View source for Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti

{{Short description|Georgian state in the Caucasus from 1762–1801}}
{{stack begin}}
{{Infobox former country
| native_name            = ქართლ-კახეთის სამეფო
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti
| common_name            = Kartli-Kakheti|
| government_type        = [[Absolute monarchy]]|
| year_start             = 1762
| year_end               = 1801|
| event_pre              = 
| date_pre               = 
| event_start            = Unification of [[Kingdom of Kartli]] and [[Kingdom of Kakheti]]
| date_start             = 
| event1                 = ''De jure'' submission to the [[Zand dynasty]]
| date_event1            = 1762–1763
| event2                 = [[Treaty of Georgievsk]]
| date_event2            = July 24, 1783
| event3                 = [[Battle of Krtsanisi|Qajar invasion]]
| date_event3            = 1795
| event4                 = Annexation to the [[Russian Empire]]
| date_event4            = December 18, 1800
| event_end              = Ratification of Russian annexation
| date_end               = September 12,|
| p1                     = Kingdom of Kartli
| p2                     = Kingdom of Kakheti
| p3                     = Afsharid Iran
| s1                     = Russian Empire
| s2                     = Qajar Iran
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti.svg
| image_map              = Khartli-Kakheti.svg
| image_map_caption      = Extent of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti.|
| capital                = [[Tbilisi]]
| coordinates            = {{coord|41|43|21|N|44|47|33|E|region:GE|display=it}}
| national_motto         = 
| national_anthem        = 
| official_languages     = [[Georgian language|Georgian]]
| languages_type         = Regional languages
| languages              = {{unbulleted list| [[Armenian language|Armenian]] | [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]] | [[Persian Language|Persian]] | [[Pontic Greek]] }}
| religion               = '''State and majority '''<br/>[[Georgian Orthodox Church]] <small>([[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]])</small><ref>{{cite book|title=The Geography of Georgia: Problems and Perspectives|first=Vijay |last=P. Singh|year=2015| isbn=9783319054131| page =3|publisher=Springer}}</ref><br />'''Minority'''{{unbulleted list| [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] | [[Judaism]] | [[Shia Islam]]}}
| currency               = |
| title_leader           = [[List of kings of Georgia|King]]
| leader1                = [[Heraclius II of Georgia|Heraclius II]] {{small|(first)}}
| year_leader1           = 1762–1798
| leader2                = [[George XII of Georgia|George XII]] {{small|(last)}}
| year_leader2           = 1798–1800
| title_deputy           = Regent
| deputy1                = [[Prince David of Georgia|Prince David Bagrationi]]
| year_deputy1           = 1800–1801
| deputy2                = 
| year_deputy2           = |
| legislature            = 
| house1                 = 
| house2                 = |
| stat_year1             = 
| stat_area1             = 
| stat_year2             = 
| stat_area2             = 
| stat_year3             = 
| stat_pop3              = 
| footnotes              = 
| today                  = [[Armenia]]<br/>[[Azerbaijan]]<br/>[[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]<br/>[[Russia]]
}}
{{History of Georgia (country)}}
{{stack end}}

The '''Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti''' ({{lang-ka|ქართლ-კახეთის სამეფო|tr}}) was created in 1762 by the unification of the two [[Eastern Georgia (country)|eastern Georgian]] kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Kartli|Kartli]] and [[Kingdom of Kakheti|Kakheti]]. From the early 16th century, according to the 1555 [[Peace of Amasya]], these two kingdoms were under [[History of Iran|Iranian]] control. In 1744, [[Nader Shah]] granted the kingship of Kartli to [[Teimuraz II of Kakheti|Teimuraz II]] and that of Kakheti to his son [[Heraclius II of Georgia|Heraclius II]], as a reward for their loyalty.{{sfn|Suny|1994|page=55}} When Nader Shah died in 1747, Teimuraz II and Heraclius II capitalized on the instability in Iran proper, and declared ''[[de facto]]'' independence. After Teimuraz II died in 1762, Heraclius succeeded him as ruler of Kartli, thus unifying the two kingdoms.

