Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War

Appendix 2: Chronology

Appendix 2 Chronology 1214–1261 Reign of Hasan Jalal, prince of Khachen. 1501–1525 Shah Ismail I founds Safavid Dynasty in Tabriz, makes Shiite branch of Islam his official religion. 1722 End of Safavid Dynasty. 1747 Death of Nadir Shah ends direct Iranian sovereignty over Karabakh. 1752 Panakh Khan builds a fortress at Shusha. 14 MAY 1805 Panakh Khan’s successor, Ibrahim Khan, surrenders to Russians. 12 OCTOBER 1813 Treaty of Gulistan formally incorporates Karabakh within Russian Empire. NOVEMBER 1822 Mekhti Kuli Khan flees to Persia. End of Karabakh khanate and meliks. 1827 Russian capture of Yerevan. 10 FEBRUARY 1828 Treaty of Turkmenchai between Russia and Iran. 1868 Karabakh becomes part of Elizavetpol (Ganje) Province. AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 1905 Fighting in Shusha. 31 MARCH 1918 Beginning of “March Days” in Baku, massacre of Azerbaijanis. 28 MAY 1918 Armenia and Azerbaijan declare independence. 15 SEPTEMBER 1918 Turks enter Baku, massacre of Armenians. 287 AUGUST 1919 British mission withdraws from Karabakh. 20 MARCH 1920 Azerbaijani army sacks Shusha. 28 APRIL 1920 Bolshevik takeover in Azerbaijan. MAY 1920 Bolshevik takeover in Karabakh. 29 NOVEMBER 1920 Bolshevik takeover in Armenia. 1 DECEMBER 1920 Azerbaijani leader Narimanov declares Karabakh part of Armenia. 5 JULY 1921 “Kavburo” declares Nagorny Karabakh part of Soviet Azerbaijan. 13 OCTOBER 1921 Treaty of Kars between Bolshevik Russia and Turkey. 30 DECEMBER 1922 Establishment of the Soviet Union. 7 JULY 1923 Nagorny Karabakh Autonomous Region created. 1948–1950 Deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, immigration of Armenians. 1965–1967 Demonstrations in Yerevan lead to construction of Genocide Memorial. 1969 Heidar Aliev becomes first secretary of Azerbaijani Communist Party. 1974 Karen Demirchian becomes first secretary of Armenian Communist Party. 7 OCTOBER 1977 New “Brezhnev Constitution.” NOVEMBER 1982 Aliev promoted to Politburo, Kamran Bagirov becomes first secretary in Azerbaijan. MARCH 1985 Gorbachev becomes general secretary of Soviet Communist Party. 1987 AUGUST Karabakh Armenians send petition with tens of thousands of signatures to Moscow. 288 APPENDIX 2: CHRONOLOGY 18 OCTOBER Demonstration in Yerevan to protest incidents in Armenian village of Chardakhlu, north of Karabakh. 21 OCTOBER Aliev removed from Politburo. NOVEMBER Intercommunal violence in Kafan. 16 NOVEMBER Gorbachev’s adviser Aganbekian, speaking in Paris, advocates Karabakh’s joining Armenia. 1988 25 JANUARY Azerbaijanis flee Kafan. 13 FEBRUARY First demonstration in Stepanakert. 19 FEBRUARY First demonstration in Baku. 20 FEBRUARY Regional Soviet in Stepanakert votes to request transfer of Nagorny Karabakh to Armenia. 21 FEBRUARY Mass demonstrations begin in Yerevan. 22 FEBRUARY Two Azerbaijanis killed in violence at Askeran. 24 FEBRUARY Boris Kevorkov removed as Party boss of Nagorny Karabakh. 26 FEBRUARY Gorbachev receives Armenian writers Zori Balayan and Silva Kaputikian. 27–29 FEBRUARY Anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait. 21 MAY Bagirov and Demirchian removed as Party leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia. 15 JUNE Armenian Supreme Soviet votes to accept Nagorny Karabakh into Armenia. 17 JUNE Azerbaijan Supreme Soviet reaffirms that Nagorny Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. 18 JULY Presidium of Supreme Soviet of USSR resolves that Karabakh remains part of Azerbaijan. 26 JULY Arkady Volsky sent to Nagorny Karabakh as Politburo’s representative. APPENDIX 2: CHRONOLOGY 289 18–20 SEPTEMBER Armenians driven out of Shusha, Azerbaijanis out of Stepanakert. 21 SEPTEMBER “Special rule” introduced in Karabakh. NOVEMBER Mass expulsions of Azerbaijanis from Armenia. 17 NOVEMBER–5 DECEMBER Mass demonstrations in Baku. 7 DECEMBER Armenian earthquake. 10–11 DECEMBER Gorbachev visits Armenia. Karabakh Committee arrested. 1989 12 JANUARY Special Administration Committee, headed by Volsky, set up in Nagorny Karabakh. 31 MAY Release of Karabakh Committee from prison. 11 SEPTEMBER Azerbaijani Popular Front registered. 25 SEPTEMBER Azerbaijan’s Supreme Soviet passes declaration of sovereignty. NOVEMBER Rail blockade of Armenia and Nakhichevan. 28 NOVEMBER Special Administration Committee dissolved. 1 DECEMBER Supreme Soviet of Armenia and Karabakh Armenians’ National Council declare unification. 1990 13–15 JANUARY Anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku. 15 JANUARY State of Emergency imposed in Nagorny Karabakh. 19–20 JANUARY Soviet troops enter Baku, killing protestors. 20 JANUARY Ayaz Mutalibov becomes Azerbaijani Party leader. 26 JANUARY Azerbaijan’s second secretary Viktor Polyanichko arrives in Nagorny Karabakh to try to set up new Organizational Committee. 290 APPENDIX 2: CHRONOLOGY MAY Armenian National Movement wins parliamentary elections in Armenia. MAY Nagorny Karabakh returned to budget of Azerbaijan. 25 JULY Central Committee in Moscow passes decree on disarming illegal formations. 4 AUGUST Levon Ter-Petrosian elected speaker of new Armenian parliament. 23 AUGUST Armenian parliament passes...