Fatḥ ʿAlī Shah (reigned 1797–1834), in need of revenue after decades of devastating warfare, relied on British subsidies to cover his government’s expenditures. Following a series of wars, he lost the Caucasus to Russia by the treaties of Golestān in 1813 and Turkmanchay (Torkmān Chāy) in 1828, the latter of which granted Russian commercial and consular agents access to Iran. This began a diplomatic rivalry between Russia and Britain—with Iran the ultimate victim—that resulted in the 1907 Anglo-Russian Convention giving each side exclusive spheres of influence in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tibet.
