Persian expedition of 1796

A Russian campaign against Qajar Persia, led by Valerian Zubov, that captured Derbent and advanced toward Baku before being recalled.

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Valerian Zubov: A Russian general who commanded the 1796 expedition against Qajar Persia. His command shaped the campaign’s advance along the Caspian coast.
Russo-Persian relations: The political and military relations between Russia and Persia across several centuries. The expedition formed part of their contest for power in the Caucasus.
Paul I of Russia: Russian emperor from 1796 to 1801 and the son and successor of Catherine the Great. He ordered Zubov’s army to return after ascending the throne.
Russo-Persian War (1722–1723): A war in which Peter the Great’s Russia seized territories along Persia’s Caspian coast. It produced Russian coastal gains that were later relinquished before the 1796 advance.
Derbent: A Caspian port city in Dagestan, historically known for its fortified passage between mountains and sea. Zubov’s forces captured this strategic city early in the campaign.
Treaty of Georgievsk: A 1783 agreement placing the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti under Russian protection. Persia’s attack on Georgia helped spur Russia’s 1796 intervention.
Russo-Persian War (1804–1813): A war between the Russian Empire and Qajar Persia that ended with the Treaty of Gulistan. The territorial struggle left unfinished in 1796 resumed in this war.
Russo-Persian War (1796): A brief war between the Russian Empire and Qajar Persia associated with Zubov’s expedition. The name emphasizes the interstate conflict, while this page focuses on the military campaign.
Baku: A port city on the western shore of the Caspian Sea and the present-day capital of Azerbaijan. The Russian army advanced toward Baku before the expedition was recalled.
Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar: The founder of the Qajar dynasty and shah of Persia from 1789 to 1797. His campaign against Georgia became the immediate trigger for Russian action.