The renowned Russian Iranist Ilya Pavlovich Petrushevsky devoted his career to the study of agriculture and feudal relations in Iran. In this book he analyzes them, giving particular attention to Azerbaijan and Armenia from 1500 to 1900.
Petrushevsky first examines Iran's feudal class and its organization, and points out that Safavid Iran was not a national state, as others have argued. This is followed by a study of the specific institutions related to feudal landownership, to wit: soyurghal and mo afi; tiyul; and molk. He gives special attention to the terminology of social relations, because it is complex and variable across different regions and periods. Furthermore, he studies the productive forces in the agricultural sector of the feudal peasantry, and the question of whether peasants were tied to the soil or not. Finally, he investigates, in great detail, how peasants reacted to their oppression.
Feudal Relations in Iran Azerbaijan and Armenia,1500-1900, translated from the Russian for the first time by the eminent scholar and historian Willem Floor, is a major contribution to our understanding of the socio-economic and political development of Iran. It is a must read for all those interested in the history of Iran and the Caucuses during this period.