Ottoman–Persian War (1821–1823)
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The Ottoman–Persian War of 1821–1823 was fought between the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
and
Qajar Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin,Cyrus G ...
from 1821 to 1823.


Background

Tensions between the two empires had been rising due to the Ottoman Empire's harboring of rebellious tribesmen from the Iranian Azerbaijan Province. The issues concerning the Kurdish borderland tribes such as the Haydaran and Sipki tribes had complicated the relations between the two empires. For instance, Iran launched a military campaign against Dervish Pasha, the ''muhafiz'' of Van, when he refused to return the Sipki Kurdish who took refuge and settled in Archesh. The Ottoman-Iranian War that began in 1821 was also part of a series of wars between the two empires, which was attributed to the influences of foreign powers, particularly
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
and the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. The Iranians and the Ottomans were within their respective spheres of influence and were drawn to their rivalry. The
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
was attempting to put pressure on the Ottoman Empire, which was then at war with the Greeks.


War

Crown Prince
Abbas Mirza Abbas Mirza (; 26 August 1789 – 25 October 1833) was the Qajar dynasty, Qajar crown prince of Qajar Iran, Iran during the reign of his father Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (). As governor of the vulnerable Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan province, he played ...
of Iran, at the instigation of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, invaded
Western Armenia Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the western parts of the Armenian highlands located within Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that comprise the historic ...
and the areas surrounding the Iranian province of
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. On 10 September 1821, the Iranian forces marched out of
Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
towards the border. On 16 September, Iranian forces crossed the border at
Gürbulak Gürbulak is a village in Doğubayazıt District, Ağrı Province, Turkey. Its population is 2,205 (2021). It is a border crossing into Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in ...
and stormed the Bayezid Fortress in November 1821, securing Iranian supply routes. As the Iranian army marched into the region, they went after the Heydaran tribesmen, who would flee to Diyarbakir. After Abbas Mirza's successful winter campaign, he withdrew most of his forces to Tabriz while leaving garrisons in significant towns and cities. The Turks began to organize a counterattack, organized under the new serasker, Mohammad Amin Rauf Pasha. They planned to steamroll the garrisons in Eastern Anatolia and occupy parts of Azerbaijan to prevent Iran from gathering their troops, and force a peace on Ottoman terms. However, the fortress of Toprah Kaleh stood in the way of Ottoman plans due to its strategic location. The Sardar of Erevan kept raiding Ottoman positions around Toprah Kaleh, allowing Abbas Mirza precious time to recover forces to relieve the fortress. The resulting battle in May 1822 was a defeat for the Ottomans, but the Iranians were unable to take advantage of their success. A second counter attacked was organized by the Ottoman "wali" (governor) of Baghdad, Dawud Pasha, who invaded Iran. The invasion was unsuccessful and he was pursued by the Qajar army under the lead of the Shah's oldest son, prince Mohammad Ali Mirza. The Ottomans retreated back to their own territory, while the Iranians took Shahrezur along the Sirvan River, supported by Feili Kurds and Lurs who defeated the Ottoman opposition and forced them to further retreat to
Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...
. Mohammad Ali Mirza conquered Sulayméniyah and following the capture of
Samarra Samarra (, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The modern city of Samarra was founded in 836 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim as a new administrative capital and mi ...
, besieged Baghdad with 40,000 infantry and artillery. The Ottoman retreat ended here, as Dawud Pasha successfully defended the city with 3,900 infantry and 8,800 cavalry, preventing the Qajars from taking strategically important Baghdad. Combined with the effects of a cholera outbreak, Mohammad Ali Mirza was ultimately forced to lift the siege.Azap, Eralp Yaşar. “The Epidemic that Emerged during the 1820-1823 Ottoman-Iran War and Its Impact on the War.” Hazine-I Evrak Arşiv ve Tarih Araştırmaları Dergisi 2, no. 2 (December 2020): 84-88Al-Bustani, 1979, p. 65Azap, E. Y. (2022). "Military Reforms and Their Consequences during the Reign of Fath Ali Shah (1797-1834) in Iran." Journal of Language and History-Geography, Ankara University, 62(2), 1122-1123. Mohammad Ali Mirza himself caught the disease during the siege, and died on November 22, while in
Ctesiphon Ctesiphon ( ; , ''Tyspwn'' or ''Tysfwn''; ; , ; Thomas A. Carlson et al., “Ctesiphon — ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢ ” in The Syriac Gazetteer last modified July 28, 2014, http://syriaca.org/place/58.) was an ancient city in modern Iraq, on the eastern ba ...
. Meanwhile, Abbas Mirza marched into eastern Anatolia with 30,000 troops and met an Ottoman army of 50,000 at the Battle of Erzurum. Abbas Mirza scored a crushing victory over the Ottomans despite being severely outnumbered and his army suffering from a cholera epidemic.


Result

Peace was not concluded until the Treaty of Erzurum two years later; both sides recognized the previous borders established by the Treaty of Zuhab in 1639, with no territorial changes. Also included in the treaty, was the guaranteed access for Persian pilgrims to the holy sites of
Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
and
Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...
within the Ottoman Empire.


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ottoman-Persian War (1821-1823) Conflicts in 1821 Conflicts in 1822 Conflicts in 1823 Ottoman–Persian Wars Wars involving Qajar Iran 1820s in the Ottoman Empire 1820s in Iran Military history of Erzurum Mahmud II