Hossein Khan Sardar | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Hossein Khan by Mirza Kadym Irevani | |
| Governor of Khorasan | |
| In office 1802–1807 | |
| Monarch | Fath-Ali Shah Qajar |
| Governor of Erivan | |
| In office 1807–1828 | |
| Monarch | Fath-Ali Shah Qajar |
| Preceded by | Ahmad Khan Moqaddam |
| Succeeded by | Russian annexation |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1742 Afsharid Iran |
| Died | 1831 (aged 90) Qajar Iran |
| Children | Mohammadqoli |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Hasan Khan Sari Aslan (brother) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Qajar Iran |
| Battles/wars | Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813 Russo–Persian War of 1826–1828 |
Hossein Qoli Khan Qajar Sardar Iravani (Persian: حسین قلی خان قاجار سردار ایروانی) was a statesman and commander in Qajar Iran, who was the last khan (governor) of the Erivan Khanate from 1807 to 1828.
A member of the Qajar tribe and a close relative of the royal Qajar dynasty, Hossein Qoli was the son of Mohammad Khan Qajar of Erivan, who governed the Erivan Khanate from 1784 to 1805. Hossein Qoli is first mentioned in 1795, as an official and member of the household of his close friend, the crown prince Baba Khan (later known by his regnal name of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar) in the city of Shiraz. Following the death of the Qajar shah (king) of Iran, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (r. 1789–1797) in 1779, Hossein Qoli played a key role in helping Baba Khan secure the throne, thus being granted numerous rewards, such as tuyuls (land grants) and marriage into the royal family.
Hossein Qoli served as a guardian of the northern passageways to Tehran from Qazvin until 1802, when he was appointed governor of the eastern province of Khorasan, which he brought stability to over the course of five years. In 1807, he was sent to the Caucasus to participate in the war with Russia. He was soon afterwards appointed the governor of the Erivan Khanate, where he was given free rein due to Fath-Ali Shah's confidence in him. The war ended with the Treaty of Golestan in 1813, in which the Iranians agreed to cede all of their Caucasian territory with the exception of Erivan and Nakhichevan.
In 1826, another war between Iran and Russia erupted, which concluded in 1828 with another Iranian defeat. By agreeing to the Treaty of Turkmenchay, Iran also lost Erivan and Nakhichevan. Hossein Qoli, in contrast to the other khans in the Caucasus, avoided making a deal with the Russians and was able to hinder their plans for twenty years. Article XII of the Treaty of Turkmenchay, which specifically denied him and his brother the ability to sell or trade their property in Erivan—a right guaranteed to everyone else—was a clear indication of Russia's irritation. Hossein Qoli died in 1831 at the age of ninety. Iranian accounts state that he was respected by Fath-Ali Shah and died in good health. But according to Armenian and Western accounts, he died in an impoverished and depressed state in a stable.