The Javanshirs (; – ''Javānširān'') are a Turkic

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

from

Karabakh Karabakh ( ; ) is a geographic region in southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and Aras. It is divided into three regions: Highland Kara ...

, who are a branch of the

Oghuz Turks The Oghuz Turks ( Middle Turkic: , ) were a western Turkic people who spoke the Oghuz branch of the Turkic language family. In the 8th century, they formed a tribal confederation conventionally named the Oghuz Yabgu State in Central Asia ...

. Between 1748 and 1822, members of the Javanshir clan functioned as the head of the

Karabakh Khanate The Karabakh Khanate (also spelled Qarabagh; ; ) was a Khanates of the Caucasus, khanate under History of Iran, Iranian and later Russian Empire, Russian suzerainty, which controlled the historical region of Karabakh, now divided between modern ...

History

Early years

The greater Javanshir tribe is said to of came from

Turkestan Turkestan,; ; ; ; also spelled Turkistan, is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and East Turkestan (Xinjiang). The region is located in the northwest of modern day China and to the northwest of its ...

, as

Reza-Qoli Khan Hedayat Reza-Qoli Khan Hedayat (; 8 June 1800 – 29 June 1871) was an Iranian literary historian, administrator, and poet in 19th-century Qajar Iran. Biography Hedayat was born in Tehran on 8 June 1800 to a renowned family which was descended from the ...

wrote in his book Rozvat-us-Safa, "the Javanshir elat came from Turkestan and belonged to the tribe of Oshir ( Afshar) Khan, who was son of Ildyz Khan, the fourth son of Uguz (Oghuz) Khan. The Javanshir tribe joined the 120-thousand-strong army of Hulagu khan. Under Emir Timur, they came back from Rûm for the second time and spread across Turkestan,

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

, and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. One of its branches led by Ibrahim Khalil Agha, who served

Shah Abbas I Abbas I (; 27 January 1571 – 19 January 1629), commonly known as Abbas the Great (), was the fifth Safavid shah of Iran from 1588 to 1629. The third son of Shah Mohammad Khodabanda, he is generally considered one of the most important rulers ...

, remained in Karabakh."Ismailov, Eldar, THE KHANS OF KARABAKH: THE ROOTS, SUBORDINATION TO THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE, AND LIQUIDATION OF THE KHANATE,CA&C Press AB,Sweden, https://www.ca-c.org/c-g-online/2014/journal_eng/c-g-1-2/10.shtml#_edn13, Under the rule of

Safavid Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

, the Javanshirs vied with the

Qajars The Qajar family (; 1789–1925) was an Iranian royal family founded by Mohammad Khan (), a member of the Qoyunlu clan of the Turkoman-descended Qajar tribe. The dynasty's effective rule in Iran ended in 1925 when Iran's ''Majlis'', conveni ...

and other

Qizilbash Qizilbash or Kizilbash (Latin script: ) ; ; (modern Iranian reading: ); were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman "The Qizilbash, composed mainly of Turkman tribesmen, were the military force introduced by the conquering Safavis to the Irani ...

tribes over the influence in Karabakh. In the course of the Turco–Persian wars, the Javanshirs subordinated the Ottomans in 1589. In retaliation, in 1612–1613, Abbas I of Iran induced the

to kill the Javanshir leaders. In 1626–1627, the Javanshir clan was placed by the shah under the stewardship of Nowruz Beg, a Georgian from the Tulashvili clan and a brother-in-law of Davud khan Allahverdi, who was invested with the governorship of Karabakh.

Creation of the Karabakh Khanate

Panah Ali Khan Panah Ali Khan Javanshir (; ; 1693 – 1759 or 1763) was the founder and first ruler of the Karabakh Khanate under Persian suzerainty. Ancestry Panah Ali Khan was from the Sarijali branch of the Javanshir clan, who with their associate clan of ...

, forefather of the dynasty and founder of the

, was a representative of an ancestral aristocracy of a Turkic tribe called Javanshir. After

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was a ...

's accession to power in

, he was called for a service by him, but after several years, in 1738, he was forced to escape from Khorasan to the North, Shaki and

Shirvan Shirvan (from ; ; Tat: ''Şirvan'') is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, as known in both pre-Islamic Sasanian and Islamic times. Today, the region is an industrially and agriculturally developed part of the Republic of Azerbaijan ...

