Article number one is ten. The Treaty of Georgievsk was signed (in the fortress of St.

In the name of the Almighty God, One and Holy One in the Trinity, glorified. 238

From ancient times, the All-Russian Empire according to the same faith with

served as protection, help and refuge for the Georgian peoples 239

nations and their most illustrious rulers against the oppressions from which they

their neighbors were exposed. Patronage by All-Russian

granted by the autocrats to the Georgian kings, family and subjects,

produced that dependence of the latter on the former, which is especially

turns out to be from the Russian-imperial title itself. E.I.V.,

now reigning safely, has sufficiently expressed

the monarch's goodwill towards these peoples and his magnanimous concern for the good

their fishery with their strong efforts made for deliverance

them from the yoke of slavery and from the blasphemous tribute of boys and girls,

which some of these nations were obliged to give, and

a continuation of his royal contempt for their rulers. In this

the very disposition condescending to petitions, to her throne

brought from the Most Serene King of Kartalin and Kakhetia

Irakli Teymurazovich on his acceptance with all his heirs and

successors and with all his kingdoms and regions in the royal

patronage of e.v. and her high heirs and successors, with

recognition of the supreme power of all-Russian emperors over the tsars

Kartalin and Kakheti, most mercifully wished

decree and conclude with the said most illustrious king

a friendly treaty, by which, on the one hand, his

Lordship, by his own name and their successors recognizing the supreme

power and patronage of e.i.v. and her high successors over

rulers and peoples of the kingdoms of Kartalin and Kakheti and

other regions belonging to them would be marked with a solemn

and in the exact manner of their obligations in the reasoning of the All-Russian

empires; and on the other hand, e.i.v. could also commemorate

solemnly, what are the advantages and benefits of generous and strong

her right hands are bestowed upon the mentioned peoples and their most illustrious rulers.

To conclude such an agreement e.i.v. deigned to authorize

His Serene Highness Prince of the Roman Empire Grigory Alexandrovich

Potemkin, his troops, general-in-chief, commanding light

regular and irregular cavalry and many other military

forces, senator, state military board

Vice President, Astrakhan, Saratov, Azov and

Novorossiysk sovereign governor, his adjutant general and

actual chamberlain, lieutenant of the cavalry corps,

Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment Lieutenant Colonel, Chief

head of the armory workshop, holder of orders

St. Apostle Andrew, Alexander Nevsky, military

Holy Great Martyr George and Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir

large crosses; Royal Prussian Black and Polish White 240

Orlov and St. Stanislaus, the Swedish Seraphim, the Danish Elephant and

Golstinsky of St. Anna, with authority, in his absence, elect and

to provide with full power from himself whom he judges for the good, who

therefore he elected and authorized the excellent gentleman from

army e.i.v. Lieutenant General, troops in the Astrakhan province

commander, e.i.v. actual chamberlain and orders

Russian St. Alexander Nevsky, military great martyr and

Victorious George and Holstein St. Anne Cavalier Paul

Potemkin, and his lordship the Kartalin and Kakhetian king

Irakli Teymurazovich elected and authorized them for his part

his lordships general from the left hand of Prince Ivan

Konstantinovich Bagration and His Grace the Adjutant General

Prince Garsevan Chavchavadzev. The said plenipotentiaries, having begun

with the help of God to the matter and exchanging mutual powers, according to their strength

decided, concluded and signed the following articles.

Article number one

His Grace the Tsar of Kartalin and Kakhetia in his name,

his heirs and successors is solemnly forever denied

from any vassalage or under any title whatsoever, from

any dependence on Persia or any other power and hereby declares

in the face of the whole world, which he does not recognize above himself and

successors to an autocracy other than the supreme power and

patronage of e.i.v. and her high heirs and successors

throne of the All-Russian Imperial, promising that throne

loyalty and readiness to contribute to the benefit of the state in any way

case where this will be required of him.

Article number two

E.I.V., accepting from His Lordship only sincere

promise, evenly promises and reassures with his imperial

a word for himself and his successors, that mercy and protection

them from the most illustrious kings of Kartalin and Kakhetia never

will not be weaned. In proof of which E.V. gives imperial

his guarantee for the preservation of the integrity of his present possessions

Lordship of Tsar Irakli Teymurazovich, intending to distribute

such guarantee and for such possessions, which during the time

according to circumstances acquired and firmly behind him

will be approved.

Article number three 241

In expressing the sincerity with which His Lordship

the king of Kartalin and Kakhetia recognizes the supreme power and

patronage of the All-Russian emperors, it is stated that

the mentioned kings, entering hereditarily into their kingdom, immediately have

notify the Russian imperial court about this, asking through

their imperial envoys to the kingdom confirmation and

investiture, consisting of a charter, a banner with the coat of arms of the All-Russian

empire, having inside itself the coat of arms of the mentioned kingdoms, in the saber, in

a commanding staff and wearing an ermine mantle or cape. These signs

either they will be handed over to the envoys, or through the border authorities

will be delivered to the king, who upon receiving them in the presence

Russian minister must solemnly take the oath to

loyalty and zeal to the Russian Empire and recognition of the supreme

power and patronage of all-Russian emperors in form,

attached to this treatise. This ritual will still be fulfilled

from His Serene Highness Tsar Irakli Teymurazovich.

Article number four

To prove that his Lordship's intentions are

reasoning only about its close connection with the All-Russian Empire

and recognition of the supreme power and patronage of the Most Serene

that the owners of that empire are blameless, his lordship promises without

preliminary agreement with the chief border commander and

minister e.i.v., accredited to him, not to have contact with

the surrounding rulers. And when the messengers arrive from them or

letters will be sent, accepting these, to consult with the main

border chief and with the minister e.i.v., about the return

such envoys and the appropriate rebuke to their owners.

Article number five

To make it more convenient to have any necessary communication and agreement with

Russian Imperial Court, His Grace the Tsar wishes to have

at that court of his minister or resident, and e.i.v., graciously

then, when accepted, she promises that he will receive her at court along with

with other sovereign princes and ministers of equal character, and

Moreover, he deigns, for his part, to support him

Lordship of the Russian minister or resident.

Article number six 242

H.I.V., accepting with favor the recognition of her supreme

power and patronage over the kingdoms of Kartalin and Georgian,

promises in his name and his successors:

in perfect agreement with its empire and, consequently, with their enemies

recognize one's enemies; why peace, with Porta

Ottoman or Persian or other power and region

concluded must also apply to these protected

e.v. peoples.

2. His Serene Highness Tsar Irakli Teimurazovich and his house

retain heirs and descendants invariably in the kingdom

Kartalinsky and Kakheti.

3. Power associated with internal management, court and

execution and collection of taxes to be left to His Grace the Tsar in full

his will and benefit, prohibiting his military and civilian

superiors to enter into any orders.

Article seven

His Grace the Tsar received with due reverence only

gracious on the part of H.I.V. reassurance, promises for oneself and

their descendants:

1. Be always ready to serve e.v. with his troops.

2. Addressing Russian bosses in the usual manner

communication on all matters, before serving as e.i.v. concerning

satisfy their requirements and subjects e.v. protect from any

insults and oppression.

3. In assigning people to places and raising them to ranks

excellent respect for services to the All-Russian

empire, on whose patronage peace and

prosperity of the kingdoms of Kartalin and Kakheti.

Article number 8

As proof of the special royal favor towards him

Grace to the Tsar and his people and for a greater union with Russia

of these peoples of the same faith, e.i.v. deigns that the Catholicos or

their commanding archbishop was among the Russian

bishops in the eighth degree, precisely after Tobolsky,

most mercifully granting him forever the title of Member of the Holy Synod;

about the management of Georgian churches and the attitude that

should be to the Russian Synod, it will be drawn up

special item.

Article number nine 243

Extending his mercy to the subjects of his lordship the king,

princes and nobles, e.i.v. establishes that they are in the All-Russian

empires will enjoy all the advantages and benefits

which Russian nobles were assigned, and his lordship, accepting with

gratitude is only his merciful condescension towards his subjects,

undertakes to send to the court E.V. lists of all nobles

surnames, so that from them one can know exactly who is

excellent right belongs.

Article ten

It is decided that all in general are natives of Kartalin and

Kakhetians can settle in Russia, leave and return again

without charge; prisoners, if they are captured by weapons or negotiations

Turks and Persians or other peoples will be freed, yes

will be released according to their wishes, returning only the costs of

their redemption and export; this is what His Grace the Tsar promises

perform sacredly in the judgment of Russian subjects, in captivity to

neighbors who come across.

