Siege of Derbent (1796)
Siege of Derbent | |||||||
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Part of Russo-Persian War (1796) | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Russian Empire | Persian Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Valerian Zubov | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
12,300 soldiers, 21 cannons.[2] | 10,000 soldiers.[3] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
11 officers, 107 soldiers killed and wounded | unknown |
The Siege of Derbent (or "Storming of Derbent"; Russian: Штурм Дербента) took place on 10 May 1796 during the Persian Expedition of 1796. Derbent, an ancient city with thick walls has a favorable geopolitical position, which locks the coastal passage between the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian.
Background[]
In the spring of 1795, the Persians, led by the new ruler and founder of the Qajar dynasty, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, re-subjugated eastern Georgia (recently unified as the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti) and the khanates of the region. In carrying out its obligations under the Treaty of Georgievsk of 1783, the Russian government sent a large army (about 13 thousand) from Kizlyar towards the Iranian possessions in the Caucasus.
For the subsequent hike in 1796, a strong Russian corps of two infantry and two cavalry battalions had been formed in Kizlyar. Command was given to Pavel Tsitsianov, , Alexander Korsakov, Baron Levin August, Count Stepan Apraksin, and Matvei Platov, while the commander-in-chief was Lieutenant-General Count Valerian Zubov.
Storming[]
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The Russians offered , the Iranian governor of the town, to collaborate against the shah. But the young Sheikh-Ali Khan left the letter unanswered, and therefore the city was met with a barrage of Russian cannon shots.
On 10 May, the city was captured.[1]
The capture of Derbent by Zuvov was glorified by the Russian court poet Derzhavin in his poem Na Pokorenie Derbenta ("on the conquest of Derbent").[4]
Aftermath[]
Empress Catherine waxed jubilant at Zubov's rapid progress, which in two months had exceeded the gains of Peter the Great's costly Persian campaign in two years.[5] Sheikh Ali Khan, the governor of Derbent was taken prisoner, which broke the spirit of resistance of the locals. Despite this success, when Paul I ascended the Russian throne, foreign policy changed, and the Russian troops were withdrawn from the Caucasus (in December 1796), and all the conquered areas were returned to Qajar Iran.[1]
References[]
- ^ a b c Mikaberidze 2011, p. 763.
- ^ История русской армии от зарождения Руси до войны 1812 г. — СПб.: Полигон, 2003. (in Russian)
- ^ А.В. Потто. Кавказская война (в 5-ти томах) (in Russian).
- ^ Ram 2006, p. 96.
- ^ Alexander 1989, p. 321.
Sources[]
- Alexander, John T. (1989). Catherine the Great: Life and Legend. Oxford Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0199874309.
- Mikaberidze, Alexander, ed. (2011). Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia (Vol. 1). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1598843378.
- Ram, Harsha (2006). The Imperial Sublime: A Russian Poetics of Empire. Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0299181949.
- History of Dagestan
- History of Derbent
- 1790s in Iran
- 1796 in the Russian Empire
- Conflicts in 1796
- Battles of the Russo-Persian Wars
- Battles involving Qajar Iran