Persian campaign of the Russian army. Persian campaign

All Caucasian wars of Russia. The most complete encyclopedia Valentin Aleksandrovich Runov

Caspian campaign of Peter I

At the beginning of the 18th century, Persia intensified its activities in the Eastern Caucasus, and soon all the coastal possessions of Dagestan recognized its power over them. Persian ships were complete masters in the Caspian Sea and controlled its entire coastline. But the arrival of the Persians did not put an end to civil strife between local owners. There was a fierce massacre in Dagestan, into which Türkiye, which was at enmity with Persia, was gradually drawn into.

The events that took place in Dagestan could not help but alarm Russia, which was actively trading with the East through its lands. Trade routes from Persia and India through Dagestan were essentially cut off. Merchants suffered huge losses, and the state treasury also suffered.

For the purpose of reconnaissance in 1711, Prince Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky, a native of Kabarda, who knew many eastern languages and customs of the highlanders, was sent to the Caucasus, and Artemy Petrovich Volynsky was sent to reconnaissance of the situation in Persia in 1715.

Upon his return in 1719, A.P. Volynsky from Persia, he was appointed governor of Astrakhan with great powers of both a military and political nature. For the next four years, his activities were based on measures to bring the Dagestan rulers into Russian citizenship and prepare the campaign of Russian troops in the Caucasus. This activity was very successful. Already at the beginning of the next year, through Volynsky, Moscow received a request from the Dagestan shamkhal of Tarkovsky Adil-Girey to accept him as Russian citizenship. This request was greeted kindly, and the shamkhal himself was granted “as a sign of his sovereign favor” valuable furs for 3 thousand rubles.

As soon as it emerged victorious from the Northern War, Russia, proclaimed an empire, began preparing for a campaign in the Caucasus. The reason was the beating and robbery of Russian merchants, organized by the Lezgin owner Daud-bek in Shemakha. There, on August 7, 1721, crowds of armed Lezgins and Kumyks attacked Russian shops in the Gostiny Dvor, beat and dispersed the clerks who were with them, and then plundered goods totaling up to half a million rubles.

Having learned about this, A.P. Volynsky urgently reported to the emperor: “...according to your intention for the undertaking, there can be no more legitimate reason than this: the first thing is that you deign to stand up for your own; second, not against the Persians, but against their enemies and their own. In addition, you can offer to the Persians (if they began to protest) that if they pay your losses, then Your Majesty can give them everything you have won. This way you can show to the whole world that you deign to have a true reason for this.”

On this letter in December 1721, Peter wrote: “I answer your opinion; that this opportunity is not to be missed, and we have already ordered a satisfied part of the army to march to you...” In the same 1721, the Terek-Greben Cossacks were placed under the jurisdiction of the Russian military college and formalized as a military class.

A.P. Volynsky

At the beginning of 1722, the Russian emperor learned that the Persian Shah was defeated by the Afghans near his capital. The country began to be in turmoil. There was a threat that, taking advantage of this, the Turks would strike first and appear on the coast of the Caspian Sea before the Russians. It became risky to further postpone the campaign to the Caucasus.

In early May 1722, the guards were loaded onto ships and sent down the Moscow River, and then along the Volga. Ten days later, Peter and Catherine set off, deciding to accompany her husband on the campaign. Soon the expeditionary force concentrated in Astrakhan, where Volynsky had prepared a good material base for it in advance. There, on his orders, the atamans of the Donets, the military leaders of the Volga Tatars and Kalmyks, whose troops were to take part in the campaign, arrived to meet with the emperor. Total number Russian troops, intended for the invasion of the Caucasus, exceeded 80 thousand people.

In addition, the Kabardian princes were supposed to take part in the campaign: the brother of Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky, Murza of Cherkassy and Araslan-bek. With their military detachments, they were supposed to join the Russian army on August 6 on the Sulak River.

On July 18, ships with regular infantry and artillery left Astrakhan for the Caspian Sea. Nine thousand dragoons, twenty thousand Don Cossacks and thirty thousand mounted Tatars and Kalmyks followed the seashore. Ten days later, Russian ships landed at the mouth of the Terek in the Gulf of Agrakhan. Peter was the first to set foot on land and determined a place to set up a camp, where he intended to wait for the cavalry to arrive.

The fighting began earlier than expected. On July 23, a detachment of brigadier Veterani, on the approach to the village of Enderi in the gorge, was suddenly attacked by the Kumyks. The mountaineers, hiding in the rocks and behind the trees, disabled 80 soldiers and two officers with well-aimed rifle fire and arrows. But then the Russians, having recovered from the surprise, went on the offensive themselves, defeated the enemy, captured the village and turned it into ashes. Thus began a military expedition, which later became known as the Caspian Campaign of Peter the Great.