Article number one for ten

The Kartalin and Kakheti merchants have freedom

send your trades in Russia, using the same rights and

benefits that natural Russian subjects enjoy;

mutually the king promises to decide with the main boss

border or with the Minister E.V. about all possible relief

Russian merchants in their trade in their areas or in their passage

for trading in other places; for without such a precise decree and

the condition about the benefits of his merchants cannot have place.

August 25th, 2016 , 12:33 am

Let us ask ourselves, is there a direct connection between Peter and the Prussian King Frederick? It would seem, where? But there really is such a connection, and a very clear one! Frederick was the main ally of Muscovy during the Azov campaigns and the Northern War. Before this, there was always terrible enmity between Russia and the Teutons. Peter did not have as many meetings with any monarch of Europe as he did with Frederick. They would meet many times: during the Great Embassy, ​​in 1709 and a year before the death of the King of Prussia in 1712. All these meetings were of a purely private nature; instead of signing treaties, Peter and Frederick would sail along the Spree, hunt wild boars, have a pleasant conversation in the shady alleys of Charlottenburg, and, as usual, drink by the fireplace in the castle. During the Great Embassy, ​​Peter will spend three whole months in the company of Frederick! Hunting, drinking, family atmosphere and no diplomacy.

Peter loved his father very much. As our research will show, there was a reason for it. He understood perfectly well, thanks to whom he achieved so many heights. It was Frederick’s soldiers, as part of the amusing regiments, who would bring Peter to power. It was the German hussars and grenadiers that would be the main striking force of his “Russian” army. In all campaigns and battles, during uprisings and rebellions, in times of sorrow and joy, Frederick will always be a support for young Peter.
All his life Frederick fought against his main enemy - against great Empire Russians. Fought to place his son Peter on the imperial throne.
In memory of his father, Peter will establish in Peterhof famous monument Frederick. This will be the first monument to Russia!

The monuments to Peter I and Frederick are very similar. It is officially believed that Rastrelli, leaving Russia, cast the first monument to Peter in history. But the monument then disappeared somewhere! Where it was located before 1800 is unknown, and only in 1800 this monument was erected at the Engineering Castle in Mikhailovsky on the orders of Paul I.

The connection between Peter I and Frederick and the Prussian royal court is directly indicated by the comparison of crowns young Peter with the crowns of other European states. The crowns on the portraits of Peter the Great are identical to the Prussian crowns.

Portrait of Sofia Alekseevna in a Russian headdress (photo from the book Rudolf G. Scharmann. Charlottenburg Palace)

By the way, about portraits. Would Friedrich really not want to add a portrait of his son to the family collection? According to the memoirs of Leibniz and Posselt, at least three portraits of Peter were painted in Königsberg. These are the works of painters Gottfried Kneller and Jan Gole Veithorn. Then these portraits from the original became sketches for dozens of engravings and miniatures in various interpretations. But it is these German portraits that are the primary authentic images of Peter at the time of his arrival to Frederick. Let's look at these portraits together. Let's take a look at Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin.

Kneller, wall portrait of Peter I, Charlottenburg Palace (German: Schloss Charlottenburg)

Charlottenburg (German: Schloss Charlottenburg), Peter the Great, unknown artist

Portrait of Peter I, Jan GOLE FIGHTHORN

Portrait of Peter I. Jan GOLE FIGHTHORN

Why did Sophia Charlotte keep these portraits in her Residence? After all, Charlottenburg is not the Hermitage, it is a house-museum dedicated to the life of Sophia Charlotte. Only those exhibits that accompanied the life of the Elector and were dear to her are exhibited here.

These portraits are fundamentally upsetting the decrepit office building. history, because historians are unable to explain them. They tell us that Peter went to Europe incognito and no one knew that it was Peter!!!

Historians do not report why he stayed in Brandenburg for so long, although Frederick’s delay on the way to Holland is simply inexplicable. And according to etiquette, our carpenter stayed at a foreign court for too long. But, as we now understand, Peter was at home caring parents and was in no hurry at all at the Amsterdam shipyard.
Moreover, already on the border with East Prussia in the city of Mitau, Peter was met by Elector Frederick, which in itself is an incredible thing. According to etiquette, this never happened - audiences with monarchs took place only in residence palaces. Monarchs never went to meet the traveling kings of other states. And then the Elector himself went to meet the “Preobrazhensky” Peter. This is followed by the absurd reservations of historians that perhaps it was Duke Fridrikus of Courland. No, it was precisely Elector Frederick.

On June 21st, Peter was noted hunting with Friedrich. On June 22, a drunken incident occurred when Peter almost killed his drinking companion Lefort. It turns out that Peter went to Holland in the west, but ended up in Pillau in the east? Where did the embassy go without the chief ambassador Lefort??? Historians are taking us for fools!
On the 29th, Peter widely celebrated his name day with the Elector, and only on the 30th of June was he just about to leave Pillau, and the embassy of 1697 had already left Prussia for three weeks! Such glaring inconsistencies arise.

The meeting with Sophia turned out to be very joyful. The little princess, Sophia's daughter and her son Friedrich August were also present at the meeting: “He took the little princess by the head and kissed her twice, completely crumpling her bow. He also kissed her brother."(M. M. Bogoslovsky).

Peter kissed his sister Natalia Wilhelmina and his brother Augustus, the future king of Poland. Not by etiquette, but by family. So Peter saw all his relatives, starting with little Friedrich, whom Peter also kissed and threw up in his arms. Peter never tossed or kissed any more children in his entire life. However, no other elector, queen, or duchess ever met Peter.

Relatives spent time in a close family circle. The balls continued until four o'clock in the morning. And at this celebration they drank exclusively to the family of Peter I, including father Frederick and mother Sophia: “And at the table and around the table they drank about the health of the great sovereign Tsarevich and his entire royal household, and about the Kurfistrovo, and about the Kurfistrynino, and about the health of their children.”(Bogoslovsky, with reference to the “Article List”).

Any person who reads this without reference to the official and false history of Peter I will make only one conclusion: at the banquet they drank for a single royal family: the Elector's father, the Elector's mother and their son Tsarevich Peter.

In addition to dancing, the guests had interesting conversations. Sophia Leibniz's personal teacher witnessed that celebration: “The Tsar, speaking Dutch or German, told the Electors that he intended to build 75 warships in Dutch shipyards to operate with them in the Black Sea. At present he thinks only about the war with the Turks."(Leibniz. See Guerrier. Collection of letters and memorials of Leibniz).
When he was able to learn Dutch and German, historians do not know.

Professor Shmurlo unearthed details of the meeting between Frederick and Peter in the reports of Venetian agents: “His electorate lordship titled the king royal majesty, and he called him king (? Qui luj rendit cefue de Czar).» .

Only close relatives, father and son, could behave this way. Peter calls dad king. Having found these documents, Shmurlo was very surprised and even Latin translation I left it with a question mark. The thing is truly inexplicable! But according to our version, there is nothing strange: the king’s father is considered a royal person.

Next, Peter invited his father to Russia: “His Lordship also asked whether it would be permissible for him (the Elector) to go to Muscovy; The king expressed great pleasure on this occasion, with a special desire that the Elector would make this journey. Then the last toast was for those who are waging war against the Turks with great ardor.". Soon Frederick would actually come to Muscovy to help his son sit on the throne. Only the battles against the “Turks” will take place not on the Black Sea, but on the Baltic and near Moscow.

Leibniz, a witness to that meeting, makes an amazing revelation: “Only in the presence of the Elector did he want to be what he is” . He was in the family circle, so Leibniz's words seem very clear to us. When Peter becomes a great emperor, he will not forget Leibniz and invite him to his service.

Sophia Charlotte and Leibniz. German engraving from the 17th century.

Leibniz is a very interesting figure. It was he who was the first to see in Peter the Great the sovereign-savior: “Leibniz, who was rushing around with the thought of a “great sovereign” who would be the spreader of enlightenment among the peoples of the East”(M.M. Bogoslovsky).

Leibniz told Lefort about a certain family tree of Russian tsars, which he compiled: “For Lefort, he drew up a special memo with two requests: first, to inform himexplanations and confirmation regarding the tree of the Moscow kings that was in his hands" (Guerrier. “Leibniz’s attitude towards Russia and Peter the Great”).

