The Battle of Robat Karim (, ) was fought by the Iranian people, around Robat Karim (near

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

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 ...

) during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

under the command of ''Heydar Latifiyan'' against the occupation of Iran by Russian forces. Although the result of this battle was the victory of the

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

, their goals were fulfilled and Iran was secured from the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

, but in the larger goal, Iran was preserved during the First World War and never became a

colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...

of any country.

Preparations

Before
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

The Persian campaign or invasion of Iran was a series of military conflicts between the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

and

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 ...

in various areas of what was then neutral

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 ...

, beginning in December 1914 as part of the

Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I The Middle Eastern theatre of World War I saw action between 30 October 1914 and 30 October 1918. The combatants were, on one side, the Ottoman Empire, with some assistance from the other Central Powers; and on the other side, the British Em ...

Persia 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 ...

declared its neutrality during the outbreak of the First World War. Despite this, the country quickly became affected by the pre-war rivalry between the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

and the

. Foreign interests in Persia were primarily based on the country's strategic location between

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and the

, as well as the country's oil reserves, which were first discovered on 26 May 1908. In the Anglo-Russian Treaty of 1907, the

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 ...

and British governments agreed to divide Persia into three regions, with the Russians laying claim to northern Persia, the part adjacent to their previously conquered territories in the

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 the British claimed the south which bordered

(a third region was left as a buffer zone). The 1907 treaty capped off several decades of

the Great Game The Great Game was a rivalry between the 19th-century British and Russian empires over influence in Central Asia, primarily in Afghanistan, Persia, and Tibet. The two colonial empires used military interventions and diplomatic negotiations t ...

between the Russians and the British. The treaty was signed at a time when German imperial expansion into the region was underway and the agreement served both Russia and Britain by providing a counterweight to increasing German regional influence and potential future expansion into the region.

Beginning of Persian campaign

Russia was Iran's northern neighbor at that time and had many wars with Iran during the Qajar period. The British forces in the south and southeast of Iran had caused dissatisfaction among the Iranians by occupying parts of the Iranian soil under the pretext of protecting the interests of the Iranians. During the First World War, despite the official announcement of Iran's neutrality, two countries, England and Russia, violated territorial sovereignty due to lack of trust. When the Russian forces were advancing towards Tehran after signing the secret agreement of 1915 with England under the pretext of protecting the security of the embassy during

Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

, Mustofi al-Mamalek was under the influence of some of the million and following the democratic lawyers and distinguished men such as the late Modares believed that in.

Forces

After the end of the , Baratov was informed that the German agents were inciting the Persians to revolt, in order to avoid further setbacks, he sent a Teheran detachment of 668 people and with two guns to deal with the rebels. The detachment made a 70-mile march and was ambushed by 2,000 Persian.

Battle zone

Robat Karim () is a city in the Central District of

Robat Karim County Robat Karim County () is in Tehran province, 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 northwe ...

province,

, serving as capital of both the county and the district. One of the main reasons for the formation of the battle of Rabat Karim, the location of this city on the Silk Road and Khorasan pilgrimage route to Baghdad can be mentioned, and on the other hand, after Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar chose Tehran as the capital and he encouraged its construction and settlement. Tehran became the center of governmental and governmental affairs, the commuting of people to Tehran to meet their needs and perform administrative work from different parts of the country increased, and people from the southern regions of Iran, caravans, merchants and military units had to go from Rabat Karim, which is on the Saveh road to Tehran. It was true that they were passing through, which gradually attracted immigrants from various cities to Rabat Karim.

Last fight

The Russians took refuge in a safe place and began to encircle the positions of the Iranians with artillery, after which the commander of the Belomestnov ordered a decisive attack, part of the Persian detachment fled at the sight of the Cossacks, who hacked down the retreating troops. The battle ended with the complete success of the Russians. Entente troops lost only a few people, and the Iranians 245 killed.

Result

If Tehran (the royal capital of Iran) was captured by the Russian army, Iran would become one of the permanent colonies of Tsarist Russia. Due to popular resistance in the Battle of Robat Karim (although Iranian people were killed and Russia won), time was provided to separate the capital of the state and the capital of the monarchy, and thus Iran was saved from the danger of complete collapse. Although the result of this battle was the victory of the Russians, but in the larger goal, Iran was preserved during the First World War and never became a colony of any country. Bahar, Mohammad Taghi (1992). A brief history of political parties in Iran: the extinction of the Qajar dynasty. J. First. Amir Kabir Publications.

Aftermath

Ahmad Matin-Daftari (later Prime Minister of Iran) mentions the tragic fate and death of these resistance forces in his memoirs.Aqeli (summer 1370). "Memoirs of a Prime Minister - Dr. Ahmed Matin Daftari". Elmi publications, Tehran, Iran After the defeat of Robat Karim's popular resistance and his death, Abdul Hossein Farmanfarma expressed his regret through a telegram sent to Isfahan and told the National Defense Committee that: In addition to the 7-8-year exams and the Saveh and Rabat Karim exams, I will sit for one more exam in Isfahan and forcefully invite the foreign army to the middle of Iran, which is Isfahan..." At the same time, all the goals of the Russians were fulfilled, after the victory, the central powers will never again be able to provoke the Persians into a big uprising against the Entente.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Documentary on the First World War in Iran, produced by Saber Sadeghi, YouTube
{{Robat Karim County Battles of the Caucasus Campaign 1910s in Russia 1910s in Iran Iran–Russia relations Iran–Russia military relations Russo-Persian Wars Battles of the Russo-Persian Wars 1915 in Iran 1915 in the Russian Empire History of Tehran History of Tehran province 2nd term of the Iranian Majlis Invasions of Iran Iran in World War I Military operations of World War I