement of
Although it was widely expected that a 50,000-strong Russian corps would be led by a seasoned general (
glorified this event in a famous ode; he would later comment bitterly on Valerian Zubov's inglorious return from the expedition in another remarkable poem.By mid-June Zubov's troops had overrun—without any resistance—most of the territory of modern-day
In that month the Empress of Russia died. Her successor, the Emperor Paul, who detested the Zubovs and had other plans for the army, ordered the troops to retreat to Russia. This reversal aroused the frustration and enmity of the powerful Zubovs and other officers who took part in the campaign: many of them would join the conspiracy which arranged Paul's assassination five years later.
References
- ^ Iranian-Russian Encounters: Empires and Revolutions Since 1800 p 51
- ^ Iranian-Russian Encounters: Empires and Revolutions Since 1800 p 51
- ISBN 978-0415624336p 51.
- ^
Mikaberidze, Alexander. Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia (2 volumes): A Historical Encyclopedia ABC-CLIO, 22 jul. 2011 ISBN 978-1598843378page 763.
Sources
- Gen. ISBN 5-9524-2107-5.