“They don’t like each other:” Is Russia and Iran’s alliance falling apart?
Key takeaways
- They wanted to move to the Russia-conquered areas of today’s Armenia, and under the newly signed Treaty of Turkmenchay, Russian subjects and Christian minorities were allowed to cross into Russian-controlled areas.
- Angered by Griboyedov’s refusal, tens of thousands of enraged Persians stormed the embassy on February 11, 1829, killing the ambassador and dozens of diplomats and Cossack cavalrymen.
- But the roots of the anti-Russian riot lay much deeper.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The bespectacled 34-year-old ambassador to Persia was known among Russian aristocrats as a Renaissance man who penned a still-popular waltz, poems and a groundbreaking play, “Woe from Wit”, which remains part of the curriculum in Russia today.
A tireless polyglot, fearless soldier and shrewd diplomat, Griboyedov dared to refuse Iranian Shah Fath-Ali’s demand to give up fugitive Armenians - a eunuch in charge of the royal treasury and two women from a harem - who were taking refuge in the Russian embassy.
They wanted to move to the Russia-conquered areas of today’s Armenia, and under the newly signed Treaty of Turkmenchay, Russian subjects and Christian minorities were allowed to cross into Russian-controlled areas. The diplomat’s protection of the fugitives also touched on political and religious sensitivities.