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the Caucasus entered Catherine the Great’s sphere of interest. In that year, Erekle signed the Treaty of Georgievsk
which transformed Georgia into a Russian protectorate while giving him the assurances he sought for his kingdom’s
security. Those assurances, though, would prove ethereal. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792, the small
Tbilisi-based Russian forces were evacuated. When Muhammad Khan Qajar sought to revive the Persian Empire and
restore the Caucasus to its fold, he demanded Erekle submit to his suzerainty. Erekle refused. In September 1795, a
Persian army of 35,000 men invaded Georgia. No Russian support was forthcoming. At the Battle of Krtsanisi,
Erekle’s small army of 5,000 was nearly annihilated and Tbilisi was sacked. Erekle, who personally fought as part of
the Georgian advance guard, was finally spirited away by what remained of his bodyguards.
to 2x
to 2x
2137
2137
Anonymous issue
, struck during the reign of Giorgi XII (1798-1800). ¼ Abazi
(Shahi),
Tiflis
AH 1213. 0.73 gm. A-2977 (RR), Bennett 1067 (RR).
Very rare.
Attractive old toning.
Choice extremely fine
$ 500
Already in ill health when he ascended the throne, Giorgi XII would prove to be the last Bagratid ruler of Kartli and
Kakheti. He found his capital, Tbilisi largely in ruins and his kingdom still suffering from the ravishment of the 1795
Persian invasion. Unable to curtail the disorder, dynastic intrigue, and the threat of a new Persian invasion plaguing
his short reign, Giorgi would place his Georgian kingdom under direct Russian rule with the proviso that the Bagratids
would remain as hereditary viceroys.
Moldova & Wallachia
2138
2138 Pattern 3 Denga 1771 S. 1130 gm. Bit 1267 (R1), KM Pn 1.
Rare.
Nice surfaces
and very nice for the issue.
Almost extremely fine
$ 1,000
Medals of Catherine II
2139
2139 Medal. Bronze. By T. Ivanov. 65 mm.
Restoration of the Kremlin Palace, 1773
.
Diakov 163.1, Reichel 2497, Sm 271. Crowned and mantled bust of Catherine the
Great right, signed TIMOΘEИ.ЇBAHOBЪ below / View of the Kremlin on the
banks of the Moscow river. Lovely dark birch brown with a silvery brown
undertone, lustrous.
Uncirculated
$ 500