Sack of Shamakhi facts for kids
The sack of Shamakhi happened on August 18, 1721. This was when rebellious Sunni Lezgins attacked Shamakhi, the capital of the Shirvan province. Shamakhi is in modern-day Azerbaijan Republic. The Safavid Empire was getting weaker at this time.
The government tried to fight back, but they stopped their efforts too soon. Because of this, 15,000 Lezgin tribesmen took Shamakhi. They killed many of the city's Shia people and looted the city.
Russian merchants were killed during the attack. This event was later used as a reason for the Russo-Persian War of 1722–1723. Trade between Iran and Russia stopped. The city of Astrakhan became the new main trading point on the Volga trade route.
Why the Attack Happened
By the early 1700s, the once-rich Safavid Empire was in trouble. Rebellions were happening in many parts of its lands. The king, Soltan Hoseyn, was a weak ruler. He preferred to stay in his capital city, Isfahan. He listened mostly to his religious advisors, especially Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi.
Majlesi had a lot of power. He started persecuting (treating badly) Sunni and Sufi Muslims. He also targeted non-Muslim groups like Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians. Even though Soltan Hoseyn wasn't personally against Christians, his advisors convinced him to make unfair rules.
This difficult religious situation caused many revolts. For example, in Shirvan, Sunni religious leaders were killed. Their religious books were destroyed, and Sunni mosques were even used as stables.
The Sunni people in the northwest, in Shirvan and Daghestan, felt the pressure of this persecution. In 1718, Lezgin attacks on Shirvan became more frequent. Some believed the grand vizier (a high-ranking official), Fath-Ali Khan Daghestani, encouraged these attacks.
Russia's ambassador, Artemy Volynsky, was in Shamakhi in 1718. He reported that local officials didn't respect the grand vizier. They even questioned the king's power. Another diplomat, Florio Beneveni, said Shamakhi's people were ready to revolt. They were tired of the government taking too much money from them.
The raids and looting continued. In April 1718, the Lezgins took the village of Ak Tashi. They kidnapped people and robbed a group of 40 travelers on the road to Shamakhi. Many more reports about the rebels followed these events.
The Attack on Shamakhi
By early May 1718, about 17,000 Lezgin tribesmen were only 20 kilometers from Shamakhi. They were busy looting nearby towns. In 1719, the Iranian government sent a military leader, Hoseynqoli Khan, to Georgia. His job was to stop the Lezgin rebellion.
Hoseynqoli Khan, with help from other leaders, went to Daghestan. He made good progress against the Lezgins. But in the winter of 1721, he was called back. This happened at a very important moment in the fight.
The order came from a group in the royal court. They convinced the king that a successful end to the campaign would be bad for the Safavid Empire. They thought it would allow Vakhtang to team up with Russia and try to conquer Iran.
Around the same time, in August 1721, King Soltan Hoseyn ordered Daud Beg, a rebel Lezgin leader and Sunni cleric, to be freed from prison. The government hoped Daud Beg would help fight against an Afghan attack from the east. However, Daud Beg instead led a group of tribes. He started a campaign against the Safavid government and its Shia people. He then marched towards Shamakhi.
Before the siege, the Sunni people of Shirvan asked for help from the Ottomans. The Ottomans were also Sunni and rivals of the Safavids. The rebel group, about 15,000 tribesmen, led by Daud Beg and Surkhay Khan, reached Shamakhi on August 15, 1721. They then began to surround the city.
The Sunni people inside Shamakhi opened one of the city gates to the attackers. Shamakhi was taken on August 18, 1721. Thousands of Shia residents were killed. Christians and foreigners were robbed, but not killed. Several Russian merchants were also killed. Their shops were looted, causing huge financial losses. One of them was Matvei Evreinov, said to be Russia's richest merchant.
The Shia Safavid governor of Shamakhi, his nephew, and other relatives were "cut to pieces" and their bodies thrown away. After the rebels took over the province, Daud Beg asked Russia for protection. When Russia refused, he asked the Ottomans. This time, he succeeded. The Ottoman Sultan then made him the Ottoman governor of Shirvan.
What Happened Next
Artemy Volynsky told Tsar Peter the Great about the great harm done to Russian merchants. Volynsky said the 1721 attack broke the 1717 Russo–Iranian trade treaty. This treaty promised to protect Russian citizens in Safavid lands.
The Safavid Empire was in chaos, and the king could not keep the treaty's promises. Volynsky urged Peter the Great to use this situation to his advantage. He suggested invading Iran, pretending to help the Safavid king restore order.
Russia soon used the attack on its merchants in Shamakhi as a reason to start the Russo-Persian War of 1722–1723. This event stopped trade between Iran and Russia. The city of Astrakhan became the new end point for the Volga trade route.
See also
- Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam
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