Decree of Paul I to General Count I. Gudovich

On the Agreement to Accept the Meliks of Varanda and Gulistan into Russian Citizenship, Along with 11,000 Armenian Families under Their Rule Gatchina, October 7, 1797

General of Infantry Count Gudovich,

According to the petition submitted to you by two Karabakh Armenian meliks from Persia—Jemshid, ruler of Varanda, and Fridon, ruler of Gulistan—I command the following: Agree with them on the terms of accepting their subjugated Armenian people, totaling 11,000 families, into our citizenship, and ensure their relocation from Persia to Russia. You must take all necessary measures for the execution of this agreement, providing assistance at your discretion to safeguard the people and their possessions from plunder during the transition, and to settle them along the Caucasian Line by allocating sufficient land for their needs and guaranteeing their peaceful residence within our empire.

Meanwhile, send the aforementioned meliks to our capital as per their request, but first report to us on the agreements and arrangements you have made with them.

We remain favorably disposed towards you.

Signed personally by His Imperial Majesty, Paul I.

Petition of Karabakh Meliks Jemshid and Fridon to Paul I

Requesting Assistance in Restoring Their Ancestral Lands Seized by Ibrahim Khan, Seeking Russian Protection or the Mass Migration of Karabakh Armenians to Russia March 9, 1798

All-illustrious Sovereign!

Driven by fate, we humbly fall before Your Imperial Majesty’s sacred feet, beseeching you to recognize our unwavering loyalty to the Russian imperial throne—a devotion that our ancestors demonstrated to Your Majesty’s forefather, the great Peter I, as recorded in the exalted imperial charter they received. Though neither they nor we have had the fortune of receiving particular favors despite our steadfast allegiance, the flame of our dedication remains undiminished and shall always be evident in our deeds and communications with Your Majesty’s border generals.

When Prince Potemkin and another general of the same name, under the supreme permission of the late Empress, Your beloved mother, called upon us to free ourselves from the yoke of the barbarians, we did not hesitate to solemnly and fervently proclaim our commitment before the world. We were ready in action and spirit to join our forces with the might of the Russian Empire. In pursuit of this cause, we took the liberty of writing to Your late mother and, for the sake of success in matters too delicate for mere written correspondence, we frequently sent emissaries to Archbishop Joseph, Prince Argutinsky-Dolgorukov, to convey our intentions to the relevant Russian generals, consistently receiving reassurance under Your late mother’s supreme authority that we would not be denied the assistance and liberation we sought.

However, cruel fate has repaid our hopes with disaster. Ibrahim Khan, residing in Shusha—whose father was merely the headman of nomadic Mohammedans intruding on our lands—seized our hereditary dominion through various acts of violence. Upon learning of our agreement with Russia, he treacherously executed our leaders, razed their homes, plundered their possessions, and subjected us to perpetual suspicion and oppression. I, Melik Jemshid, was deprived of much of my property, and my nephew, Melik Fridon, was similarly punished and dispossessed.

Amidst these calamities, Agha Mohammed Khan’s arrival in the region caused widespread terror. Our subjects fled, scattering in all directions, while we ourselves were imprisoned, stripped of all remaining possessions. Following his assassination, we found ourselves displaced, our people scattered, and our ancestral lands stolen, forcing us into exile in Georgia as we sought refuge under Your Majesty’s protection.

Thus, we now present our earnest plea directly before Your Imperial Majesty, appealing for your justice and benevolence. We entreat you to grant us the aid promised to our forebears by your great predecessor and, through this act of mercy, secure the future of the many thousands of Christian souls who depend solely on Your Majesty’s power for their salvation.

In pursuit of this, we humbly request:

1. Bring the region of Karabakh under Your Majesty’s supreme protection and governance, affirming our rightful inheritance rather than leaving it under Ibrahim Khan’s unlawful seizure. This would encourage the dispersed Armenians to return, establishing a secure and flourishing province under the mighty aegis of Russia.
2. If this is not deemed feasible, we implore Your Majesty to entrust us with 12,000 troops equipped with necessary arms so we may liberate our lands, rescue the remaining Christian and Muslim subjects loyal to us, and relocate them from Karabakh, Shaki, and Shirvan—amounting to over 20,000 families—into the Russian Empire.
3. Should our request for military assistance be declined, we humbly ask that suitable lands be granted for settlement. The territory extending from Moshar to Ekaterinograd would suffice to accommodate our people and future emigrants, enabling us to establish a small Armenia within Russia.
4. If none of the above petitions are acceptable, we plead that the King of Georgia be ordered to allocate us the unoccupied land known as Kukaria (modern-day Khazakh, bordering Lori), which historically housed Armenian settlements. In return, we vow unwavering loyalty and assistance to the Georgian kingdom, maintaining authority over our people as we have until now.
5. Should even this final request be denied, we surrender ourselves entirely to Your Majesty’s decision regarding our fate, having lost our homeland, subjects, power, and all possessions.

