((pp|small=yes))
((Short description|Turkic noble (1693-1763)))
((More citations needed|date=October 2022))((Infobox noble
|name         = Panah Ali Khan
|image        = Modern Illustration of Panah Ali Khan.png
|caption      = Modern illustration of Panah Ali Khan
|succession   = [[Karabakh Khanate|Khan of Karabakh]]
|birth_date   = ((birth-date|1693))
|death_date   = ((Death year and age|1763|1693)) or ((Death year and age|1759|1693))
|death_place  = [[Shiraz]], [[Zand dynasty]]
|birth_place  = [[Safavid Karabakh]], [[Safavid Empire]]
|successor    = [[Mehrali bey Javanshir]]
|noble family = [[Javanshir clan]]
|father       = Ibrahim agha Javanshir
|reign        = 1748–1760
|issue        = [[Ibrahim Khalil Khan]] <br> [[Mehrali bey Javanshir]]))

'''Panah Ali Khan Javanshir''' (((Lang-fa|پناه‌علی‌ خان جوانشیر)); ((Lang-az|پناهعلی خان|script=Arab|italic=no)); 1693 – 1759 or 1763) was the founder and first ruler of the [[Karabakh Khanate]] under Persian [[suzerainty]].<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-129462/Azerbaijan "History of Azerbaijan"] ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Online:</ref><ref>[http://vostlit.info/Texts/rus2/Bakihanov/frametext4.htm Abbas-gulu Aga Bakikhanov. Golestan-i Iram]</ref>

==Ancestry==
Panah Ali Khan was from the Sarijali branch of the clan of [[Javanshir clan|Javanshir]], who with their associate clan of ''Otuz-Iki'' (meaning ''thirty-two'' in [[Turkic languages|Turkic]]) had for long been rivals of the ''Yirmi-Dört'' (meaning ''twenty-four'' in [[Turkic languages|Turkic]]) and [[Ziyadoghlu Qajar]]s of [[Ganja, Azerbaijan|Ganja]], whose chiefs had been official rulers of Karabakh since [[Safavid]] times.<ref name="tapper114" /> His father's name was Ibrahim Agha Javanshir but information on his further ancestry is quite complicated.

According to [[Mirza Adigozal bey]], Panah Ali's paternal great-grandfather and namesake Panah Ali bey served at the headquarters of the governors (''beglarbegs'') of the [[Safavid Qarabagh|Karabakh-Ganja]] province in the early 17th century, at the time when the region was directly controlled by the [[Safavid Empire]] of [[Iran]]. He soon retired, married a woman from the [[Javanshir clan]] of [[Karabakh]] and had a son by the name of Ali (nicknamed ''Sarija Ali''). They lived in their estate located in Arasbar ([[Arasbaran]]) but also owned land in [[Tartar (rayon)|Tartar]] and the northern shores of the [[Aras (river)|Aras River]]. The Arasbar estate was rebuilt into a castle during Sarija Ali's son Ibrahim Khalil's lifetime and has been known as Ibrahim Khalil Galasi since.<ref name="adigozel">Mirza Adigozel-Bek, Karabakh-name (1845), Baku, 1950, p. 54</ref>

However, the aforementioned information is contested by different sources, namely Mir Mehdi Khazani who names Panah Ali khan's grandfather as Ibrahim Sultan (head of tribe ((Circa|1672))) and great-grandfather as Budagh Sultan (head of tribe ((Circa|1628))). Azerbaijani historian E. B. Shukurzade proposes Panah Ali Agha (I) as his grandfather and Ibrahim Khalil Agha (I) as his great-grandfather. However, in all versions his father is the same.<ref>((Cite journal|last=Ogly|first=Ismailov Eldar Elkhan|date=2014|title=The khans of Karabakh: the roots, subordination to the Russian Empire, and liquidation of the Khanate|url=https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/the-khans-of-karabakh-the-roots-subordination-to-the-russian-empire-and-liquidation-of-the-khanate|journal=The Caucasus & Globalization|volume=8|issue=1–2|issn=1819-7353))</ref> Panah Ali had two brothers, elder Fazlali bey, and younger Behbud Ali bey.