That is, Leibniz had already begun to prepare the “correct” history, deducing Peter directly from the Russian tsars.
The Russian people did not want to accept a German son as a tsar.

Why did the wild Peter inspire Leibniz so much? And why does everyone so want to enlighten the hated East? But Peter really was the West's last hope to defeat the Russian Empire. Needless to say, at these meetings the issue of teaching Peter crafts was never raised. Everyone unanimously forgot about the main goal of the Embassy; there was talk about grandiose plans to “enlighten the East” from the barbarians.

Currently, Georgia is laying the historical foundation for a new interpretation of Russian-Georgian relations. In the direction of the main blow, a treaty was signed on June 24, 1783 in the city of Georgievsk, according to which Eastern Georgia - the Kartli-Kakheti kingdom - came under the protection of Russia as a protectorate, but while maintaining state sovereignty. A similar change of milestones began after E. Shevardnadze came to power as a result of a coup in December 1991 - January 1992 and is developing today.

The Georgian people are taught that Treaty of Georgievsk- this is the fatal mistake of the good-natured Georgian rulers, who trusted the treacherous Russian emperors that from their northern neighbor Georgia always received only black ingratitude in response to kindness, and then lost any attributes of sovereignty. Mikheil Saakashvili is trying to create an image proud people, continuously subjected to deprivation and humiliation, but in the end freed from the Russian yoke and found new and true friends.

Brief historical background

The Treaty of Georgievsk of 1783 is an agreement on the voluntary entry of the Kartli-Kakheti Kingdom (Eastern Georgia) under the protection of Russia.

In 1453, after the fall of Constantinople, Georgia was cut off from the entire Christian world, and a little later it was actually divided between Turkey and Iran. In the 16th - 18th centuries, it was the arena of the struggle between Iran and Turkey for dominance in Transcaucasia.

By the end of the 18th century, eastern Georgia was under Persian control.

During the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774, the Kartli-Kakheti and Imereti kingdoms opposed the Turks on the side of Russia. General Totleben's corps of 3,500 people was sent to help them. The victory of Russia over Turkey in 1774 significantly eased the situation of the Georgian lands subject to the Turks, and the payment of tribute to the Sultan by the Kingdom of Imereti was abolished.

On December 21, 1782, the Kartli-Kakheti king Irakli II turned to Catherine II with a request to accept Georgia under the protection of Russia.

The agreement was concluded on July 24 (August 4), 1783 in the Georgievsk fortress ( North Caucasus) and signed on behalf of Russia by the General-in-Chief, Prince Pavel Potemkin, on behalf of Georgia - by Princes Ivan Bagration-Mukhransky and Garsevan Chavchavadze. On January 24, 1784, the treaty came into force...

The Georgian king recognized the “supreme power and patronage” of Russia, which in turn guaranteed the preservation of the territorial integrity of the possessions of Erekle II and his heirs...

Other Transcaucasian countries also sought to rely on Russia in the fight against Muslim Persia and Turkey. In 1803, Mingrelia came under Russian citizenship, in 1804 - Imereti and Guria, the Ganja Khanate and Dzharo Belokan region were also annexed, in 1805 - the Karabakh, Sheki and Shirvan khanates and the territory of Shirak, in 1806 - the khanates of Derbent, Kuba and Baku, in 1810 - Abkhazia, in 1813 - Talysh Khanate. Thus, within a short period of time, almost all of Transcaucasia became part of the Russian Empire.

There will be no complete answer to all these questions if we cannot understand the state of the Georgian people in the second half of the 18th century. The emergence of the Georgian state is dated 487, when King Vakhtang I Gorgasal united Georgia into politically and, with the consent of Byzantium, declared the Georgian church autocephalous. In the 12th and early 13th centuries, Georgia as a feudal state reached its highest development and became one of the most powerful powers in the region. The leading role in transforming Georgia into a strong state belonged to the Abkhazian kingdom. Abkhazian king Leon II at the end of the 8th century. moved the capital of the Abkhazian kingdom from Anakopia (Psyrdekh) to Kutaisi. “The city of Kutatisi (now Kutaisi) became the residence of the Abkhaz kings. Having subjugated the regions of not only Lazika itself, but also the Argvet region, the Abkhaz kings thereby embarked on the path of unifying not only Western Georgia, but also Georgia as a whole, since the Argvet region had always belonged to the Kartli (Iberian) kingdom... The new Western Georgian entity accepted name of the Abkhazian kingdom." Cultural, economic and political successes of the Abkhazian kingdom in the 8th-10th centuries. prepared the ground for annexing not only Kartli, but also part of Southern Georgia in Tao to their possessions, and thereby for the formation of a united Georgian kingdom at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century.

But at the beginning of the 16th century, Georgia was divided into independent territories, hostile to each other and microstates (principalities) at war with each other - Kartli, Kakheti, Imereti, Guria, Abkhazia, Mingrelia, Svaneti and Samtskhe. In 1555, Turkey and Persia divided the entire country between themselves without declaring war. Eastern Georgia fell under the rule of Persia, and Western Georgia (especially Abkhazia) came under Turkey.

Türkiye had a detrimental effect on further economic development Abkhazia, and in particular in cultural life Abkhaz people.

The first contact between Rus' and Georgia recorded by chroniclers dates back to the 70s of the 12th century, when Prince Yuri Andreevich, the son of the Suzdal prince Andrei Bogolyubsky and the grandson of the great Kiev Yuri Dolgoruky, the husband of Queen Tamara, actually became the Georgian king. The Georgian king George III, concerned that he did not have a son-heir, made his daughter Tamara queen during his lifetime.

The Kakhetian prince Leon was the first to voluntarily turn to the Muscovite kingdom for protection in 1564 under Ivan the Terrible.

Under Peter I, one of his favorite friends and associates was the Imeretian prince Alexander. During Peter's lifetime, King Vakhtang of Kartli, overthrown from the throne by the Turks, moved with his entire family, at Peter's call, to Russia. Over 100 Georgians - princes, princes, warriors, and clergy - went to Russia with him.

The Georgian king Archil turned to Peter I with a request to help the Georgian press. “Tsar Peter ordered to immediately cast Georgian letters for printing, and the first printed books came out of the Moscow state printing house Georgian language. Then Russian craftsmen and teachers opened a printing house in the capital of Kartolinia - Tiflis. From the Russians they learned how to organize schools and icon painting.” (Russia under the scepter of the Romanovs. 1613-1913. St. Petersburg, 1912. - Reprint. - M.; Interbook, 1990, p. 165.)

During the reign of Catherine II, under the rule of one king, Erekle II, the two main Georgian kingdoms - Kartli and Kakheti - united. Imereti, Mingrelia and Guria paid the Turks annually shameful tribute: not only in money, but also in “live goods”, sending a certain number of girls. Kartli and Kakheti paid the same tribute to Persia.

Regularly repeated invasions of the Turks and Persians, as well as bloody internecine clashes among the scattered Georgian principalities, led to the fact that the Georgians, already small in number, were brought to the brink of physical extinction, best case scenario- assimilation from the Muslim environment (Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, mountainous Caucasian peoples). The king of Kartli and Kakheti, Irakli II, could barely field 10 thousand troops, poorly armed, completely untrained and not knowing any discipline. Therefore, Tsar Irakli II turned to Russia for help.

In accordance with the Treaty of Georgievsk, Russian military units were first stationed in Georgia in 1784 - “to preserve the possessions of Kartli and Kakheti from any touch from their neighbors and to reinforce the troops of His Grace Tsar Erekle II for defense.”

The text of the agreement, in particular, stated: “Any new ruler of Georgia can ascend the throne only with the consent of Russia; relations between Georgia and foreign states should take place under the supervision of the Russian representative in Tiflis; citizens of both countries have the same rights before the laws; Russia undertakes to keep a detachment of its troops in Tiflis.”

The Shah of Iran, Agha Mohammed Khan Qajar, sent his ambassadors to Heraclius II with a demand to break all relations with Russia. “Not only Aga Mohammed Khan, but even if all the Asian states went to war against us, I will not give up allegiance to Russia“, - this was the answer of the Georgian king to the Persians. (Abashidze G. Decree. Op. P. 172)

The acceptance of Georgia under Russian protectorate set Persia and Turkey against Russia. “Persia, which was losing its long-time vassal in the person of the Georgian king, protested openly and even gathered troops, but Turkey, which had no reason to clearly interfere in our relations with Georgia, resorted to its usual method - to raise the Caucasian peoples against us. The Kabardians, who had recently experienced the power of Russian weapons, did not accept the Turkish emissaries, but the Chechens rebelled almost without exception.” (Potto V.A. Two centuries of the Terek Cossacks (1577-1801). T.2 P.145. Vladikavkaz. 1912. - Reprint. - Stavropol, 1991.

