VRussia's Conquest
of the Eastern Caucasus
Russian historians of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have
generally characterized their country's acquisition of the eastern Cau-
casus as a progressive step that was welcomed by most of the region's
inhabitants. As one author described it, the Russian takeover meant
"the liberation of Transcaucasian peoples from a foreign yoke."
1
In
reality, Russia's attempt to extend its border to the Kura and the
Aras met with considerable opposition from local Muslims as well as
from Iran. The principal factor in the Russian takeover was force,
direct or threatened. After nine years of warfare, Iran recognized
Russian sovereignty over most of the territory north of the two rivers
as well as Talesh, but it took fifteen years and another war with Iran
before Russia acquired the last two khanates, Yerevan and Nakhjavan.
While armed conflict between Russia and Iran influenced the course
of events in every khanate, only in three—Yerevan, Nakhjavan, and
Talesh—was it the most important factor. Elsewhere the contest was
primarily between Russia and the local leaders. For generations they
had profited from the weaknesses of neighboring empires by assert-
ing their own autonomy. They continued to pursue their traditional
objective, then including Russia and Iran in their maneuverings. Thus,
a khan might side with Russia if an Iranian threat seemed more press-
ing or the reverse if Russia seemed bent on controlling the khanate's
affairs. For some khans, this strategy degenerated into a frantic strug-
gle to appease both sides. Except for Mostafa Khan of Shirvan, every
khan who submitted to Russia abjured that submission. A number of
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