Choice without choice

Colta.ru, together with the Russian Scientific Fund, continues the project “The Island of the Empire: People and Events” .

217 years ago, on September 12, 1801, the manifesto on the joining of the Georgian kingdom to the Russian Empire was released. Why did Georgia voluntarily abandoned independence?

“Not for increasing strength, not for self -interest, not for the spread of limits and so vast in the light of the empire, we are acceptable for the burden of the Kingdom of Georgian,” the manifesto of Emperor Alexander I says for what then? The key event of Russian-Georgian relations-the entry of Eastern Georgia into the imperial space-is considered in the essay of the journalist and editor Anastasia Vereskun and Amiran Urushadze, the author of the book “Caucasian War. Seven stories ”, the head of the RNF project“ National Outskirts in the Politics of the Russian Empire and Russian Public Thought ”.

Salvation of the unfortunate region

Alexander I doubted. It seems that everything was already decided by the father, Paul, who managed to sign the manifesto on the accession of Eastern Georgia two months before his death. However, this is how to take and destroy a millennial Georgian monarchy, and under rather dubious circumstances? The young, not yet crowned emperor in his then liberal spirituality could not decide on this. Therefore, the newly established indispensable (state) council again and again considered the sore "Georgian question".

So on August 8, 1801, members of the indispensable council discussed the political future of Eastern Georgia. The most comprehensive report of Lieutenant General Karl Knorring was considered. Knorring was sent to Georgia on the Caucasian line to evaluate how Georgian authorities are able to independently cope with the internal dynastic confusion and external threats from the Turks, Persians and Lezgin. It was also ordered to find out to him “whether all the ranks of the Kingdom of Georgian and the whole people or part of them only want to be in the citizenship of the Russian one.”

In the report, Knorring confirmed everything that the Council knew before: Georgia, they say, would actually be completely disappeared if they do not join the Russian Empire, and the Georgian people longed for Russian citizenship. In the Knorring report, members of the Council paid special attention to the description of “the joy of the people at the entrance of this chief to Georgia and its depressive, when this poor people could not participate in the oath, to which the Russian troops were in Tiflis,” in Tiflis. ”

As a result, the Council did not see in the accession of Georgia “not the slightest injustice”, only the salvation of this unfortunate land and significant benefits for Russia. From whom and from what was required to save Eastern Georgia?

The complex of the victim

It is now bright, fragrant Georgia boasts before tourists with generous nature, excellent weather and magnificent food. Just a paradise of earthly. And in the XVIII century, the benefits of its accession to the imperial authorities were not so obvious. In addition, Georgia was considered the sphere of their “legitimate” interests the great Muslim powers - Türkiye and Iran. “We see that whenever a large large collector of land is (in Front Asia), when some powerful is composed or intensified-at least a short-lived-political body, a monarchy from among the“ world ”-Georgia is either constrained or enslaved,” said the historian Zurab Avalov. “On the contrary, when the front Asia represents a picture of decomposition and political decline, Georgia is reviving, blooming, growing stronger - until a spontaneous turn of history again stops the normal development of the country.”

This “political body”, threatening Georgian lands, at different times were the Seljuki, Mongols, Persians, Turks, Highlanders of the North Caucasus. Sometimes the Georgian kings managed to resist external threats, sometimes they had to obey. The charter of defending its independence from the hostile powers of the East, first Vakhtang VI (contemporary of Peter the Great), and then his heirs tried to find a patron ally in the power of a single-faith and friendly one, as Russia was.

St. George Treatise of 1783

It was the idea of ​​the Georgian king Irakli II: the Russian Empire took the East Georgian kingdom for patronage, and then, in turn, recognized the supreme power of Russia, lost foreign policy independence, and pledged to act with an army against imperial enemies. The Georgian kings, entering the Crown Cartli-Kameta throne, were supposed to ask for the permission of the Russian emperor and receive investment. Irakli probably remembered the sad experience of King Vakhtang VI, who was already negotiating with Peter I on military assistance and support against the Persians, but never received her. Not only for Vakhtang, but for the whole of Georgia, Tsarev was expensive than the credulity. More than once on empty imperial promises, Irakli himself was burned. Relations with the Ottoman Port and Persia, who had already wanted to keep Georgia under control, only worsened relations with Russia.

What encouraged Irakli, despite failures and troubles, again and again look for supports in Russia? In addition to external threats, the order in Georgia also undermined internal turmoil, the struggle of numerous Bagrations for power. Perhaps it was in Russia that Irakli saw real power - an authoritative, constant, moreover, a single -handed and seemingly friendly. Irakli, like his predecessors, had to deal almost exclusively with the Turks, Persians, Highlanders and Russia. From other Christian powers, Georgia was separated by a continuous Muslim barrier. The Georgian diplomat Sulkhan Orbeliani at the beginning of the 18th century took a distant and dangerous trip to Europe to receive military-political support from the Pope and the French King. The attempt was unsuccessful.

Much has brought Georgians closer to the Asian neighbors, but religion attracted them to Russia: Georgian kings hoped to protect their throne, Christian traditions with imperial help and give Georgia the best future.

On July 24, 1783, in Georgievsk (now the Stavropol Territory), representatives of Catherine II and Irakli II signed a treatise in which "King Kartalinsky and Kakhetinsky recognizes the supreme power and patronage of all -Russian emperors." Now in the international affairs of the possessions of Irakli will be considered the Romanov empires that are part of the Empire. And Russia undertook to be a wall and a stronghold against external enemies - Turkey and Persia for Eastern Georgia.

