VIIThe War, 1804 -1813
The first war between Russia and Iran lasted for nine years, from the
unsuccessful Russian campaign against Yerevan in 1804 to the disas-
trous Iranian losses at Aslanduz and Lankaran in 1812 and 1813.
Russia's victory was not a foregone conclusion. Each side had a num-
ber of advantages, as well as some serious disadvantages. Russia did
not win the war so much as manage not to lose it. The Caucasian
theater was for Russia secondary to the European. However, for Iran,
the war was overwhelmingly important. This was modern Iran's first
extensive contact with European Christian powers—not only with
Russia but also with Britain and France. While fighting the war, Iran
made its first westernizing reforms, specifically in the military. In
contrast, the Second Russo-Iranian War (1826-1828) raised no new
issues but was essentially a brief recapitulation of the earlier conflict.
At first glance, it seems as though the Russians' confidence in an
easy victory over Iran was well justified. Russia was an immense
country with prodigious resources. By 1805, it had an army of well
over half a million men (and more than doubled that number over
the next seven years). Even though these men were not at all battle-
ready, the number of men under arms was prodigious compared to
traditional eighteenth-century professional armies. During the late
eighteenth century, the army had proven that it could be a match
for Europe's best. Field Marshall Suvorov dazzled Europe by leading
an Austro-Russian army across the Alps to resounding victories in
Italy in 1799. Russia also had a Caspian navy to maintain communi-
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