Jafar Qoli Khan Donboli () was the last

khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

of the

Khoy Khanate The Khoy Khanate (), also known as the Principality of Donboli (), was a hereditary Kurds, Kurdish khanate around Khoy and Salmas in Iran ruled by the Donboli (tribe), Donboli tribe from 1210 until 1799. The khanate has been described as the most ...

from 1798 to 1799 and penultimate Khan of Shaki from 1806 to 1814.

Background

He was born to either

Sahbaz Khan Donboli Sahbaz Khan Donboli () was the first khan of the Khoy Khanate The Khoy Khanate (), also known as the Principality of Donboli (), was a hereditary Kurds, Kurdish khanate around Khoy and Salmas in Iran ruled by the Donboli (tribe), Donboli tribe f ...

as their second son in

Khoy Khoy (, ) is a city in the Central District (Khoy County), Central District of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan province, West Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Occupied since Medes, Median times, ...

. He was from

Donboli The Donboli (Kurdish: دونبللی ,دنبلى, ''Donbolī'') are a Turkic-speaking, Kurdish tribe who live around Khoy and Salmas in northwestern Iran. They are currently adherents of Shia Islam, but before that they were reportedly Yazidis f ...

, a

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

tribe. Ahmad Khan Donboli was murdered in 1786, and Jafar Qoli had to flee the scene.

Life under Hosayn Qoli

His nephew Hosayn Qoli Donboli soon regained his throne in 1786 thanks to help from Mohammad Qoli Khan Afshar of

Urmia Khanate The Afshars of Urmia (also spelled Urmiya; ) are a branch of the Afshar tribe centered in the Iranian city of Urmia. From 1624/25 to 1820/21, the governorship of Urmia was mainly in the hands of the Urmia Afshars. After that, only a few them served ...

, meanwhile his father's murderers were put to death by Jafar Qoli. Hosayn Qoli had to pay an annual tribute to Mohammad Qoli because of this. Soon later Askar Khan Afshar arrived in Khoy, asking for Hosayn Qoli's help to invade Urmia and rescue his brother Mirza Abolhasan. Using the opportunity to stop paying tributes, Hosayn Qoli agreed to the plan. Khoy army commanded by Jafar Qoli defeated the Urmia army near Aq Ziarat in 1788. However, Mirza Abolhasan was killed by Mohammad Qoli at the suggestion of Khodadad Khan Donboli, Khan of Tabriz, leaving the war inconclusive. Khodadad was killed by

Sadeq Khan Shaqaqi Sadeq Khan Shaqaqi () was the chief of the Shaqaqi tribe and khan of Sarab from 1786 to 1800. He was the eldest son and successor of Ali Khan Shaqaqi. The Shaqaqi were Kurds who had become Turkified and converted to Shia Islam. They originally p ...

the same year. Meanwhile, Hosayn Qoli befriended

Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar 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 Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as Shah. Originally a chieftain of the Quwanlu branch of t ...

, receiving not only Khoy but

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

Ardabil Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The ...

and other parts of

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 ...

as governorate in 1791. However his marriage to

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 ...

's daughter raised suspicion by Agha Mohammad, he was replaced by Jafar Qoli briefly. The situation changed in 1797 again when Hosayn Qoli came to be favored by Fath Ali Khan Qajar, Jafar Qoli became a rebel and besieged Khoy with help from

Yazidi Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...

and

Shaqaqi The Shekak or Shakkak () is a Kurdish tribe present in various regions, mainly in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. History The Shikaki tribe are first mentioned in a Yezidi mişûr (manuscript) from 1207/1208 AD, as one of the tribes affiliated to ...

tribesmen. However the death of Hosaynqoli in 1798 forced him to assume the khanate and make peace with Fath Ali.

Reign in Shaki

Jafar Qoli attacked Sadiq Khan in 1798, defeated him, plundered Sarab and forced him to flee to

Mughan Mughan plain (, مغان دوزو; ) is a plain stretching from northwestern Iran to the southern part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The highest density of irrigation canals is in the section of the Mughan plain which lies in the Republic of Aze ...

. During his reign, Donboli tribe numbered 12.000 families. Later he rose up against Fath Ali in 1799, but was defeated by an army sent against him under

Abbas Mirza Abbas Mirza (; 26 August 1789 – 25 October 1833) was the Qajar dynasty, Qajar crown prince of Qajar Iran, Iran during the reign of his father Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (). As governor of the vulnerable Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan province, he played ...

near

Salmas Salmas () is a city in the Central District of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is northwest of Lake Urmia, near Turkey. Etymology The original name of Salmas was ...

