Khanates of the Caucasus

The khanates of the Caucasus, also known as the Iranian Khanates, Persian khanates, or, more rarely, the Azerbaijani khanates, were various administrative units in the South Caucasus governed by a hereditary or appointed ruler under the official rule of Iran. The title of the ruler was khan, which was equivalent to the Ottoman rank of pasha. Following the assassination of Nader Shah (r. 1736–1747) in 1747, internal chaos erupted in Iran, particularly in the South Caucasus, where semi-independent khanates emerged as a result of the lack of a centralized government. The khans neither had territorial or religious unity, nor an ethnic or national identity; instead, they were mostly interested in preserving their positions and income.