On September 11, 1995, Shah Agha Mohamed Khan captured Tiflis, and “the entire East trembled from the horrors that accompanied the capture of the capital of Iberia. In a flourishing city, turned into a heap of ruins, no stone was left unturned; Most of the inhabitants were slaughtered in the most barbaric manner, and the rest, numbering 22 thousand souls, were taken into slavery.” (Ibid. pp. 204-205)

All churches were desecrated or destroyed, the Georgian Metropolitan Dosifei was thrown from the bridge into the Kura River.

To this day, Georgian authors sharply reproach Russia for not providing assistance during the invasion of 1795. According to Georgiy Abashidze, the real threat of an attack by Agha Mohamed Khan, enraged by Georgia’s political orientation towards Russia, arose earlier: in 1792, Irakli II first turned to Catherine II with a request for military assistance in the hope of fulfilling their obligations in accordance with the Treaty of Georgievsk.

Why didn’t Russia provide assistance to Georgia in 1795?

Firstly, a difficult war with Turkey has just ended. Secondly, a significant part of the Russian troops remained in Poland. Simultaneously with the Turkish war, there was a war with the Swedes. Third, Austria withdrew from its alliance with Russia and made peace with the Turks, while England and Prussia negotiated an armed alliance with Poland against Russia. Fourthly, the formidable shadow of Napoleon Bonaparte has already loomed on the western borders of Russia. All these factors give reason to consider Russia’s position to be constrained.

Another important circumstance was that Georgia could not then support the Russian troops allied to it. “Under Catherine the Great, Russian troops were sent to Georgia twice; but the internal unrest there was so strong that King Heraclius could not collect food supplies even for several battalions, and King Solomon of Imereti, instead of the promised abundant supplies, delivered only a few bulls to feed the Russian army. The army had to be recalled, but nevertheless, under an agreement with Russia, Turkey was forced to refuse the shameful tribute of people from Georgian lands. This was the first relief wrested for Georgia by the weapons of fellow believer Russia.” (Russia under the scepter of the Romanovs S.168).

In fact, the treaty was in force in the fall of 1795. On September 4, 1795, Catherine ordered “to reinforce Tsar Heraclius, as a Russian vassal, against hostile attempts on his life, stipulated by the treaty with them with two full battalions of infantry.”

After 8 days, Tbilisi was destroyed by the troops of Agha-Magomed Khan. General Gudovich received the Empress's order only on October 1.
By 1795, Agha Mohammed Khan had just managed to unite Iran and defeat his rivals, and the question arose of returning Georgia to Iran, which had actually separated from it after the signing of the Treaty of Georgievsk.

“At the repeated requests of Tsar Irakli, in April 1796, Russia sent the 13,000-strong Caspian Corps under the command of Lieutenant General V. A. Zubov from Kizlyar to the Azerbaijani provinces of Iran. On May 10, Derbent was taken by storm, and on June 15, Baku and Cuba were occupied without a fight. In November, Russian troops reached the confluence of the Kura and Araks rivers. However, on November 6, 1796, Catherine died. Only a small detachment of General Rimsky-Korsakov remained in Georgia, which was recalled at the beginning of 1797.”

If the events in Tbilisi in the summer of 1795 may raise questions for Russia, then Russia’s accusation that Emperor Alexander I, as the Tbilisi newspaper “Sakartvelos Republic” (Republic of Georgia) reported in 2006, quoting I. Javakhishvili, “trampled on the treatise , abolishing the kingdom in Georgia and completing its annexation” is controversial. There are historical facts and they cannot be thrown aside if they do not fit into someone’s ahistorical scheme.

In 1797, two years after the defeat of Tbilisi, an envoy from the Georgian king arrived in St. Petersburg to assure Emperor Paul of the king's devotion to Georgia and ask for help and protection.

George XII asked the Emperor of the Russian Empire to accept Georgia (Kartli-Kakheti Kingdom) into Russia: He feared that the Georgian princes would start an internecine struggle, as a result of which Georgia would be conquered by Persia. Therefore, George XII wanted his son, David XII Georgievich, to take the throne after his death.

It should be noted that the accession to the throne of George XII was marked by a new onslaught of intra-feudal reaction. The king's brothers, incited by their mother, the queen Darejana, forced George XII to approve the order of succession to the throne, according to which the throne passed to the eldest in the family. Thus, the prince became the heir to the throne Yulon, son of Heraclius. George XII soon canceled new order succession to the throne. As a result of this, irreconcilable enmity arose between the king and his brothers. Those dissatisfied with George began to group around the princes. The royal court was divided into two camps; The split took on an extremely dangerous character in the context of the political crisis the country was experiencing.

George XII and the diplomats who took his side sensibly assessed the situation created in the state; they understood that the only way to prevent civil strife in the country was armed assistance from Russia, in the amount necessary to ensure external and internal security Kartli-Kakheti kingdom. George XII decided to persistently seek from the Russian government the fulfillment of the obligations assumed under the treaty of 1783.

In April 1799 Emperor Paul I renewed the agreement on patronage with the king of Kartli and Kakheti. In the autumn, Russian troops arrived in Georgia.

From a letter from the last king of Kartli-Kakheti, George XII, to his ambassador Garsevan Chavchavadze dated September 7, 1799:

“Give them my entire kingdom and my possession, as a sincere and righteous sacrifice, and offer it not only under the protection of the highest Russian imperial throne, but also leave it completely to their power and care, so that from now on the kingdom of the Kartlosians will be considered to belong to the Russian state with the same rights enjoyed by other regions located in Russia ».

Emperor Paul I ordered the immediate dispatch of the 17th Jaeger Regiment to Tiflis to defend Georgia under the command of General I.P. Lazarev “to remain in it forever.”

On November 26, 1799, Russian troops entered Tbilisi. George XII met Russian troops three kilometers from Tbilisi.

The day after General Lazarev arrived in Tbilisi, November 27, 1799 A meeting of the highest clergy and nobility of Georgia took place. The ambassador of Emperor Paul I solemnly announced that the All-Russian autocrat was taking Georgia under his patronage and protection, and King George XII was establishing himself on the throne. On behalf of Paul, the Georgian king was presented with a diploma, a royal crown, porphyry and a banner with the image of a Russian double-headed eagle. George XII took the oath of allegiance to the Emperor of Russia.

First, the 17th Jaeger (later Life Grenadier Erivan) Regiment of Major General Ivan Lazarev marched to Tiflis, and a little later the Kabardian Infantry Regiment of Major General Vasily Gulyakov.

The feudal reaction that was raging in the country was ready, for the sake of personal interests, to agree to any agreement with Georgia’s age-old enemies - Turkey and Iran. It was clear to supporters of Tsar George XII that the assistance provided for by the treaty of 1783 was clearly insufficient to curb feudal anarchy and ensure external security Georgia, and George XII, firmly adhering to the Russian orientation, began to revise the points of the Treaty of Georgievsk.

In the note presented June 24, 1800 The Georgian ambassador in St. Petersburg, the king of Kartli and Kakheti proposed to retain only the right of limited autonomous self-government for Kartli and Kakheti, subject to the preservation of the royal throne by George XII and his heirs. The king of Kartli and Kakheti agreed to submit to the authority of the Russian emperor not only in matters of foreign policy, but also in the field of internal management.

In St. Petersburg, the Georgian embassy on June 24, 1800 handed over to the Collegium of Foreign Affairs a draft document on citizenship. The first point read: Tsar George XII “zealously desires with his descendants, the clergy, nobles and all the people subject to him to one day forever accept citizenship of the Russian Empire, promising to sacredly fulfill everything that the Russians do.”

At an audience on November 14, 1800, Count Rostopchin and S.L. Lashkarev announced to the Georgian ambassadors that Emperor Paul I accepted the Tsar and the entire Georgian people into eternal citizenship and agreed to satisfy all the requests of George XII, “but not otherwise than when one of the envoys will go back to Georgia to announce to the tsar and people there the consent of the Russian emperor, and when the Georgians again declare by letter their desire to become Russian citizens.”

November 23, 1800 Emperor gave a rescript addressed to George XII, about the acceptance of his kingdom into Russian citizenship, he further wrote:

« “We accepted what was revealed to us with our highest royal favor and also honored our most merciful approval of your petitions to accept you into Our citizenship.”