Heraclius was able, after centuries of Iranian [[suzerainty]] over Georgia, to guarantee the autonomy of his kingdom throughout the chaos that had erupted following Nader Shah's death. He became the new Georgian king of a politically united eastern Georgia for the first time in three centuries. Though Heraclius tendered his ''de jure'' submission to the newly established [[Zand dynasty]] quickly after the unification in 1762, the kingdom remained ''de facto'' autonomous for the next three decades to come. In 1783, Heraclius signed the [[Treaty of Georgievsk]] with the [[Russian Empire]], by which he formally laid Kartli-Kakheti's investiture in the hands of the Russian monarch, and made the kingdom a Russian [[protectorate]]. Amongst others, this provided the nominal guarantee for protection against new Iranian attempts, or by any others, to (re)conquer or attack eastern Georgia. By the 1790s, a new strong Iranian dynasty, the [[Qajar dynasty]], had emerged under [[Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar]], which would prove pivotal in the history of the short-lived kingdom.

In the next few years, having secured mainland Iran, the new Iranian king set out to reconquer the [[Caucasus]] and to re-impose its traditional suzerainty over the region. After Heraclius II refused to denounce the treaty with Russia and to voluntarily reaccept Iran's suzerainty in return for peace and prosperity for his kingdom, Agha Mohammad Khan invaded Kartli-Kakheti, [[Battle of Krtsanisi|captured and sacked Tbilisi]], effectively bringing it back under Iranian control. This was short-lived, however, for Agha Mohammad Khan was assassinated two years later. Heraclius II himself died a year after that.

The following years, which were spent in confusion, culminated in 1801 with the official [[Georgia within the Russian Empire|annexation]] of the kingdom by [[Paul I of Russia|Paul I]] within the [[Russian Empire]] during the nominal ascension of Heraclius's son [[George XII of Georgia|George XII]] to the Kartli-Kakhetian throne. Following the [[Russo-Persian War (1804–1813)|Russo-Persian War]] of 1804–1813, Iran officially ceded the kingdom to Russia, marking the start of a Russian-centred chapter in Georgian history.

==History==
[[File:Buffier-Georgia3n.jpg|thumb|left|Detail from the map by Claude Buffier, 1736]]
After Nader Shah's death in 1747, Heraclius II and Teimuraz II capitalized on the eruption of chaos in mainland Iran. In the ensuing period Heraclius II made alliances with the [[Khanates of the Caucasus|khans]] of the area, established a leading position in the southern Caucasus, and requested Russian aid.{{sfn|Hitchins|1998|pages=541–542}} In 1762, he succeeded his father as king of Kartli, and with already being king of Kakheti, eastern Georgia thus became politically unified for the first time in three centuries.{{sfn|Hitchins|1998|pages=541–542}} Around 1760, it had become evident as well that [[Karim Khan Zand]] had become the new ruler of Iran. Shortly after, in 1762–1763, during Karim Khan's campaigns in [[Azerbaijan (Iran)|Azerbaijan]], Heraclius II tendered his ''de jure'' submission to him and received his investiture as ''[[Vali (governor)|vali]]'' ("governor", "viceroy") of ''Gorjestan'' (Georgia), the traditional Safavid office, which by this time however had become an "empty honorific".{{sfn|Perry|1991|page=96}} Karim Khan died in 1779 however, with Persia again being engulfed into chaos.{{sfn|Hitchins|1998|pages=541–542}}
 
