Güney Batı Kafkasya'daki Gürcü krallıkları Osmanlı-Rus ilişkilerinde, 1783-1806

ABSTRACT Morkva, Valeriy M.A. Department of International Relations Supervisor: Prof. Norman Stone September 2004 Located at the crossroads in between of the Black and the Caspian Seas, the Southern Caucasus in general, as well as the Georgian ethnic territories in particular, since the earliest times of the written history had been the area of continuous struggle among the major powers of the region. For several centuries Georgia stayed to be the scene of intensive military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and Persia, what resulted in her being divided into the respective spheres of influence and brought about the political fragmentation of the Georgian lands. Following the new historical tendencies that surfaced during the second part of the 18th century, there appeared a new regional actor in the Southern Caucasus, which steadily increased its military-political weight there- Russia. In its advance to the Caucasus St. Petersburg needed a certain foothold, wherefrom it would be able to spread its influence all over the Southern Caucasus. At the same time, reunified under the scepter of Erekle II the Eastern part of the old Georgian kingdom, Kartli-Kakheti, sought to ensure its own positions in the area by alliance with some large regional superpower. Due to certain historical reasons such an alliance had been concluded in 1783 with the Russian Empire as the Georgievsk Treaty. The Porte, for the most part being concerned about the eventual Russian advance further southwards, in various ways tried to hold out in the Caucasus, but at the time could not preserve her previous positions. Growing stronger, using the favorable international situation as well as internal Georgian disagreements, Russia by the beginning of the 19th century managed to complete the direct incorporation of the larger part of the old Georgian territories. m