== Early life ==
After the dethronement of the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavids]] in 1736 by [[Nader Shah]], the landed classes of Ganja and Karabakh (including the Javanshirs) gathered in [[Mughan plain|Mughan]] and decided to oppose the new [[shah]] and agreed to try to restore the Safavids to the throne. When this news reached Nader Shah, he ordered all Muslim landowners of the region and their families deported to [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] (northeastern [[Iran]]) as punishment. Panah Ali was among the deportees.<ref name="adigozel" /> His elder brother and former master of ceremonies of Nader, [[Fazl Ali-bey Javanshir|Fazlali bey]], was murdered c. 1738. This was when Panah Ali found himself displeased with Nader Shah's attitude towards him. In 1747, having gathered many of those previously deported from Karabakh in 1736, Panah Ali returned to his homeland. The shah sent troops to bring back the runaway, but the order was never fulfilled, as Nader Shah himself was killed in Khorasan in June of the same year. The new ruler of Persia, [[Adel Shah|Adil Shah]], issued a ''[[firman (decree)|firman]]'' [[firman (decree)|(decree)]] recognizing Panah Ali as the Khan of Karabakh.<ref name="adigozel" />

==Reign==
Adil Shah's murder in 1748 left Panah Ali virtually independent. He campaigned against the [[Melikdoms of Karabakh|Five Melikdoms of Karabakh]] as part of his plan to solidify his rule in Karabakh. He forged an alliance with new Melik of [[Varanda Region|Varanda]], [[Melik Shahnazar II]], who had recently killed his uncle or elder brother Hovsep and usurped rule. Melik Shahnazar II's daughter Hurizad was wed to Panah Ali's son [[Ibrahim Khalil Khan|Ibrahim Khalil]] and the melik swore fealty to the khan. The other meliks forged an alliance and raided Shahnazar's lands but couldn't take his fortress in [[Chanakhchi, Khojaly|Avetaranots]]. 
[[File:Karabakh khanate.jpg|thumb|264x264px|Coin minted in Panah Ali's reign in [[Shusha]]]]
Taking advantage of the power vacuum in the region, Panah Ali campaigned to the west and south against the khanates of [[Nakhichevan Khanate|Nakhchivan]] and [[Karadagh Khanate|Karadagh]], taking [[Tatev (village)|Tatev]] and [[Sisian]] from the former and [[Bargushat]], [[Meghri]] and [[Göynük, Azerbaijan|Göynük]] from the latter. He also conquered [[Kapan|Ghapan]] and [[Zangezur]] from [[Ebrahim Afshar]]. To the north, he subdued the Kolani tribe living on the shores of the [[Tartar (river)|Tartar River]]. He also invited a part of the Kangarlu tribe from Nakhchivan as well as the Damirchi Hasanlu and Jinli tribes from [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] to settle in his territory. This was also when [[Bayat Castle|Bayat Fortress]] was built as the khan's first residence. In a short period, external walls were constructed, ditches were dug out, and a bazaar, bath and mosque were built. Craftsmen from surrounding areas were resettled in the castle. Many residents of the area, especially craftsmen of the [[Tabriz]] district and [[Ardabil]], moved to Bayat Fortress with their families.<ref>Mirza Jamal Javanshir (1847), History of Karabakh, Baku, 1959, p. 68</ref> Panah Ali Khan's growing power faced resistance from the [[Ganja Khanate|Khanate of Ganja]], the [[Shaki Khanate|Khanate of Shaki]] and from the remaining [[Melikdoms of Karabakh]], as well as rival branches of the Javanshir clan. The struggle between the khan of Karabakh and [[Haji Chalabi Khan]] of Shaki, one of the most powerful rulers of the [[South Caucasus]], started the same year. Haji Chalabi Khan, wishing to stop the growth of Panah Ali Khan's power, allied with [[Hajji Mohammad Ali Khan|Hajji Muhammad Ali Khan]] of [[Shirvan Khanate|Shirvan]] and surrounded the castle of Bayat. The allies unsuccessfully tried to capture the capital of the Karabakh Khanate for a month. The khans of Shaki and Shirvan withdrew, incurring huge casualties and failing to accomplish their mission. Haji Chalebi Khan said: "Until now Panah Khan was raw silver that was not minted. We came, minted it, and returned."<ref name="adigozel" /> Another 19th century Karabakh historian, Mirza Yusif, renders the same line as: "Until now Panah Khan was merely gold, we came and minted a coin from that gold."<ref>Mirza Yusuf, Tarihi-Safi, 1856</ref>

