Safavid Daghestan
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The province of Daghestan () was a province 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 ...
, centred on the territory of the present-day
Republic of 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 ...
(
North Caucasus The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...
,
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 ...
). Numerous high-ranking Safavid figures originally hailed from the province, or had roots there.


History

Safavid control could roughly be divided into two areas. The areas in southernmost Daghestan, amongst which Darband (Derbent), were governed by officials who directly hailed from the Safavid ranks. The areas more to the north and west, where various Daghestani
principalities A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "principality" is often ...
and feudal territories existed, were governed by various local dynasts under Safavid suzerainty. The most important of these were the Shamkhal of
Kumukh Kumukh (; ), also known as Gazi Kumukh, is a village and the administrative center of Laksky District in Dagestan. It is located on the banks of the Kazikumukh Koysu, a branch of the Sulak River. Etymology Laks (Caucasus), Laks use the name "Lak" ...
at 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 ...
, and the ruler of the Kara Qaytaq styled with the hereditary title of ''Utsmi'', located on the
Caspian Caspian can refer to: *The Caspian Sea *The Caspian Depression, surrounding the northern part of the Caspian Sea *The Caspians, the ancient people living near the Caspian Sea *The Caspian languages spoken in northern Iran and southeastern Azerbaij ...
littoral. The small kingdom of Enderi, located south of the Terek, formed somewhat of a "buffer state" towards the north. In contemporary sources, its population was commonly referred to as "Lezgis". The Safavid king (''
shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...
'') appointed the Shamkhal himself, but the candidate always had to be from the local princes. According to
Engelbert Kaempfer Engelbert Kaempfer (16 September 16512 November 1716) was a German natural history, naturalist, physician, exploration, explorer, and writer known for his tour of Russia, Iran, Persia, India, Southeast Asia, and Japan between 1683 and 1693. He ...
, the Shamkhal also possessed the title of '' vali'' (i.e. viceroy), but "only as a honorific".
Fath-Ali Khan Daghestani Fath-Ali Khan Daghestani (), was a Lezgian nobleman, who served as the Grand Vizier of the Safavid ''shah'' (king) Soltan Hoseyn (r. 1694–1722) from 1716 to 1720. A member of an aristocratic Lezgian family native to Daghestan, Daghestani was ...
, a member of the family of the Shamkhal of Kumukh, rose to become one of the most powerful individuals in the Safavid state. Though the Shamkhal and the ''Utsmi'' attempted at playing the Safavids,
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 ...
, and
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 ...
against each other, they were, most of the time, subject rulers of the Safavids. From 1606 till 1719, the ''Utsmi'' paid tribute to their Safavid overlords, whereas the Shamkhals did so from 1636 till 1719. During the Russo-Persian War of 1651-1653, the successful Safavid offensive resulted in the destruction of the Russian fortress on the Iranian side of the Terek and its garrison being expelled. After the issue with the Russians was dealt with, then incumbent Safavid king Abbas II (r. 1642-1666) ordered the "master of the hunt" (''mīr shekār-bāshi'')
Allahverdi Khan Allahverdi Khan (, ka, ალავერდი-ხანი; 1560 – June 3, 1613) was an Iranian general and statesman of Georgian origin who, initially a '' gholām'' ("military slave"), rose to high office in the Safavid state. Iskanda ...
to build new fortresses in Daghestan in order to secure the settlement of
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 ...
warriors. However, this led to an atmosphere of uncomfort amongst the Daghestani tribes. Abbas II then tried to bring the Daghestani vassal rulers under the jurisdiction of the Safavid governor of
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 ...
, Hajji Manuchehr Khan. When these efforts proved to be unsuccessful, the Safavids sent a 30,000 strong army, which defeated the tribal Daghestani forces. Nevertheless, however, the result was "status quo ante". The Safavid rulers allowed their subject, the Shamkhal, to regain his post as local ruler whereas the Shamkhal sent a son, Gol-Mehr Beg as hostage to the Safavid capital
Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
. In 1659, a Safavid army which included 2,000
musketeer A musketeer ( ) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare, particularly in Europe, as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a precursor to the rifl ...
s (''tofangchis''), artillery-men (''tupchis''), their artillery battery (''tup-khaneh'') led by Aliqoli Beg the ''tupchi-bashi-ye jolo'', was dispatched to the Daghestan province. In 1668, the province was attacked by the
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 ...
Stenka Razin Stepan Timofeyevich Razin (, ; c. 1630 – ), known as Stenka Razin ( ), was a Don Cossack leader who led a major uprising against the nobility and tsarist bureaucracy in southern Russia in 1670–1671. Early life Razin's father, Timofey Ra ...
and his men. By the late 1710s, Safavid Iran was in a state of heavy decline, with high-profile issues on its border regions. Amongst these, was the issue related to the Shamkhal of Tarki. For years, the Safavids had not paid his customary subsidy. When the Shamkhal of Tarki then requested government troops against Russian aggression, the Safavid king promised him "a token sum of 1,000 tomans". As a result of this negligence, the Shamkhal of Tarki submitted to Russian authority in 1717, facilitating the Russian invasion of Iran of several years later. In 1719, the ''Utsmi'' of the Kara Qaytaq and the Shamkhal rebelled against the Safavid overlordship. In the same year the Lezgis were already considered a threat to the northwestern regions. The Safavid government then decided to send the Safavid commander-in-chief (''sepahsalar'') Hosaynqoli Khan (Vakhtang VI) to Daghestan in order to deal with the issue. Assisted by the governors of
Kakheti Kakheti (; ) is a region of Georgia. Telavi is its administrative center. The region comprises eight administrative districts: Telavi, Gurjaani, Qvareli, Sagarejo, Dedoplistsqaro, Signagi, Lagodekhi and Akhmeta. Kakhetians speak the ...
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 ...
, the commander-in-chief made significant progress in putting a halt to the Lezgins. However, the initially successful counter-campaign was abandoned by the central government at a critical moment in 1721. The order, which came after the fall of
grand vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...
Fath-Ali Khan Daghestani, was made at the instigation of the eunuch faction within the royal court, who had persuaded the shah that a successful end of the campaign would do the Safavid realm more harm than good. In their view, it would enable Hosaynqoli Khan, the Safavid '' vali'', to form an alliance 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 ...
with an eye to conquering Iran. With the threat then left unchecked,
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 ...
, the capital of the Shirvan province, was taken by 15,000 Lezgin tribesmen aided by Shamkhal Sorkhay Khan, its
Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
population massacred, and the city ransacked. In 1722, 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 ...
capitalized on the eruption of chaos and instability, and
annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...
the maritime areas of the province, including Derbent, from the Safavids. After the Safavids were restored in 1729 by Nader Qoli Beg (later known as
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 ...
), Nader also re-established the former's hegemony over the area. In 1735, he concluded the
Treaty of Ganja The Treaty of Ganja was concluded between the Russian Empire and Safavids on 10 March 1735 during the Persian Siege of Ganja (1734) near the city of Ganja in present-day Azerbaijan. The treaty established a defensive alliance against the Ottoman Em ...
with the Russians, whereby they were forced to give back the territories in Daghestan back that had been taken by Peter the Great in 1722-1723. He also conducted military campaigns in Daghestan which re-subjected the Daghestani tribes, and defeated Shamkhal Sorkhay Khan, who had rebelled earlier against the Safavid hegemony. Another Daghestani chief, Ahmad Khan, sent Nader two of his daughters and his son, as a gesture of submission.


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * {{Safavid Provinces History of Dagestan Provinces of the Safavid dynasty