Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"In the Caucasus, the Qajar dynasty permanently lost many of Iran's integral areas to the Russians over the course of the 19th century, comprising modern-day Georgia, Dagestan, Azerbaijan and Armenia." [Wikipedia] In 1867, the Surih of Kings "the most momentous Tablet revealed by Baha'u'llah" in which He, "for the first time, directs His words collectively to the entire company of the monarchs of East and West." Nasiri'd-Din Shah (r. 1848-1896) was addressed in that Tablet. He was stigmatized by Baha'u'llah as 'Prince of Oppressors.' [Baha'i Glossary, p. 38; A Basic Baha'i Chronology, p. 78]
"Nominally most of the great traditional empires of Asia remained independent, though the western powers carved out 'zones of influence' or even direct administration in them which could (as in the Anglo-Russian agreement over Persia in 1907) cover their entire territory. In fact, their military and political helplessness was taken for granted." [Hobsbawm: Empire, p. 57]