Shirvan Beylarbeylik

Shirvan Baylarbaylik
1538–1734
Capital		Shamakhi
Languages		Persian, Azerbaijani
Government		Feudalism
History
•	Establishment	1538
•	Abolished within Persian Empire	1734
Preceded by Succeeded by Safavid Empire Safavid Empire
Today part of		Azerbaijan  Russia

Shirvan Baylarbaylik (Azerbaijani: Şirvan Bəylərbəyliyi) was an beylerbeylik (province) founded by the Safavid Empire on the territory of modern Azerbaijan and Russia (Dagestan) between 1538 and 1734 with its capital in the town of Shamakhi.^[1] It had six administrative jurisdictions; Alpa'ur, Arash—Shaki, Baku, Chemeshgazak—Agdash, Derbent (Darband), Quba—Qolhan, and Saliyan.^[2] The capital of Shamakhi had a separate governor, but is not mentioned by the then contemporary historians and geographers to have formed a separate administrative jurisdiction.^[3] Control over Shirvan was firmly held by the Safavids from the time of the subjugation of Shirvan (except for several brief Ottoman intermissions) when eventually the Afsharid ruler of Iran, Nader Shah established firm rule over the area until the area. After his death, the area was divided into various subordinate various khanates, before they were conquered by the Russian Empire from Qajar Iran in the course of the 19th century.^[4] Shirvan Beylerbeylik was one of four beylerbeyliks on the territory of South Caucasus. The other three were the Karabakh, Chukhursaad and Tabriz beylerbeyliks.^[5]

History

Having ended the rule of the Shirvanshahs in 1538, Tahmasp I established Shirvan Beylerbeylik as an administrative unit of the empire. At the end of the 16th century, the Ottoman General Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha briefly captured Shirvan during the Ottoman-Safavid War (1578-1590) and appointed Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha as its beylerbey. In 1607, Shah Abbas I invaded Shirvan again and instituted Qizilbash rule over the province. After several interstate wars, Shirvan Beylerbeylik was eventually captured by Nadir Shah in 1734 to establish Safavid rule over the province again.^[1][6]

References

1. Khalilli, Fariz (2009). ŞAMAXI TARİX-DİYARŞÜNASLIQ MUZEYİ [Shamakhi Historical and Locality Museum]. Baku: ANAS. p. 103. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
2. Nasiri, Ali Naqi; Floor, Willem M. (2008). Titles and Emoluments in Safavid Iran: A Third Manual of Safavid Administration. Mage Publishers. p. 284. ISBN 978-1933823232.
3. Nasiri, Ali Naqi; Floor, Willem M. (2008). Titles and Emoluments in Safavid Iran: A Third Manual of Safavid Administration. Mage Publishers. p. 284. ISBN 978-1933823232.
4. Afandiyev, O. A. (1993). Azərbaycan Səfəvilər dövləti [Safavid state of Azerbaijan]. Baku. p. 57.
5. The Caucasus and Globalization (PDF). 1. Sweden: Institute of Strategic Studies of the Caucasus. 2006. p. 9. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
6. Fleischer, Cornell H. (1989). Mustafa Ali and the Politics of Cultural Despair. Cambridge University Press.