Establishment of the Russian protectorate

Seeking to remain independent but needing a foreign protector for his kingdom's foreign policy, King Heraclius II concluded the treaty with Russia in 1783. He formally laid Kartli-Kakheti's investiture in the hands of the Russian monarch, making the kingdom a Russian protectorate. The transfer covered responsibility for defense and foreign affairs, and importantly, the king officially abjured any dependence on Iran or any other power. Russia guaranteed the kingdom's territorial integrity and the continuation of its reigning Bagrationi dynasty in return for prerogatives in the conduct of Georgian foreign affairs.