The Politics of Otomanism to Russianism in the Relations of Jafar Qoli Khan Donboli with the Qajar Government

Jafar Qoli khan Donboli was one of the influential members of the Donboli dynasty in the scene of political developments in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus during the Qajar period. In the events following the assassination of his father, Ahmad Khan, he played an important role in consolidating the rule of his brother, Hussein Khan, and restoring the glory of the Donboli dynasty. But his approach to relations with the Qajar government was unstable. Contrary to the practice of obeying the rule of Aqa Mohammad Khan, during the reign of Fath Ali Shah, in order to challenge his authority in Azerbaijan, he tried to open the door to the Ottoman and Russia by adopting the policy of confrontation. In this regard, this study aims to investigate the politics of Otomanism to Russianism in the relations of Jafar Qoli Khan Donboli with the Qajar government. Two questions have been posed in this study: what was Jafar Qoli Khan's relations with the Qajar? And what were the influential factors in his inclination towards the Ottoman and Russian? The results of the study showed that he revolted against the Qajar in order to counter the policy of integrating with the central power and maintaining the Donboli dynasty. Therefore, after failing in a military confrontation with the Qajar and the lack of support from the Ottoman, he turned to that government, observing the power of the Russians.

The Donboli family was one of the local families in Azerbaijan and the city of Khoy was their main base. The authority of this dynasty reached its peak during Ahmad Khan due to the weakness of Zandid's government. However, this family suffered from some internal conflicts. The Qajar government used this weakness to exercise their sovereignty over them, fomenting internal divisions within the Donboli dynasty, paving the way for their integration into the central power. On the eve of the formation of the Qajar government, Hussein Khan was the head of the Donboli dynasty. Due to the power of the Qajars, he leaned towards the new government of Iran, and through this he achieved the position of Beglerbegi of Azerbaijan. But unlike his brother, Jafar Qoli Khan did not have a stable policy towards the Qajars. In order to take over the rule of the Donboli family and removing his brother in relations with Aqa Mohammad Khan, he followed the procedure of obedience and was able to gain the position of Beglerbegi by attracting the opinion of the ruler of Iran. But the process of accompanying him was changed with the death of Aqa Mohammad Khan, and during the reign of Fath Ali Shah, he adopted the policy of confrontation and started an armed struggle against the Qajars. In order to challenge the authority of the Qajars, he tried to involve them in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan through the policies of Ottomanism and Russification. This study tries to investigate the causes of his relationship with Fath Ali Shah and the emergence of dual behaviors from the politics of interaction to confrontation. The role of peripheral powers in the issue of Jafar Qoli Khan and its effect on relations with the Qajar government and the recognition of his role in the position of Khan Shaki under the supervision of the Russian are other issues presented in this study.

This research has made an attemot to investigate the issue by relying on Russian, Ottoman, and Iranian historiographical documents and using the descriptive-explanatory method. In this research, mainly Russian documents (AkAK) and Ottoman archival documents (bеlgеlеri) have been used. The Russian documents contain reports of Russian, Iranian, Ottoman rulers, and Khans about the developments in the Caucasus and Jafar Qoli Khan's relations with Russian. The Ottoman documents contain information about the correspondence of Khans of Khoy with the Ottoman authorities and reports from the Ottoman pashas about the Jafar Qoli Khan uprising. 

The result of the study showed that the component of hostility formed the basis of Jafar Qoli Khan's relations with the Qajar government. He waged an armed struggle to maintain the local government of Donboli and to oppose the policy of integration of the Qajar and with several unsuccessful revolts. He turned to the Ottoman to achieve his goals. By establishing relations with the border pashas, he tried to make the ground ready for Ottoman authorities to interfere internal affairs of Azerbaijan by obtaining their help and creating unrest in the border areas of the two countries. However, Iran's diplomatic action on the Ottoman and its willingness to adhere to a compromise led to the issuance of a decree entitled Jafar Qoli Khan's on pashas not to support Khan Donboli. His failure to capture the Ottomans caused him to turn to the Russians. The Russians, realizing Khan Donboli's influence in Azerbaijan, considered him as a suitable option to advance their political ambitions in the Caucasus and appointed him as the governor of the Shaki. He became the executor of their policies in the region with the support of the Russians and by suppressing the pro-Iranian insurgency, he provided the ground for Russian influence and consolidation in the Caucasus region.