Before the creation of the

Caucasus Military District The Caucasus Military District (, ''Kavkazskiy voenniy okrug'') was a military formation of the Imperial Russian Army. It was created in 1865 as the successor to the Russian Caucasus Forces (before 1865), Caucasus Army, and was dissolved in 1917. ...

in 1865, Russian forces in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

were organized, at different times, in a number of formations under various names.

Before 1815

In 1777, the Russian troops located at

Kizlyar Kizlyar (; ; , ''Qızlar'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located on the border with the Chechen Republic in the river delta, delta of the Terek River northwest of Makhachkala, the cap ...

and along the entire borderline of the

Terek River The Terek () is a major river in the Northern Caucasus. It originates in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region of Georgia and flows through North Caucasus region of Russia into the Caspian Sea. It rises near the juncture of the Greater Caucasus ...

were formed into a body subordinate to the governor of

Astrakhan Astrakhan (, ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the Caspian Depression, from the Caspian Se ...

. Into this corps were subsumed the Karbadian and Gorski jaeger battalions from the garrison of Kizlyar, and one battalion of the garrison of the town of

Mozdok Mozdok (; , ''Mæzdæg'') is a town and the administrative center of Mozdoksky District in North Ossetia–Alania, Russia, located on the left shore of the Terek River, north of the republic's capital Vladikavkaz. As of the 2010 Census, its p ...

. In 1779, this body was strengthened with the arrival at Astrakhan of the Selege, Tomsk, and Ladoga infantry regiments. In the autumn of 1782, this body, having been further strengthened in the meantime, was named the Novolineyny Corps, and then soon renamed the Caucasus Corps. By then, the Corps consisted of 22 infantry battalions, 20 squadrons of dragoons, and four batteries of artillery (30 guns). In early 1796, the Tsarina

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 ...

, having decided to declare war on

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 ...

, ordered that the Corps be strengthened with the addition of four infantry regiments, 3 legkokonnymi regiments, and one

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

regiment. The troops chosen to participate in the

Persian Expedition of 1796 The Persian expedition of Catherine the Great of 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. ...

were organized into the Caspian Corps under Count Zubov. This Corps consisted of six battalions of grenadiers, twelve battalions of musketeers, seven jaeger battalions, and 45 squadrons of cavalry. After the death of Catherine, her successor

Paul I Paul I may refer to: *Paul of Samosata (200–275), Bishop of Antioch *Paul I of Constantinople (died c. 350), Archbishop of Constantinople *Pope Paul I (700–767) *Paul I Šubić of Bribir (c. 1245–1312), Ban of Croatia and Lord of Bosnia *Paul ...

halted military operations against Persia and withdrew all the troops stationed on the Caspian and in Georgia back into Russia. In November 1796, an Imperial Order established a reorganization of all regiments. The troops were formed into 12 divisions, and soon renamed the Inspectorate. Troops stationed in the Caucasus became the Tenth Caucasian Division. The Caspian Corps was disbanded and its troops reassigned to organizations which had been withdrawn into the internal provinces of Russia. In 1801, at time of the accession to the throne of Tsar

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 ...

, the troops in the Caucasian Inspectorate consisted of 15 infantry battalions, 20 squadrons of dragoons, and 5 artillery batteries.

1815 to 1857

On December 21, 1815, by Imperial Order, the troops of the 19th and 20th divisions, located on the Caucasian border, in Georgia, and in the Transcaucasian region in general, were formed into a separate Georgia Corps. In early 1819, the commander in Georgia, General Ermolov, requested a strengthening of the forces in the region. Tsar Alexander I did not feel able to do this on a permanent basis, but on April 19 sent ten regiments as a temporary reinforcement. In August 1820, an Imperial Order was issued decreeing that some troops in the Georgia Corps be formed into a separate Caucasus Corps. File:Vasily Timm. Soldat otdel'nago Kavkazskago Korpusa.jpg, Soldier of the Separate Caucasian Corps, drawing by V. F. Timm, period 1851-1862. File:Рядовой Куринского полка. периода 1858—1861 годов.jpg, Private Kurinsky regiment. Drawing by T. Horschelt, period 1858-1861 File:Feldwebel_Vasily_Ivanov.jpg, ''Officer of the Separate Caucasian сorps, by A. L. Zisserman''. File:Артиллерист фейервейкер Отдельного кавказского корпуса.jpg, ''Artillery fireworker of the Separate Caucasian сorps''

1857 to 1865: Caucasus Army

On December 6, 1857, the Caucasus Corps was renamed the Caucasus Army, and the post of Chief of the Caucasus Army General Staff was created. In August 1865, the

was created, and the general staff of the Caucasus Army was abolished, although the army was not formally abolished in name until 1881.

Commanders

* Jacobi, Ivan Varfolomeyevich (appointed governor of Astrakhan in 1776) * Knorring, Karl F. von (the first Russian commander in Georgia) * Tsitsianov, Paul D. * Tormasov, Aleksandr Petrovich * Paulucci, Philip Osipovich *

Nikolay Rtishchev Nikolay Federovich Rtishchev (; 1754 – ) was an Imperial Russian general who served as the Russian commander-in-chief in the Caucasus between 1812 and 1816. He is noted for being the Russian signatory to the Treaty of Gulistan, which brought ...

(1812-1816) * Ermolov, Aleksei Petrovich (1816-1827) * Paskevich, Ivan (1827-1831) * Rosen, Gregory V. (1831-1838) * Golovin, Evgeniy (1838-1842) * (1842-1844) * Vorontsov, Mikhail Semenovich (1844-1855) * Myravyov-Karsky, Nikolai Nikolaevich (1855-1856) * Baryatinskiy, Alexander Ivanovich (1856-1857)

Before 1815

1815 to 1857

1857 to 1865: Caucasus Army

Commanders

See also