1832 Georgian plot ( ka, 1832 წლის შეთქმულება, tr) was a political conspiracy involving Georgian

royalty Royalty may refer to: * the mystique/prestige bestowed upon monarchs ** one or more monarchs, such as kings, queens, emperors, empresses, princes, princesses, etc. *** royal family, the immediate family of a king or queen-regnant, and sometimes h ...

and

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

to restore Georgian statehood and its Bagrationi

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...

through an

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

of the Russian imperial administration.

History

Eastern Georgian monarchy of the

Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti The Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti ( ka, ქართლ-კახეთის სამეფო, tr) was created in 1762 by the unification of the two eastern Georgian kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti. From the early 16th century, according to t ...

was

annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...

by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

in 1801, breaking the terms of the Treaty of Georgievsk. Members of the royal Bagrationi dynasty were deported to the Russian provinces, and Russian control was acknowledged in 1813 by the

Treaty of Gulistan The Treaty of Gulistan (also spelled Golestan: ; ) was a peace treaty concluded between the Russian Empire and Qajar Iran on 24 October 1813 in the village of Gülüstan, Goranboy, Gulistan (now in Goranboy District, the Goranboy District of Azerb ...

. The Georgians, unsatisfied with the Russian rule, yearned for the removal of Russian dominance and the return of their royal dynasty. The goal of independence was kept alive principally by Prince Okropir of Georgia, a son of the last eastern Georgian monarch, George XII. Okropir and other Georgians held gatherings of Georgian students in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and St. Petersburg, trying to inspire them with patriotic feeling towards their country under Russian rule. It resulted in creation of a secret society in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

whose main goal was the re-establishment of an independent kingdom under the dethroned Bagrationi. Okropir himself visited Georgia in 1830, and held talks with the principal conspirators, who included members of Georgian aristocrats from the Orbeliani and Eristavi princely houses, as well as the philosopher Solomon Dodashvili. The plot was also supported by the Georgians from western Georgia, i.e. from the Russian-abolished Kingdom of Imereti as well as the members of the House of Shervashidze that ruled

Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...

. Most of the Georgian conspirators were not liberal republicans, but rather monarchists and nationalists. It was proposed to invite the Russian commander-in-chief in Georgia together with other members of their administration to a grand ball in Tbilisi and at a given signal they would all be assassinated. The Georgians would then seize the Daryal Pass to prevent Russian reinforcements, and Prince Aleksandre of Georgia, son of the Georgian king Erekle II would return from

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

to be proclaimed king of Georgia. The ball at which the Russian officers and administration members were to be killed was scheduled for 20 November 1832, but it was unexpectedly postponed, first to 9 December, then to 20 December. Early in December the whole affair was revealed to the authorities by one of the conspirators, Prince Iese Palavandishvili, and all of them were arrested. Ten of the accused conspirators were sentenced to death but later reprieved and deported to distant Russian provinces instead, largely because of their aristocratic status. The 1832 plot, though unsuccessful, would play an important role in the future national liberation movement that Georgians would seek to organize more fruitfully.

David Marshall Lang David Marshall Lang (6 May 1924 – 20 March 1991), was a Professor of Caucasian Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was one of the most productive British scholars who specialized in Georgian, Armenian and ...

(1962) A Modern History of Georgia: ''Georgia under the Tsars: Resistance, Revolt, Pacification: 1801–32'' NY

References

Bibliography

Ronald Grigor Suny Ronald Grigor Suny (born September 25, 1940) is an American-Armenian historian and political scientist. Suny is the William H. Sewell Jr. Distinguished University Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Michigan and served as directo ...

(1994) The Making of the Georgian Nation,

Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...

History

References

Bibliography

Further reading