Diplomacy in the Middle of the the two Wars: General Yermolov's Mission in Iran and its Outcomes

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Ph.D. in History, Researcher of Russia and the Caucasus History

Abstract

General Yermolov's mission in Iran (1817) was in response to the Iranian Foreign Minister Mirza Abolhassan-Khan Ilchi’s mission to the Russian Empire. The goal of Yermolov's mission was to determine and resolve border disputes between the two countries based on the Treaty of Golestan (1813). This paper, which is based on Iranian and Russian sources, reviews the context, goals and achievements of his mission. Of course, his mission not only failed to create an opening in relations between the two countries, but also intensified their disputes and finally led to the second war between Iran and Russia (1826-1828). Major reasons for his failure included different expectations with respect to his mission among the two countries’ authorities, Iran's disagreement with Yermolov’s proposals, Yermolov’s improper conduct in meetings with the Shah and other officials of Iran, failure of Iranian authorities to use this opportunity to determine common borders, dependence of two countries’ relations on situation of Abbas Mirza as the heir to Iranian throne and Yermolov’s disagreement to this issue, as well as Yermolov’s noncompliance with the official policy of Russia.

Keywords

Central Eurasia Studies
Volume 6, Issue 12 - Serial Number 12
September 2015
Pages 55-74

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