Treaty of Georgievsk, 1783

The treaty by which Erekle II's Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti accepted the protection of the Russian Empire. A key document of the era.

1783

The Treaty of Georgievsk was signed on 24 July (4 August) 1783 at the fortress of Georgievsk in the North Caucasus. By it the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti (eastern Georgia) of King Erekle II passed under the protection of the Russian Empire.

Russia guaranteed the kingdom's territorial integrity and the continuation of the Bagrationi dynasty on the throne; Erekle II renounced any dependence on Persia or any other power and recognised the supreme authority of the Russian throne, coordinating foreign policy with it. The treaty had 13 main articles and several separate (secret) ones.

Russia was represented in the talks by General Pavel Potemkin, Georgia by Prince Ioane Bagration-Mukhranski and Garsevan Chavchavadze. Catherine II and Erekle II ratified it in 1784.

Despite its promises, Russia did not intervene when Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar sacked Tbilisi in 1795. In 1801, by Paul I's manifesto and Alexander I's confirmation, eastern Georgia was annexed to Russia unilaterally — against the treaty's articles. The original is held at RGADA.