principality · Caucasus
Melikdoms of Karabakh
Origins
In the early 17th century the Safavid Empire recognised local Armenian lords, called meliks, in the mountains of Karabakh, many descended from the Principality of Khachen. Five melikdoms, Gulistan, Jraberd, Khachen, Varanda and Dizak, became known as the Khamsa, the Five.
Rule and society
Each melik ruled his district from fortresses with his own troops, collecting taxes for the Persian governor at Ganja. The meliks maintained churches and the Gandzasar catholicosate. In the 1720s, as Safavid power collapsed, Avan Yuzbashi led Armenian resistance to the Ottomans in alliance with Davit Bek of Syunik, and Nader Shah later granted the meliks wide autonomy.
Decline and legacy
From the 1750s Panah Ali Khan, aided by Melik Shahnazar of Varanda, built Shusha and subordinated the meliks to the Karabakh Khanate. Many meliks emigrated to Georgia and Russia, and the last melikdoms disappeared with the Russian Empire's annexation of Karabakh by 1822.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Melikdoms of Karabakh was a vassal of Safavid Empire1603 CE – 1736 CE
- Melikdoms of Karabakh was a vassal of Karabakh Khanate1750 CE – 1822 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Melikdoms of Karabakh. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/melikdoms-of-karabakh
- MLA
- “Melikdoms of Karabakh.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/melikdoms-of-karabakh. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Melikdoms of Karabakh.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/melikdoms-of-karabakh.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Melikdoms of Karabakh’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/melikdoms-of-karabakh (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