1804 Mtiuleti rebellion
| Mtiuleti rebellion | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Georgian and Ossetian rebels |  Imperial Russian Army | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 4,000 | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Hundreds of killed civilians | |||||||
The 1804 Mtiuleti rebellion (Georgian: 1804 მთიულეთის აჯანყება, romanized: 1804 mtiuletis ajanq'eba) was a conflict in Mtiuleti region of the former Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti (eastern Georgia), at that time part of the Georgia Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was the first major Georgian rebellion directed against the Russian administration.[1]
Background
[edit]In 1801, the Russians capitalized on the moment, and annexed the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti. The entity was then reduced to the status of a Russian region (Georgia Governorate). Though the Russian administration brought some peace, Kartli-Kakheti remained troubled.[2][3]
Rebellion
[edit]It broke out at a vulnerable spot, to the west of the Darial Pass.[1] A number of local Ossetians had complained about the grain and meat demands of Cossacks stationed in the area.[1] They were thrown into a pit.[1] The Cossacks then proceeded to punish more locals; peasants were put to forced labour, two men were killed by whip lashing, women were mistreated, and cattle was worked to death.[1]
The people of the Aragvi valley then attacked the troops of Dmitri Mikhailovich Volkonsky, killing several of them.[1] They then proceeded to occupy several of the forts on the nearby main road.[1] In the summer of 1804, 4,000 Georgian and Ossetian rebels requested Prince Parnaoz to lead them.[1] On 3 August 1804, the rebels and Russian forces clashed at Lomisi; the Russian forces reportedly only escaped defeat due to the "timidity" of the Kakhetian nobles and the return of Russian General Pavel Tsitsianov, who had just unsuccessfully besieged Erivan.[1] The rebellion was eventually crushed; hundreds of highlanders were bayoneted or imprisoned.[1] It would take eight years before more anti-Russian violence erupted.[1][4] A part of the Georgian nobles participated in the 1804 Mtiuleti rebellion.[4]
References
[edit]Sources
[edit]- Rayfield, Donald (2012). Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1780230702.
- Suny, Ronald Grigor (1994). The Making of the Georgian Nation. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0253209153.
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