The Sultanate of Elisu, also known as Elisou or Ilisu, was a sultanate in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Geography, population and government

Located mostly on the southern slope of the Caucasus Mountains in what is now northwest

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, it extended from north of the mountain crest down to the Alazani river valley. Southeast in the lowlands was the Shirvan Khanatem and northwest along the mountains were the Djaro-Belokani communities. Djaro-Belokan and Elisu were closely connected. The mountainous north was inhabited by Tsakhurs and the low country by

Azerbaijanis Azerbaijanis (; , ), Azeris (, ), or Azerbaijani Turks (, ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group living mainly in the Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. They are predomin ...

and the Ingiloys (Muslim Georgians). The upper class was Tsakhur. In local usage, a

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

was below a Khan and above a Bey. The Sultanate was partly hereditary and partly elected by a Jamaat, an assembly of notables. He was often confirmed by the Persian Shah. In a few cases, he was imposed by whoever had a large army nearby. For a few purposes, the Sultan was almost a member of the Djaro-Belokani.

History

The history of the Sultanate begins north of the mountains in the upper reaches of the Samur River ( Rutulsky District) with the Tsakhur people, a western branch of the Lezgians. They formed the Tsakhur Khanate and paid tribute to the Gazikumukh Shamkhalate. In the 15th century, the Tsakhurs began moving south over the mountain crest toward the Alazani River. They settled in the province of Hereti of the Kingdom of Kakheti. In the early 17th century, Shah Abbas I of

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 ...

took the lands from the king of Kakheti and granted them to the Dagestani feudal clans, which enjoyed a degree of autonomy (Djar-Beylakan society, the sultanate of Ilisu). the area was an 'ulka' of the Shirvan Khanate. The rulers were also vassals of

and sometimes 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 ...

, depending on the relative power of each. At the beginning of the 18th century, the capital moved south from the town of Tsakhur to İlisu, and the Elisu Sultanate is now heard of. The Elisu dynasty belonged to the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

denomination of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. The first ruler was Sultan Adi Korklu Bey, who established the Elisu Sultanate on March 8, 1563 and was a Tsakhur. In 1711, there was a widespread anti-Persian movement, which was partly a Sunni-Shia conflict. One of the leaders was Ali Sultan of Elisu. He captured a wide area, and the Turkics made him beylerbey of Shaki. Nadir Shah drove the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

out in 1735. When his army returned south Djaro-Belokani and Elisu rose again (1738), Nadir Shah's brother was killed suppressing it, and Ali Sultan was forcibly replaced by his son. At some point, Nadir Shah entered Elisu and burned part of it. As soon as he left, the Begs, who had fled to the mountains, returned and replaced his puppet sultan. 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 ...

took over the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti in 1801. Pavel Tsitsianov pushed east to the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

from 1803 to 1806. In April, subdued the Djaro-Belokani area. They submitted and so received the Elisu Sultanate. In October, the mountaineers rose again with the help of the Gazikumukh Khanate and were defeated. In January 1804, Gulyakov chased them deep into the mountains and was killed. The Djaris did not pay tribute and blamed the Sultan, and in 1805, he was replaced by Akhmed Khan, who went to

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to offer submission. In 1826, during the Russo-Persian War, Akhmed Khan was driven out by the Begs and replaced by Bala-Aga-Beg. The Russians returned, restored Akhmed and took Bala-Aga away in chains. In 1830, the Djaris revolted but submitted when troops approached. They were placed under the Djari Oblast with the Sultanate attached the year that Daniyal Bek became Sultan. In 1842, when the Murid War was going poorly for the Russians, the Sultanate was placed under the Djaro-Belokani Military Okrug under General Grigory Schwarz. By 1844 Daniyal Sultan was either pushed or pulled into the arms of Shamil. Schwarz took Elisu by storm, and the Sultanate was abolished. Daniyal fled and became one of Shamil's best officers. His daughter married Shamil's son. After Shamil's movement collapsed, Daniyal submitted for a full pardon. The last Sultan of Elisu died in the

in 1873 in

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. His descendants now live in

in the сities of Qakh, Shaki, Nəbiağalı, Goychay, Ganja, and

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and use the surname Sultanov if male and Sultanova if female. Descendants also live in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, in the city of

References

This was abstracted from the Russian and Azerbaijani Wikipedia, there being no obvious source in English.

Sources

* *

External links

{{Khanates of the Caucasus 18th century in Azerbaijan 19th century in Azerbaijan History of Dagestan Ilisu States and territories disestablished in 1844

Geography, population and government

History

See also

References

Sources

External links