საქართველოს ისტორიის ფრაგმენტები გერმანულ ჟურნალში “Einleitung zur neuesten Historie der Welt” (1723–1724).
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Date
2026
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Abstract
In eighteenth-century German periodicals, Georgia emerges within a politically and symbolically charged narrative that integrates military events, diplomatic reports, geopolitical interests, and historical-religious conceptions into a coherent whole. From this perspective, particular significance attaches to the 1723-1724 issues of the journal “Einleitung zur neuesten Historie der Welt”, in which the theme of Georgia unfolds across various contexts.
In the publications of 1723, Georgia is presented as one of the principal
targets of Ottoman expansion; however, internal contradictions are evident within the reports. On the one hand, reference is made to the population’s “voluntary submission” and the peaceful integration of the “province”; on the other, to the capture of Tbilisi through deception and violence. These mutually contradictory accounts indicate that the German press perceived Georgia as an unstable and shifting environment in which political interests and modes of conveying infor mation are closely intertwined. Within this context, particular attention is drawn to the portrayal of the Kartlian nobility. The flight of the ruler of Kartli, the conversion of his son, and the imposition of tribute demonstrate that Georgia was not merely a passive object in imperial rivalries. Rather, it appears as a setting in which local actors were compelled to make strategic choices among the interests of the Ottoman Empire, Persia, and Russia, thereby turning the country into an active arena of political contestation.
In the issues of 1724, Georgia is placed within a broader Caucasian and Near Eastern geopolitical context. It is associated with the fall of Isfahan, the military crisis of Persia, and the shifts in power within the Caspian region. The inclusion of the Russian factor further reinforces Georgia’s significance within the balance of power among empires, even though its role is often conveyed indirectly and by implication. At the same time, Georgia is considered as a geographically defined country connected with biblical traditions. Thus, its depiction is no longer confined to military and geopolitical matters but acquires historical and religious significance as well.
The journal’s publications of 1723-1724 demonstrate that, in the German
press, Georgia is characterized as an active participant in ongoing events, whose portrayal is shaped by the interplay of reports and their interpretations.
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XX საფაკულტეტო სამეცნიერო კონფერენცია ეძღვნება პროფესორ ზურაბ ჭუმბურიძის დაბადებიდან 100 წლისთავს, თეზისები, 2026, გვ.: 108-110 / XX Faculty Scientific Conference Dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Professor Zurab Chumburidze, Abstracts, 2026, p.:108-110.