Siege of Lankaran

Overview

The siege of Lankaran took place from 7 January to 13 January 1813 during the Russo-Persian War (1804–1813). Lankaran, a city in the Talish region, was previously held by Mir-Mostafa Khan of the Talysh Khanate, a subject of Iran. However, due to his defiance, he was ousted from the city by Iranian forces in August 1812. Now directly held by the Iranians, the city was soon besieged by the Russian commander Pyotr Kotlyarevsky, who had recently defeated the Iranian crown-prince Abbas Mirza at the battle of Aslanduz.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Siege of Lankaran was the concluding major engagement of the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813, following Kotlyarevsky's earlier defeat of Abbas Mirza at Aslanduz. Lankaran had passed directly into Iranian hands in August 1812 after Mir-Mostafa Khan of the Talysh Khanate was ousted for defiance, making it a symbol of Iranian control over the Talish region. Kotlyarevsky's Russian force of fewer than 1,700 troops stormed a garrison estimated at 4,000 defenders, inflicting casualties of 3,737 on the Iranian side. The destruction of the Lankaran garrison effectively ended organized Iranian resistance in the region and contributed directly to the conditions under which the Treaty of Gulistan was concluded, formalizing Russian territorial gains in the Caucasus.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)