kingdom · Caucasus

Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti

1762 CE – 1801 CE · capital Tbilisi

The last independent Georgian kingdom in the east, created by Erekle II, which placed itself under Russian protection in 1783 and was annexed in 1801.

Origins

Erekle II, king of the Kingdom of Kakheti since 1744, succeeded his father Teimuraz II in the Kingdom of Kartli in 1762, uniting eastern Georgia under one crown for the first time since the 15th century. He had gained prestige fighting for Nader Shah in India and against Dagestani raiders.

Rule and society

Erekle II, ruling from Tbilisi, modernised the army, encouraged trade and crafts and drew tribute from the khanates of Ganja and Erivan. In 1783 he signed the Treaty of Georgievsk with Catherine the Great, accepting a Russian protectorate. Russia failed to defend him, and in 1795 Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar defeated the Georgians at Krtsanisi and sacked Tbilisi.

Decline and legacy

After Erekle's death in 1798, his son George XII asked for closer union with Russia. When George died in 1800, Emperor Paul I and then Alexander I annexed the kingdom in 1801, deposing the Bagratid dynasty and making it a Russian province.

Lineage

Duchy of Ksani 1380 CE – 1777 CEKingdom of Kakheti 1465 CE – 1762 CEKingdom of Kartli 1484 CE – 1762 CEKingdom of Kartli-Kakheti

Connections (4)

  • Ganja Khanate paid tribute to Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti1752 CE – 1785 CE
  • Erivan Khanate paid tribute to Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti1779 CE – 1783 CE
  • Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti was a protectorate of Russian Empire1783 CE – 1801 CE
  • Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti was conquered by Russian Empire1801 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kartli-kakheti
MLA
“Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kartli-kakheti. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kartli-kakheti.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kartli-kakheti (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