საქართველო გერმანულ პრესაში: Hamburger Relations-Courier (1722)
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Date
2026
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ივანე ჯავახიშვილის სახელობის თბილისის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტის გამომცემლობა / Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Press /
Abstract
“Hamburger Relations-Courier”, published from 1673 onwards, emerged as one of the most significant newspapers in Northern Germany during the eighteenth century. It provided its readership with regular reports on current events in Europe and the Near East. Its pages contained diplomatic information, military reports, and commercial news. The publication was not analytical in character; rather, it relied on correspondence and consistently indicated the place of origin of its reports—Venice, Constantinople, and other cities. Reports often opened with phrases such as “it is reported,” “it is known,” or “they report again,” underscoring the mediated and indirect nature of the information. The style was concise and politically oriented. Events were seldom placed within a broader historical perspective; instead, attention focused on ongoing developments, diplomatic relations, and shifts in the balance of power. A single issue could therefore combine diplomatic correspondence from Venice, official reports from Constantinople, and editorial summaries. Alongside political news, the newspaper also included brief announcements and commercial notices, thereby fulfilling functions of both political and social communication.
Georgia was represented in the newspaper not as an independent political actor, but rather as a theatre of confrontation between imperial powers. This was particularly evident in the 3, 4, 8, and 10 December 1722 issues.
In the issue of 3 December, drawing on correspondence from Venice, the question of Georgia was presented within the context of diplomatic pressure, with Russian actions framed not only as military operations but also as a political issue demanding a response from the Ottoman Empire. In the issue of 4 December, reports received from Constantinople placed these same events within a more official framework; the capture of Tbilisi, the construction of fortifications, and the growing strategic importance of the Caucasus were described. In the issue of 8 December, the tone became more assertive, linking Georgia to questions of sovereignty, with emphasis placed on Ottoman legal claims and Russian actions. By 10 December, these various reports were consolidated into a broader political assessment, in which Georgia was presented as a decisive arena in matters of war and peace.
Taken together, these four issues illustrate how the image of Georgia in the Ger man press emerged through interconnected yet fragmented reports, with its political significance shaped by the source and nature of the information presented.
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ივანე ჯავახიშვილის დაბადებიდან 150-ე წლისთავისადმი მიძღვნილი საერთაშორისო სამეცნიერო კონფერენცია, თეზისები, თბილისი, 2026, გვ.: 246-248 / International Scientific Conference Dedicated to the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Ivane Javakhishvili, Tesiss, Tbilisi, 2026, p.: 246-248