| Ottoman–Persian War of 1821–1823 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theOttoman–Persian Wars | |||||||
.jpg) Persian soldiers at the Caucasus front. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Qajar Iran | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Fath-Ali Shah QajarAbbas MirzaMohammad Ali Mirza |  Mahmud IIDawud Pasha of Baghdad | ||||||
TheOttoman–Persian War of 1821–1823[a] was fought between theOttoman Empire andQajar Iran from 1821 to 1823.[5]
Tensions between the two empires had been rising due to the Ottoman Empire's harboring of rebellious tribesmen from the IranianAzerbaijan Province.[6] The issues concerning theKurdish borderland tribes such as the Haydaran and Sipki tribes had complicated the relations between the two empires. For instance, Iran launched a military campaign against Dervish Pasha, themuhafiz ofVan, when he refused to return the Sipki Kurdish who took refuge and settled inArchesh.[7]
The Ottoman-Iranian War that began in 1821 was also part of aseries of wars between the two empires, which was attributed to the influences of foreign powers, particularlyGreat Britain and theRussian Empire.[8] The Iranians and the Ottomans were within their respective spheres of influence and were drawn to their rivalry. TheRussian Empire was attempting to put pressure on the Ottoman Empire, which was thenat war with the Greeks.[6]
Crown PrinceAbbas Mirza of Iran, at the instigation of theRussian Empire, invadedWestern Armenia and the areas surrounding the Iranian province ofAzerbaijan.[6] On 10 September 1821, the Iranian forces marched out ofTabriz towards the border.[9] On 16 September, Iranian forces crossed the border atGürbulak and stormed theBayezid Fortress in November 1821, securing Iranian supply routes. As the Iranian army marched into the region, they went after the Heydaran tribesmen, who would flee to Diyarbakir.[10]
After Abbas Mirza's successful winter campaign, he withdrew most of his forces to Tabriz while leaving garrisons in significant towns and cities.[11] The Turks began to organize a counterattack, organized under the new serasker, Mohammad Amin Rauf Pasha. They planned to steamroll the garrisons in Eastern Anatolia and occupy parts of Azerbaijan to prevent Iran from gathering their troops, and force a peace on Ottoman terms.[11] However, the fortress of Toprah Kaleh stood in the way of Ottoman plans due to its strategic location. The Sardar of Erevan kept raiding Ottoman positions around Toprah Kaleh, allowing Abbas Mirza precious time to recover forces to relieve the fortress. The resulting battle in May 1822 was a defeat for the Ottomans, but the Iranians were unable to take advantage of their success.[11]
A second counter attacked was organized by the Ottoman "wali" (governor) of Baghdad,Dawud Pasha, who invaded Iran. The invasion was unsuccessful and he was pursued by the Qajar army under the lead of the Shah's oldest son, princeMohammad Ali Mirza.[12] The Ottomans retreated back to their own territory, while the Iranians tookShahrezur along theSirvan River, supported by Feili Kurds and Lurs who defeated the Ottoman opposition and forced them to further retreat toKirkuk.[13] Mohammad Ali Mirza conqueredSulayméniyah and following the capture ofSamarra, besieged Baghdad with 40,000 infantry and artillery. The Ottoman retreat ended here, as Dawud Pasha successfully defended the city with 3,900 infantry and 8,800 cavalry, preventing the Qajars from taking strategically important Baghdad. Combined with the effects of a cholera outbreak, Mohammad Ali Mirza was ultimately forced to lift the siege.[13][14][15][16] Mohammad Ali Mirza himself caught the disease during the siege, and died on November 22, while inCtesiphon.[13][17]
Meanwhile, Abbas Mirza marched into eastern Anatolia with 30,000 troops and met an Ottoman army of 50,000 at the Battle of Erzurum.[when?] Abbas Mirza scored a crushing victory over the Ottomans despite being severely outnumbered and his army suffering from a cholera epidemic.[6]
Peace was not concluded until theTreaty of Erzurum two years later;[18] both sides recognized the previous borders established by theTreaty of Zuhab in 1639,[19] with no territorial changes. Also included in the treaty, was the guaranteed access forPersian pilgrims to the holy sites ofMecca andMedina within the Ottoman Empire.[6]