MILITARY AND POLITICAL STRUGGLE IN THE CAUCASUS-CASPIAN REGION FOR CONTROL OVER ONE OF THE MAIN BRANCHES OF THE GREAT SILK ROAD – THE CASPIAN ROUTE (III-XV CENTURIES)

Аннотация

The article reveals the content of the ever-increasing role of the Caucasus-Caspian region in global geopolitical and geoeconomic processes in the Middle Ages. It provides a detailed study of the military and political events occurring during this period and reveals the struggle of the main rival forces to establish their control over the main trade routes stretching from Europe and China, India and Central Asia. In this connection, the extremely important military-strategicand economic significance of one of themain branches of theGreat SilkRoad is demonstrated – the famous Caspian Route, which ran along the western coast of the Caspian Sea, which becamefamous back in ancient times. The aim of the study is to analyze the military-political processes occurring in the region in the Middle Ages and to reveal the military events that took place from the 3rd century to the end of the 14th century in the region, which was subjected to spontaneous geo-ethnopolitical pressure from successive military-political forces. In the course of studying this problem, the main responsibilities were to highlight the great migrations of peoples, as well as the invasions of the Arabs, Rus, Seljuks, Mongols, Golden Horde and Timurids, which coincided with the directions of the main world trade routes, including the Caspian, and constituted one of their main strategic goals. In the article, historical-chronological and comparative research methods were used to reveal the problem. In the final part of the article, it is noted that the Middle Ages marked the intensification of military and political rivalry in the Caucasus-Caspian region for control over theCaspian route. Beginning in the10th century, thefirst signs ofa renewed desire of non-Caspian states to penetrate and strengthen their positions in this region by one means or another were observed. With the emergence of the powerful Ottoman Empire and the strong Azerbaijani states of Ak Koyunlu from the middle of the 15th century, and then from the beginning of the 16th century, – The Safavid state, the Caucasus-Caspian region becomes one ofthekey elements in therelations between Asiaand Europe, which during this period acquired thecharacter ofa military-political confrontation. Key words: geopolitical and geoeconomic space, intracontinental Eurasian territories, cultural andeconomic expansion,ethnicgroups, transport routes and searoutes