Panah Ali was forced to abandon Bayat and constructed [[Shahbulag Castle]] instead. Using the power vacuum in Persia, he acted to subdue neighboring regions as well. He moved on [[Nazarali Khan Shahsevan]] of [[Ardabil Khanate|Ardabil]] in 1749 and forced him to marry his sister Shahnisa to his own son [[Ibrahim Khalil Khan|Ibrahim Khalil]] and accept vassalage. The same year he attacked [[Shahverdi Khan of Ganja]] and subdued him, forcing Shahverdi's daughter Tuti to marry Ibrahim Khalil as well. According to [[Mirza Adigozal bey]], he also kept his sons as hostage in Shahbulag. However, emergence of new Qajar warlord [[Mohammad Hasan Khan Qajar|Muhammad Hasan Khan]] forced Panah Ali to seek a new fortress. On the advice of Melik Shahnazar II, he built [[Shusha fortress|Shusha Castle]] in 1750-1751 and relocated his capital, thus settling a semi-nomadic populace in the quarters of the new city. 
[[File:Şuşa qalasında Pənahəli xanın sarayı.jpg|thumb|264x264px|[[Palace of Karabakh Khans]] in 19th century]]

=== Campaign against Shaki ===
Next year, in 1752, [[Teimuraz II of Kakheti|Teymuraz II of Kakheti]] attacked [[Ganja, Azerbaijan|Ganja]] and forced Panah Ali to retreat from area. Teymuraz then allied himself to [[Haji Chalabi Khan|Haji Chalabi]] of Shaki to raid [[Car, Azerbaijan|Djaro-Belokani]], only to be betrayed by the latter, who defeated the Georgian army. Using this opportunity, Panah Ali allied himself with [[Shahverdi Khan of Ganja]], Kazim Khan of [[Karadagh Khanate|Karadagh]], Hasan Ali Khan of [[Erivan Khanate|Erivan]], Heydarqoli Khan of [[Nakhichevan Khanate|Nakhchivan]] against [[Haji Chalabi Khan|Haji Chalabi]] of Shaki the same year and invited [[Heraclius II of Georgia]] to their alliance. During the negotiations near [[Qızılqaya, Goygol|Qızılqaya]], the Georgian detachments, hiding in ambush, surrounded and captured five khans along with their retinue. Haji Chalabi, having learned about the conspiracy of Heraclius II, gathered an army and began to pursue Heraclius, attacked him and defeated him in the battle at the river [[Aghstafa (river)|Aghstafa]], having freed all the captured khans. Haji Chalabi later invaded the Georgian possessions, where he captured the [[Qazax|Kazakh]] and [[Borchaly Uyezd|Borchali]] regions, leaving his son Agakishi bey as viceroy.

=== Campaign against the Melikdoms ===
After returning to Karabakh, Panah Khan began his campaign against the remaining Armenian principalities of Karabakh. He allied with the ''[[tanuter]]'' (headman) of [[Almalı, Khojaly|Khndzristan]] village Mirzakhan and promised him the [[Principality of Khachen]] if he would kill Melik Allahverdi I Hasan-Jalalyan. Having achieved this, Mirzakhan was made the new Melik of Khachen by Panah Ali in 1755.<ref>((Cite book|last1=Emin|first1=Emin Joseph|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eLwlAQAAMAAJ|title=Life and Adventures of Emin Joseph Emin, 1726-1809|last2=Emïn|first2=Joseph|date=1792|publisher=Baptist mission Press|pages=344|language=en))</ref> Soon after the Melik of Jraberd, Allahqoli Soltan, was also arrested and beheaded in Shusha. Panah Ali later signed a separate peace with Yesayi, Melik of [[Dizak]].

