Caucasia marks the meeting place of East and West, Europe and Asia, Christendom and Islam. Indeed, the Caucasus Mountains are home to a bewildering diversity of languages and ethnicities. In the imaginations of multiple cultures and civilisations-Greek, Slavic, Arabic, Turkic, and Persian, to name a few-the region has served as a realm of legend and myth. Yet at the same time, Caucasia can also serve as a mirror to the outside, a site where one can trace the unfolding of processes that have shaped the broader world. Five leading scholars from around the globe explore the interaction of empires, peoples, and faiths in Caucasia throughout the centuries.

The break-up of the Ottoman empire and the disintegration of the Russian empire were watershed events in modern history. The unravelling of these empires was both cause and consequence of World War I and resulted in the deaths of millions. It irrevocably changed the landscape of the Middle East and Eurasia and reverberates to this day in conflicts throughout the Caucasus and Middle East. Shattering Empires draws on extensive research in the Ottoman and Russian archives to tell the story of the rivalry and collapse of two great empires. Overturning accounts that portray their clash as one of conflicting nationalisms, this pioneering study argues that geopolitical competition and the emergence of a new global interstate order provide the key to understanding the course of history in the Ottoman-Russian borderlands in the twentieth century. It will appeal to those interested in Middle Eastern, Russian, and Eurasian history, international relations, ethnic conflict, and World War I.

The break-up of the Ottoman empire and the disintegration of the Russian empire were watershed events in modern history. The unravelling of these empires was both cause and consequence of World War I and resulted in the deaths of millions. It irrevocably changed the landscape of the Middle East and Eurasia and reverberates to this day in conflicts throughout the Caucasus and Middle East. Shattering Empires draws on extensive research in the Ottoman and Russian archives to tell the story of the rivalry and collapse of two great empires. Overturning accounts that portray their clash as one of conflicting nationalisms, this pioneering study argues that geopolitical competition and the emergence of a new global interstate order provide the key to understanding the course of history in the Ottoman-Russian borderlands in the twentieth century. It will appeal to those interested in Middle Eastern, Russian, and Eurasian history, international relations, ethnic conflict, and World War I.

Caucasia marks the meeting place of East and West, Europe and Asia, Christendom and Islam. Indeed, the Caucasus Mountains are home to a bewildering diversity of languages and ethnicities. In the imaginations of multiple cultures and civilisations-Greek, Slavic, Arabic, Turkic, and Persian, to name a few-the region has served as a realm of legend and myth. Yet at the same time, Caucasia can also serve as a mirror to the outside, a site where one can trace the unfolding of processes that have shaped the broader world. Five leading scholars from around the globe explore the interaction of empires, peoples, and faiths in Caucasia throughout the centuries.