User:Kailanmapper/sandbox

The Khanate of Kargan-Rud, also known as Karganrud or Korganrud, was the largest and northernmost of the Khamsa of Talish.

Origins and Establishment
Mir Mostafa Khan's descendants claimed the Karganrud dynasty was descended from a certain Mirakhur (master of the horse), who served Mir Mostafa Khan. In contrast, the Khans of Karganrud traced their descent from the Ashik Harazur, a clan of Georgian or Armenian origin. They argued that their ancestors had controlled the district since the 15th century.

After the Russo-Iranian War, in order to weaken the power of Mir Mostafa Khan, Fath 'Ali Shah divided Persian Talish and distributed it among five local families (Karganrud, Asalem, Talesh Dulab, Shandarmin, and Masal), thus creating the Khamsa of Talish. He gave each of them khans and they were all charged with protecting the frontier against Mir Mostafa Khan's incursions. They were placed under the administration of Gilan instead of Azerbaijan, the khans of Karganrud and Asalem fearing conflict with the khans of Namin.

Continued Fratricide
H. L. Rabino gives the following description of the Karganrud family:

"The latter history of the Khans of Karganrud is one of murder, rapine, and oppression. Fratricide was common amongst them, and down to 50 years ago few of them died a natural death."

At the time of James Fraser's visit to the region in 1822, Bala Khan was the ruler of Karganrud. He reigned until 1848, when he was murdered by his nephew. Bala Khan's son, Farajollah Khan Sartip, replaced him. Farajollah Khan Sartip reigned from 1848 to 1865, when he was murdered by his brother. The Shah sentenced the murderer and four of his brothers to death, and Habibullah Khan succeeded his father as khan. In 1867-68, Habibullah Khan was succeeded by Nosratollah Khan 'Amid al-Soltaneh, also known by his honorific of Sardar Amjad.

During the Constitutional Revolution
In 1907, the people of Karganrud rose against Sardar Amjad, burned his property, and forced him to flee. Russian forces occupied the district in December 1911. In 1912, with the support of the Russians, Sardar Amjad's son was able to return to Karganrud to reign.

Territory, Administration and Government
H. L. Rabino describes Karganrud as being subdivided into the following districts : Otaqsara, Lisar va Hareh Dasht, and Haviq va Chubar, bordering the district of Astara. Rik was the traditional residence of the Khans of Karganrud, in addition to being the center of Otaqsara. They resided there in the winter and would move to Aq Evlar in the summer.

Settlements of Karganrud
This is a list of settlements in the Karganrud district, according to Rabino.

Relations with the Khanate of Namin
To the north, the Khanate of Karganrud had a bitter rivalry with the Khanate of Namin, ruled by descendants of the Khans of Talysh. Karganrud itself was formerly subordinate to the Namin khans' ancestors, but were separated from them by Fath 'Ali Shah. He also ordered Bala Khan of Karganrud to attack Mir Hasan Khan, son of Mir Mostafa Khan. Bala Khan complied, and sacked Hasan Khan's residence at Namin.

Mir Hasan Khan submitted to the Shah, marrying one of his daughters, which worried the khans of Karganrud and Asalem that he would seek vengance on them using the governor of Azerbaijan. As a result, they successfully petitioned the Shah to have Talesh included within the province of Gilan, not Azerbaijan. The Khans of Karganrud owed only nominal allegiance to the governor of Gilan.

To the south, the Khans of Karganrud had the primary position in the region in comparison with the other Talish Khanates. The khans of Asalem, Talesh-Dulab, Masal, and Shandarmin were in a subordinate, oppressive relationship on the Khans of Karganrud.

Society and Population
Most of the population of Karganrud was of Sunni faith; the only exceptions being the Khan himself, along with the people of Lisar and Hareh Dasht, who were Shi'ites.