, with a group of supporters.According to Mirza Adigozal-bey, Nader Shah replaced murdered Fazl Ali-bey with his younger brother, “handed him the chomak (staff), clad him in the clothes of an eshik-agasy, and conferred on him the rights of his dead elder brother;” Mirza Adigozal-bey believed that Panah Ali-bey found it undignified to “carry the chomak, bow to Nader Shah, and talk to his osauls.” Due to Nader Shah killing his brother, he went off to plunder wealth with his tribesmen and went into hiding. Murder of Nader Shah in the result of conspiracy led to collapse of the state established by him. Taking advantage of the central power's weakening, Panahali khan, with his detachment consisting of 200 riders, arrived Karabakh, and declared himself an independent khan. At that time, Otuziki, Javanshir and Kebirli tribes, which were forcibly evicted to Khorasan, returned to Karabakh. Elder son of Panahali khan - 15 years old

Ibrahim Khalil Khan Ibrahim Khalil Khan Javanshir (, 1732–1806) was the second khan of the Karabakh Khanate from the Javanshir family. He was the son and successor of Panah-Ali khan Javanshir. Early life He was born in c. 1732 in Karabakh. He was among depo ...

also escaped from Khorasan to Karabakh, to his father. Strengthening of Panah Khan didn't suit his neighbors’ taste.

Haji Chalabi Khan Haji Chalabi Khan (1703 1755), was a statesman, warlord, ruler and founder of Shaki Khanate. Origin Born to a certain landlord Gurban beg during the reign of Sultan Husayn in 1703, he was of noble birth. Biographer Haji Seyid Abdulhamid mentio ...

of Shaki drove a newly appeared khan out of Karabakh in that very year, but next year Panahali Khan returned with a strong detachment and destroyed Haji in a stubborn struggle. After this, all Turkic tribes of Karabakh recognized Panahali Khan's power. Turkic tribes Otuziki, Javanshir and Kebirli dwelling in low-lying regions, became a kernel of the Karabakh Khanate. The khanate occupied a significant territory and included low-lying and also mountainous parts of Karabakh. Initially, a residence of khan was Bayat Castle, constructed in 1748. Later the ruler moved to Shahbulag Castle, near modern day Aghdam. In 1751, unapproachable Panahabad fortress, built by Panah Khan, became the capital of the khanate.

Ibrahim Khalil Khan

After Kerim khan overrode the whole Iran, he called Panahali khan to

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

and made him his counselor and his son charged Mehrali bey with ruling Karabakh. In 1759, Panahali khan died in Shiraz. Mehrali bey finished strengthening of

Shusha Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet Union, Soviet ...

and built new fortresses called Asgaran and Agh-oghlan. Soon he was treacherously murdered by Aghasi khan of Shirvan, after which Ibrahim Khalil Khan-elder son of Panahali khan – asserted himself in Karabakh. His reign began from overriding of fallen meliks, which was lasted till 1787. In that very year, Ibrahim Khalil Khan attempted to conquer

Shamakhi Shamakhi (, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Shamakhi District. The city's estimated population was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving its name to th ...

, but was defeated by Fatali khan of

Quba Quba () is a city and the administrative centre of the Quba District (Azerbaijan), Quba District of Azerbaijan. The city lies on the north-eastern slopes of Mount Shahdagh, Shahdag mountain, at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level, on the ...

. In 1795, Ibrahim Khalil Khan, who didn't want to obey

Agha Mohammad Khan Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Qajar Iran, Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as Shah. Originally a chieftain of the Quwanlu ...

who conquered whole Iran until then, sent his ambassadors to

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

empress

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

to ask for the Russian citizenship. Knowing about these discussions, Agha Mohammad Khan gathered a great army with overall strength of 85 thousand people, went over the

Aras River The Aras is a transboundary river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, between Iran and both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and, fin ...

and approached Shusha, in 1795. Ibrahim Khalil Khan, who had only 15 thousand soldiers under his guidance, defended desperately. Siege of the fortress lasted for 33 days, but due to selfless actions of defenders of the fortress, who were ruled by Ibrahim Khalil Khan and his

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

, eminent poet

Molla Panah Vagif Molla Panah (), better known by his pen-name Vagif (), was an 18th-century Azerbaijanis, Azerbaijani poet, statesman and diplomat. He is regarded as the founder of the realism genre and the modern school in Azerbaijani literature, Azerbaijani poe ...

