Khan Talesh's Political Stances With the Russian Government During the Qajar Period up to the Treaty of Turkmenchay

The effort of one of the strategic regions of Iran, located in the west of the Caspian Sea, has been very effective in determining the political borders due to its special position. Simultaneously with the extinction of the Safavids, most landowners, in an effort to protect their own interests, turned to the Russian government. After Nader Shah Afshar, a suitable ground was prepared for the formation of independent and semi-independent khanates, and during the reign of Karim Khan Zand, due to the peace in the borders, the Khans had unstable relations with the Russians. During the Qajar period, and especially at the same time with the conclusion of the Golestan and Turkmenchay treaties, which led to the division of the Talesh region, the position of the Khans towards Russia became more apparent. What are the reasons for the growing presence of Russians in the region and the turning away from the Iranian government in the political dispute between Iran and Russia? Attention to the level of power, domination and supervision of the then government of Iran in the effort on the one hand and the expansionist policy of Peter the Great on the other hand caused the Russians to pay unprecedented attention to the readers of the effort. According to the findings of the present study, this change of position has been affected by the conditions of colonial development in the world, the readers' sense of independence and lack of military and political supporters by the Iranian government. The present article seeks to investigate the political behaviors of the readers of Talesh in the Qajar period following the Iran-Russia wars and its impact on the outcome of the war using a descriptive-analytical method.