Лим Ворд - Библия Времени. Найди свое

In November 1801 Dagestan (Avar) Ummah Khan decides to support the Georgian prince Alexander Bagrationi in his struggle for the Georgian (Karli-Kakheti) throne. The legitimate monarch – George the Twelfth nominates another heir. Against the 14,000 people of the Avar and Georgian squad, there are: a Russian detachment of General Ivan Lazarev, numbering 1,500 soldiers and 6 guns, and about 7,000 Georgian fighters. The battle takes place on the outskirts of Tiflis, near the Iori River. Highlanders enter the battle without the command of Ummah Khan, the Russian-Georgian troops crowd, but fall under artillery fire and suffer serious losses. The battle ceases with the onset of the night, after which Ummah Khan gives the order to retreat.

Impressed by this battle, also afraid of the scale campaign that is being prepared by Persia, Georgii Twelfth expresses a desire to join Georgia as an autonomy with special rights. Emperor Paul the First, December 22, 1800 signs the appropriate manifesto. Further, the monarch asserts the kingdom of successor George, King David Twelfth. Later, David becomes Governor-General, with the title of king, and the Carly-Kakhetian kingdom, turning into a simple Russian province, is deprived of autonomy. At the beginning of the reign of Alexander the First, (1801), the Georgian king (who had entered into a struggle with potential dignitaries against St. Petersburg dignitaries) was suspended from power, General Ivan Lazarev, commander of Russian troops, became its manager.

The self-name of Georgians is kartveli, in the East they were called «gurj», from this in Russian «gurzin» was formed and, with the rearrangement of sounds, the modern «Georgians».

…Plans for the Indian campaign (with the British, former French colonial possessions) combined with Napoleon are recognized by most historians as a hoax, but the very fact that the rumor about him seemed true to contemporaries speaks of a turn of the foreign policy vector. With regard to Britain, Russia now maintains its armed neutrality, while others, seeing this, are imposing an embargo on trade with the «mistress of the seas,» and close their ports for it.

But, the British do not hesitate and, in 1801, through their ambassador, Winstvorte is handed over to participants in the unfolding conspiracy, in most of the masons who promoted each other to key positions, 2 million rubles. Yes, we can say that Paul favored the soldiers, but now there is not a single private soldier with him. But there is Count Palen, the Baltic German, the closest secret adviser and, in combination, the main coordinator of the coup.

And, on September 11, the plot wheel comes into motion. The Preobrazhensky regiment in the guard of the emperor is replaced by Semenovsky, who is in direct subordination to the heir Alexander (the future First), except for only one internal post. The initial plan, in words – custody of the feeble-minded and, like the hospital – Shlisselburg fortress. The deceived valet opens the door, two perplexed guard hussars receive heavy wounds of sabers. The fact that there were further four main versions. In all cases, officers bursting into the Emperor’s bedchamber are slow to leave, wanting everything to happen as though by themselves, without their direct participation. The first – Paul is half-hourly negotiating, already almost pitying the drunk conspirators, then one of them, calling for decisive action, deals the emperor with a golden snuff box in the temple. The second – the emperor exerts desperate resistance, dies in the ensuing struggle. Third, Paul signs all the conditions for abdication, but one of the leaders, Bennigsen, demonstratively leaves to another room, examines the pictures posted there for a long time. The rest perceive this gesture in their own way, they severely beat and (the Georgian prince Yashvil, the most likely murderer) suffocate the monarch. The fourth – Paul signs the act of abdication, all calms down a little, then the conspirators remember Anna Ivanovna and the Council defeated by her secret advice, express to the emperor sore, and, again, use the golden snuffbox. Apparently, such an end awaits many monarchs who are dissuaded by clever words or jokes, do not want to understand anything that «ordinary people» try to interpret to them, treat you frivolously, in the usual situation, although you know for yourselves that, in fact, you are right.

Empress Maria Feodorovna (Sofia Augusta), who is widowed, declares that she is crowned and should now reign, tears to the window with an appeal to the troops, but she is stopped (the same Palen), suggesting not to play a comedy. Later, she will take her, at least partially, sending the coup to their distant estates, removing them from power, etc.

On the throne rises her eldest son, Alexander the First. His first words are «… Everything will be the same with me as with my grandmother…»

The project of peasants’ emancipation by means of their gradual redemption with land from owner-landlords is being blamed, and is reduced almost to nothing. In newspapers it is only forbidden to publish, so shocking Europeans, announcements about the sale of people. The decree «On Free Farmers» comes out, declaring what seems to be taken for granted; the right of the landowner to let his serf to freedom. But, for the whole time of the existence of this document, hardly 1,2% of peasants could use it; landlords do not want to part with «movable property.»

By that time Alexander had been married for two years to Louise Maria Augusta, the daughter of the Crown Prince of one of the German kingdoms. In Orthodoxy, the spouse takes the name of Elizaveta Alexeevna. Both daughters die in early childhood. Further, the monarch is cold to his wife and finds solace in the arms of the main favorite – daughter lynched by the mob during the Warsaw uprising of the Polish nobleman, Maria Naryshkina (nee Svyatopolk-Chetvertinskaya).