- Agha Mohammad Khan couldn't conquer the fortress and he was forced to call a siege off. He ordered to devastate outskirts of the country. After their departure Karabakh burst into starvation. In 1797, Agha Mohammad Khan invaded Karabakh again. Until then, situation of the Karabakh Khanate was extremely difficult: starvation and plague were rife and rampant in the country and many of the citizens of Karabakh were forced to move to other khanates looking for bread. Withstanding of the second siege was impossible and Ibrahim Khalil Khan left the city and escaped to

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...

with his family. But after conquering Shusha, Agha Mohammad Khan was murdered by his servants and losing its leader the

Iranian army The Islamic Republic of Iran Army (), acronymed AJA (), commonly simplified as the Iranian Army, is the conventional military of Iran and part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of th ...

left Karabakh. Ibrahim Khalil Khan came back to Shusha and ruled there for several years as a fully independent ruler. He tried to support good relations with Fathali Shah - a new ruler of Iran, nephew of Agha Mohammad Khan. But this peace was not durable.

Ceding to Russia

Not severing relations with the khan, the shah attempted to bring its garrison to Shusha. In May 1805, Ibrahim Khalil Khan renewed discussions with

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and moved to Russian citizenship. An agreement was later reached, by which Ibrahim Khalil Khan was allowed to continue to rule the khanate, and his son Mehdiqoli khan Javanshir would be confirmed as his successor. Ibrahim Khalil Khan was obliged to pay an annual tribute of 8,000 chevrons, and allowed the Russian garrison to enter Shusha. He hoped that hereby he will be able to save his government from capture of neighbor states, but he precipitated its end. In the spring of 1806, when the Iranian army consisting of 20 thousand soldiers arrived at Shusha, lieutenant-colonel Lisanevich, commander of the Russian garrison, ordered 80-years-old Ibrahim Khalil Khan for suspicion and betrayal and annihilated all his family (including of his wives and a lot of little children). Russian Government announced Mehdigulu khan Vafa, the son of Mehdiqoli khan Javanshir, as the new khan, but he didn't forgive the Russians and was a secret ally of Iran during the time of his reign. Meanwhile, in 1813, at the end of the Russo-Iranian war of 1804–1813, the first of the two major Russo-Iranian treaties of the 19th century—known as the Treaty of Golestan—was signed in the Golestan fortress of Karabakh. Per the treaty, the conversion of the Karabakh Khanate to Russia was recognized and

Qajar Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin,Cyrus G ...

was forced to officially cede it alongside much of its other

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Common meanings *Anything from the Caucasus region or related to it ** Ethnic groups in the Caucasus ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus re ...

territories comprising modern-day

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and most of the contemporary

Republic of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russi ...

. In November 1822, fearing the wrath of the Russians for the overtures he had made to the Iranian government, he escaped to

, so hastily that he even forgot the state seal in Shusha. In 1822, the Karabakh Khanate was abolished and reformed into a province of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. The Iranian government didn't put up with losing

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...

and southern

. Urging on by

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, it soon began a new war against Russia. The Iranians did not succeed to conquer Shusha, which was desperately defensed by the Russian garrison of lieutenant-colonel Reutt, and were eventually driven out.

Dynasty

(1693–1758/63) *Mehrali Bey (1759/63) *

(1759/63–1806) * Mehdiqoli khan Javanshir (1806–1822) Prominent members of the dynasty were Jafargulu agha Javanshir, Mammad Hasan agha Javanshir, Khurshidbanu Natavan, Behbud Khan Javanshir, and others. Descendants of the dynasty are spread throughout

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

, and

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

References

Sources

* {{cite encyclopedia , article = EBRĀHĪM ḴALĪL KHAN JAVĀNŠĪR , last = Bournoutian , first = George A. , author-link = George Bournoutian , url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ebrahim-kalil-khan-javansir , editor-last = , editor-first = , editor-link = , encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. VIII, Fasc. 1 , pages = 71–73 , location = , publisher = , year =1997 , isbn = Azerbaijani noble families Karabakh Khanate Middle Eastern dynasties