Russian involvement in the Persian Constitutional Revolution

Russian Empire involvement in the Persian Constitutional Revolution
Part of Persian Constitutional Revolution
Russian flag over the gates of Tabriz
Date 1908 – November 23, 1911 Location Qajar Iran Result Russian victory see Aftermath section
Belligerents
Russian Empire Authoritarians	Constitutionalists Supported by: Ottoman Empire[1] Dashnaks
Commanders and leaders
Illarion Vorontsov-Dashkov Nikolai Yudenich Vladimir Liakhov Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar	Sattar Khan Baqir Khan Yeprem Khan Sardar Rafie Yanehsari Heydar Latifiyan

The Imperial Russian involvement in the Persian Constitutional Revolution (Russian: Участие Российской империи в Персидской конституционной революции; Persian: مداخله امپراتوری روسیه در انقلاب مشروطه ایران) was to support the authoritarian faction led by Mohammad Ali Shah to defeat the constitutionalists. Until 20 April 1909, when the Russian army under Major General I. Snarsky occupied Tabriz to protect the Russian consuls, the Russian Empire indirectly supported Ali Shah and the authoritarian faction. Support from the Russian Empire included sending weapons, lending money to Colonel Vladimir Liakhov, the commander of the Persian Cossack Brigade, and a large-scale propaganda machine against the constitutionalist leaders.

During the one-year Siege of Tabriz, Russia had repeatedly expressed concern about the security of its consuls. In correspondence between Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Izvolsky and Persian Prime Minister Hossein-Qoli Nezam al-Saltaneh Mafi, the issue of the Russian military invasion of Tabriz and its conquest was repeatedly raised.^[2] After that, for two years, the Russian army tried to occupy areas around the Caspian Sea. The Russians conquered the cities of Astara and Bandar Anzali, and even after Ali Shah was deposed, Russian commanders tried to restore his monarchy in a failed campaign.^[3] However, Russian influence remained in the Qajar court and bureaucracy, threatening the Ottoman Empire, which led to the Persian campaign in World War I.^[4]