Seeking to remain independent, but also realizing that he would need a foreign protector with regard to his kingdom's foreign policy, King Heraclius II concluded the [[Treaty of Georgievsk]] with [[Russian Empire|Russia]] in 1783, resulting in the transfer of responsibility for defense and foreign affairs in the eastern kingdom,<ref name="Asia">
{{cite book |title= Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia 2003|last= Eur|first= Imogen Bell|year= 2002|publisher= Taylor & Francis|isbn= 1-85743-137-5|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EPP3ti4hysUC&q=Kingdom+of+Kartli-Kakheti&pg=PA170|page= 170}}</ref> as well as importantly, officially abjuring any dependence on [[Iran]] or any other power.{{sfn|Hitchins|1998|pages=541–542}} However, despite these large concessions made to Russia, Heraclius II was successful in retaining internal autonomy in his kingdom.<ref name="Asia"/>

Heraclius II's "curiously ambivalent position" in these decades is reflected in the coins issued by him in his realm.{{sfn|Perry|2006|pages=108–109}} Silver coins were struck with the name of [[Ismail III]] on it, or with the [[Zand dynasty|Zand]]-style inscription ''ya karim'' ("O Gracious One"), whereby an epithet to God was invoked, which actually referred to [[Karim Khan Zand]].{{sfn|Perry|2006|pages=108–109}} These coins were minted in [[Tbilisi]] up until 1799 – some twenty years after Karim Khan Zand's death.{{sfn|Perry|2006|pages=108–109}} In the same decades, the copper coins struck at Tbilisi bore three types of [[iconography]]; Christian, Georgian, "and even" [[Russian Empire|Imperial Russian]] (such as the [[Double-headed eagle#Russia|double-headed eagle]]).{{sfn|Perry|2006|pages=108–109}} By minting the silver coins with a reference to Karim Khan Zand on it they were usable for trade in Iran, whereas the copper coins, struck for only local use, reflected Heraclius II's political orientation towards Russia.{{sfn|Perry|2006|pages=108–109}}

===Court and reign===
While Heraclius II's court maintained a certain Persian-type pomp, and he himself dressed in the Persian style as well, he launched an ambitious program of "Europeanization" which was supported by the Georgian intellectual élites; it was not overwhelmingly successful however, because Georgia remained physically isolated from [[Europe]] and had to expend all available resources on defending its precarious independence.{{sfn|Hitchins|1998|pages=541–542}} He strove to enlist the support of European powers, and to attract Western scientists and technicians to give his country the benefit of the latest military and industrial techniques.{{sfn|Hitchins|1998|pages=541–542}} His style of governing resembled that of contemporary [[Enlightened despotism|enlightened despots]] in [[Central Europe]].{{sfn|Hitchins|1998|pages=541–542}} He exercised executive, legislative, and judicial authority and closely supervised the activities of government departments.{{sfn|Hitchins|1998|pages=541–542}} Heraclius's primary objective in internal policy was to further centralize the government through reducing the powers of the [[aristocracy]].{{sfn|Hitchins|1998|pages=541–542}} For this purpose, he attempted to create a governing élite composed of his own agents to replace the self-minded aristocratic lords in local affairs.{{sfn|Hitchins|1998|pages=541–542}}

==Qajar invasion==
{{main|Battle of Krtsanisi}}
In the last few decades of the 18th century, Georgia had become a more important element in [[Iran–Russia relations|Russo-Iranian relations]] than some provinces in northern mainland Iran, such as [[Mazandaran province|Mazandaran]] or even [[Gilan province|Gilan]].{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=327}} Unlike [[Peter the Great|Peter I]], [[Catherine the Great|Catherine]], the then ruling monarch of Russia, viewed Georgia as a pivot for her Caucasian policy, as Russia's new aspirations were to use it as a base of operations against both Iran and the Ottoman Empire,{{sfn|Mikaberidze|2011|p=327}} both immediate bordering geo-political rivals of Russia. On top of that, having another port on the Georgian coast of the [[Black Sea]] would be ideal.{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=327}} A limited Russian contingent of two infantry battalions with four artillery pieces arrived in Tbilisi in 1784,{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=328}} but was withdrawn, despite the frantic protests of the Georgians, in 1787 as a new [[Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)|war]] against Ottoman Turkey had started on a different front.{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=328}}

