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Battle of Yelizavetpol took place
13 (25) September 1826 near the town of Yelizavetpol a separate Caucasian corps under the leadership of Ivan Feodorovich Paskevich defeated 35 000-strong army of Crown Prince Abbas Mirza, disposing of just 8 000 Russian soldiers and 22 guns.
Iran, seeking to regain territories in the Transcaucasia ceded in accordance with the Treaty of Gulistan of 1813, declared war to Russia in July 1826. The reason for the war was the information about the Decembrist uprising in Petersburg, which had been interpreted in Persia as an intestine struggle between the two pretenders to the throne.
16 (28) July 1826 Persian troops, without declaring war, suddenly invaded the southern Russian regions of the Erivan khanate, occupied Yelizavetpol and besieged Shusha. 5 (17) September a detachment led by V. G. Madatov the town of Yelizavetpol was liberated.
In view of the fact that large enemy forces under the command of Abbas and Alayar Khan wer moving to Yelizavetpol, a separate Caucasian Corps led by I. F. Paskevich came to the aid of Prince Madatov. Thus our forces have reached 8 000 people, with 22 guns. The enemy disposed of 15 000 men of regular infantry, 20 000 of cavalry men and irregular troops, 25 guns and several falconets on camels. The rivals met on 13 (25) September 7 versts away from Yelizavetpol, and resulted in the complete defeat of the Persians. The enemy was pursued for 12 versts. The winners got two camps, 4 flags, a cannon and 1,1 thousand prisoners. It was the first military victory in the reign of Nicholas I. Having learned about the victory, delighted tsar promoted Ivan Feodorovich to the rank of General of Infantry and awarded him with a gold sword decorated with diamonda and the inscription "For the defeat of the Persians at Yelizavetpol.
Participants of the Battle of Yelizavetpol were awarded the medal on the reverse side of which was the image of a Russian soldier, who, hiding behind a shield with the image of a double-headed eagle, prepares to strike with the sword a Persian horseman fallen to the ground with his horse. The inscription in the upper part of the medal said: "Battle of Yelizavetpol”. At the bottom of the medal were embossed figures marking the year of the event: "1826".
In May 1827 the Russian troops began an offensive in the direction of Erivan, occupied Etchmiadzin, blocked Erivan, then seized Nakhichevan and the fortress of Abbasabad. Attempts of Iranian troops to discard the Russian forces from Erivan failed, and 1 (13) October 1827 Erivan was taken by storm, and in October the vanguard of General G. E. Eristov occupied Tabriz.
Military setbacks forced the Persians to start peace talks. 10 (22) February 1828 was signed the Turkmenchay Treaty, according to which Persia ceded to Russia the Eastern Armenia (Erivan and Nakhichevan Khanates). As a result of the Russian-Iranian war the Northern Azerbaijan and the Eastern Armenia were annexed to Russia, Russia became the master of the Caspian Sea, favorable conditions for the spread of Russian influence in the Middle East were created. Russia's victory freed peoples of Transcaucasia from the yoke of the Iranian feudal lords. The former actively supported the Russian troops during the Russian-Iranian war.
In 1868, the imperial decree "On the transformation of governanceof the Caucasus and the Transcaucasian region” of 9 (21) December 1867 Yelizavetpol Province was established, and the town of Yelizavetpol was made the principal city.
Lit.: Гололобов М. А. Ермоловцы (русско-персидская война 1826-1828 гг.) [Электронный ресурс] // Адъютант. Историческое обозрение. 2003-2018. URL: http://www.adjudant.ru/rpwar1826-28/mgol1826-ermolov.htm; Дубровин Н. Ф. История войны и владычества русских на Кавказе. Т. 4‑6. СПб., 1886-1888; Польза, честь и слава. Генерал-фельдмаршал И. Ф. Паскевич (1782-1856) [Электронный ресурс] // Кадеты России. 2001. URL: http://www.ruscadet.ru/names/cadets/military/patskev.htm.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Михеев С. П. История Русской армии. М., 1911. Вып. 4;
Тарапыгин Ф. А. Известные русские военные деятели: краткое их жизнеописание. СПб., 1911.