Treaty of Georgievsk

Background. The Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti was created in 1762 by the unification of the two eastern Georgian kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti, and was led by the Georgian royal Bagrationi dynasty. Given Georgia's history of invasions from the south, an alliance with Russia may have been seen as the only way to discourage or resist Persian and Ottoman aggression, while also establishing a link to Western Europe.

Terms of the Treaty. Under articles I, II, IV, VI, and VII, Russia's empress became the official and sole suzerain of Kartli-Kakheti's rulers, guaranteeing the Georgians' internal sovereignty and territorial integrity and promising to regard their enemies as her enemies. Georgian tsars would swear allegiance to Russia's emperors, support Russia in war, and conduct no diplomacy with other nations without Russian consent.

Aftermath and Disappointment. The treaty's results proved disappointing for the Georgians. A limited Russian contingent of two infantry battalions with four artillery pieces arrived in Tbilisi in 1784 but was withdrawn in 1787 despite frantic Georgian protests, as a new war against Ottoman Turkey began. Russia later failed to intervene when Georgian cities were attacked, and in 1801 it violated the agreement by incorporating Georgian lands directly into the Russian Empire and deposing the Georgian monarchy.