The Policy of Kalb Ali Khan Kangarloo Nakhjavani towards the Government of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar:From Convergence to Divergence

The Kangarloo dynasty was one of the local rulers of the Caucasus region who came to power in Nakhjavan following the death of Nader Shah Afshar. This dynasty belonged to the Ostajloo tribe and Nakhjavan became their residence during the reign of Shah Abbas I Safavid. The Kangarloos were the weak local rulers of the Caucasus, and their territory was constantly invaded by other local rulers because of intra-family rivalry. On the eve of the formation of the Qajar government, the rule of this family was with Kalbali Khan Kangarloo. In this regard, this study aims to investigate the nature of the policies of Kalbali Khan in the face of Khan Qajar in two aspects of convergence and divergence. Two research questions posed in this study are: What were the goals of Kalbali Khan in adopting the policy of accompanying Agha Mohammad Khan? What factors influenced his refusal to continue the policy of integration with the Iranian government? Maintaining the principle of the independent rule of the Kangarloo dynasty with the help of superior power and lack of knowledge about the nature of the new Qajar government formed the basis of his integration relations. In contrast, a relative understanding of the nature of Khan Qajar's political behavior in dealing harshly with the opposition in Qarabagh and Georgia as well as preventing Agha Mohammad Khan from ousting the Kangarloo dynasty paved the way for a change in his position to the new supreme power--the Russians.

Nakhjavan in the administrative structure of the Safavid government with the unit of Toman was a function of Biglerbegi Chukhor Saad, which from the reign of Shah Abbas I Safavid, became the residence of the Kangarloo of the Ostajloo tribe. Nakhjavan was ruled by the military commanders of the Kangarloo tribe. From the death of Nader Shah Afshar until the rise of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, the main actors in the political developments in the Caucasus were played by local ruling families of Turkmen descent. The Kangarloo dynasty was also one of the local rulers of the Caucasus who, following the death of Nader Shah, established an independent government in their tribal territory in Nakhjavan. But the most important challenge facing the Kangarloo dynasty was the constant rivalry with each other for power in Nakhjavan. This also paved the way for the intervention of local powers. This situation lasted until the reign of Kalbali Khan Kangarloo. His rule coincided with the rise to power of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. This study aims to identify the nature of the policies of Kalbali Khan in the face of Khan Qajar in two aspects of convergence and divergence. The following wo research questions are posed: What were the goals of Kalbali Khan in adopting the policy of accompanying Agha Mohammad Khan? What factors influenced his refusal to continue the policy of integration with the Iran government? Preserving the rule of the Kangarloo dynasty from the aggression of powerful rulers such as Qarabagh and lack of sufficient knowledge of the nature of the Qajar government formed the basis of his convergent relations with the Qajar government. Kalbali Khan intended to end the permanent interference of local powers in the affairs of Nakhjavan by adopting the policy of the third force. Regarding his refusal to continue with the Qajar government, it seems that Kalbali Khan, by participating in Agha Mohammad Khan's first military operation in the Caucasus, had gained a relative understanding of Qajar Khan's political behavior in dealing with the opposition Khans.Accordingly, in line with the principle of maintaining an independent rule and preventing the possible removal by Agha Mohammad Khan, he changed the positions of the new superior power in the region, namely the Russians. However, the rapid withdrawal of the Russians from the Caucasus disrupted all his equations, and he himself was removed and imprisoned from ruling Nakhjavan for betraying the Qajar government.

The method of data collection in the present study is based on library and documentary studies with the descriptive-analytical method.

The Kangarloo was one of the local ruling families of Nakhjavan. The intra-family rivalry was the family's main challenge, paving the way for local powers to intervene. This process continued until the reign of Kalbali Khan Kangarloo. To solve the problem, he turned to policies such as political affiliation with local rulers, the balance of power, and adherence to regional supremacy. The policy of alliance did not guarantee the stability of Kalbali Khan's rule. The emergence of a new power called Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar presented opportunities and challenges to the rule of Kalbali Khan. Maintaining the rule of the Kangarloo dynasty from the aggression of the superior local powers and the existence of a common enemy were the main factors in Khan Nakhjavan's integration policy with the government of Iran.He followed the supreme power and sent his hostage, declaring his allegiance to Khan Qajar. In line with the policy of confronting the common enemy, Agha Mohammad Khan's support for Kalbali Khan in the invasion of Khan Qarabagh's forces to Nakhjavan was manifested by sending financial and military aid. Another evidence of Khan Nakhjavan's integration policy is the participation of the Kangarloo forces in Agha Mohammad Khan's military operations against the Qarabagh and Georgian Khans. With the arrival of a new superpower called the Russians in the Caucasus, Khan Nakhjavan's convergence policy changed. Kalbali Khan, fully aware of the nature of the Qajar Shah's political behavior and the intensity of the violence in dealing with the opposition, deviated from the policy of supporting the government of Iran. He turned to the Russians to maintain his rule. But the temporary presence of the Russians in the region, on the one hand, prevented the realization of Kalbali Khan's policy as well as revealing his disloyalty to the Iran government. The adoption of this policy led to the intensification of the Qajar Shah, the removal from the rule of Nakhjavan, and his imprisonment.