Subsequently, Peter acted very decisively, combining diplomacy with armed force. At the beginning of August, his troops moved to Tarki. On the approaches to the city they were met by Shamkhal Aldy-Girey, who expressed his submission to the emperor. Peter received him in front of the guard formation very kindly and promised not to cause the devastation of the region.

On August 13, the Russian regiments solemnly entered Tarki, where they were greeted with honor by the Shamkhal. Aldy-Girey gave Peter a gray argamak in a golden harness. Both of his wives paid a visit to Catherine, presenting her with trays as gifts. the best varieties grapes The troops received food, wine and fodder.

August 16 Russian army set out on a campaign to Derbent. This time the path was not entirely smooth. On the third day, one of the columns was attacked by a large detachment of the Utemish Sultan Mahmud. The soldiers repelled the enemy's attack with relative ease and captured many prisoners. As a warning to all other enemies, Peter ordered the execution of 26 captured military leaders, and the town of Utemish, which consisted of 500 houses, to be turned into ashes. Ordinary soldiers were granted freedom under an oath not to fight the Russians in the future.

Highlander attack

The Russian emperor's loyalty to the submissive and his cruelty to those who resisted soon became known throughout the region. Therefore, Derbent did not resist. On August 23, its ruler with a group of eminent townspeople met the Russians a mile from the city, fell to his knees and presented Peter with two silver keys to the fortress gates. Peter kindly received the delegation and promised not to send troops into the city. He kept his word. The Russians set up a camp near the city walls, where they rested for several days, celebrating their bloodless victory. The emperor and his wife spent all this time, escaping the unbearable heat, in a dugout specially built for them, covered with a thick layer of turf. The ruler of Derbent, having learned about this, was very surprised. In a secret message to the Shah, he wrote that the Russian Tsar is so wild that he lives in the ground, from where he emerges only at sunset. Nevertheless, when assessing the state of the Russian troops, the naib did not skimp on praise.

After capturing Derbent, the Russian camp began to prepare for a campaign against Baku. However, an acute shortage of food and fodder forced Peter to postpone it until next year. Leaving a small detachment in Dagestan, he returned the main forces to Astrakhan for the winter. On the way back, the Russians founded the fortress of the Holy Cross at the place where the Agrakhan River flows into the Sulak River.

At the end of September, on the orders of Peter, Ataman Krasnoshchekin with the Don and Kalmyks inflicted a series of blows on the Utemish Sultan Mahmud, defeated his troops and ruined everything that had survived the previous pogrom. 350 people were captured and 11 thousand heads of cattle were captured. This was the last victory won in the presence of Peter I in the Caucasus. At the end of September, the imperial couple sailed to Astrakhan, from where they returned to Russia.

After Peter's departure, the command of all Russian troops located in the Caucasus was entrusted to Major General M.A. Matyushkin, who enjoyed the special trust of the emperor.

Türkiye was alarmed by the appearance of Russian troops on the Caspian coast. In the spring of 1723, a 20,000-strong Turkish army occupied the space from Erivan to Tabriz, then moved north and occupied Georgia. King Vakhtang took refuge in Imereti, and then moved to the Russian fortress of the Holy Cross. From there, in 1725, he was transported to St. Petersburg and received by Catherine I. Astrakhan was assigned to him for residence, and the Russian treasury allocated 18 thousand rubles annually for the maintenance of the court. In addition, he was granted lands in various provinces and 3,000 serfs. The exiled Georgian king lived comfortably in Russia for many years.

Fulfilling the will of the emperor, in July 1723 Matyushkin with four regiments made a sea crossing from Astrakhan and after a short battle occupied Baku. 700 Persian soldiers and 80 cannons were captured in the city. For this operation, the detachment commander was promoted to lieutenant general.

The alarm was sounded in Isfahan. The internal situation in Persia did not allow the Shah to engage in Caucasian affairs. We had to negotiate with Russia. To St. Petersburg in urgently Ambassadors were sent to propose an alliance in the war with Turkey and request help for the Shah in the fight against his internal enemies. Peter decided to focus on the second part of the sentences. On September 12, 1723, an agreement was signed on terms favorable to Russia. It stated: “Shakhovo Majesty cedes to His Imperial Majesty the All-Russian for the eternal possession of the cities of Derbent, Baku with all the lands and places that belong to them and along the Caspian Sea, as well as the provinces: Gilan, Mazanderan and Astrabad, in order to support the army that His The Imperial Majesty will send help to His Shah’s Majesty against his rebels, without demanding money for it.”