. Jafarqoli had to flee to

Erivan Khanate The Erivan Khanate (), also known as , was a Khanates of the Caucasus, khanate (i.e., province) that was established in Afsharid dynasty, Afsharid Iran in the 18th century. It covered an area of roughly 19,500 km2, and corresponded to most o ...

and submit to Russians. In June 1804, at the head of his cavalry, as part of the Russian troops, he participated in the siege of Erivan. In July of the same year, he accepted Russian citizenship. On 10 December 1806, Emperor

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

approved Jafar Qoli Khan as the new khan of Shaki and promoted him to the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

. He was presented with the Imperial Certificate and a banner with the state emblem of Russia. A diamond feather, a saber decorated with precious stones and a gold medal sprinkled with diamonds were also awarded. During the Russian-Iranian war of 1804-1813, Jafar Quli Khan fought as a member of the Russian army and was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 1st degree. He died on 3 September 1814 from malaria. The descendants of Jafar Qoli Khan bore the surname Khoyski.

Family

He had at least three wives with numerous issues: # Sharafnisa begüm — sister or daughter of Ishak Pasha of

Van Eyalet The Van Eyalet () was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. The capital was Van. It was formed in 1548 as one of the Beylerbeyliks of the Ottoman Empire.Orhan Kılıç, XVII. Yüzyılın İlk Yarısında Osmanlı Devleti'nin Eyalet ve Sancak Teşki ...

## Ahmad Khan the Elder — married Shirin begüm (1794-?), daughter of

Javad Khan Javad Khan (); 1748 – 1804) was a member of Ziyadoghlu Qajar, a clan of the Qajars (tribe), Qajar tribe, as well as the sixth and the last Khan (title), khan of the Ganja Khanate from 1786 to 1804 before it was lost to Russian Empire, Russia. ...

Ganja ''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...

and Malaknisa Khanum, daughter of

Muhammad Husayn Khan Mushtaq Muhammad Husayn Khan Mushtaq (Persian: محمد حسین خان مشتاق, ), was the third khan of Shaki. He was described as a courageous but ruthless man by Abbasgulu agha Bakikhanov. Early years He was a grandson of Haji Chalabi. His f ...

## Ismail Khan Donboli (d. 24 July 1819) — succeeded Jafar Qoli as Khan of Shaki in 1814 ## Ishaq Pasha — married Kichik Khanum with two issues, and died during his father's lifetime ## Abotorab (Abra) Khan (d. 1846) — married Azad or İzzet begüm (?-between 1839 and 1847), daughter of

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 ...

## Sara Begüm — married Kalbali Khan Khoyski, son of Ahmad Khan Donboli # Saltanat begüm — sister of Mohammad Khan of

Erivan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

(1784-1804) # Gowhar agha Javanshir (1796-1888) — daughter of

He is the ancestor of several officials of

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (), also known as the Azerbaijan People's Republic (; ), was the first secular democracy, democratic republic in the Turkic peoples, Turkic and Muslim worlds. *Tadeusz Swietochowski. ''Russia and Azerbaijan: ...

, such as

Adil Khan Ziyadkhanov Adil Khan Ziyadkhanov () — Azerbaijani statesman and diplomat. Biography He was born in Elisabethpol, Russian Empire to Abulfat agha Ziyadkhanov and Azer Humayun khanum in 1877. His father was great-grandson of Javad Khan of Ganja on patern ...

and Ismayil Khan Ziyadkhanov (both served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs), Fatali Khan Khoyski (

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of Azerbaijan), Rustam Khan Khoyski ( Minister of Social Security), Huseyngulu Khan Khoyski (Deputy of Ganja Governorate), Amiraslan Khan Khoyski (governor of

Qazax Qazax (; ) is a city in and the capital of the Gazakh District of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 20,900. Gazakh is a city and administrative district in the west of Azerbaijan, the "western gate" of Azerbaijan. History Early history I ...

) and poet Gamar Sheyda.

References

Sources

* * * {{Encyclopædia Iranica Online, url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-iranica-online/khoy-koy-COM_365310, title=Khoy (Ḵoy), first=Kevin, last=Gledhill, year=2022 People from Khoy Khoy Khanate 1814 deaths Donboli tribe Iranian defectors Iranian emigrants to the Russian Empire People from the Shaki Khanate