Why We Lost 17 Cities of Caucasia to Russia?

Persian Journal, Iran
Nov 8 2004

As soon as Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar established the Qajar dynasty,
he reasserted Iranian sovereignty over the former Iranian territories
in Georgia and the Caucasus in 1774.

Agha Mohammad Khan was assassinated in 1797 and was succeeded by his
nephew, Fath Ali Shah (1797 – 1834). Under Fath Ali Shah, Iran went
to war against Russia, which was expanding from the north into the
Caucasus Mountains, an area of historic Iranian interest and influence.

Iran suffered major military defeats during the war. Under the terms
of the Treaty of Golestan in 1813, Iran recognized Russia’s annexation
of Georgia and ceded to Russia most of the north Caucasus region.

A second war with Russia in the 1820s ended even more disastrously
for Iran, which in 1828 was forced to sign the Treaty of Turkmanchai
acknowledging Russian sovereignty over the entire area north of the
Aras River (territory comprising present-day Armenia and Republic
of Azerbaijan).

Fath Ali Shah was possibly too busy with the ladies of his Haram-Sara
reading poetry and having good times. Here is a story how he was doing
dring those days. May be that is why we lost 17 cities of Caucasia
to Rusia!