The consequences of these events came a few years later, when a new dynasty, the [[Qajar dynasty|Qajars]], emerged victorious in the protracted power struggle in Iran. Qajar shah, Agha Mohammad Khan, as his first objective,{{sfn|Mikaberidze|2011|p=409}} resolved to bring the [[Caucasus]] again fully under the Iranian orbit.
For Agha Mohammad Khan, the re-subjugation and reintegration of Georgia into the Iranian Empire was part of the same process that had brought [[Shiraz]], [[Isfahan]], and [[Tabriz]] under his rule.{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=328}} He viewed Georgia, like the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavids]] and Nader Shah before him, no different from the provinces in mainland Iran, such as [[Khorasan province|Khorasan]].{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=328}} As the ''[[The Cambridge History of Iran|Cambridge History of Iran]]'' states, its permanent secession was inconceivable and had to be resisted in the same way as one would resist an attempt at the separation of [[Fars province|Fars]] or Gilan.{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=328}} It was therefore natural for Agha Mohammad Khan to perform whatever necessary means in the Caucasus in order to subdue and reincorporate the recently lost regions following Nader Shah's death and the collapse of the Zands, including putting down what in Iranian eyes was seen as treason on the part of the ''[[Vali (governor)|vali]]'' of Georgia.{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=328}}

Finding an interval of peace amid their own quarrels and with northern, western, and central Persia secure, the Iranians demanded Heraclius II to renounce the treaty with Russia and to re-accept Persian suzerainty,{{sfn|Mikaberidze|2011|p=409}} in return for peace and the security of his kingdom. The Ottomans, Iran's neighboring rival, recognized the latter's rights over Kartli and Kakheti for the first time in four centuries.<ref name="Donald Rayfield p 255">Donald Rayfield. [https://books.google.com/books?id=PxQpmg_JIpwC&dq=agha+mohammad+khan+conquer+georgia&pg=PA255 ''Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia''] Reaktion Books, 15 feb. 2013 {{ISBN|1780230702}} p 255</ref> Heraclius appealed then to his theoretical protector, Empress [[Catherine the Great|Catherine II of Russia]], asking for at least 3,000 Russian troops,<ref name="Donald Rayfield p 255"/> but he was ignored, leaving Georgia to fend off the Iranian threat alone.<ref name="Lang">[[David Marshall Lang|Lang, David Marshall]] (1962), ''A Modern History of Georgia'', p. 38. [[London]]: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.</ref> Nevertheless, Heraclius II still rejected the shah's [[ultimatum]].<ref name="Suny">[[Ronald Grigor Suny|Suny, Ronald Grigor]] (1994), ''The Making of the Georgian Nation'', p. 59. [[Indiana University Press]], {{ISBN|0-253-20915-3}}</ref>

Agha Mohammad Khan subsequently crossed the [[Aras (river)|Aras River]], and after a turn of events by which he gathered more support from his subordinate khans of [[Erivan Khanate|Erivan]] and [[Ganja Khanate|Ganja]], he sent Heraclius a last ultimatum, which he also declined, but, sent couriers to [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]]. Gudovich, who sat in [[Georgiyevsk|Georgievsk]] at the time, instructed Heraclius to avoid "expense and fuss",<ref name="Donald Rayfield p 255"/> while Heraclius, together with [[Solomon II of Imereti|Solomon II]] and some Imeretians headed southwards of Tbilisi to fend off the Iranians.<ref name="Donald Rayfield p 255"/>

With half the number of troops Agha Mohammad Khan had crossed the Aras river, he now marched directly upon Tbilisi, where it commenced into a huge battle between the Iranian and Georgian armies. Heraclius had managed to mobilize some 5,000 troops, including some 2,000 from neighboring [[Kingdom of Imereti|Imereti]] under its King Solomon II. The Georgians, hopelessly outnumbered, were eventually defeated despite stiff resistance. In a few hours, the Iranian king Agha Mohammad Khan was in full control of the Georgian capital. The Persian army marched back laden with spoil and carrying off thousands of captives.<ref name="Lang"/><ref name="P.Sykes, p.293">P.Sykes, ''A history of Persia'', Vol. 2, p.293</ref><ref>[[John Malcolm|Malcolm, Sir John]] (1829), [https://archive.org/details/historypersiafr00malcgoog ''The History of Persia from the Most Early Period to the Present Time''], pp. 189-191. [[London]]: [[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]].</ref>

