The Shaki Khanate ( fa, خانات شکّی, also spelled as Sheki Khanate, Shekin Khanate, Shakki Khanate) was one of the most powerful of the Caucasian Khanates established in

Afsharid Iran Afsharid Iran ( fa, ایران افشاری), also referred as the Afsharid Empire was an Iranian empire established by the Turkoman Afshar tribe in Iran's north-eastern province of Khorasan, ruling Iran (Persia). The state was ruled by the Af ...

, on the northern territories of modern

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

, between 1743 and 1819 with its capital in the town of Shaki.

History

The khanate was founded in 1743 as a result of revolt led by

Haji Chalabi Khan Haji Chalabi Khan (; 1703 1755), was a statesman, warlord, ruler and founder of Shaki Khanate. Origin Born to a certain landlord Gurban beg during the reign of Sultan Husayn in 1703, he was of noble birth. Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dic ...

against Safavid Empire. It was considered one of the strongest feudal states in

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

. The capital of the khanate Shaki, the most populated settlement in the state, was destroyed by floods in 1772, subsequently leading to suburbanization of the town and re-population of the countryside. Starting from the end of the 18th century, Shaki khans sought military assistance from the Russian Empire due to growing tensions with Qajars. As

Agha Muhammad Khan Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar ( fa, آقا محمد خان قاجار, translit=Âqâ Mohammad Xân-e Qâjâr; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (, ), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran ...

re-established Iranian suzerainty over all former Safavid and Afsharid dependencies in the

around the time of his re-conquest of Georgia, so was the territory of the khanate added as well. In 1805, Mustafa Salim Khan signed a treaty with

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son of ...

effectively making Shaki Khanate Russian

vassal state A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back to ...

which was later only affirmed by the Russo-Persian

Treaty of Gulistan The Treaty of Gulistan (russian: Гюлистанский договор; fa, عهدنامه گلستان) was a peace treaty concluded between the Russian Empire and Iran on 24 October 1813 in the village of Gulistan (now in the Goranboy Distri ...

in 1813. In 1819, Shaki Khanate was officially abolished and transformed into a Russian province subordinate to the Russian military administration. In 1840, it was renamed to Shaki Uyezd of

Caspian Oblast Caspian can refer to: *The Caspian Sea *The Caspian Depression, surrounding the northern part of the Caspian Sea *The Caspians, the ancient people living near the Caspian Sea *Caspian languages, collection of languages and dialects of Caspian peopl ...

. In 1846, the province was incorporated into

Shemakha Governorate The Shemakha Governorate was a province (''guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty (1801–1917), Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its administrative center in the city of Shemakha (present-day Shamakhi). Following the earthquake o ...

, in 1859 into

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

and in 1868 into

Elisabethpol Governorate The Elizavetpol Governorate, also known after 1918 as the Ganja Governorate, was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Yelisavetpol (present-day Ganja). The area of the governorate st ...

. After the establishment of

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920,''Bulletin d'Information de l'Azerbaidjan'', No. I, September 1, 1919, pp. 6–7''125 H.C.Debs.'', 58., February 24, 1920, p. 1467. Caucasian Az ...

in May 1918, Shaki was part of Ganja province and with the establishment of Soviet rule in Azerbaijan, Shaki was incorporated into

Azerbaijan SSR Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...

on May 5, 1920.

Administration

The khanate was subdivided into six ''mahals'', i.e. districts ( Shaki, Xaçmaz, Padar, Ağdaş, Alpaut and

Göynük Göynük is a town in Bolu Province in the Black Sea Region, Turkey, Black Sea region of Turkey. It is the seat of Göynük District.naibs. There were two vassals of the khan -

Qutqashen Sultanate Qutqashen Sultanate ( az, Qutqaşen sultanlığı) also known as Qabala mahaly ( az, Qəbələ mahalı) was feudal state which existed from the middle to the end of 18th century in the north of Azerbaijan, in the territories covering the present da ...

and Arash Sultanate, both were eventually absorbed and converted to districts. The seat of the head of state was in the capital Shaki, in the

Palace of Shaki Khans The Palace of Shaki Khans ( az, Şəki xanlarının sarayı) in Shaki, Azerbaijan was a summer residence for the Shaki Khans. It was built in 1797 by Muhammed Hasan Khan. The palace was intended to house the Khans who were in charge of controlli ...

, which is one of the tourist attractions in present-day Azerbaijan. It was built circa 1761 by the grandson of Haji Chalabi, Huseyn Khan. The palace of the Shaki khans is considered one of the important historical monuments in Azerbaijan.

Economy

Agriculture was the basis of Shaki Khanate's economy. The khanate was known for silkworming culture, one that is still practiced today. Located on the left bank of the river Kish, the town of Shaki was originally sited lower down the hill. However, Shaki was moved to its present location after a devastating mud flood in 1772. As the new location was near the village of Nukha, the city became also known as Nukha, until 1960 when it reverted to the name Shaki.

Demographics

The population mainly consisted of ethnic

Azerbaijanis Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most numer ...

, together with Lezgi, Avar,

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

Udi Udi may refer to: Places * Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People * Udi Gal (born 1979), Israeli Olympic sailor * Udi Vaks (born 1979), Israeli Olympic judoka ...

and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

minorities.

Rulers

* 1743–1755:

* 1755–1759: Aghakishi Beg * 1759–1780: Muhammad Husayn Khan * 1780–1783: Haji Abdulqadir Khan * 1783–1795: Muhammad Hasan Khan (first time) * 1795–1797:

Salim Khan Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born 24 November 1935) is an Indian actor, film producer and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, he wrote the screenplays, stories and scripts for numerous Bollywood films. Khan is one half of the prolific screenwriting d ...

(first time) * 1797–1802: Muhammad Hasan Khan (second time) * 1805: Fatali Khan (first time) * 1802–1805:

(second time) * 1806: Fatali Khan (second time) * 1806–1814: Jafargulu Khan Donboli * 1814–1819: Ismail Khan Donboli, Ismayil Khan Donboli

References