View of Derbent from the sea

In the fall of 1723, the Persian province of Gilan was under threat of occupation by Afghans, who entered into a secret conspiracy with Turkey. The provincial ruler, in turn, turned to the Russians for help. M.A. Matyushkin decided not to miss such a rare opportunity and forestall the enemy. Within a short time, 14 ships were prepared for sailing, and two battalions of soldiers with artillery boarded them. The squadron of ships was commanded by captain-lieutenant Soimanov, and the infantry detachment was commanded by Colonel Shipov.

On November 4, the squadron left Astrakhan and a month later entered the Anzeli raid. Having landed a small landing party, Shipov occupied the city of Rasht without a fight. In the spring of the following year, reinforcements were sent to Gilan from Astrakhan - two thousand infantry men with 24 guns, commanded by Major General A.N. Levashov. With combined efforts, Russian troops occupied the province and established control over the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. Their separate detachments infiltrated deep into the Caucasus, frightening the vassals of Persia, the Sheki and Shirvan khans.

The Persian campaign was generally completed successfully. True, having captured vast territories on the coast of the Caspian Sea, Russian troops lost 41,172 people, of whom only 267 died in battle, 46 drowned, 220 deserted, and the rest died from wounds and disease. The campaign, on the one hand, showed the weakness of the resistance of the rulers of the Eastern Caucasus, on the other, the unpreparedness of the Russian army to conduct operations in southern latitudes, the shortcomings of its medical support, supplies, and much more.

Peter highly noted the military merits of his soldiers. All officers were awarded special gold medals, and the lower ranks - silver medals with the image of the emperor, which were worn on the ribbon of the first Russian Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. This medal was the first of many awards established for fighting in the Caucasus.

Thus, Peter the Great, based primarily on the trade and economic interests of Russia, was the first of its rulers to put the task of annexing the Caspian coast of the Caucasus at the forefront of the empire’s policy. He personally organized a military expedition to the Eastern Caucasus with the aim of conquering it and achieved some success. However, the appearance of Russian troops in the Caucasus intensified the aggressive activities of this region also on the part of Persia and Turkey. Military operations in the Caucasus on the part of Russia were in the nature of expeditions, the purpose of which was not so much the defeat of the main forces of the opposing enemy as the seizure of territory. The population of the occupied lands was subject to indemnity, which was mainly used to maintain the occupation administration and troops. During the expeditions, it was widely practiced to bring local rulers into Russian citizenship through an oath.

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Caspian campaign of Peter I

The Caspian or Persian military campaign of Peter the Great lasted a year from 1722 to 1723. The main objectives of this operation were to strengthen Russian influence in the East and seize rich trade routes, most of which at that time passed through the territory of Persia. At the same time, the king personally led the campaign. But, first things first.

Reasons for the Caspian campaign of Peter I

In 1721, the Russian Empire triumphantly ended the Northern War with Sweden, which lasted for twenty-one years. Due to the absence of serious external enemies on the horizon, the sovereign decides to implement a plan to annex lands located near the Caspian Sea. Modern historians identify the following factors as the main reasons for the Caspian Campaign:

protection of Orthodox residents of the Caucasus;
the desire to exercise control over the trade routes of Asia and India passing through the Caspian Sea;
the desire by all means to weaken the power position of the Ottoman Empire in the East.

The beginning of the Caspian campaign

The Persian campaign of Peter the Great began on July 18, 1722. It is on this day that two hundred and seventy-four ships descend into the Caspian Sea down the Volga. The Tsar entrusted command of the fleet to Admiral Apraksin, who showed excellent results in naval battles against Sweden in Northern War. On the twentieth, the Russian fleet goes to sea and continues to move along coastline.

Peter chose the city of Derbent as the first target, where the infantry and ships moved. In total, the infantry numbered twenty-two thousand people, which were based on regular Russian army, as well as Tatars, Kabardians, Cossacks and Kalmyks.

The first battle happens a month later. On August 19, near the town of Utemysh, Russian troops repulse the pressure of Sultan Magmud. During the same period, the Kumyk Shah Adil Giray, allied with Russia, captured the cities of Baku and Derbent. Peter's troops enter this city on August 23rd without fighting or losses.

