The Khans of Mākū and Qajar Governance of Azerbaijan during the Weakening of the State Apparatus in the Province (1880–1911)

The Qajar State (1789-1925), structurally reduced in terms of both its administrative apparatus and permanent military resources, had to rely on local powers to ensure control over areas far from cities, which were the hubs of political activity. During periods of state consolidation, autonomy may be reduced, and conversely, when the state weakens, autonomy is strengthened. Characteristic of the latter case, there were several marked increases in autonomy in Azerbaijan vis-à-vis Tabriz and Tehran when Moẓaffar āl-Dīn Mīrzā governed the province as Valī’ahd [crown prince] between 1861 and 1896. Marked by a certain degree of negligence and even a rather inability to administer the province, the weakness of the Valī’ahd administration led, in particular, to a marked strengthening of the local power of Mākū, in the hands of the Bayāt, a powerful Shiite Turkish tribe. There, the Bayāt khans, who had enjoyed a high degree of autonomy since 1747, well before the beginning of the Qajars, strengthened their power by relying on a triple advantage of physical and human geography in Mākū: it was a border pass between Qajar Iran, the Ottoman Empire and (since 1828) Russia; a geography conducive to effective defence; militarily effective tribal resources, whether the Bayāts or the local Jelāli Kurds.

This situation of autonomy became particularly pronounced with the revolt of Sheikh Ubeydullah in 1880–1881, which demonstrated the weakness of Tabriz and the strength of Mākū – which plays a central role in ending the conflict – and even more so after the accession to the throne of the Valī’ahd, Moẓaffar āl-Dīn Shah (r. 1896-1907), and during the Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911).

This presentation aims to revisit the specific conditions that led to the marked strengthening of the autonomous status of the Bayāt power in Mākū between 1880 and 1911, during part of the “reign”, so to speak, of Tīmūr Pāshā Khān (khan of Mākū between 1866 and 1895) and Morteza Qolī Khān ‘Eqbāl āl-Saltaneh’ (khan of Mākū between 1895 and 1922).

Dr. Ganier specializes in Iranian studies and works on the history of the border areas between Iran and the Ottoman Empire in the modern and contemporary periods. He focuses on the social and political history of the border tribes, particularly the Kurds, and their relationships with local sedentary populations, including Armenians, Assyrians, and Turks. He has recently completed a PhD in History on the Ottoman occupation of the Iranian regions of Urmia and Savouj-Bulaq between 1905 and 1912.