page_title: History of the Caucasus
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Caucasus
caption_attribution_description: English: Shaki khan palace
context_page_description: The history of the Caucasus region may be divided by geography into the history of the Northern Caucasus, historically in the sphere of influence of Scythia and of Southern Russia, and that of the Southern Caucasus in the sphere of influence of Persia, Anatolia and Assyria.
  After dissolution of Kingdom of Urartu and up to including the early-19th century, Persia mostly controlled the Southern Caucasus and a part of the Northern Caucasus. In 1813 and 1828 by the Treaty of Gulistan and the Treaty of Turkmenchay respectively, Persians ceded the Southern Caucasus and Dagestan to Imperial Russia.
  Russia conquered and annexed the rest of the Northern Caucasus in the course of the 19th century in the Caucasian Wars.
  The Northern Caucasus became the scene of intense fighting during the Second World War. Nazi Germany attempted to capture the Caucasus region of Soviet Union in 1942 by a two-pronged attack towards both the western bank of the Volga and southeast towards Baku, a major center of oil production.
context_section_description: The history of the Caucasus region may be divided by geography into the history of the Northern Caucasus (Ciscaucasia), historically in the sphere of influence of Scythia and of Southern Russia (Eastern Europe), and that of the Southern Caucasus (Transcaucasia; Caucasian Albania, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) in the sphere of influence of Persia, Anatolia and (for a very brief time) Assyria.
  After dissolution of Kingdom of Urartu (c.  590 BCE) and up to including the early-19th century, Persia mostly controlled the Southern Caucasus and a part of the Northern Caucasus (Dagestan). In 1813 and 1828 by the Treaty of Gulistan and the Treaty of Turkmenchay respectively, Persians ceded the Southern Caucasus and Dagestan to Imperial Russia.
  Russia conquered and annexed the rest of the Northern Caucasus in the course of the 19th century in the Caucasian Wars (1817–1864).
  The Northern Caucasus became the scene of intense fighting during the Second World War. Nazi Germany attempted to capture the Caucasus region of Soviet Union in 1942 by a two-pronged attack towards both the western bank of the Volga (intended to seize the city of Stalingrad) and southeast towards Baku, a major center of oil production. Some parts of the Northern Caucasus fell under German occupation, but the Axis invasion eventually faltered as it failed to accomplish either goal, and Soviet soldiers drove the Germans back west following the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943).
  Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia became independent nations. The Caucasus region has become the setting of territorial disputes in the post-Soviet era, leading to establishment of partially recognized states of  Artsakh,  Abkhazia, and South Ossetia.
caption: Palace of Shaki Khans in Azerbaijan, UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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