However, further movement of the army to the south was stopped, because the Russian fleet supplying it was defeated as a result of the storm. Peter the Great leaves his army and urgently leaves for Astrakhan, where he begins preparations for a military campaign that will begin in 1723. Thus, the first stage of the hike is completed.

Progress of hostilities

In the second stage of the Caspian campaign, Perth the First entrusts command of the army to Matyushkin. The Russian troops set out in the direction of Baku on the twentieth of June and reached their goal on the sixth of July. The siege of the city immediately begins, because the townspeople rejected the commander’s offer to surrender and open the gates. The plan for the siege of the city prepared by the sovereign was simple, but very effective:

The infantry took up positions and was ready to repel enemy attacks at the first order. The first such sortie took place the day after the siege began.
The Russian fleet anchors near the fortress and begins regular shelling, which completely eliminated the enemy artillery and partially destroyed the fortress wall.
As soon as the enemy positions were weakened, Russian troops began the assault.

Thanks to strict adherence to each point of the plan, the Persian campaign had a fairly high chance of success. The commander sets the beginning of the assault on Baku on the twenty-fifth of July, making the main key figure fleet, which was supposed to deliver the main blow to the fortress. However, strong winds prevented the plan from being implemented and the operation was cancelled. On July 26, 1723, the fortress surrendered without a fight.

Results of the Caspian campaign

This victory was a huge success for Russia and no less a huge failure for its enemy Persia, which, given the current situation, had to look for a reason to conclude a peace agreement with Peter the Great.

Peter's Persian or Caspian campaign officially ends on September 12, 1723, when a peace treaty between Russia and Persia is signed in St. Petersburg, which will go down in history as the Persian Peace of 1723. According to the terms and conditions of this document, Russian Empire Rasht, Derbent, Baku, as well as other settlements located along the southern coastline of the Caspian Sea departed. The ruler of Russia was able to implement only one of many ideas and was not going to stop there.

As we already mentioned at the beginning, historians agree that Emperor Peter the Great did a very important thing by deciding to annex Eastern territories to the Russian Empire. However, unfortunately, his successors who ascended the Russian throne were unable to maintain these positions. According to the treaties of 1732 and 1735, the ruler of Russia, Empress Anna, returns all the Caspian lands to Persia, thus negating all the efforts and efforts expended by Peter.

Thus the history of the Caspian campaign of Peter the Great was completed.

Scheme: goals and results of the Caspian campaign of Peter I

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ABOUT THE Petition of the GEORGIAN PRINCE Vakhtang

On August 15, Volynsky wrote to the Tsar: “The Georgian prince (Vakhtang) sent to me and his sister so that we generally ask Your Majesty for him, so that you would deign to show mercy to him for the deliverance of their common Christianity, and shows the way to do this: 1) so that your Majesty would deign to send him five or six thousand troops directly into Georgia and order him to sit in his garrisons, declaring that he sees disagreement between the nobility in Georgia; and if your troops are brought into Georgia, then many will inevitably be forced to take his party. 2) So that, for better assurance, they deign to make a landing in Persia, ten thousand or more, in order to take Derbent or. Shemakha, and without that it is dangerous to enter the war. 3) He asked that they deign to make a fortress on the Terek River between Kabarda and the Greben Cossacks and plant a Russian garrison for free communication with Georgia and for its protection. And as it seems, the sovereign, in my weak opinion, all his supposed reasons are not powerless. Vakhtang represents the weak current state of the Persians, and what benefit will this war bring to you, and how the Persians cannot resist your weapons; If you deign to enter into war against the Shah, he, Vakhtang, can put 30 to 40,000 troops in the field and promises to go all the way to Hispagan, for he calls the Persians women.”

SOUTHERN DIRECTION OF PETER'S POLITICS

The reason for organizing the Caspian campaign was the robbery of Russian merchants in Shamakhi in 1721. […] At the beginning of 1722, the tsar received news of the move against the Shah by another contender for the throne and of his victories over the Shah’s troops. As a result, there were favorable conditions to seize Iran's Transcaucasian possessions from the Ottomans. Peter decided to prevent their advance and ordered them to prepare for the campaign. Peter left Moscow on May 13, 1722. In Kolomna he was joined by Admiral Apraksin, a major diplomat, Tolstoy, as well as his wife Ekaterina Alekseevna. From Kolomna, the tsar and his companions set off by water to Astrakhan, and from there, at the head of infantry troops, departed for the Caspian campaign. The cavalry walked along the dry route sea coast. […] On August 23, the naib of Derbent handed Peter the keys to the city without resistance. The appearance of Russian troops here caused the creation of militias of Georgians, Armenians and Azerbaijanis. They were preparing to unite with the Russian armed forces for a joint fight against the Iranian feudal lords. However, such a connection did not take place, since due to lack of food and lack of food supplies, Russian troops returned to Astrakhan. […]

