Publication Details:

Հիմնարար հայագիտություն ՀՀ ԳԱԱ էլեկտրոնային պարբերականն է, որը հրատարակվում է Հայագիտական հիմնադրամի ֆինանսական աջակցությամբ: Հանդեսի պարբերականությունը տարեկան երկու համար է:Հանդեսն ընդգրկում է հոդվածներ, գրախոսություններ և այլ նյութեր, նվիրված հայագիտության ամենատարբեր ոլորտների արդիական խնդիրներին (պատմություն, լեզու, գրականություն, հնագիտություն, ազգագրություն, փիլիսոփայություն, տնտեսագիտություն, իրավունք, ազգային անվտանգություն և այլն):

Journal or Publication Title:

Հիմնարար հայագիտություն=Fundamental Armenology

Date of publication:

2025

Volume:

2 (22)

ISSN:

1829-4618

Official URL:

Contributor(s):

Translated from Russian by Gevorg Harutyunyan

Coverage:

42-75

Abstract:

In recent decades, researchers have also started to address the military operations that took place in Northern Persia, in Atropatene (Azerbaijan), during the First World War. If the Caucasian Front1 was considered a secondary front in the history of the world war, then the Persian direction was a tertiary one and was completely outside the attention of the Russian Supreme Command. The memoirs2 of Colonel, and later General, Vladimir Nikolay Poltavtsev, who served in various positions including Chief of Staff of the Azerbaijani Detachment and the 2nd Caucasian Rifle Brigade, and commander of the 66th Rifle Division, pertain to the events of 1913–1915 and 1917–1918. In the previous issue, we presented the colonel’s biography and his memoirs about the Armenian volunteer movement, particularly the 1st Druzhina.3 The current memoirs cover two phases: from October 1913 until June 10, 1915, when military operations were taking place in Northern Persia, after which the brigade was transferred to the Russian-Turkish front in Western Armenia. Poltavtsev returned to Atropatene after receiving a new appointment, where he served from June 3, 1917, until April 17, 1918.4 In the preface, he warns the future reader that he wrote solely from memory, and therefore, some errors are possible.5 The “disorders” that began in Tabriz in 1909, which were actually the Persian Revolution6, served as an opportunity for the Russians to intervene, and Russian troops were sent into Persia. The Russians appointed their loyal officials to key positions, including the General- Governor of Azerbaijan, Shuja-ud-Daulah, whose residence was in Tabriz. He was accompanied by a representative of the Persian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the karguzar, and the mayor.8 Shuja-ud-Daulah presented himself as a loyal friend of the Russian Empire and even at the end of 1914, he appealed to the commander of the Azerbaijani Detachment, asking him to intercede with the Tsar so that Northern Azerbaijan would accept Russian citizenship. The Russian side rejected the request, considering it untimely.9 Using Russian patronage, the General-Governor did not submit to the central authority and resorted to various machinations and embezzlements10. Poltavtsev admits that the General-Governor carried out the will and instructions of the Russians without any objection but did not believe in his loyalty to Russia.

Publisher:

ՀՀ ԳԱԱ

Format:

pdf

Language:

en