Shirvan Baylarbaylik also spelled as Shirvan Beylerbeyliyi, was a Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

i Turkic

Turkic peoples

The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...

 beylerbeylik

Beylerbeylik

Beylerbeylik was a type of country subdivision in the Ottoman Empire....

 under the rule of Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 and Safavid empires on the territory of modern Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

 between 1538 and 1734 with its capital in the town of Shamakhi

Samaxi

Şamaxı is a city in and the capital of the Shamakhi Rayon of Azerbaijan. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence. The city's estimated population as of 2010 was 31,704...

. Control over Shirvan

Shirvan

Shirvan , also spelled as Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both Islamic and modern times...

 was alternated between Safavid and Ottoman empires until 1734, when the Afsharid

Afsharid dynasty

The Afsharids were members of an Iranian dynasty of Turkmen origin from Khorasan who ruled Persia in the 18th century. The dynasty was founded in 1736 by the military commander Nader Shah who deposed the last member of the Safavid dynasty and proclaimed himself King of Iran. During Nader's reign,...

 ruler of Iran, Nader Shah

Nader Shah

Nāder Shāh Afshār ruled as Shah of Iran and was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty. Because of his military genius, some historians have described him as the Napoleon of Persia or the Second Alexander...

 established firm rule over the area until the area was divided into independent Khanates of the Caucasus

Khanates of the Caucasus

Khanates of the Caucasus were Persian ruled principalities on the territory of modern day Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Dagestan from the Safavid dynasty era to 1806. These principalities arose during the domination of Iran. During the period of Iranian domination, head of principality was a Khan...

 before they were occupied by the Russian Empire in the mid 18th century. Shirvan Beylerbeylik was one of four beylerbeyliks on the territory of South Caucasus

South Caucasus

The South Caucasus is a geopolitical region located on the border of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia also referred to as Transcaucasia, or The Trans-Caucasus...

. The other three were Karabakh

Karabakh Beylerbeylik

At the time of the Safavid state, the entire territory of Azerbaijan was made up of four beylerbeydoms: Shirvan, Karabakh , Chukhursaad and Azerbaijan .Rahmani A. A. Azerbaijan in the late 16th and 17th centuries . Baku,1981, pp...

, Chukhursaad and Tabriz beylerbeyliks.

History

Ending the rule of Shirvanshah

Shirvanshah

Shirvanshah also spelled as Shīrwān Shāh or Sharwān Shāh, was the title in mediaeval Islamic times of an Arab in Ethnos but speedily Persianized dynasty within their culturally Persian environment. The Shirvanshah established a native state in Shirvan...

s in 1538, Tahmasp I

Tahmasp I

Tahmasp or Tahmasb I was an influential Shah of Iran, who enjoyed the longest reign of any member of the Safavid dynasty...

 of Safavid Empire established Shirvan Beylerbeylik as an administrative unit of the empire. At the end of the 16th century, the Ottoman General Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha

Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha

Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha was an Ottoman general and Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.He had risen to the position of Beylerbey of Damascus and then to that of Fifth Vizier...

 captured Shirvan and appointed Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha

Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha

Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha was an able statesman and a commander of the Ottoman Empire who had also been the grand vizier for one year...

 as its beylerbey

Beylerbey

Beylerbey is the Ottoman and Safavid title used for the highest rank in the hierarchy of provincial administrators It is in western terms a Governor-general, with authority...

. In 1607, Shah Abbas I invaded Shirvan again and instituted Qizilbash rule over the province. After several interstate wars, Shirvan Beylerbeylik was eventually captured by Nadir Shah in 1734 to establish Safavid rule over the province again.