The Russian Age of Chaos: The Georgian War
The Georgian War took two months to actually see fighting in earnest. In some ways, this is unsurprising - the Russian soldiers needed time to actually reach Georgia itself. The Governor of Georgia knew this, so he closed the gates of his capital in Tbilisi.
Still, those two months weren’t completely free from conflict. Some people in Georgia - especially Russian colonists - opposed independence, as they benefited from Russian rule. The vast majority of Georgians were in favor of independence, so they had formed militias. Many Russian colonists retaliated by forming their own militias, but these preferred to avoid conflict with their Georgian counterparts. They saw the arrival of the main Russian military in Georgia as the moment of their inevitable victory, so they thought that all they had to do was delay.
The Georgian militias, for their part, wanted to begin facing the Russian soldiers in an advantageous position. They thus decided to take bold action. They attacked Tbilisi, the seat of Russian authority in Georgia, where the governor of the area lived. The Russian militias defended the city valiantly, but it was useless. The rebels took Tbilisi in November 1850.
Fortunately, that month also saw the Russian military in Georgia. They quickly made themselves known. They attacked a Georgian militia near the city of Kutaisi, where they achieved an easy victory. However, the Georgians wouldn’t be cowed. They responded by gathering their militias together in Tbilisi, hoping to protect their new capital city.
As December dawned, however, it became clear that a Russian victory might not be as easy as many believed. Sweden, Britain, and Prussia, extremely bitter about past defeats, banded together to demand that Russia grant Georgia independence. They slandered the Russian Empire by calling it “imperialistic” and “oppressive”. The British and Prussians appeared blind to the utter hypocrisy of this.
Of course, Russia wouldn’t be cowed. They insisted that Georgia was a Russian territory by right. What right did foreign powers have to criticize how Russia conducted its affairs? Tsar Nicholas sent this message to his fellow rulers, but the European powers refused to back down. They saw an opportunity, and they wouldn’t squander it.
They threatened to declare war on and invade Russia if Georgia wasn’t granted independence. Tsar Nicholas decided to bring the demand before the Duma and allow them to decide the matter. The Duma’s response was glorious - they reminded the other European powers of how the Great European War had ended. “We were fighting an internal war then, too,” they noted. “It didn’t stop us from utterly destroying your armies. Could you live with the humiliation if it were to happen again?”. After that, the other great powers backed down.
The distraction allowed the Georgians to decide the battlefield for a decisive battle, though, and they did. At the Battle of Kutaisi, a few thousand Georgians utterly annihilated a massive Russian army. In the end, they were forced to withdraw by the arrival of other Russian armies, but their point had been made - the Russians could be defeated.
All the militias that the Georgians had formed then regrouped at Tbilisi and made it clear that they would fight for their freedom there. They sent a letter to the Russian Duma declaring that, “we might never achieve freedom, but we’ll fight for it all the same. We will slaughter your men and set the seeds for the destruction of your proud empire if we must. Must we?”
The Russian Duma met as 1851 dawned. They discussed the words of the Georgians, and Tsar Nicholas supported granting autonomy - they would gain their own Tsar, who would answer to Nicholas and Nicholas alone. The Tsarists and Militarists agreed to these terms - the Tsarists because they obeyed the Tsar, and the Militarists because they were impressed with the military might of the Georgians. The Decentralization Faction opposed it, but they were overruled, which led to an increase in discontent among their ranks. Many would rebel within a year.
Still, those two months weren’t completely free from conflict. Some people in Georgia - especially Russian colonists - opposed independence, as they benefited from Russian rule. The vast majority of Georgians were in favor of independence, so they had formed militias. Many Russian colonists retaliated by forming their own militias, but these preferred to avoid conflict with their Georgian counterparts. They saw the arrival of the main Russian military in Georgia as the moment of their inevitable victory, so they thought that all they had to do was delay.
The Georgian militias, for their part, wanted to begin facing the Russian soldiers in an advantageous position. They thus decided to take bold action. They attacked Tbilisi, the seat of Russian authority in Georgia, where the governor of the area lived. The Russian militias defended the city valiantly, but it was useless. The rebels took Tbilisi in November 1850.
Fortunately, that month also saw the Russian military in Georgia. They quickly made themselves known. They attacked a Georgian militia near the city of Kutaisi, where they achieved an easy victory. However, the Georgians wouldn’t be cowed. They responded by gathering their militias together in Tbilisi, hoping to protect their new capital city.
As December dawned, however, it became clear that a Russian victory might not be as easy as many believed. Sweden, Britain, and Prussia, extremely bitter about past defeats, banded together to demand that Russia grant Georgia independence. They slandered the Russian Empire by calling it “imperialistic” and “oppressive”. The British and Prussians appeared blind to the utter hypocrisy of this.
Of course, Russia wouldn’t be cowed. They insisted that Georgia was a Russian territory by right. What right did foreign powers have to criticize how Russia conducted its affairs? Tsar Nicholas sent this message to his fellow rulers, but the European powers refused to back down. They saw an opportunity, and they wouldn’t squander it.
They threatened to declare war on and invade Russia if Georgia wasn’t granted independence. Tsar Nicholas decided to bring the demand before the Duma and allow them to decide the matter. The Duma’s response was glorious - they reminded the other European powers of how the Great European War had ended. “We were fighting an internal war then, too,” they noted. “It didn’t stop us from utterly destroying your armies. Could you live with the humiliation if it were to happen again?”. After that, the other great powers backed down.
The distraction allowed the Georgians to decide the battlefield for a decisive battle, though, and they did. At the Battle of Kutaisi, a few thousand Georgians utterly annihilated a massive Russian army. In the end, they were forced to withdraw by the arrival of other Russian armies, but their point had been made - the Russians could be defeated.
All the militias that the Georgians had formed then regrouped at Tbilisi and made it clear that they would fight for their freedom there. They sent a letter to the Russian Duma declaring that, “we might never achieve freedom, but we’ll fight for it all the same. We will slaughter your men and set the seeds for the destruction of your proud empire if we must. Must we?”
The Russian Duma met as 1851 dawned. They discussed the words of the Georgians, and Tsar Nicholas supported granting autonomy - they would gain their own Tsar, who would answer to Nicholas and Nicholas alone. The Tsarists and Militarists agreed to these terms - the Tsarists because they obeyed the Tsar, and the Militarists because they were impressed with the military might of the Georgians. The Decentralization Faction opposed it, but they were overruled, which led to an increase in discontent among their ranks. Many would rebel within a year.
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