The Relations of Fath  Ali Shah Qajar with the Georgian Princes and Governors based on the Russian and Persian Documents in the Russian and Georgia Archivals

There was no change in Iran's policy toward Georgia, when Fath Ali Shah (1212-1250 A.H/1798-1834 A.D) assumed the throne. Fath Ali Shah tried to follow Aqa Mohammad Khan's policy in keeping Georgia under Iranian domination. At First, he wrote to the Georgian king, Gorgin Khan (Georgi XII), asking him to renounce his pact [Georgievsk Treaty of 1783] with Russia, accept Iranian citizenship and remain on the throne [as a vassal of Iran]. Otherwise, he had to expect another invasion of his land [similar to that of Aqa Mohammad Khan in 1795]. Meanwhile, since Russia continued its efforts to take over the Caucasus and especially Georgia by sending troops to the region and spreading fear among the various khanates, Fath Ali Shah, in order to prevent the Russian encroachments, sent a number of letters to the khans and local governors of Georgia, Sheki, and Shirvan encouraging them to keep their historic ties with Iran to prevent Russia from taking over the Caucasus. Fath Ali Shah was not successful in preventing the separation of Georgia from Iran, despite all his efforts. Russia took advantage of Georgia's demands for autonomy from Iran at the end of the First Russo-Iranian War and managed to detach Georgia by the Treaty of Gulistan and made it part of the Russian Empire. This paper seeks to analyze the relations of Fath Ali Shah Qajar with the princes and emirs of Georgia through implementing a descriptive-analytical and documentary methods and using Persian and Russian documents. It tries to show Fath Ali Shah's and his governor's efforts, including Abbas Mirza, to have diplomatic relations with the rulers of the region in order to preserve the sovereignty of Iran in the Caucasus.