IXfor the Eastern Caucasus
There were two obvious results of the military confrontation of Rus-
sians, east Caucasians, and Iranians. The first was that Russia acquired
most of the disputed territory. This inevitably changed the social,
economic, and political structure of the affected principalities. Modern
studies have been done on the changes that occurred in Georgia, but
little attention has been given to the impact of the Russian takeover
on the inhabitants of the khanates. The second result was widespread
dissatisfaction with conditions as they stood in 1813. Many Muslims
were not reconciled to being part of the Russian Empire. Empire
builders were displeased that some of the land north of the Aras re-
mained in Iranian hands and that the British seemed to have so much
influence over the Iranian government. Members of that government
were disheartened by the costly, humiliating defeat. These various
problems led to a second war during the late 1820s. The brief second
war was in many ways a recapitulation of the first, with the difference
that the Russian victory was more decisive. It ended Iranian hopes of
regaining any of the land north of the boundary Russia had attained
after a generation of struggle and also led to the increase of Russian
influence over Iran's internal affairs.
The fact that some khans or would-be khans signed treaties of vas-
salage with Russian authorities meant that aspects of the traditional
power structure continued to exist in some khanates—for example,
Qarabagh, Shirvan, Talesh, and Shakki. The other khanates were ad-
ministered directly by Russia after the flight or death of their khans.
The Consequences
of the Struggle
145