The Russian annexations Georgia within the Russian Empire

entrance of russian troops in tiflis, 26 november 1799, franz roubaud, 1886

after giorgi s death on 28 december 1800, kingdom torn between claims of 2 rival heirs, davit , iulon. however, tsar paul of russia had decided neither candidate crowned king. instead, monarchy abolished , country administered russia. signed decree on incorporation of kartli-kakheti russian empire confirmed tsar alexander on 12 september 1801. georgian envoy in saint petersburg, garsevan chavchavadze, reacted note of protest presented russian vice-chancellor alexander kurakin. in may 1801, russian general carl heinrich von knorring removed georgian heir throne, davit batonishvili, power , deployed provisional government headed general ivan petrovich lazarev. knorring had secret orders remove male , female members of royal family russia. of georgian nobility did not accept decree until april 1802, when general knorring held nobility in tbilisi s sioni cathedral , forced them take oath on imperial crown of russia. disagreed arrested.

now russia able use georgia bridgehead further expansion south of caucasus, persia , ottoman empire felt threatened. in 1804, pavel tsitsianov, commander of russian forces in caucasus, attacked ganja, provoking russo-persian war of 1804-1813. followed russo-turkish war of 1806-12 ottomans, unhappy russian expansion in western georgia. georgian attitudes mixed: fought volunteers helping russian army, others rebelled against russian rule (there major uprising in highlands of kartli-kakheti in 1804). both wars ended in russian victory, ottomans , persians recognising tsar s claims on georgia (by treaty of bucharest turkey , treaty of gulistan persia).

western georgia

solomon ii of imereti angry @ russian annexation of kartli-kakheti. offered compromise: make imereti russian protectorate if monarchy , autonomy of neighbour restored. russia made no reply. in 1803, ruler of mingrelia, region belonging imereti, rebelled against solomon , acknowledged russia protector instead. when solomon refused make imereti russian protectorate too, russian general tsitsianov invaded , on 25 april 1804, solomon signed treaty making him russian vassal.

however, solomon far submissive. when war broke out between ottomans , russia, solomon started secret negotiations former. in february 1810, russian decree proclaimed solomon dethroned , ordered imeretians pledge allegiance tsar. large russian army invaded country, many imeretians fled forests start resistance movement. solomon hoped russia, distracted wars ottomans , persia, allow imereti become autonomous. russians crushed guerrilla uprising not catch solomon. however, russia s peace treaties ottoman turkey (1812) , persia (1813) put end king s hopes of foreign support (he had tried interest napoleon). solomon died in exile in trabzon in 1815.

in 1828-29, russo-turkish war ended russia adding major port of poti , fortress towns of akhaltsikhe , akhalkalaki possessions in georgia. 1803 1878, result of numerous russian wars against ottoman turkey, several of georgia s lost territories – such adjara – incorporated empire. principality of guria abolished , incorporated empire in 1829, while svaneti gradually annexed in 1858. mingrelia, although russian protectorate since 1803, not absorbed until 1867.