December 22, 1800 Emperor Paul I signed a manifesto on the annexation of Georgia to Russia.

The Georgian ambassadors read out the “petition clauses” that declared David XII temporary ruler of the country until he was confirmed as king by the Russian emperor.

On November 7 of the same year, two Russian regiments under the command of General Lazarev, together with Georgian detachments near the village of Kakabeti, on the banks of the Iori River, inflicted a severe defeat on the troops (15 thousand) of the Avar Khan Omar, who had his son, who had invaded Georgia. Irakli, Tsarevich Alexander.

Time after time, the mountaineers rushed into desperate attacks, trying to crush the detachment that stood in their way, but rifle volleys and grapeshot constantly drove back the enemy. Up to 2 thousand highlanders fell in battle, Omar himself received a serious wound and soon died.

When, incited by the former masters of Georgia, the Persians, a huge horde of Lezgins rushed into Georgia for the usual robbery, 700 people of the Russian infantry of General Lazarev familiarized the Lezgins with Russian bayonet fighting. Supported by 1000 Georgian militia horsemen, they crushed the Lezgin cavalry and put it to flight.

At the end of 1800, Tsar George XII became seriously ill. During his illness, supreme power gradually passed into the hands of the plenipotentiary minister of the Russian government under the Georgian tsar, Kovalensky, and the commander of the Russian troops in Georgia, General Lazarev. During this tense time, which required the unification of all the living forces of the country, the comrades-in-arms of the princes pretending to the royal throne, even during the life of George XII, began a fierce internecine struggle that threatened the existence of the Kartli-Kakheti kingdom.

George XII was promised to retain the right of king for the rest of his life. However, after his death, the Russian government intended to approve David XII Georgievich as governor-general with the title of tsar, and to classify Georgia among the Russian provinces under the name of the kingdom of Georgia.

In the 30-50s of the 19th century. Georgians settled scores with their neighbors who had long been at enmity with them, taking an active part in the Caucasian War against Chechnya and Dagestan on the side of Russian troops. In 1944, the Georgian Lavrentiy Beria carried out a lightning-fast operation to evict the Chechens and Ingush to Central Asia and Kazakhstan. Then the Georgian Joseph Stalin changed the Borders of the Georgian SSR, to whose territory the lands of the mountain republics of the North Caucasus were “added”.

The Georgian SSR included part of the abolished Karachay Autonomous Region and the Kabardian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

What was Georgia like before it was annexed to Russia in 1801?

The Russian ambassador reported to St. Petersburg from Georgia that “73 members of the ruling dynasty, including six brothers and eight sons of Tsar George XII, constitute mutually warring parties and “ constantly stir up civil strife and put pressure on the people, tormenting an already devastated country».

(The death of King George XII and the transfer of power to David XII in December 1800 aggravated the situation in the country. Queen Darejan (widow of Heraclius II) and her sonscategorically refused to recognize the authority of Prince David XII , as well as the annexation of Georgia to Russia.

After the death of Paul I, the decree was confirmed by Alexander I on September 12, 1801. The Georgian nobility did not recognize the decree until April 1802, when Knorring gathered everyone in the Zion Cathedral in Tbilisi and forced them to take an oath to the Russian throne. Those who refused were arrested.

In the summer of 1802, Alexander I appointed a relative of Queen Mariam, wife of George XII, Pavel Tsitsianov (Tsitsishvili), as Commander-in-Chief of Georgia in the summer of 1802. The consolidation of the new government, according to P. Tsitsianov and Emperor Alexander I himself, was hampered by the presence of numerous Georgian princes in their homeland. Therefore, Alexander I sent letters to queens Darejan and Mariam inviting them to move to St. Petersburg. However, members of the Kartli-Kakheti royal house did not agree to leave their homeland. In April 1803, General Lazarev arrived at the palace of Queen Mariam with the aim of arresting and deporting her. The queen killed the general with a dagger, for which she was exiled to Voronezh. Until 1805, all Georgian princes were also sent to Russia, most of whom settled in St. Petersburg, living on a pension assigned by the emperor, engaged only in scientific and literary activities.)

Despite all the costs, life in Georgia, after its inclusion in Russia, as well as in the Caucasus as a whole, became safe for the peoples living here. Famous English traveler Harold Buxton confirmed this in his book “Travel and Policy of Russia in Transcaucasia and Armenia” (1914): “What the Russians did here for last century, there is a matter of enormous scale. Thanks to the peace they established here, the population increased, culture developed, and rich cities and villages arose. Russian officials do not show cruelty and arrogance towards the tribes they rule, so characteristic of our officials.”

Just like in chess, when sacrificing a piece in the opening, one gets a winning position in the future, so Georgia, having sacrificed its sovereignty at the beginning of the 19th century, by the end of the 20th century, thanks to being part of Russia and the USSR, was able to save itself as a people from complete assimilation or total extermination. And ultimately, having gained vitality under the protection of Russian weapons, as a union republic, it formed the basis for state education.

In the name of the Almighty God, One and Holy One in the Trinity, glorified.

From ancient times, the All-Russian Empire, in common faith with the Georgian peoples, served as protection, help and refuge for those peoples and their most illustrious rulers against the oppression to which they were subjected from their neighbors. The patronage granted by all Russian autocrats to the Georgian kings, their family and subjects, produced that dependence of the latter on the former, which is especially evident from the Russian-imperial title itself. E. and. c., now reigning safely, has sufficiently expressed her royal benevolence towards these peoples and her magnanimous providence for their good through her strong efforts made to deliver them from the yoke of slavery and from the blasphemous tribute by boys and girls, which some of these peoples were obliged to give, and the continuation of his royal contempt for their rulers. In this very disposition, condescending to the petitions brought to her throne from the most illustrious king of Kartal and Kakhetia, Irakli Teimurazovich, to accept him with all his heirs and successors and with all his kingdoms and regions into the royal patronage of e.v. and her high heirs and successors, with the recognition of the supreme power of the All-Russian emperors over the kings of Kartalin and Kakheti, most mercifully wanted to establish and conclude a friendly treaty with the said most illustrious king, through which, on the one hand, his lordship, in the name of his and his successors, recognizing the supreme power and patronage of e.i. V. and her high successors over the rulers and peoples of the kingdoms of Kartalin and Kakheti and other regions belonging to them, would mark [mark] in a solemn and precise manner their obligations in the consideration of the All-Russian Empire; and on the other hand, e.i. V. In this way she could solemnly commemorate the advantages and benefits from her generous and strong right hand that are bestowed on the aforementioned peoples and their most illustrious rulers.

To conclude such an agreement e.i. V. deigned to authorize the Most Serene Prince of the Roman Empire, Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin, the troops of his general-in-chief,<...>, with the authority, in his absence, to choose and provide with full power from himself, whom he judges for the good, who therefore chose and authorized the excellent gentleman from the army e.i. V. lieutenant general<...>Pavel Potemkin, and His Lordship the Kartalin and Kakheti Tsar Irakli Teimurazovich elected and authorized on his part their Lordships his general from the left hand of Prince Ivan Konstantinovich Bagration and His Lordship the Adjutant General Prince Garsevan Chavchavadzev. The aforementioned plenipotentiaries, having begun with the help of God and exchanging mutual powers, according to their strength, decided, concluded and signed the following articles.

Article number one

His Grace the King of Kartalin and Kakheti, in his name, his heirs and successors, solemnly forever renounces any vassalage or under any title whatsoever, from any dependence on Persia or any other power, and hereby declares in the face of the whole world that he does not recognize himself above and successors of another autocracy, except for the supreme power and patronage of e.i. V. and her high heirs and successors to the All-Russian Imperial throne, promising that throne loyalty and readiness to contribute to the benefit of the state in any case where it is required of it.

Article number two

E. and. c., accepting from his lordship only a sincere promise, evenly promises and encourages with his imperial word for himself and his successors that their mercy and protection from the most illustrious kings of Kartalin and Kakheti will never be taken away. In proof of which E.V. gives his imperial guarantee for the preservation of the integrity of the present possessions of His Grace Tsar Irakli Teimurazovich, intending to extend such guarantee to such possessions that over time, due to circumstances, are acquired and will be firmly established for him.

