M. Saadat Noury

Why We Lost 17 Cities of Caucasia to Russia?

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 1794. Agha Mohammad Khan was assassinated in 1797 and was succeeded by his nephew, Fath Ali Shah (aka Fat'h Ali Shah Qajar, Fathalishah, Fathali Shah) . Under Fath Ali Shah (1797-1834), 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 harem (in Persian: حرمسرا Haram-Sara) reading poetry and having good times. Here is a Persian story telling how Fath Ali Shah was doing during those days. May be that is why we lost 17 cities of Caucasia to Russia!

جها ن و حیا ت و وفا

می گویند روزی فتح على شاه قاجار میا ن دو تن اززنان حرمسرا به نام جها ن و حیا ت ‌نشسته بود واین
شعر را خواند

نشسته ام به میا ن دو د لبر و دو د لم / که را به مهر ببند م ، من این میا ن خجلم 
جها ن گفت : تو پا دشا ه جها نی ، جها ن ترا  با ید
حیا ت گفت : اگر حیات  نباشد ، جهان چه کار آ ید
یکی  د یگر اززنان حرمسرا به نام وفا از پشت پرده ، جریان راشنید و گفت
جها ن و حیا ت هر دو نا پا ید ا ر / وفا را طلب کن که آ ید  به  کا ر

EPILOGUE: Among different Shahs of Qajar dynasty, Fath Ali Shah and Naasseridin Shah have been known to be familiar with the art of poetry and they occasionally used to compose poems. The first poem cited above is considered to be written by Fath Ali Shah; but the composer(s) of the other poems attributed to ladies Jahaan جها ن, Hayaat حیا ت, and Vafaa وفا is (are) unknown.

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