Colonial Policy of Russia and Samachablo

Abstract

The political history of Samachablo (Didi Liakhvi Gorge) is closely related to the fight of the representatives of the Georgian Royal House and the feudal aristocracy against the Russian authorities that had become active since 1802. Although several members of the clan of the Machabeli feudal lords were in the service of the Russian government, their overall attitude was sharply anti-Russian. The Machabels took an active position in the actions against Russia’s colonial policy and fought in support of members of the Kartli-Kakheti Royal House. The rebellious Georgian princes tried to form a united front against the Russians. In the pursuit of the common goal of the Caucasians, they also relied on the support of the Ossetians, which were loyal to the Royal House. Georgian historical sources have retained a lot of information on the active relations of the Georgian kings with the Ossetians living in the North Caucasus, which often fought side by side with the Georgians during the invasions of foreign enemies. The Emperor’s Court of Russia exerted a political pressure on the small nations in the Caucasus region. Ossetians also could not escape the Russian aggression. The German traveller Güldenstädt narrates of the Ossetian population's confrontation with Russian troops that often resulted in casualties on the part of the Ossetians. The support from Ossetians for Georgia occupied by Russia soon became evident. Vakhtang Batonishvili, who rebelled in 1802, was actively assisted by Ossetians from Tagauri, because of which, Russian General Tuchkov imposed economic sanctions on the Ossetians. This meant that the Ossetians were prevented from importing grains from the lowland. This was, of course, a major blow to the Ossetians living in the mountains. In 1804, Governor-General Tsitsianov also tried to block the road for the Ossetians from Tagauri in order to prevent them from connecting further to Georgia. Russia had become a common enemy for the peoples living in the Caucasus. Therefore, the representatives of the Court of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti tried to take mutual efforts against Russia. Georgian princes placed special hopes on the Ossetians, which were their historical allies.