We remain in deepest reverence, humbly at Your Majesty’s mercy,

Melik Jemshid, ruler of Varanda and Shusha Melik Fridon, ruler of Igirmidor Other loyal signatories

Excerpt from the Conversation Between Karabakh Meliks and S. Lashkaryov, Director of the Asian Department of the Foreign Affairs Collegium

On the Violence Perpetrated by the Khan of Shusha, Forcing the Exodus of 40,000 Armenian Families December 21, 1798

The Karabakh Armenian meliks Jemshid, ruler of Varanda, and Fridon, ruler of Gulistan, along with Yusuf-bashi Petros Bek, in discussion regarding their petition to His Imperial Majesty, declared that although there were no Russian troops currently stationed in Georgia or Persia, their proposed resettlement of their subjects from Persia to Russia or Georgia could still be executed. This was all the more feasible since the remaining three meliks in Karabakh, along with their subjects, were suffering extreme oppression under Ibrahim Khalil Khan of Shusha. Recognizing their unwillingness to submit to his rule, the Khan had escalated his cruelty, and the Karabakh Armenian leaders, having reached an agreement with Melik Jemshid, were now expecting assistance from the imperial court to secure their migration.

Many of their people had perished or been devastated by the recent Russo-Persian war, and up to 1,000 individuals had been forcibly converted to Islam. They argued that the Khan, lacking military strength, would flee in fear upon hearing of the approach of Russian troops, abandoning his domain rather than face justice from the meliks whom he had wronged. The meliks further stated that if granted 12,000 Russian troops, they could escort up to 40,000 Armenian families out of the region without bloodshed. If His Imperial Majesty deemed it unnecessary to provide the full force, then even half—especially if supplemented by Georgian forces seeking their own benefit—would suffice to evacuate over 15,000 families in a single campaign. Departing from Georgia in April, they could return safely in September without encountering danger or combat along the way.

They emphasized that their decision to leave their homeland should not be perceived as unjust, since they, as lawful and hereditary rulers of the Karabakh region, had governed it independently for three decades before their supreme authority was usurped through violence by Ibrahim Khalil Khan. Given the immense suffering inflicted upon them—including executions, property confiscations, and forced religious conversions—they viewed their departure as the only means of survival. Furthermore, they argued that a great empire such as Russia could only enhance its reputation by coming to the aid of the oppressed, fulfilling its role as the defender of humanity. With Persia in a state of disorder and decline, there was no external threat to impede such an intervention.

When asked whether they preferred resettlement in Georgia or Russia, the meliks replied that it made no difference to them, as Georgia was also a subject of Russia, and its people were no less Russian than those within the empire. However, relocating to Georgia would provide greater accessibility for other Armenian groups living in Kurdistan and Bayazit to join them over time, thereby strengthening their numbers. In contrast, resettling in Russia would make such migration more difficult due to the geographical distance, which would be regrettable for the 60,000 Armenian families in those regions who longed to escape Muslim rule and reunite with the meliks for governance and justice.

They concluded that they would submit all matters to His Majesty’s supreme discretion, awaiting his decision as their sole source of deliverance.

Message from Melik Fridon to Emperor Paul I

On the Emigration of 1,000 Armenian Families to Georgia in September 1797 December 23, 1798

Most Gracious Sovereign,

Standing at the threshold of Your Imperial Majesty’s sacred throne—the throne of justice and mercy for all who seek refuge—I humbly bow before it and present the origins and causes of the devastation and suffering that have befallen me.

<…>

Following the invasion of Karabakh by Agha Mohammad Khan, the oppressor Ibrahim Khalil Khan was forced to flee to the Lezgins. After plundering the remaining possessions of my esteemed uncle, Melik Jemshid, Agha Mohammad Khan himself was slain in Karabakh. At that time, I fled with my uncle to Georgia, where, in September 1797, my brother and other uncles, due to the proximity of our domain to that kingdom, led all my subjects—numbering up to 1,000 families—into Georgia. His Highness King George Iraklievich graciously accepted them, as I have now learned from his envoy, Prince Garsevan Chavchavadze, who is present at Your Majesty’s court.