In 1804, in response to the annexation of Eastern Georgia to Russia, and incited by the leading English in Asia, the Shah of Persia Feth-Ali (Baba-Khan) declares war on Russia. In June and July, Russian troops, having defeated the Iranian detachments, besieged Erivan (Yerevan), but, because of the large losses, retreat. Under the rule of Russia passes the Karabakh, then the Shirvan (Shemakha, part of the present Azeybardjan) khanate. August 12, 1805, the Caspian flotilla anchors in Baku Bay, Russian General I. Zavalishin convinces Huseyngul-khan to accept the citizenship of the Russian Empire. After unsuccessful negotiations, the squadron bombarded Baku for 11 days, landed troops, broke the Khan’s forces that had left the fortress, but, due to serious losses and shortage of ammunition, removes the siege. January 30, 1806 follows the second act of submission: the Caspian fleet replenishing its reserves and the two thousandth detachment of infantry stand at the walls of the eastern capital. It seems that the transition of the Baku Khanate to the Russian Empire is a decided matter, but the cousin of the khan is included in the course of negotiations; his bodyguards are killing Russian parliamentarians. In the summer of the same year, in the final part of the action, the Russian troops break the forces of the Persian commander (son of the Shah) Abbas Mirza and join the Baku, Derbent and Cuban (part of present Dagestan and Azeybardzhan) khanate.

After the end of the Russo-Turkish war in January 1812, Persia tends to sign a peace treaty, but Napoleon’s invasion of Russia adds extra weight to the war party in the Shah’s yard. South Azebaryan becomes the place of formation of the 30-thousand army of invasion of Georgia. Further, on February 1, 1812, the 18,000-strong corps of the Persians, under the command of British officers, manages to encircle one of the Russian battalions to surrender, but this ends their fortune. A series of fierce battles ends with the capture of Lankaran (now belonging to Azerbaijan), a fortress built by British engineers. The five-day bombardment does not bring any special damage to the fortification. At dawn on January 1, 1813, a frontal assault is carried out: 1800 Russian huntsmen against 4000 defenders of the fortress. The rows of assault columns are thinning out, but a few grenadiers climb onto the wall, capture an enemy cannon, unfold it and open fire with a grapeshot, supporting the attack. In battle, 350 soldiers and officers are killed, as well as almost all defenders of the fortress. Among the trophies – 8 English guns.

October 24, 1813, the Gulustan peace treaty is signed in Karabakh, recognizing all the acquisitions of the Empire, except for the territory of Eastern Armenia – which is returning to Persia. The peoples of the Caucasus and Transcaucasia get rid of the threat of invasion by Persia and Turkey, but the constant friction on the racial and religious grounds in this region become some of the factors of the instability of the whole of Russia.

The third coalition against Napoleon and his allies – Spain, Bavaria, Italy, arises after the signing of the St. Petersburg Union Treaty by England and Russia (April 11, 1805). Later Austria, Sweden and Portugal join it.

Bonaparte is not helped even by the fact that he himself, in effect, becomes a monarch: on December 1, 1804, according to the results of a plebiscite poll among his people, with 0.07% of the votes «against» is proclaimed emperor. Russian and French rulers exchange insults. Alexander the First, protesting against the shooting, accused of conspiracy, the Duke of the neutral Baden Margrave, calls the French government a «den of robbers», Napoleon in response hints at Alexander’s participation in the overthrow and murder of his own father.

The UK is not fighting as much as it pays: 1 million 250 thousand pounds sterling for every 100,000 soldiers of the coalition each year. This is about 80 grams of gold, or 900 modern pounds per ordinary soldier.

Bonaparte is preparing a landing across the English Channel, against his main opponent, and so to speak, the «customer»; 180 thousand people cavalry and infantry. They need to transport 1700 barges in the first wave of invasion, 590 in the second. The French-Spanish fleet is sent from the Mediterranean Sea to support the landing force and, at Cape Trafalgar (vicinity of the Strait of Gibraltar), meets with the English Navy. The forces are roughly the same, three dozen battleships, but the British gunners are more adept, and mostly the noble officer corps of the «Lady of the Seas» did not suffer at all from the work of the revolutionary guillotine. The avant-garde of the Franco-Spanish column, nine pennants, breaks through, the lagging ships suffer crushing losses of manpower in artillery duels (4,500 against 450 killed by the British), are boarded and captured. The British do not lose a single ship, but their brave Admiral Nelson dies – in a barrel of rum (according to legend, drunk by sailors during the journey), the body of the commander returns to his homeland.

Meanwhile, the Austrians are going to attack the possessions of Napoleon in Northern Italy and Bavaria. Upon learning of their plans, Napoleon is like Vienna. To help allies rush two parts of the Russian army (about 200 thousand people). Alexander supposes to give battle even before the approach of additional forces. At Austerlitz, on December 2, 1805, 60,000 Russians, 25,000 Austrians, 350 guns and 74,000 French (including their allies) gather, with 250 guns.

The left flank of the Russian-Austrian army is gaining initial success, gradually shifting from occupied heights and getting bogged down in battle, then the reserves of Napoleon come out of the forest shelters and rapidly break through the center of the Allied forces. Maneuverable, extremely effective French artillery appears exactly where it is needed, immediately opens fire, sows horror and death. The army of Franz and Alexander disintegrates, as well as their retinue; For a while the sobbing Russian emperor is accompanied only by a single hussar.