Article number four

To prove that his lordship’s intentions in considering his close connection with the All-Russian Empire and the recognition of the supreme power and patronage of the most illustrious owners of that empire are blameless, his lordship promises without prior agreement with the chief border commander and minister e.i. c., accredited under him, not to have contact with the surrounding rulers. And when envoys arrive from them or letters are sent, accepting them, consult with the chief border commander and the minister E.I. c., about the return of such envoys and about the proper reprimand to their owners.

Article number five

In order to more conveniently have all the necessary relations and agreements with the Russian Imperial Court, His Grace the Tsar wishes to have his minister or resident at that court, and e.i. V., graciously accepting, promises that he will receive her at court along with other sovereign princes, ministers of equal character, and, moreover, deigns for his part to maintain a Russian minister or resident under his lordship.

Article number six

E. and. c., accepting with favor the recognition of her supreme power and patronage over the kingdoms of Kartalin and Georgian, she promises in her name and for her successors:

The peoples of those kingdoms should be considered to be in close union and perfect harmony with its empire and, consequently, their enemies should be recognized as their enemies; for which reason the peace concluded with the Ottoman Porte or with Persia, or another power and region, should extend to these protected e.v. peoples.

The Most Serene Tsar Irakli Teimurazovich and his house of heirs and descendants shall be preserved invariably in the kingdoms of Kartalin and Kakheti.

3. The power associated with internal administration, trial and reprisal and collection of taxes shall be granted to His Grace the Tsar at his full will and benefit, prohibiting his military and civil superiors from entering into any orders.

Article seven

His Grace the Tsar accepted with due reverence only the merciful acts on the part of Her Majesty. V. hope, promises for himself and his descendants:

To be always ready to serve E.V. with his troops.

Dealing with Russian superiors in constant communication on all matters, before the service of E.I. V. concerning, satisfy their requirements and subjects e.v. protect from all insults and oppression.

In assigning people to places and elevating them to ranks, it is excellent to show respect for their services to the All-Russian Empire, on whose patronage the peace and prosperity of the kingdoms of Kartalin and Kakheti depends.

Article number 8

IN proof of the special royal favor towards His Grace the Tsar and his peoples and for the greater unification with Russia of these peoples of the same faith, e.i. V. deigns that the Catholicos or their commanding archbishop should take place among the Russian bishops in the eighth degree, namely after Tobolsk, most mercifully granting him forever the title of Member of the Holy Synod; about the management of the Georgian churches and the attitude that should be towards the Russian Synod, a special article will be drawn up about this.

Article number nine

Extending his mercy to the subjects of His Grace the Tsar, princes and nobles, e.i. V. establishes that in the All-Russian Empire they will enjoy all those advantages and benefits that are assigned to the Russian nobles, and his lordship, accepting with gratitude his merciful condescension towards his subjects, undertakes to send to the court of H.V. lists

all noble families, so that from them one can know exactly to whom such a distinct right belongs.

Article ten

It is decided that all natives of Kartal and Kakheti can settle in Russia, leave and return without any restrictions; prisoners, if they are released by weapons or negotiations with the Turks and Persians or other peoples, let them go home according to their desires, returning only the costs of their ransom and export; This very thing, and His Grace the Tsar promises to fulfill sacredly in the judgment of Russian subjects who are captured by their neighbors.

Article number one for ten

The Kartalin and Kakheti merchants have the freedom to send their trades to Russia, enjoying the same rights and benefits that natural Russian subjects enjoy; mutually, the king promises to decide with the main border guard or with the minister E.V. about all-round facilitation of Russian merchants in their trade in their regions or in their travel to trade in other places; for without such a precise resolution, the condition regarding the benefits of his merchants cannot take place.

Article number two for ten

This agreement is made on eternal times; but if anything is deemed necessary to change or add for mutual benefit, it will take place by mutual agreement.

In witness of which the undersigned plenipotentiaries, by the full force of their powers, signed these articles and affixed their seals to them in the St. George* Fortress, July 24th day, 1783.

Pavel Potemkin.

Prince Ivan Bagration.

Prince Garsevan Chavchavadze.

Document No. 120

From the book by A.V. Suvorov*

"The Science of Winning"

Questions And assignments for the document№ 120:

Who do you think the book “The Science of Winning” was created for? Why was it relatively easy to remember?

What practical benefit could the knowledge of this “Science” bring to the soldiers?

What do you think are the distinctive features and moral thrust of this document? His main idea?

In your opinion, could “The Science of Victory” help soldiers—yesterday’s serfs—feel like individuals and believe in their own strength? If so, what significance could this have had in the war?

Verbal teaching to soldiers about knowledge,necessary for them

<...>After this divorce exercise, when it will be carried out upon the arrival of the divorce in the main apartment, where he arrives before dawn, and at dawn he goes out to the square, the headquarters officer of the regiment whose divorce commands: pulls the trigger and begins in the presence of all the generals , headquarters and chief officers speak to the soldiers in their dialect by heart the following:

VIII. The heels are closed, the knees are pulled together! The soldier stands with an arrow: I see the fourth, I don’t see the fifth.

The military step is an arshin, while the approach is one and a half arshins. Take care of the intervals! The soldier in the front lines up at the elbow as he walks; the line is three steps from the line; on the march - two. Drums, don't interfere!

* Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich(1730-1800), Count of Rymniksky, Prince of Italy - the great Russian commander, generalissimo, did not have a single defeat on the battlefield. Author of military theoretical works “Regimental Institutions” and “Science of Victory”.

IX. Save zero for three days, and sometimes for an entire campaign, when there is nowhere to get it. Shoot rarely, but accurately, with a bayonet firmly. The bullet will be damaged, but the bayonet will not be damaged. The bullet is a fool, the bayonet is great! If only once! Throw the infidel with a bayonet: he is dead on the bayonet, scratching his neck with a saber. Saber on the neck - step back, strike again! If there is another, if there is a third! The hero will stab half a dozen, and I’ve seen more.

Take care of the bullet in the muzzle! Three will rush in - stab the first, shoot the second, bayonet the third!

Don't delay the attack! To shoot, shoot hard at the target.

There are twenty bullets per person, buy lead to save money, it costs a little. We shoot straight. Our thirtieth bullet is lost, and in field and regimental artillery perhaps less than a tenth round is lost.

Fuse on the buckshot - throw yourself on the buckshot! - Flies over your head. The guns are yours, the people are yours! Stay where you are! Drive, if you do! Give the rest of us mercy. It’s a sin to kill in vain, they are the same people.

Die for the house of the Mother of God, for mother, for the most illustrious house! - The Church prays to God. To those who remained alive, honor and glory!

Don’t offend the average person: he gives us water and food. A soldier is not a robber.

Holy prey! Take the camp - it's all yours. Take the fortress - it's all yours. In Ishmael, among other things, they divided gold and silver by the handful. So it is in many places. Don't go hunting without orders!

IN late XVIII century, the Abkhazian principality was headed by Keleshbey Sharvashidze. In the confrontation between Turkey and Russia in the Black Sea-Caucasian space, he clearly oriented Abkhazia towards Russia. Like some other Caucasian states, Abkhazia objectively gravitated towards Russia, whose power was growing, and which could become a defender against the invasions of Iranian, Turkish and other conquerors. Similar aspirations were noted already at the end of the 15th century in other states of Transcaucasia. Since that time, the kings of Kakheti have continuously turned to the Russian rulers with requests for patronage or acceptance into Russia.

According to the “Chronicles” of M. Miansarov, events in Transcaucasia developed as follows:

1492 - King of Kakheti Alexander I sent ambassadors to Moscow, asking for protection. In a letter to the Grand Duke of Moscow, Ivan III calls himself “Ivan’s slave,” whom he calls the Great Tsar, etc.;

1501 - Ishmael-Sophie, the ancestor of the Persian shahs of the Sefid dynasty, conquers Shirvan and Georgia (?);

1550 - Shah-Tahmasp’s invasion of Georgia (?), he destroyed Vardzia;

1578 - division of the Caucasian possessions between the Turks and Persians, the Turks take possession of Tiflis, the founding of the cities of Poti and Sukhum-Kale;

1586 - Kakheti Tsar Alexander II asks for protection from Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich;

1597 - Shah Abbas expels the Turks from Georgia (?);

1604 - Kartalin prince Georgy declares himself a tributary of Tsar Fyodor Borisovich Godunov.

1616-1617 - devastation of Kakheti by the Persian Shah Abbas;

1619 - embassy of the Kakheti king Teimuraz I to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich with a request for protection from the Persians; in 1639 he recognized the power of Mikhail Fedorovich over himself.