<…>

Petition of Karabakh Melik Jemshid to Emperor Paul I

Requesting Assistance in Restoring His Rights, Lost Due to His Oath of Loyalty to Russia, and Seeking Attention to the Plight of Meliks Remaining Under Oppression in Karabakh Saint Petersburg, December 23, 1798

Most Gracious Sovereign,

During the reign of the blessed and eternally glorious Peter the Great, our grandfathers and fathers held their domains in Karabakh and, as Christians, remained steadfastly loyal to the Russian Empire, as detailed in our petitions submitted to Your Majesty. Upon their passing, we, the rulers—five meliks: Jemshid of Varanda, Fridon of Gulistan, Rostom of Charaberd, Bogdan of Khachen, and Abbas of Dizak—inherited their lands in Karabakh. Surrounded on one side by the Turks, on another by the Persians, and on the third by the Dagestani Lezgins, we had to navigate relations with these neighbors according to circumstances—sometimes amicably, sometimes adversarially—while maintaining full authority and the free practice of our faith.

This continued until Count Zubov arrived in Shirvan with the victorious Russian army and secretly instructed Major Kachkachov to bind me, Melik Jemshid, and others present to an oath of allegiance to the Russian throne. As I had long desired this, I joyfully swore before the Holy Gospel and the Life-Giving Cross on behalf of all, as their senior, pledging to gather my forces and provide all necessary assistance—military, provisions, and other support—upon Count Zubov’s arrival at Kur River. However, just as we were preparing for this, the Russian army was ordered to withdraw.

Upon learning of my oath and promise, our enemies wasted no time in informing Ibrahim Khalil Khan, who summoned me in fury, branding me a traitor and accusing me of conspiring with the Russian army against his domain. He confiscated all my possessions—not only valuables, gold, and silver, but even my livestock—and imprisoned me, intending to execute me. Fortunately, at that moment, Agha Mohammad Khan arrived in Karabakh with his army, causing Ibrahim Khalil Khan to flee to Dagestan with his family. Agha Mohammad Khan then entered Shusha Fortress and seized the remainder of my secretly preserved belongings, only to be slain there himself.

Fearing Ibrahim Khalil Khan’s return and seeing an opportunity for escape, I was forced to abandon my home, domain, and subjects. With my son Pavel, my nephew Melik Fridon, and Yusuf-bashi Petros Bek—who are here with me—as well as my wife and other children, I fled, nearly destitute, to the victorious Russian army in Georgia.

<…>

Thus, humbly casting myself at the foot of Your Majesty’s throne, I dare to petition: Having sworn allegiance to the Russian Empire on behalf of all and pledged to assist the Russian army, I have lost my domain, all my possessions, and been utterly ruined. I implore Your Majesty’s merciful consideration and beg to be granted imperial favor and assistance in restoring my former status.

In conclusion, I also beseech Your Majesty to extend Your gracious attention to the other meliks still suffering under unbearable oppression in Karabakh, awaiting deliverance by Your mighty hand.

Translated by Collegiate Registrar Christofor Khalafov.

Description of the Armenian Melikdoms of Karabakh

Presumably from the Russian Foreign Affairs Collegium, in Connection with the Meliks’ Appeal to Paul I and the Expected Granting of a Royal Charter 1798

Names and Provinces of the Five Armenian Meliks

Their collective domain is known as Karabakh.

1. Melik Jemshid, son of Melik Shahnazar, whose province is Varanda and whose fortress is Shusha. He is accompanied by his son and one yuzbashi (military commander).
2. Melik Abov, son of Melik Joseph, whose province is Ikirmidort and whose fortress is Gulistan. He relocated most of his subjects from this province to Georgia under the protection of King George of Georgia, relying on His Imperial Majesty’s mercy. His nephew, Melik Fridon, is currently here alongside Melik Jemshid.
3. Melik Rostom, son of Yuzbashi Allaverdov, is the regent of the late Melik Mechlum, son of Melik Adamov, who has a 14-year-old son named Melik Adam. Their domain is Charaberd. Although their house traditionally holds precedence among the five meliks, due to the young age of Melik Mechlum’s son and the current regency, precedence is now given to Melik Jemshid.
4. Melik Abbas, son of Melik Bakhtam, whose province is Dizak.
5. Melik Allaverdy, son of Melik Mirzakhan, whose province is Khachen.

The aforementioned meliks govern yuzbashis, or military commanders, some of whom inherit their rank, while others receive it as a reward for their service from their ruling meliks.

Source: AVPR, f. SRA, op. 100/3, 1797–1799, d. 464, l. 184. Copy. See also: Acts Collected by the Caucasian Archaeographic Commission, Vol. I, Tiflis, 1866, p. 635. 117

Yuri Barsegov “Nagorno-Karabakh in International Law and Global Politics”

Artatsolum

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