When are the Khanates of the Caucasus shown on the map?

The border data draws the Khanates of the Caucasus 1748–1795. The source samples borders at fixed dates, so a span can begin late or run on past the end.

How large were the Khanates of the Caucasus?

At their greatest extent drawn on this map, the Khanates of the Caucasus covered about 194,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives them across the years they are drawn, not necessarily their greatest extent in history.

Central Asia · Russian and Qing conquest

Khanates of the Caucasus

drawn on the map 1748–1795

The khanates of the Caucasus (also called the Azerbaijani khanates) were a set of semi-independent administrative units in the South Caucasus governed by hereditary or appointed khans — a title equivalent to the Ottoman pasha — under the official suzerainty of Iran. They crystallized after the assassination of Nader Shah in 1747, when the collapse of central authority let local governors (hakems) assume royal titles.

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Shown on the map: 1748–1795
Peak area: 194k km²
Region: Central Asia

Overview and identity

Origins and character

In Persian, the khanates were called ulka or tuman. Structurally they were miniature versions of Iranian kingship: the khans had no territorial, religious, or ethnic unity and no national identity — their chief concern, per historian George Bournoutian, was preserving their positions and income. Persian remained the administrative and literary language of the South Caucasus until the late 19th century (Arabic served religious scholarship), even though most local Muslims spoke Azerbaijani, then known as "Caucasian Tatar."

The principal khanates

After 1747 these included: Baku (annexed by Russia 1806), Derbent (1806), Erivan (occupied 1827, annexed 1828), Ganja (stormed and annexed 1804), Javad (merged into Shirvan 1805), Karabakh (Russian protectorate 1805, abolished 1822), Nakhchivan (1827/28), Quba (protectorate 1805, abolished 1816), Shaki (protectorate 1805, abolished 1819), Shirvan (protectorate 1805, abolished 1820), and Talysh (protectorate 1802, abolished 1828).

Iranian suzerainty and rivalries

Nader Shah, Karim Khan Zand, and Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar each campaigned to reassert control; the khanates nearest Azerbaijan province (Erivan, Nakhchivan, Karabakh, Talysh) felt Iranian pressure most, while Baku and Quba were linked mainly by maritime commerce with Anzali and Rasht. The khans constantly maneuvered between Iran, Russia, the Ottomans, and the Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti.

Economy and coinage

The khanates lived off irrigated agriculture, silk, trans-Caucasian and Caspian trade, and transit dues. Several — Ganja, Shirvan, Shaki, Derbent, Karabakh — minted their own silver and copper coins, first in Nader Shah's name, then Karim Khan Zand's; by the late 18th century much of the coinage was anonymous, since the khans lacked sovereign legitimacy. Coins circulated as tokens whose full value obtained only where struck.

Russian conquest

Russia's protectorate over Kartli-Kakheti (1783) triggered confrontation with Iran. The Russo-Iranian War of 1804–1813 ended with the Treaty of Gulistan: Iran lost Ganja, Karabakh, Quba, Derbent, Baku, Shirvan, and Shaki, plus most of Talysh. The 1826–1828 war and the Treaty of Turkmenchay (1828) cost Iran Erivan and Nakhchivan. The loss was politically devastating for the Qajars' prestige as guardians of the "Guarded Domains of Iran." Russia initially preserved Persian-era procedures — using Persian documents to determine the status and property of Muslim begs and khans — allowing some elites to slot into the imperial hierarchy.

Legacy

The khanates' territories became the Russian governorates of Baku, Elisavetpol, and Erivan, and their legacy underlies the modern states of Azerbaijan and Armenia — including the contested memory of Karabakh, whose khanate's history remains politically charged today.

Common questions

What were the Khanates of the Caucasus?: The khanates of the Caucasus (also called the Azerbaijani khanates) were a set of semi-independent administrative units in the South Caucasus governed by hereditary or appointed khans — a title equivalent to the Ottoman pasha — under the official suzerainty of Iran. They crystallized after the assassination of Nader Shah in 1747, when the collapse of central authority let local governors (hakems) assume royal titles.
When are the Khanates of the Caucasus shown on the map?: The border data draws the Khanates of the Caucasus 1748–1795. The source samples borders at fixed dates, so a span can begin late or run on past the end.
How large were the Khanates of the Caucasus?: At their greatest extent drawn on this map, the Khanates of the Caucasus covered about 194,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives them across the years they are drawn, not necessarily their greatest extent in history.
Who ruled the Khanates of the Caucasus?: After 1747 these included: Baku (annexed by Russia 1806), Derbent (1806), Erivan (occupied 1827, annexed 1828), Ganja (stormed and annexed 1804), Javad (merged into Shirvan 1805), Karabakh (Russian protectorate 1805, abolished 1822), Nakhchivan (1827/28), Quba (protectorate 1805, abolished 1816), Shaki (protectorate 1805, abolished 1819), Shirvan (protectorate 1805, abolished 1820), and Talysh (protectorate 1802, abolished 1828).
How did the Khanates of the Caucasus end?: The khanates' territories became the Russian governorates of Baku, Elisavetpol, and Erivan, and their legacy underlies the modern states of Azerbaijan and Armenia — including the contested memory of Karabakh, whose khanate's history remains politically charged today.
What did the economy and culture of the Khanates of the Caucasus rest on?: The khanates lived off irrigated agriculture, silk, trans-Caucasian and Caspian trade, and transit dues. Several — Ganja, Shirvan, Shaki, Derbent, Karabakh — minted their own silver and copper coins, first in Nader Shah's name, then Karim Khan Zand's; by the late 18th century much of the coinage was anonymous, since the khans lacked sovereign legitimacy.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: Khanates of the Caucasus en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khanates_of_the_Caucasus

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 27 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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