1621 - George III, king of Imereti, and Mamiya II, king of Guria, ask for protection from Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich;

1636 - Mingrelian Dadian Levan II expresses his readiness to take the oath to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich;

1650 - Tsar Alexander of Imeretia swears allegiance to Russia. The Turks take Kutais;

1703 - Kartalian prince Vakhtang becomes the ruler of Kartalinia. His Code, a collection of chronicles, dates back to this time;

1724 - capture of Tiflis by the Turks. Tsar Vakhtang VI and 43 Georgian princes and nobles flee to Russia; The Eristavate of Racha requests the protection of Russia;

1735 - Tiflis, Erivan and Ganja are given to Nadir Shah;

1736 - Nadir Shah expels the Turks from Kakheti and Kartalinia;

1752 - Heraclius, king of Georgia (?), wins a victory over the Persians in Yerevan;

1774 - July 10 Kuchuk-Karnaydzhi treaty, according to which Imereti and Guria are liberated from the Turks.

As stated by G.N. Kolbaya (1955), the king of Imereti Levan II turned to Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1564 with a request for patronage and protection from Turkish invasions. Alexander II, Tsar of Kakheti, in 1586, also prayed to Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich with a similar request, saying that “you alone, the Crown Bearer of Orthodoxy, can save our lives and souls,” and concluded his message with the words: “I hit you with my forehead to the face land with all the people: let us be yours forever and ever.” When ambassadors from Tsar Fyodor Borisovich arrived in the capital of Kakheti in 1605, the son of Tsar Alexander declared to the Moscow envoy: “Iveria has never been more terribly poor than this; we stand under the knives of the Sultan and Shah; both want our blood and everything we have, we gave ourselves to Russia, let Russia take us not in word, but in deed.”

The Mingrelian ruler Levan Dadiani addressed a similar request to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich in 1638. In 1653, Tsar Alexander of Imereti also asked for protection and help. In 1658, the Kakheti Tsar Teimuraz I, in a speech before Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, reported that the Shah of Iran, Abbas I, had captured his mother and two young sons, and begged the Russian Tsar to accept his people as citizenship and protect them.

Some kings, fleeing from Persian and Turkish enslavers, different time fled to Russia: Archil II (Imereti) - in 1699, Vakhtang VI (Kartalinsky) - in 1722 and Teimuraz II (Kakheti) - in 1761. They remained in Russia until the end of their days, constantly begging the Russian tsars to accept the peoples under their rule into Russia. It took almost 300 years for Russia to decide to include them in its state.

The first within Russia was the Kartli-Kakheti kingdom, which in 1783, in the name of Almighty God, declared recognition of the “Supreme power of the All-Russian Emperors over the kings of Kartli and Kakheti.” To understand some of the features of the conditions under which Kartli-Kakheti became part of the Russian Empire, we present excerpts from the Treaty of Georgievsk. A total of two documents were prepared and signed. The first document is:

An oath of allegiance to the Russian Emperors and recognition of their patronage and supreme power.

The model according to which His Lordship the Tsar of Kartalin and Kakheti Irakli Teimurazovich will make an oath of allegiance to Her Imperial Majesty, the All-Russian autocrat and to recognize the patronage and supreme power of the All-Russian emperors over the kings of Kartalin and Kakheti.

I, the below-named, promise and swear by Almighty God before His Holy Gospel that I want and owe H.I.V. to the Most Serene and Sovereign Great Empress and Autocrat of All-Russia Ekaterina Alekseevna and her most dear son, the Most Serene Tsarevich and Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, to the rightful heir to the All-Russian imperial throne, and to all high successors of that throne to be faithful, zealous and benevolent. Recognizing in my name, my heirs and successors and all my kingdoms and regions for eternal times, the highest patronage and supreme power of H.I.V. and her high heirs over me and my successors, the kings of Kartal and Kakheti, and as a result, rejecting everything over me and my possessions, under any title or pretext, the dominance or power of other sovereigns and powers and denying their protection, I undertake, in my clear Christian conscience, to regard the enemies of the Russian state as my own enemies, to be obedient and ready in any case, where I will be needed in the service of E.I.V. and the All-Russian state, and in everything I will not spare my belly to the last drop of blood. Treat military and civilian E.I.V. commanders and servants in sincere agreement. And if I learn any deed or intention that is reprehensible to the benefit and glory of H.I.V. and her empire, let me know immediately. In a word, to act in accordance with my common faith with Russian peoples and according to my duty in considering the patronage and supreme power of E. I. V. it is decent and proper. At the end of this oath, I kiss the words and the Cross of my Savior. Amen. This model will also serve the future kings of Kartalin and Kakheti for making an oath upon their accession to the kingdom and upon receiving a letter of confirmation with signs of investiture from the Russian imperial court.

To certify this, the undersigned, authorized by their full powers, signed that sample and affixed their seals to it in the Yegoryevsk Fortress on July 24, 1783.

The original is signed:

Pavel Potemkin,

Prince Ivan Bagration,

Prince Garsevan Chavchavadzev.

As follows from the attached text, turning to the Russian Empress Catherine II with a request for patronage and recognizing her supreme power, the king of Kartali and Kakheti Irakli, in accordance with his powers, with this document confirms his loyalty and submission to Russia and speaks only on behalf of two kingdoms: Kartli and Kakheti. Therefore, this document in accordance with the signatures authorized persons and sealed is a legal document and extends its jurisdiction within the limits set out in the text only on the territory of two principalities - Kartli and Kakheti. There is no mention in the above legal document of other government entities(kingdoms, principalities, etc.) that existed at that time on the territory of modern Transcaucasia. Consequently, its jurisdiction cannot be extended to states not mentioned in this message. It should be especially noted that there is not a word about Abkhazia.

The second document is the Agreement itself, containing the main text and articles. We present only some of the articles that are most suitable for the topic under consideration.

Agreement on recognition of the patronage and supreme power of Russia by the king of Kartalin and Kakheti Heraclius II

In the name of the Almighty God, One in the Holy Trinity, glorified. From ancient times, the All-Russian Empire, in common faith with the Georgian peoples, served as protection, help and refuge for those peoples and their most illustrious rulers against the oppression to which they were subjected from their neighbors. The patronage granted by all Russian autocrats to the Georgian kings, their family and subjects, produced that dependence of the latter on the former, which is especially evident from the Russian-imperial title itself. E. I. V., now reigning safely, has sufficiently expressed her royal benevolence towards these peoples and her magnanimous providence for their good through her strong efforts made to deliver them from the yoke of slavery and from the blasphemous tribute of the youths and young women, which some of these peoples they were obliged to give, and as a continuation of their royal contempt for their rulers. In this very disposition, condescending to the petitions brought to her throne from the Most Serene King of Kartalin and Kakhetia, Irakli Teimurazovich, to accept him with all his heirs and successors and with all his kingdoms and regions into the royal patronage of Her Majesty and her high heirs and successors, with recognition the supreme power of the All-Russian emperors over the kings of Kartalin and Kakheti, most mercifully wanted to decree and conclude a friendly treaty with the said most illustrious king, through which, on the one hand, his lordship, in the name of himself and his successors, recognized the supreme power and patronage of Her Imperial Majesty and her high successors over the rulers and peoples of the kingdoms of Kartalin and Kakheti and other regions belonging to them, would have solemnly marked their obligations in the context of the All-Russian Empire; and on the other hand, Her Imperial Majesty could also solemnly commemorate what advantages and benefits from her generous and strong right hand are bestowed on the aforementioned peoples and their most illustrious rulers.

To conclude such an agreement, E.I.V. deigned to authorize the Most Serene Prince of the Russian Empire, Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin, his troops as general-in-chief, etc., etc.... in the absence of his own, to elect and provide with full power from himself, whom he for the good judge, who therefore elected and authorized the excellent gentleman from the army E. I. V. Lieutenant General, the commander of the troops in the Astrakhan province, E. I. V. the actual chamberlain and the orders of the Russian St. Alexander Nevsky, the military Great Martyr and Victorious George and Holstein St. Anne Cavalier Pavel Potemkin, and His Lordship the Kartalin and Kakheti Tsar Irakli Teimurazovich elected and authorized for his Lordships his general from the left hand of Prince Ivan Konstantinovich Bagration and His Lordship the Adjutant General Prince Garsevan Chavchavadzev. The aforementioned plenipotentiaries, having begun with the help of God and exchanging mutual powers, according to their strength, decided, concluded and signed the following articles.

