Russia and Iran, 1780-1828 - Muriel Atkin

the Caucasus, the period from 1808 to 1812 being especially bad.^8 In addition to all the other problems caused by the plague, c ...

(for example, the Decembrists in the 1820s and, in the 1830s, the poet Lermontov, who had angered Tsar Nicholas by criticizing P ...

late in the season to begin a campaign. At the start of the siege, he predicted a speedy victory and was especially confident th ...

deserters and prisoners formed honor guards at the courts of the shah and several of his sons. A few converted to Islam, but oth ...

by the courage and capacity to endure hardship of the Iranian soldiers. The cavalry was noted for its expert horsemanship. Rider ...

primarily on guerilla raids, picking off small, isolated detachments, burning crops in the fields, and carrying off people and h ...

looked to the Russians became disappointed by their weak showing in the war and in some cases were brought under tighter Iranian ...

shortcomings created a further problem—Iranian soldiers, who were unfamiliar with heavy artillery, were easily frightened by Rus ...

the elite, and the best positions often went to court favorites, who were not necessarily competent. Commanders were usually all ...

Qarabagh and defeating Kotliarevskii, who was just north of the river with 2,000 soldiers. Kotliarevskii found out and attacked ...

Some of Iran's most serious difficulties in the war with Russia were by-products of its domestic problems. Fath 'Ali Shah's posi ...

sumptive in charge of the capital meant inviting a coup—or his ad- ministrative policy, which included reviving the Safavi pract ...

rated the impatient child. There was an argument, ending with Mo- hammad 'Ali's promise to kill 'Abbas whenever the opportunity ...

tive and leader of the war against Russia. He belittled 'Abbas's accom- plishments in battle and claimed he could do better if g ...

meet the expenses of the government and the royal family with in- adequate revenues. Nearly a century of turmoil had greatly dis ...

ment may have been colored by the fact that those critics felt that the shah was not spending enough on the war against Russia. ...

style regiments. However, since the cost of training, equipping, and paying these soldiers greatly increased the cost of the war ...

burned the wheat fields and cut all communication between Tsit- sianov and Georgia. The 200-man contingent sent to fetch supplie ...

warfare for years. The shah had an ulterior motive for raising this point in that he was arguing for increased British assistanc ...

VIII France and Britain in Iran The Qajars's initial exposure to the British and the French was limited, but positive, and led F ...