Erekle II.

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Erekle II, king of Kartlien-Kakheti
Erekle II's grave in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta

Erekle II ( Georgian ერეკლე II ; * November 7, 1720 in Telavi ; † January 11, 1798 in Telavi) was a Georgian king from the Bagratid dynasty. He ruled the Kingdom of Kakheti from 1744 to 1762 and the Kingdom of Kartlien-Kakheti from 1762 to 1798 .

Life

Erekle was the only son of Teimura II , king of Kakheti (eastern Georgia). When Teimuras became king of Kartlien, he passed the Kakheti throne to Erekle in 1744. Father and son formed a solid alliance to drive the Persian occupiers out of their lands and to protect their borders against the constant raids of North Caucasian tribes.

After the death of Teimuras, Erekle became king of the united kingdom of Kartlien-Kakheti and its capital Tbilisi in 1762 . He initiated radical reforms to modernize the Georgian administration, army, education and economy and curtailed the power of the nobility . At times he established a hegemony of Kartlien-Kakhetien over the eastern Transcaucasus and tried to unite all Georgian kingdoms and principalities. In 1790 , however, he only managed to bring about an unstable political and military alliance.

Erekle's foreign policy was strongly oriented towards Europe . He sought alliances with various European governments against Persia and the Ottoman Empire , but found no support.

In 1783 he concluded the Treaty of Georgievsk with the Russian Tsarina Catherine II , in which he undertook to recognize the Russian protectorate and to place his armed forces in the service of the Russian Empire. Russia guaranteed the territorial integrity of the Georgian kingdom and promised military and political assistance against external threats. The treaty also guaranteed the royal status of the Georgian Bagratid dynasty . The Persian Shah Aga Mohammed Khan asked Erekle II to terminate the Georgievsk Treaty and to recognize the supremacy of Persia over Georgia again, which Erekle refused. As a result, Russia failed to meet its contractual obligations and withdrew its troops in 1787. When Aga Mohammed invaded Georgia in 1795 and marched towards Tbilisi , the Georgian defenders in the battle of Krtsanisi had to oppose the Persians without Russian support. The Georgians were defeated, Tbilisi was occupied, looted and destroyed, with the Persian forces causing a massacre. General Ivan Wassiljewitsch Gudowitsch , who was responsible for the Caucasus, believed the Georgians were to blame. Russia declared war on Persia in 1796, and a Russian invasion of Persia, which Valerian Alexandrovich Subov was to lead, was canceled in 1796 by Katharina's heir to the throne, Emperor Paul .

Erekle II was very popular with the population because he led his troops personally and lived on the same terms as his soldiers during the war. In many Georgian poems, songs and legends, his bravery and heroism are extolled. He was nicknamed Patara Kachi (German: Little Kachetier ), a parallel to Napoleon's nickname Little Corporal .

Erekle II was buried in the burial church of the Georgian monarchs , the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta .

literature

  • David M. Lang: The last years of the Georgian monarchy: 1658-1832. Columbia University Press, New York 1957
  • Nikolas K. Gvosdev: Imperial policies and perspectives towards Georgia: 1760-1819. Macmillan [u. a.], Basingstoke [et al. a.] 2000, ISBN 0312229909

Individual evidence

  1. Alexander Mikaberidze: Historical Dictionary of Georgia . Scarecrow Press, Plymouth 2007, ISBN 978-0-8108-5580-9 , pp. 326 .
  2. Alexander Mikaberidze: Historical Dictionary of Georgia . Scarecrow Press, Plymouth 2007, ISBN 978-0-8108-5580-9 , pp. 412 .
  3. Firuz Kazemzadeh: Iranian relations with Russia and the Soviet Union, to 1921 . In: Peter Avery, Gavin Hambly and Charles Melville (Eds.): The Cambridge History of Iran . tape 7 . Cambridge University Press, 1991, ISBN 978-0-521-20095-0 , pp. 329 .
  4. Alexander Mikaberidze: Historical Dictionary of Georgia . Scarecrow Press, Plymouth 2007, ISBN 978-0-8108-5580-9 , pp. 327 .

Web links

Commons : Erekle II.  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
predecessor Office successor
Teimuras II King of Georgia
1744 - 1798
Giorgi XII.