By this, after the conquest of Tbilisi and being in effective control of eastern Georgia,<ref name="books.google.nl"/><ref name="Fisher 1991 128–129">{{cite book |quote="(...) Agha Muhammad Khan remained nine days in the vicinity of Tiflis. His victory proclaimed the restoration of Iranian military power in the region formerly under Safavid domination."|title=The Cambridge History of Iran |first=William Bayne |last=Fisher |publisher=Cambridge University Press |volume=7 |year=1991 |pages=128–129 }}</ref> Agha Mohammad was formally crowned [[Shah]] in 1796 in the [[Mughan plain]].<ref name="books.google.nl">[[Michael Axworthy]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=k9HyyYrPIGgC&dq=agha+mohammad+khan+conquer+georgia&pg=PT192 ''Iran: Empire of the Mind: A History from Zoroaster to the Present Day''] Penguin UK, 6 nov. 2008 {{ISBN|0141903414}}</ref> As the ''Cambridge History of Iran'' notes; "Russia's client, Georgia, had been punished, and Russia's prestige, damaged." Heraclius II returned to Tbilisi to rebuild the city, but the destruction of his capital was a death blow to his hopes and projects. Upon learning of the fall of Tbilisi General [[Ivan Gudovich|Gudovich]] put the blame on the [[Georgians]] themselves.{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=329}} To restore Russian prestige, Catherine II [[Persian Expedition of 1796|declared war on Persia]], upon the proposal of Gudovich,{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=329}} and sent an army under [[Valerian Zubov]] to the Qajar possessions on April of that year, but the new [[List of Russian rulers|Tsar]] [[Paul I of Russia|Paul I]], who succeeded Catherine in November, shortly recalled it.

==Aftermath and absorption into the Russian Empire==
{{main|Georgia within the Russian Empire}}
[[File:Roubaud. Russian troops entering Tiflis in 1799.JPG|thumb|225px|left|''Entrance of the Russian troops in Tiflis, 26 November 1799'', by [[Franz Roubaud]], 1886]]
Reestablishment of Iranian rule over Georgia was short-lived this time, and the next few years were years of muddling and confusion. In 1797, Agha Mohammad Khan was assassinated in his tent in [[Shusha]], the capital of the [[Karabakh Khanate|Karabakh khanate]], which he had taken just some days earlier.{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=329}} On January 14, 1798, as King Heraclius II died, and he was succeeded on the throne by his eldest son, [[George XII of Georgia|George XII]] (1746–1800) who, on February 22, 1799, recognized his own eldest son, the [[Tsarevich]] David (''[[Prince David of Georgia|Davit Bagrationi-batonishvili]]''), 1767–1819, as official [[heir apparent]]. In the same year, following the power vacuum in Georgia that got created mainly due to Agha Mohammad Khan's death, the Russian troops entered [[Tbilisi]]. Pursuant to article VI of the 1783 treaty, Emperor Paul confirmed David's claim to [[reign]] as the next king on April 18, 1799.  But strife broke out among King George's many sons and those of his late father over the throne, Heraclius II having changed the [[Order of succession|succession]] order at the behest of his third wife, Queen [[Darejan Dadiani|Darejan (Darya)]], to favor the accession of younger brothers of deceased kings over their own sons.