The expedition's actions resumed the following year, 1723. This time the cavalry did not participate in the campaign; military operations were carried out by the Caspian Flotilla, which captured a number of strongholds on the western and even southern coast of the Caspian Sea: Baku, Salyanami, Rasht. According to the Treaty of St. Petersburg in 1723, Iran ceded this territory to Russia. In return for the acquisitions, Russia pledged to “provide assistance” to Iran if it were to be attacked by an enemy. By enemy was meant Ottoman Empire.

[…] The Caspian campaign, although it did not bring liberation to the peoples of Transcaucasia from the yoke of Iranian feudal lords, nevertheless had positive value. He contributed to the growth of Russia's political influence in Transcaucasia and the establishment of closer economic ties with the peoples who inhabited it. Another consequence of the Caspian campaign is to ensure the security of Russia’s southern borders.

Pavlenko N.I. Peter the Great and his time. - M., 1989. http://militera.lib.ru/bio/pavlenko_ni02/pavlenko_ni02.html

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EXPEDITION TO PERSIA

Peter's expedition to Persia was important in Russian history. It was the initial step towards the movement of Russia to the southeast, which, now stopping, then resuming again, subsequently led Russia to the acquisition of Transcaucasian Georgian lands and the entire Caucasian ridge. Peter, thinking of making Russia a maritime power and opening the way for her to take her rightful place among the European powers, at the same time understood that both geography and history had outlined another the road - the road to the East, where Russia, receiving from the West the fruits of European civilization, could, in its own processing, impart them to the eastern peoples, who stood in comparison with her at a lower level of cultural development.

The Swedes have fallen, now no one will stop me - we will conquer Persia and create a better trade route
Petr Alekseevich Romanov

The Persian campaign of Peter 1 took place in 1722-1723. His main tasks were to strengthen Russia's influence in the East, as well as to take control of rich trade routes, many of which passed through Persia. The Russian Tsar personally commanded the army. This undertaking, like most others, was carried out brilliantly by Peter, although his successors managed to lose those territories that Peter annexed thanks to the victory over Persia. But first things first.

Reasons for the Persian Approach

IN national history The Persian campaign is often called the Caspian campaign of Peter 1 or simply Russian-Persian war. Whichever of these definitions you come across, remember that we're talking about about the same thing.

In 1721, Russia triumphantly ended a 21-year war with Sweden. Since there were no more serious external enemies, Peter decided to carry out his long-standing idea - to annex the territories adjacent to the Caspian Sea, declaring war on Persia. The main reasons for the Persian campaign of Peter 1 can be called the following:

The desire to control trade routes from India and Asia, most of which passed through the Caspian Sea. Amazing fact, which many historians for some reason forget to talk about, but Peter 1 was extremely favorable towards representatives of trade, and a lot was done in the country for their benefit. The plans included the creation of the Baltic-Volga-Caspian trade route.
Protection of Orthodox Christians in the Caucasus. This was a reason that justified the reasons for starting the war.
The desire to weaken the position of the Ottoman Empire in the East. I would like to point out right away that this was not possible. Next, let's look at why it didn't work.

Progress of hostilities

Events of 1722

The Persian campaign of Peter 1 began on July 18, 1722. On this day, 274 ships began to descend down the Volga into the Caspian Sea. The fleet was commanded by Admiral Apraksin, who showed himself well in naval battles against Sweden. The ship went out to sea on July 20, after which the fleet continued moving along the coast.

The main goal at the beginning of the campaign was the city of Derbent. It was there that the ships, as well as the infantry, moved. In total there were about 22 thousand infantrymen, the basis of which was regular army, as well as Kalmyks, Cossacks, Kabardians, Tatars. The first battle took place on August 19 near the town of Utemysh. Russian troops managed to repel the attack of Sultan Magmud. At the same time, Adil-Girey, the Kumyk Shah, who acted in alliance with Peter, captured the cities of Derbent and Baku. Russian troops entered Derbent on August 23 without significant losses and virtually without fighting. Further advance of the army to the south was stopped because the fleet that was delivering provisions was lost as a result of the storm. The Tsar leaves the army and heads to Astrakhan, where he directs preparations for military action in 1723. Thus the first stage of the Persian campaign of Peter 1 was completed.

