Battle of Ganja (1804)

Prologue

After decision of Tsar Paul to annex Georgia (December 1800) and, after Paul’s assassination (11 March 1801), the activist policy followed by his successor, Alexander I, aimed at establishing Russian control over the khanates of the eastern Caucasus. In 1803, the newly appointed commander of Russian forces in the Caucasus, Paul Tsitsianov, attacked Ganja. After Mohammad Khan Qajar invasion of Tbilisi, which Javad Khan fought alongside Agha Muḥammad Khān, Tsitsianov wrote a letter to Javad Khan, demanding a voluntary surrender:

Javad Khan answered:

After this response the Russian troops moved forward, and opened gunfire. Javad Khan defended heroically and the siege lasted a month, Tsitsianov renewed demands to surrender for five times, but to no avail."I'll take the fortress and I will deliver thee to death," - he wrote and the stubborn Khan answered :"You'll find me dead on the fortress wall !", and both vowed to fulfill his promises. Finally, the 14th in January 1804, the Russian council of war decided to do: "Be the assault the next day".

Battle

Tsitsianov divided the Russian troops into two columns, one was entrusted to Major-General Portnyagin (Karabagh gate) and the other to Colonel Pavel Karyagin (Tbilisi Gate). Early morning (5.00 am ), January 15, the column of Portnyagin, approached the Karabagh gate, and pierced a hole in the ground before the wall, but because the defenders have focused their main forces on the site of the gap then Portnyagin left it aside and stormed the ramparts with ladders.The resistance he met was so great that the Russian troops resumed the attack twice, and twice were repulsed with considerable loss. Then Portniagin rushed himself at the head of the column and first went to the wall, followed by a Lieutenant of the regiment of the Narva that fell, struck by several bullets.Then Major Bartenev of Caucasus Grenadier Regiment fell and finally, it was Lieutenant Colonel Simanovich Grenadiers that managed to climb the stairs to the wall and help out Portnyagina .Meanwhile, the second column, led by Colonel Karyagina, ascended the wall from the gate of Tbilisi, and took possession of the main tower. The other two towers were taken one by one by major Lisanevich. Javad Khan,who did not want to seek safety in flight,took the gun and sword in hand and defended himself until he has been killed by captain Kalovski, who himself was immediately killed by the defenders. Khan's death brought confusion into the ranks of the defenders, but they still showed resistance and piled heavy stones.

The city at this time was in a terrible confusion. Crowds of the people, on horse and foot, rushed in disorder on the streets, vainly searching for already deceased Khan. Bewildered residents hid in their homes and barns, women filled the air with frantic cries. Meanwhile, Russian soldiers with bayonets cleared the street, entirely covered with dead bodies, and seized the booty, finding on a horseback some precious gold jewelry. By noon the battle began to subside, and broke again only for a moment when, according to Tstsianov, the soldiers came upon five hundred men, who have entrenched themselves in the Juma mosque. At first they offered to surrender, but when one Armenian said that among them are some Lezgins, it was the signal for the death of all defenders, because the hatred of Lezghins was so strong among the Russian troops.

Tsitsianov deeply appreciated the effort of the soldiers in the capture of the fortress and wrote:"...this is proof of moral superiority of Russian Empire over Persians and that spirit of confidence in the victory, will feed and warm up the soldiers that I consider as the my first purpose".

The elder son of Javad Khan, Hossein Quli khan, was also killed during the battle, the rest of the khan's family was taken prisoner and years later (1812) were given permission to go to Iran via Baku. His younger son, Ughurlu, survived, went to Iran and later fought the Russian Empire when the Iranians attacked Ganja in the second Russo-Persian war.

Massacre

Various Persian and western historians have written on the dimensions of the massacre that took place after the fall of the city. Etemad ol saltane (an Iranian historian) states that the massacre that ensued after the battle continued for three days, Hedayat has a more accurate time of three hours, Abbasgulu Bakikhanov mentions the massacre but does not give more information. It is estimated that about 1,500-3,000 men died.

Shah's response

At the beginning of the battle, Javad khan sent a messenger to Fath Ali Shah and asked reinforcement. Shah gathered a 30,000 strong force and sent them to Ganja, but the force did not reach the Ganja in time because of the coldness of January and also because Hossein Khan Sardar, the governor khan of the Erevan Khanate had rebelled against the Shah and only one letter carrier, Saied Bayk, reached the town in time.

Aftermath

Taking Ganja was an event of extraordinary importance because it was considered a fortress key to the northern provinces of Persia. Therefore, wishing to show that the Russian would never leave the conquered territory, the very name of Ganji should be cut off from people's memory, so Tsitsianov change the name of city to Elisabethpol, after the wife of Alexander I of Russia, Elisabeth. Referring to the place by its old name became a crime punishable by a fine, the main mosque was turned into a church, and Russian law replaced Islamic law. However, as Swietochowski notes, the name "Elisabethpol" never found acceptance amongst the Azerbaijanis, who continued to call the town Ganja.

Javad Khan's wives and other relatives who survived the battle but had not escaped to Iran (as had most of his sons) were arrested. They were held as prisoners in the citadel until 1812, when they were freed by Tsitsianov's successor Philip Paulucci, who held the view, novel among Russian officials, that Javad Khan was a valiant man who died fighting to defend his interests.

With Tsitianov's attack on Ganja the Iranians saw a direct invasion of their country's territory. The issue was now no longer to impose tribute on the Lezgins or about re-asserting Persian domination over Christian Georgia, which had happened several years before; now, the integrity of Shi'ite Iran itself had been violated by the invasion of the town of Ganja.

Immigration

Two years after the Russian occupation of Ganja, Oghorulou khan, the son of Javad khan with the assistance of crown prince Abbas Mirza, displaced many inhabitants of Ganja to inside the Iranian border, so protection of 6,000 families of inhabitants of Ganja was entrusted to Pir-Gholi khan Qajar, who displaced them to Tabriz. Then again in 1809, the Bozchalou and Ayromlou tribes of Ganja get to Nakhchivan, and they were renamed to Qarapapaq (Black hat in Azeri language), and finally after Nakhjavan was ceded to Russia, they went to Solduz (Naqadeh), that is a place in Iranian West Azerbaijan Province. Other main places of Qarapapaq residence are the provinces of Ardahan (around Lake Çıldır), Kars and Iğdır in Turkey.