Article number one

His Grace the King of Kartalin and Kakheti, in his name, his heirs and successors, solemnly forever renounces any vassalage or under any title whatsoever, from any dependence on Persia or any other power, and hereby declares in the face of the whole world that he does not recognize himself above and successors of another autocracy, in addition to the supreme power and patronage of Her Imperial Majesty and her high heirs and successors to the All-Russian imperial throne, promising that throne loyalty and readiness to contribute to the benefit of the state in any case where it is required of it.

Article number two

Her Imperial Majesty, accepting such a sincere promise from his lordship, evenly promises and encourages with her imperial word for herself and her successors that their mercy and protection from the most illustrious kings of Kartalin and Kakheti will never be taken away. In proof of which, Her Majesty gives her imperial guarantee for the preservation of the integrity of the present possessions of His Grace Tsar Irakli Teimurazovich, intending to extend such guarantee to such possessions that over time, due to circumstances, are acquired and will be firmly established for him.

Article number 8

As proof of the special royal favor towards His Grace the Tsar and his peoples and for the greater unification of these peoples of the same faith with Russia, H.I.V. deigns that the Catholicos or their leading archbishop should be among the Russian bishops in the eighth degree, namely after Tobolsk, most mercifully granting him forever the title of Member of the Holy Synod; about the management of the Georgian churches (???) and the attitude that should be towards the Russian Synod, a special article will be drawn up about this.

In witness whereof the undersigned, authorized by their full powers, have signed these articles and affixed their seals to them in St. George's Fortress, July 24th, 1783

The original is signed:

Pavel Potemkin,

Prince Ivan Bagration,

Prince Garsevan Chavchavadzev.

Separate articles

Separate article number four

E.I.B. promises in the event of war to use all possible efforts with the help of weapons, and in the event of peace by insisting on the return of lands and places that have long belonged to the kingdoms of Kartalin and Kakheti, which will remain in the possession of the kings there on the basis of a treaty on patronage and supreme the power of all-Russian emperors, a prisoner over them.

These separate articles will have the same force as if they were included word for word in the treatise itself. For this reason, ratification on them must be exchanged at the same time. In witness of which the undersigned, authorized by their full powers, signed these articles and affixed their seals to them in the Yegoryevsk Fortress on July 24, 1783.

The original is signed:

Pavel Potemkin,

Prince Ivan Bagration,

Prince Garsevan Chavchavadzev.

Let's look at the contents of these articles. With the first article, the king of Kartalin and Kakhetia swears allegiance Russian emperors. But Article Two is of undoubted interest to historians and lawyers. Along with the promise of patronage and guarantee for the preservation of the possessions of the kings of Kartli and Kakheti, the empress makes a promise to King Heraclius II to extend this guarantee “to those possessions that over time, due to circumstances, have been acquired and will be firmly established for him.” Thus, an international legal document was signed, according to which:

a) the kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti (but not Georgia!) are part of the Russian Empire;

b) the kings of Kartli and Kakheti are given and legally confirmed the right to seize, conquer and otherwise annex other territories and states, regardless of their independence, sovereignty, belonging to other races and differing in culture and language. The main goal of this carte blanche is to annex everything that is possible to Kartli-Kakheti, and through it to Russia;

c) this document provides a guarantee that the occupied territories will be ensured by further forceful retention within Russia.

Article four of the document is the most dangerous and illegal, since it authorizes the kings of Kartli-Kakheti to uncontrolled annexation of their neighbors, which subsequently happened. As follows from the text of the Treaty, the kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti is allowed to include all those lands that were not only conquered or subjugated by the troops of this kingdom, but also neighboring countries that were ever subjected to raids by this kingdom fell under the jurisdiction of this Article. Subsequently, on the basis of this Article, neighboring territories were seized and the state of Georgia was formed around Kartli-Kakheti. Since Abkhazia was the founder of the Abkhazian kingdom, which later transformed into the united Kingdom of the Abkhazians and a number of other principalities, even after the complete collapse of the latter, from the point of view of this Article, it was considered as part of the kingdom and, therefore, its jurisdiction extended to it. Moreover, in accordance with this Article, in the seizure and appropriation of foreign lands Russian empire guarantees the provision of assistance, including military assistance.

In the Treaty, in the preface and article eight, for the first time at the official level the words “Georgian peoples”, “Georgian kings” and “Georgian church” are used. Due to the fact that the King of Kartli and Kakheti Irakli II does not mention anything “Georgian” in his petition, one should consider including this name in the official legal document, either as a misunderstanding, or it is a deliberate provocation on the part of its compilers, which has serious political consequences further.

The term "Georgian" did not appear in official documents until the signing of the Treaty of Georgievsk in 1783. Moreover, the King of Kartli and Kakheti Irakli II himself, when addressing Catherine II, does not mention either the toponym “Sakartvelo” or the name “Georgia”. There is no mention of them in the text of the Treaty itself, but in its preface and articles for the first time we're talking about about the “Georgian people” and about the “Georgian church”. In this regard, the question arises - what is the “Georgian people” in the understanding of Russian diplomats and rulers, does this term relate only to the people of Kartli and Kakheti, on whose behalf Irakli speaks in his petition, does it apply to all the kingdoms and principalities that were part of to the Abkhazian kingdom? If this is so, then on what basis, since all these state structures at the time of signing the Treaty of Georgievsk were independent and sovereign and were in a state of conflicts and wars and truces among themselves, i.e. were equal subjects of international law. Or does this term refer to all Transcaucasian states, including modern Azerbaijan and Armenia (whose kings once ruled in Georgia), located, according to the Persians, on the territory of Gurjistan - the “country of wolves”?

In our opinion, most likely Russian diplomats knew about the existence of the so-called Gyurjistan, since at that time they had contacts with Persia and assigned this general name of the countries of Transcaucasia initially to the people of Kartli and Kakheti, and then extended it to all the peoples of the region. Since at that time there was no single, integral state on the territory of modern Georgia and, naturally, there was no specific name for it, then later, in late XIX century, the formed unified administrative entity - viceroyalty within Russia, received from the royal chancellery the conditional collective name “Georgia”. In Russian documents, the toponym “Georgia” was widely used immediately after the entry of Russian military units into the territory of Transcaucasia, from the moment of the annexation of individual kingdoms and principalities to Russia. This was especially evident when all the independent states of Central and Western Transcaucasia, which became part of Russia at the beginning of the 19th century, were liquidated and certain administrative structures were organized in their place. From this moment on, the Russian administration calls only this region Georgia, since Armenia and Azerbaijan had already decided on their own names, and therefore dropped out of the number of countries designated by the toponym “Georgia” (Gurjistan).

In 1783, Empress Catherine II accepted Irakli II, the king of Kartalin and Kakhetia, under her supreme authority and patronage. The statehood and sovereignty of Kartli-Kakheti as part of Russia was liquidated on September 12, 1801 after the adoption of the “Highest Manifesto on the accession of Georgia to Russia.” Other kingdoms and principalities came under the protection of Russia after this. Mingrelia became part of Russia in 1803, its autonomy within Russia was annulled in 1857; Guria became part of Russia in 1810, sovereignty was lost in 1828; The Imeretian kingdom became part of Russia in 1804 and was abolished in 1810.

All of the listed kingdoms and principalities received the patronage of Russia and were part of it independently and independently of each other. This indicates that from the moment of the collapse of the Abkhazian kingdom, and then the Kingdom of Abkhaz-Imereti or Armenian-Iveron, there was no single, let alone independent state on the territory of modern Georgia, which modern Georgian (and not only Georgian) historians after the fact call “ Georgia." Sovereign Abkhazia had no relation to the treaties listed above, in which there is no mention of it and to the states listed above, and, moreover, to the phantom state of “Georgia”.

As S. Khotko notes, during the period under review, only for 150 years during the existence of the Kingdom of the Abkhazians, Abkhazia was in a close union with the principalities that were located on the territory of modern Georgia, but at that time were not Georgia. This fact should be considered sufficient to confirm the absence of any grounds in Georgia’s claims to the territory of Abkhazia. From XIII to early XIX centuries, the statehood of Abkhazia was not interrupted, the country continued to exist as an independent Abkhazian principality, which is confirmed by historical chronicle sources.

Notes

M. Miansarov has a mistake, in 1604 Boris Godunov was the king, and his son Fyodor ruled from April 14 to June 10, 1605.

To Her Imperial Majesty.