Siege of Erivan (1808)

The siege of Erivan took place from October to November 1808, during the Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813. As in 1804, the Iranians successfully defended the city and forced the Russians to withdraw.[1][3]

Siege of Erivan
Part of the Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813

Firman of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar to General Gardane wherein, amongst others, suggested military operations against the Russians are written, and an indication that the Shah expects Gardane to report shortly an end to hostilities and the capture of Field Marshal Gudovich, December 1808, dated November-December 1808
DateOctober–November 1808
Location
Erivan, Qajar Iran (present-day Yerevan, Armenia)
Result Iranian victory
Belligerents
Russia Russian Empire Qajar Iran
Commanders and leaders
Ivan Gudovich Abbas Mirza
Hossein Khan Sardar
Hasan Khan Qajar
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
3,000 casualties[1]
c. 1,000 killed[2]		 Unknown

The Russian campaign, launched late in the season and poorly conceived, failed after a six-week siege of the Iranian fortress of Erivan.[2] The Russians had suffered 3,000 casualties with almost 1,000 deaths.[1][2]

Russian field marshal Ivan Gudovich tried to excuse his defeat by claiming that French military officers had helped the Iranians, but Gudovich's superiors, as modern historian Alexander Mikaberidze explains, "knew better".[2] Tsar Alexander I was severely dissatisfied; when he heard about Gudovich's failure, he named his expedition as "stupid", and without any sort of compassion, sent him into retirement.[4]

References
  1. Behrooz 2013, p. 58.
  2. Mikaberidze 2020, p. 438.
  3. Kettenhofen, Bournoutian & Hewsen 1998, pp. 542–551.
  4. Atkin 1980, p. 77.

Sources
  • Atkin, Muriel (1980). Russia and Iran, 1780-1828. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0816609246.
  • Behrooz, Maziar (2013). "From confidence to apprehension: early Iranian interaction with Russia". In Cronin, Stephanie (ed.). Iranian-Russian Encounters: Empires and Revolutions Since 1800. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415624336.
  • Kettenhofen, Erich; Bournoutian, George A.; Hewsen, Robert H. (1998). "EREVAN". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. VIII, Fasc. 5. pp. 542–551.
  • Mikaberidze, Alexander (2020). The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199951062.

Further reading
  • Bournoutian, George A. (1992). The Khanate of Erevan Under Qajar Rule: 1795-1828. Mazda Publishers. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-0939214181.

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