Events of 1723

In the company of 1723 Peter 1 active participation didn't accept. The army was commanded by Matyushkin. Peter himself was in Russia. The troops began moving out on June 20 in the direction of Baku and reached the city on July 6. The siege of the city began, as the townspeople rejected Matyushkin’s demand to surrender. The siege plan was quite simple, but very effective:

The infantry takes its positions, preparing to repel an enemy attack at any moment. The first sortie was on July 21, 1723.
The fleet was supposed to anchor near the fortress and begin shelling it. As a result of these actions, it was possible to completely disable the enemy's artillery, as well as partially destroy the fortress wall.
After weakening the positions of the fortress, begin its assault.

The plan was good, and as a result, the Persian campaign of Peter 1 had a high chance of success. The assault on Baku was scheduled for July 25. It was assumed that the main attack should be delivered from the sea, since there were gaps in the wall, and this could be successfully exploited. A strong wind interfered, due to which the assault was canceled. Nevertheless, already on July 26, 1723, Baku capitulated without a fight. It was great success for Russia and a gigantic blow for Persia, which began to look for opportunities to conclude peace.

Persian campaign of Peter 1 – map

Results of the war with Persia

On September 12, 1723, the Persian campaign of Peter 1 was officially completed. On this day in St. Petersburg, representatives of Persia signed a peace treaty with Russia. In history, this document is called the Persian Peace of 1723, and as a result of it, Baku, Derbent, Rasht and others were ceded to Russia settlements along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. Peter realized his idea, but was not going to stop there, because he wanted to move deeper in order to prevent the Ottoman Empire from expanding.

The Ottomans worked proactively and in the summer of 1723 captured almost the entire territory of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. In 1724, the Ottomans concluded the Peace of Constantinople with the Porte, retaining the right to the conquered lands. Russia recognized this treaty, and in response, the Ottoman Empire recognized the treaty between Russia and Persia of 1723.

At the beginning of the article, I already said that Peter 1 did a great job by adding these important Eastern lands. However, his successors Russian throne these territories were not held. As a result of the treaties of 1732 and 1735, Empress Anna 1 returned all territories in the Caspian Sea to Persia. This is how the Persian Campaign of Peter I (1722 - 1723) was completed, in which Russia achieved a beneficial peace with Persia.

Caspian campaign of Peter I (briefly)

Campaign of 1722

On the eighteenth of July, the Russian flotilla in full strength (two hundred and seventy-four ships) goes out to the open sea under the command of Count Apraksin. On July 20, the fleet enters the Caspian Sea, after which it travels for a week, sticking to the western shore. Already on the twenty-seventh of July, infantry landed at the Agraharsky Cape, and a few days later the arriving cavalry united with the main forces. On August 5, the army continues to move towards Derbent and a day later it is joined by detachments of the Kabardian princes Aslan-Bek and Murza Cherkassky.

After August twenty-eighth, the further advance of the army to the south was stopped by a powerful storm, which sank all the ships with provisions. However, Peter the Great decides to leave a garrison in the city and return with the main forces to Astrakhan, where he begins to plan preparations for the 1723 campaign.

At the beginning of autumn, Vakhtang the Fourth and his army enter Karabakh, where he conducts military operations against the rebellious Dagestanis. After Ganja was captured, Armenian troops led by Isaiah joined the ranks of the Georgians. They stood waiting for Peter for about two months, but having received news of the departure of the Russian army from the Caucasus, Isaiah and Vakhtang returned to their possessions with the army.

In November, an assault force of five companies landed in the Persian province of Gilan to occupy the city of Rasht. The landing force was commanded by Colonel Shipov. Later, in the early spring of next year, the vizier organizes an uprising and, having gathered fifteen thousand people, tries to dislodge the detachment. However, all Persian attacks were repulsed.

Campaign of 1723

During the second campaign, Peter sent a much smaller detachment to Persia than the last time. Matyushkin commanded them. At the same time, Peter the Great acted only as the leader of Matyushkin himself from Russia.

So, fifteen geckobots, infantry, as well as siege and field artillery took part in this campaign. On the twentieth of June, the army moves south, and behind them the fleet of geckbots leaves Kazan. On the sixth of July they approach Baku ground forces. Local residents refuse to surrender the city peacefully.

On the twenty-first, the Russians repelled the besieged attack with two field guns and four battalions. Along with this, seven geckbots open powerful fire on the city wall, destroying its integrity and knocking out the fortress’s artillery.

On July 26, the city of Baku capitulated.