Decisive Pavel

But this did not work again. The patronage provided by Georgia, and its protection, which Russia took upon itself on the treatise of 1783, were so ineffective that the Georgian population decreased almost half -pool by 1801. And again, the Georgian king - now this is already the heir to Irakli George XII - is turning for help. And again to Russia. Now Emperor Paul is accepting the Georgian messengers - George Avalov, Eleazar Palawadov and Garsevan Chavchavadze, who brought "asking points". In them, the Georgian king shows the desire to “be once forever accepted into patronage and citizenship of the highest all -Russian court under the rights and benefits of which subjects of its imperial majesty use.” Of course, everything should be done by mutual agreement, formalized by a treatise and other legal formalities. However, the unexpected death of George XII confused all the plans of the Russian government. Pavel I decided not to wait for the coronation of the new Georgian king, but to quickly take Cartli Kostytiy with Russian troops and make it part of the Russian state. “I want,” the emperor wrote to General Knorring, “so that Georgia is the province, so immediately put it in intercourse with the Senate, and according to the spiritual part with the synod, without touching their privileges. Let there be any of the royal blood by the governor, but under you, and there will be a chief of the hussar there the new regiment. ”

Difficult choice

On January 18, 1801, the first (Pavlovsky) attachment manifesto was published in St. Petersburg - a less famous and worse written, but no less valid than the Manifesto of September 12. The conditions for the union of Georgia with Russia, proposed by Georgian authorized and approved by Paul, to such an extent observed the interests of the empire that they reduced the Georgian autonomy to zero.

Georgia was declared part of the Russian territory. However, Pavel did not have time to bring the matter of the accession of Eastern Georgia to the end: on March 12, 1801 he was killed. The heir, Alexander I, does not immediately dare to take the accession of a single -faith country, declared by the rapid manifesto of his father. The personal legal awareness of the young emperor, who doubted the justice and legality of the abolition of the tsarist dynasty, delayed the final accession of Georgia until September 12. In these months, the Georgian business is considering indispensable advice. “The patronage that Russia was given to Georgia since 1783,” said at the April meeting, “involved this unfortunate land into the abyss of evils, which it is brought into perfect exhaustion.”

According to most members of the council, it turned out that there were only two ways: either to join Georgia, or leave it at all. “The patronage that Russia has given to Georgia has so much mutual inconvenience that there is no middle -in -law between the perfect abandonment of the latter and its adoption.” The fact is that for peace in Eastern Georgia, Russia will always have to keep a constant garrison there, and these are large and “vain” costs. Each time, when an enemy attacks the Georgian lands, it is again useless to send the army there: it will take so much time for all training and campaign that the invaders will not only have time to enter the kingdom, but also completely ruin him.

But to leave the Georgian land would be completely harmful to Russia. Almost certainly, members of the Council reasoned, the kingdom will immediately become a victim of its neighbors, and "Christian in that country will exterminate." So, the threat will intensify directly to the imperial borders. To avoid another invasion, bloodless and defenseless Georgia could surrender to the power of the port, which would be completely unpleasant for Russia. So, you need to join Georgia.

There were also supporters of the third path - to leave the protectorate of the model of 1783. For this, the head of the influential court clan of the Vorontsovs, Count Alexander Vorontsov and one of the “young friends” of Emperor Count Viktor Kochubey, spoke. They suggested not to expand the already too extensive possessions of the Romanovs, but to pay all attention to the internal device - a real source of prosperity. Already this was supposed to be a good argument to forget about the accession of Georgian lands. But there were other arguments. For example, this: even Catherine II, carried away by conquests, did not think to join Georgia, but just take it under patronage to prevent the strengthening of neighboring Muslim enemies at its expense, especially the Ottoman ports. Another argument: how could the Georgian nobles, constantly warring in different parties, and the people, scattered through small villages, express such a rare unanimity to turn into Russian subjects? Yes, and it is difficult to believe that both the king and all the many princes are so simply retreating from the rights to the hereditary Georgian throne. Even despite the letters of George XII, in which he asked himself estates in Russia and thirty thousand souls, while the princes are decent to their birth of the title and content.

Alexander United

While in St. Petersburg they argued about the future of Georgia, the Bagrations were still hoping to rule further. Even like imperial governors. On January 15, 1801, the son of the late George XII, Tsarevich David, published an appeal to the Georgian people, in which he stated: “It was highly ordered to me to solemnly approach the throne of Georgia by inheritance, with the rank of ruler it. And since it was necessary to announce this to all my peoples, we inform us of the adoption of the management of the hereditary throne. ” However, David only succeeded in “approaching the throne. The Tsarevich occupied the crown throne and represented himself as a king for several months, maintaining the appearance of power, the fullness of which was enjoyed by his father and grandfather. However, the Manifesto on September 12 ended her forever.

“Unified dignity,” the Manifesto says on September 12, “a single honor and humanity impose a sacred duty on us, having to pray to their sorrows suffering, to establish a rule in Georgia, which could affirm justice, personal and property security and give everyone the protection of the law.”

After the bombing of Eastern Georgia-the Kartli-Chinese kingdom-the annexation to Russia and the rest of the once united Georgia became inevitable. Imeres and Megrelia became part of the empire in 1804, and the Abkhaz principality in 1810. The Georgian kingdom, in the 15th century, divided by Tsar Alexander I between his sons and other relatives, "Alexander I Emperor All -Russian is connected by packs together."