Russian conquest of the Caucasus

The Russian Empire’s expansion into the Caucasus from the eighteenth century through the nineteenth, achieved through wars, annexations, and settlement. It brought the region under imperial rule and displaced many inhabitants.

Russo-Persian War (1804–1813): A war between the Russian and Persian empires that ended with Persia ceding territories in the South Caucasus. Its Treaty of Gulistan formalized Russia’s gains in eastern Georgia and parts of present-day Azerbaijan.
Circassian genocide: The mass killing and forced displacement of Circassians by the Russian Empire during and after the Caucasian War. The conquest’s final campaigns culminated in the expulsion of most Circassians from their homeland.
Persian Empire: A succession of Iranian states whose territories and influence extended across western Asia and the Caucasus. Persian-Russian wars transferred much of the South Caucasus to Russian control.
Imam Shamil: A Dagestani and Chechen religious and political leader who led resistance to Russian expansion from 1834 to 1859. His imamate organized the most sustained resistance to Russian rule in the eastern North Caucasus.
Russo-Persian War (1826–1828): A war that ended with the Russian Empire gaining further South Caucasian territory from Persia. The Treaty of Turkmenchay extended Russian rule into the khanates of Erivan and Nakhichevan.
Muhayir: A Muslim emigrant from the Russian Empire, especially one who resettled in the Ottoman Empire during the nineteenth century. War and imperial rule drove many Caucasian Muslims to migrate into Ottoman lands.
Ottoman Empire: A state centered in Anatolia that ruled parts of southeastern Europe, western Asia, and North Africa from the fourteenth century to 1922. Ottoman-Russian rivalry shaped the western Caucasus frontier and its eventual settlement.
Yermolov: A Russian general and administrator who served as commander-in-chief in Georgia from 1816 to 1827. His coercive policies and campaigns intensified Russia’s war in the North Caucasus.
Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829): A war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire that ended with Russian territorial gains in the Caucasus and Balkans. Its settlement confirmed Russian control of territories including Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki.
Caucasus Viceroyalty: The Russian imperial administration governing the Caucasus through a viceroy based in Tiflis. It consolidated conquered territories under a regional structure of imperial government.

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