This paper will examine the attempt of the Russian Caspian Flotilla to establish a commercial settlement in the Bay of Astarabad in 1781 and 1782. It will use the invitation of Russian presence by the Qajars and their subsequent expulsion by the Qajars to uncover aspects of the political and economic goals of Agha Mohammad Khan early in his rise to power. These considerations will help to understand the Qajar expansion in a northern and trans-Caspian context, in addition to the narrative of rivalry with the Zands.
The paper will address two major themes relevant to the emergence of Qajar power. First, it will look at the expansion of trade with Russsia during the late eighteenth century. It will start by examining the expanding network of Russian consulates that bound the coastal regions to Astrakhan, but also horizontally to one another. It will treat the expedition not as the beginning of hostilities leading to war in 1804, but as a shift in a longer relationship, with commercial and regional political implications. In this way, I hope to show Agha Mohammad Khan’s interaction with a Caspian diplomatic and economic system.
Second, I will address aspects of Agha Mohammad Khan’s administration and alliances,, as revealed through this incident. Because Qajar forces seized Russian officers while Agha Mohammad was away on campaign, Russian dispatches contain information on the delegation of authority and internal rifts among regional elites. Furthermore, they help to illuminate the nature of the Qajar relationship with neighboring Turkmen tribes to the north and east. This information suggests a more complicated and nuanced picture of Qajar political organization, showing interest in trade and a model of state that predates the incorporation of the southern bureaucracy after the capture of Shiraz.
This paper will rely of narrative of accounts from major Qajar chronicles, especially from the early period. It will give preference to the version in Sāru’i’s history, due to its contemporary composition by a northern author. Additional narratives will come from Mahmud Mirza Qajar’s Tārikh-e Sāhebqerāni and from Lisān al-Mulk’s later work, Nāsekh al-Tavārikh. Additionally, I will use two published Russian-language narratives from naval officers. Furthermore, I will use the Russian commander Voynovich’s reports concerning the mission and consular records from Gilan, which I have studied in archives in Moscow.