In 1757, [[Mohammad Hasan Khan Qajar|Muhammad Hasan Khan]] arrived in Karabakh to gather troops to fight against [[Karim Khan Zand]]. Panah Ali refused to join his armies and battled against the Qajar troops. Muhammad Hasan Khan soon left for Iran and left his cannons in the area, which were later taken by Panah Ali.<ref>((Cite book|last1=Qarabaghi|first1=Jamal Javanshir|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uuxoAAAAMAAJ|title=A History of Qarabagh: An Annotated Translation of Mirza Jamal Javanshir Qarabaghi's Tarikh-e Qarabagh|last2=Qarābāghī|first2=Jamāl Javānshīr|last3=Bournoutian|first3=George A.|date=1994|publisher=Mazda Publishers|isbn=978-1-56859-011-0|pages=73|language=en))</ref> However, he soon faced another invasion from south, this time by [[Fath-Ali Khan Afshar]], [[Afshars of Urmia|Khan of Urmia]], in 1759. The Armenian meliks of [[Talış, Tartar|Talish]] and [[Jraberd, Martakert|Jraberd]], Melik Hovsep and Melik Hatham (brother of Allahqoli), respectively, joined Fath-Ali in his siege of Shusha. Unable to withstand the assault, Panah Ali submitted to Fath Ali, handing over his son Ibrahim Khalil as a hostage. However, Panah Ali had to switch his allegiance to the Zands, who captured Ibrahim Khalil from Fath Ali after a battle in 1760. He left his son [[Mehrali bey Javanshir]] in charge of the khanate while he left for battle against Fath-Ali.[[File:Penaheli xanin mezar dasi.jpg|right|thumb|240px|Gravestone of Panah Ali Khan]]

==Death==
According to [[Mirza Adigozal bey]], when [[Karim Khan Zand]] took control of much of Iran, he forced Panah Khan to come to his capital, [[Shiraz]], where he died as a hostage in 1763<ref>((cite encyclopedia |last=BOURNOUTIAN |first=GEORGE| title=EBRAHÈM KHALÈL KHAN JAVANSHER | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Iranica | access-date=2011-11-04|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ebrahim-kalil-khan-javansir))</ref> (although according to his gravestone in [[Aghdam]], he died in July–August 1759.)<ref name=":0">((Cite journal|last=Ismayilov|first=Eldar|title=The Khans of Karabakh: The Elder Line by Generations|url=https://www.academia.edu/15364042|journal=The Caucasus & Globalization|date=January 2014|language=en))</ref> However [[Raffi (novelist)|Raffi]] and Mirza Yusuf Qarabaghi offer another version of Panah Ali's death, where he faked his death in order to escape Shiraz but was captured, killed and his stomach was stuffed. Panah-Ali Khan's son Ibrahim-Khalil Khan was sent back to Karabakh as governor.<ref name="tapper114">((cite book
  | last = Tapper
  | author-link = Richard Tapper
  | first = Richard
  | title = Frontier Nomads of Iran: A Political and Social History of the Shahsevan
  | publisher = Cambridge University Press
  | year = 1997
  | pages = 114–115
  | isbn = 0-521-47340-3))</ref> Ibrahim, succeeding his father, not only ruled over most of Karabakh, but also became one of the major potentates in the Caucasus.

== Family ==
Panah Ali was married to a sister of Hajji Sahliyali bey of Kebirlu clan, among other wives, and had several sons:<ref name=":0" />

* [[Ibrahim Khalil Khan]]
* [[Mehrali bey Javanshir]]
* Talibkhan bey
* Kelbali bey
* Aghasi bey
* Alimadat bey
* Nasir bey
* Alipasha bey

==See also==
*[[Ibrahim Khalil Khan]]
*[[Javanshir Qizilbash]]
*[[Qizilbash]]i

== References ==
((Reflist))

((DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Panah Ali))
[[Category:1693 births]]
[[Category:1761 deaths]]
[[Category:Karabakh Khanate]]
[[Category:18th century in Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:18th-century people from Safavid Iran]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of the Zand dynasty]]
[[Category:People from Afsharid Iran]]
[[Category:Khans of Karabakh]]