Treaty of Turkmenchay
Torkamanchay, East Azerbaijan, Iran
What happened
Crown Prince Abbas Mirza of Qajar Iran and the Russian general Ivan Paskievich signed peace after a Russian victory. Russia and Iran had been fighting over the Caucasus. In a village between Tabriz and Tehran, Iran agreed to give Russia the khanates of Erivan and Nakhchivan and other lands, making the Aras River the border. Iran also agreed to pay Russia a large sum.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Together with an earlier treaty of 1813, it completed Russia's takeover of the southern Caucasus from Iran. The historian Alexander Mikaberidze calls it Iran's 'definite acknowledgement' of losing the Caucasus.
What came next
Many Armenians moved from Iran into Russian-held lands in the following years. The territories stayed under Russian and then Soviet rule until 1991.
Timeline
- 1813Treaty of Gulistan.
- 22 February 1828Treaty of Turkmenchay is signed.
- 1828–1831Armenian families move into Russian Armenia.
- 1991Armenia and Azerbaijan become independent.