sultanate · Caucasus
Elisu Sultanate
Origins
The Elisu Sultanate took shape around 1604 among the Tsakhur people of the southern slopes of the Caucasus, centred on the village of Ilisu. Its rulers, who took the title sultan, emerged as the Safavid Empire reasserted control over the region after wars with the Ottomans.
Rule and society
The sultans ruled Tsakhur, Azerbaijani and Georgian-speaking Ingiloy villages, collecting tribute and leading raids into Kakheti. The land lived by herding, orchards and silk. Its rulers balanced between the Safavid Empire, the khanates of Shaki and Shirvan, the Lezgin free communities of Jar and Belokan and later Russia.
Decline and legacy
The sultanate accepted Russian protection in 1803. In 1844 Sultan Daniyal Bek, though a Russian major general, joined Imam Shamil's Caucasian Imamate, and the Russian Empire abolished the sultanate. Daniyal Bek became one of Shamil's naibs and later made peace with Russia.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Elisu Sultanate was a vassal of Safavid Empire1604 CE – 1722 CE
- Elisu Sultanate was a protectorate of Russian Empire1803 CE – 1844 CE
- Elisu Sultanate was conquered by Russian Empire1844 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Elisu Sultanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/elisu-sultanate
- MLA
- “Elisu Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/elisu-sultanate. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Elisu Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/elisu-sultanate.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Elisu Sultanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/elisu-sultanate (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