The resulting dynastic upheaval prompted King George to secretly invite [[Paul I of Russia]] to invade Kartli-Kakheti, subdue the [[Bagrationi dynasty|Bagrationi]] princes, and govern the kingdom from [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]], on the condition that George and his descendants be allowed to continue to reign nominally – in effect, offering to mediatise the Bagrationi dynasty under the [[House of Romanov|Romanov]] emperors.<ref>Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh, 1980, "Burke's Royal Families of the World: ''Volume II Africa & the Middle East'', page 59 {{ISBN|0-85011-029-7}}</ref> Continued pressure from Persia, also prompted George XII's request for Russian intervention.<ref name="Tsag">{{cite book |title= Charters and other historical documents of the XVIII century regarding Georgia|last= Tsagareli|first= A|year= 1902|pages= 287–288}}</ref>

Paul tentatively accepted this offer, but before negotiations could be finalized, he changed his mind and issued a decree on December 18, 1800 [[annexation|annex]]ing Kartli-Kakheti to Russia and deposing the Bagratids.<ref name="britannica.com">[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/230341/Treaty-of-Georgievsk Encyclopædia Britannica, "Treaty of Georgievsk", 2008, retrieved 2008-6-16]</ref> Paul himself was [[assassination|assassinated]] shortly thereafter. It is said that his successor, Emperor [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]], considered retracting the annexation in favor of a Bagratid heir, but being unable to identify one likely to retain the crown, on September 12, 1801, Alexander proceeded to confirm annexation.<ref name="britannica.com"/> Meanwhile, King George had died on December 28, 1800, before learning that he had lost his throne. By the following April, Russian troops took control of the country's administration and in February 1803 Tsarevich David Bagrationi was escorted by Russian troops from Tbilisi to St. Petersburg.

As it was impossible for Iran to give up Georgia, which had made part of the concept of Iran for centuries like the rest of its Caucasian territories,{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=329}} the annexation of Kartli-Kakheti led directly to the Russo-Persian Wars of the 19th century, namely that of [[Russo-Persian War (1804–1813)|1804–1813]] and [[Russo-Persian War (1826–1828)|1826–1828]]. During the 1804–1813 war, the Russians scored a crucial victory over the [[Qajar Iran|Iranian]] army at the [[Zagam river]] saving Tbilisi from Iranian reconquest. The war eventually ended with the [[Treaty of Gulistan]], which forced Iran to officially cede eastern Georgia, [[Dagestan]], as well as most of the modern-day [[Azerbaijan|Azerbaijan Republic]] to Russia. By the 1826-28 war, Russia took modern-day [[Armenia]], the [[Nakhichevan Khanate]], the [[Talysh Khanate|Lankaran Khanate]] and [[Iğdır Province|Iğdır]] from Iran. Thus, by 1828, the Russians had gained an immensely strong foothold in the Caucasus. Parts of western Georgia were added to the empire during the same period through wars with the [[Ottoman Empire]].

==Population==
By the year 1800, the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti was home to approximately 45,000 households,{{sfnp|Jaoshvili|1984|p=59}} amounting to a total population of around 320,900 individuals, of whom approximately 220,000 were ethnically Georgian.{{sfnp|Jaoshvili|1984|p=69}} In addition to [[Georgians]], the kingdom was inhabited by various ethnic groups, including [[Azerbaijanis|Turkoman tribes]], [[Armenians]], [[Ossetians]], [[Jews]], and [[Greeks]]. Notably, the demographic composition varied considerably across different regions of the kingdom. Areas such as [[Abotsi]], [[Lori Province|Lore-Tashir]], Bambak, and various parts of [[Lower Kartli]] (e.g., the [[Dmanisi Municipality|Dmanisi Gorge]], [[Trialeti]], and [[Somkhiti]]) were almost entirely depopulated. Sabaratiano was likewise affected, though not entirely depopulated. Conversely, regions such as [[Inner Kartli]], the [[Duchy of Ksani|Ksani Valley]], the [[Duchy of Aragvi|Aragvi area]], as well as various parts of [[Kakheti]] (e.g., [[Ertso-Tianeti]], Outer and Inner Kakheti, Kiziki, and Thither Region), were relatively more densely populated. Regarding the highland regions — [[Dvaleti]], [[Khevi]], [[Mtiuleti]], [[Pshavi]], [[Khevsureti]], and [[Tusheti]] — each was home to several thousand inhabitants.

