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Georgian kingdom (of Kartli-Kakheti) was annexed to Russia
In 1783 Catherin II and the tsar of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti Irakli II signed the Treaty of Georgievsk establishing the Russian protectorate over the East Georgia. The treaty significantly complicated the relationship between the Kingdom and the Iran and Turkey which had claims on its territories and increased the struggle for power between the branches of the ruling kin.
After the Persian attempts to reestablish the control over the Eastern Transcaucasia, Irakli’s heir, the tsar George XII trying to retain the power, asked Paul I to annex his country to Russia under the condition of retaining the right for the Georgian throne for his descendants.
Soon after George XII death, on January 18 (30), 1801 Paul I signed a manifesto on the annexation of Georgia to Russia. In this document Kartalinia and Kakhetia were named the “Georgian kingdom” for the first time. Its population retained all the previous rights and privileges, including the interests. The rights and privileges of the Russian Empire were now extended to the Georgian population. However the rights of George’s son David for the Georgian throne were not confirmed.
On March 6 (18) appeared a decree of Alexander I ‘On ruling over Georgia’ under which it became one of the Russian province. On September 12 (24), 1801 was established a new governing system for the Georgian kingdom. It assumed the autonomy resulting in addition in making the “Georgian ruler” a member of the local authorities which reported to the governor-general. But soon tsarevitch David with his family was taken out of his country by force and lived in St.-Petersburg until his death in 1819.
In spite of the Kartli-Kakheti Kingdom’s destiny and the destiny of its ruling dynasty, other countries of Transcaucasia also aspired to obtain the support of Russia in their struggle with Muslim Persia and Turkey even at the cost of loosing independence. In 1803 Mingrelia became a subject of Russia, in 1804 it was Imeretia and Guria together with Ganja khanate and Zagatala region, in 1805 – Karabakh Khanate, Shekinsk Khanate and Shirvan Khanate together with the territory of Shirak, in 1806 – Derbet, Quba and Baku khanates, in 1810 – Abkhazia, in 1813 – Talysh Khanate. Thus within a short period of time the Russian Empire had annexed to its territory almost the whole Transcaucasia.
Lit.: Высочайший манифест 12-го сентября 1801 года. М., 1801; Договор о признании царём Карталинским и Кахетинским Ираклием II покровительства и верховной власти России (Георгиевский трактат) // Под стягом России. М., 1992; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/georgia.htm; Шенгелия Л. Н. Закавказье и русско-иранские отношения в первой трети XIX века. Тбилиси, 1979.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials: