khanate · Caucasus
Karabakh Khanate
Origins
After Nader Shah's death in 1747, Panah Ali Khan of the Javanshir tribe returned from exile and made himself khan of Karabakh. He built a series of fortresses and in the 1750s founded Shusha on a mountain plateau, while forcing the Armenian Melikdoms of Karabakh to accept his authority.
Rule and society
The khanate ruled over Turkic tribal groups in the lowlands and Armenian villages in the highlands. Ibrahim Khalil Khan, from 1763, was a powerful ruler, and his vizier, the poet Molla Panah Vagif, shaped court culture. In 1795 Shusha withstood a siege by Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar, who in 1797 took the town but was murdered there.
Decline and legacy
In 1805 Ibrahim Khalil Khan signed the Treaty of Kurekchay accepting Russian suzerainty. His son Mehdi Qoli Khan fled to Persia in 1822, and the Russian Empire abolished the khanate.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (5)
- Melikdoms of Karabakh was a vassal of Karabakh Khanate1750 CE – 1822 CE
- Karabakh Khanate was a vassal of Zand Empire1762 CE – 1763 CE
- Karabakh Khanate was a vassal of Qajar Iran1795 CE – 1805 CE
- Karabakh Khanate was a protectorate of Russian Empire1805 CE – 1822 CE
- Karabakh Khanate was conquered by Russian Empire1822 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Karabakh Khanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/karabakh-khanate
- MLA
- “Karabakh Khanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/karabakh-khanate. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Karabakh Khanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/karabakh-khanate.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Karabakh Khanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/karabakh-khanate (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