==Kings==
{{main|List of monarchs of Georgia}}
{{Succession table monarch
| name1        = '''[[Heraclius II of Georgia|Heraclius II]]'''
| nickname1    = 
| native1      = {{lang|ka|ერეკლე II}}
| life1        = {{Birth date|1720|11|07|df=y}} – {{Death date and age|1798|01|11|1720|11|07|df=y}}
| reignstart1  = 8 January 1762
| reignend1    = 11 January 1798
| notes1       = Son of [[Teimuraz II of Kakheti]]
| family1      = [[Bagrationi dynasty|Bagrationi]]
| image1       = Heraclius II of Eastern Georgia crop.png
| alt1         = Heraclius II of Georgia
| name2        = '''[[George XII of Georgia|George XII]]'''
| nickname2    = 
| native2      = {{lang|ka|გიორგი XII}}
| life2        = {{Birth date|1746|11|10|df=y}} – {{Death date and age|1800|12|28|1746|11|10|df=y}}
| reignstart2  = 11 January 1798
| reignend2    = 28 December 1800
| notes2       = Son of Heraclius II
| family2      = [[Bagrationi dynasty|Bagrationi]]
| image2       = George XII of Georgia.jpg
| alt2         = George XII of Georgia
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book | last1 = Fisher | first1 = William Bayne | last2 = Avery | first2= P. | last3 = Hambly | first3 = G. R. G | last4 = Melville | first4 = C. | title = The Cambridge History of Iran | volume = 7 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=H20Xt157iYUC&q=agha+muhammad+khan+invade+georgia | publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]] | location = Cambridge | year = 1991 | isbn = 0521200954 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia | article = EREKLE II | last = Hitchins | first = Keith | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/erekle-ii | encyclopedia  = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. VIII, Fasc. 5 | pages = 541–542 | year = 1998 }}
* {{cite book | last = Jaoshvili| first = Vakhtang | title = Population of Georgia in the XVIII–XX centuries | publisher = Metsniereba | year = 1984}}
* {{cite book | last = Mikaberidze | first = Alexander | title = Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia | volume = 1 | publisher = ABC-CLIO | year = 2011 | isbn = 978-1598843361 }}
* {{cite book | title = The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 7: From Nadir Shah to the Islamic Republic | year = 1991 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | location = Cambridge | last = Perry | first = John | chapter = The Zand dynasty | pages = 63–104 | isbn = 9780521200950 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=H20Xt157iYUC&q=false}}
* {{cite book|last1=Perry|first1=John R.|title=Karim Khan Zand|date=2006|publisher=Oneworld Publications|isbn=978-1851684359}}
* {{cite book|last1=Suny|first1=Ronald Grigor|author-link1=Ronald Grigor Suny|title=The Making of the Georgian Nation|date=1994|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0253209153}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Kartli-Kakheti|'''Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti'''}}
* [http://www.prlib.ru/en-us/History/Pages/Item.aspx?itemid=407 Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library: Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti webpage]—{{in lang|en}}

{{Historical states of Georgia |state=collapsed}}
{{Former Monarchies}}
{{Georgia (country) topics}}

[[Category:Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti| ]]
[[Category:Kartli]]
[[Category:Kakheti]]
[[Category:Early modern history of Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of Europe|Kartli-Kakheti]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of West Asia|Kartli-Kakheti]]
[[Category:Former Russian protectorates]]
[[Category:Vassal and tributary states of the Zand dynasty]]
[[Category:18th century in Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:18th century in Iran]]
[[Category:18th century in Armenia]]
[[Category:18th century in Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:18th century in the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:1760s establishments in Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:1800s disestablishments in Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:1762 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:1801 disestablishments in Asia]]
[[Category:1762 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:1801 disestablishments in Europe]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1801]]
[[Category:Former Christian states|Kartli-Kakheti]]