Siege of Erivan (1804)

Siege of Erivan
Part of the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813
Fath-Ali Shah's victory over the Russians at Yerevan. Mirza Baba, Iran, 1804–1810
Date July–September 1804 Location Erivan, Qajar Iran (present-day Yerevan, Armenia) Result Persian victory
Belligerents
Qajar Iran Erivan Khanate	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Fath-Ali Shah Qajar Abbas Mirza Mohammad Khan	Pavel Tsitsianov
Strength
6,000–7,000 troops inside the citadel[1] 18,000 cavalrymen[2]	3,000 to 20,000[3][2] Georgian and Armenian auxiliaries[2]
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Heavy[4]

The siege of Erivan (Yerevan, the capital of modern Armenia) took place from July to September 1804, during the Russo-Persian War (1804–1813). After a difficult advance, the Russians under Pavel Tsitsianov besieged Erivan. The Iranian forces inside Erivan's citadel prevented the Russians from making a direct attack, while those outside the citadel surrounded the Russians and cut the invaders' supply lines. Commanded by Crown-Prince Abbas Mirza and King Fath-Ali Shah Qajar himself (r. 1797–1834), the Iranians successfully defended the city and defeated the Russian attack.^[5][6] Tsitsianov, in order to save his reputation, shifted the blame on a plethora of people and matters, and deliberately left out his own wrongdoings.