Publisher Description

The image of an Empire relentlessly gobbling up the Eurasian steppe has dominated Western thinking about Russia for centuries, but is it accurate? Far from being motivated by a well-organized plan for territorial conquest, the Imperial government of the late eighteenth century had no consistent or coherent policy towards the Georgian lands which lie south of the Caucasus mountains. Seen both as co-religionist allies and as troublesome nuisances by different factions in St. Petersburg, Russian attitudes towards Georgia fluctuated as Emperors and Empresses, along with their favourites and enemies, rose and fell from supreme power. Thanks to the determined efforts of two princes, Grigorii Potemkin and Dimitri Tsitsianov, a vision of Georgia linked firmly to Russia was imposed upon a sceptical St. Petersburg. This led to its complete incorporation into the Russian Empire, forever changing the destinies of Russia, the Caucasus, and all Eurasia.

Table of Contents

Setting the Stage * The Embassy of Teimuraz II * Russia and Georgia during the Turkish War (1768-74) * The Treaty of Georgievsk (1783) and its Aftermath * Georgia Abandoned (1787-97) * The Incorporation of Eastern Georgia into the Russian Empire (1798-1801) * Tsitsianov and the Consolidation of Imperial Power in Georgia (1802-6) * Solidifying the Russian Presence in Georgia (1806-12) * Final Consolidation (1812-19) * Concluding Thoughts

Review

"Gvosdev has written a crisp, clear subtle account of reluctant imperialism..." --"Slavic Review"

."..small but interesting, timely, and well-written volume." --"International History Review"

"Gvosdev has written a crisp, clear subtle account of reluctant imperialism..." —"Slavic Review"
"...small but interesting, timely, and well-written volume." —"International History Review"

" Gvosdev has written a crisp, clear subtle account of reluctant imperialism..." -- "Slavic Review"
" ...small but interesting, timely, and well-written volume." -- "International History Review"

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Long Description

The image of an Empire relentlessly gobbling up the Eurasian steppe has dominated Western thinking about Russia for centuries, but is it accurate? Far from being motivated by a well-organized plan for territorial conquest, the Imperial government of the late eighteenth century had no consistent or coherent policy towards the Georgian lands which lie south of the Caucasus mountains. Seen both as co-religionist allies and as troublesome nuisances by different factions in St. Petersburg, Russian attitudes towards Georgia fluctuated as Emperors and Empresses, along with their favourites and enemies, rose and fell from supreme power. Thanks to the determined efforts of two princes, Grigorii Potemkin and Dimitri Tsitsianov, a vision of Georgia linked firmly to Russia was imposed upon a sceptical St. Petersburg. This led to its complete incorporation into the Russian Empire, forever changing the destinies of Russia, the Caucasus, and all Eurasia.

Review Quote

"Gvosdev has written a crisp, clear subtle account of reluctant imperialism..." -Slavic Review "...small but interesting, timely, and well-written volume." -International History Review

Description for Bookstore

This book examines how the Russian Empire expanded across the barrier of the Caucasus mountains to take control of the Georgian lands at the close of the 18th century. With no organized plan for conquest, imperial policy fluctuated based on personnel changes in the imperial government and strategic reevaluations of imperial interests. Particular attention is paid to the role of two significant individuals--Princes Potemkin and Tsitsianov--in pushing the Empire towards total incorporation.

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