Tiflis Governorate
Тифлисская губернія
Governorate
Coat of arms of Tiflis Governorate
Coat of arms
Administrative map of the Tiflis Governorate
Administrative map of the Tiflis Governorate
CountryRussian Empire
ViceroyaltyCaucasus
Established1846
Abolished1917
CapitalTiflis
(present-day Tbilisi)
Area
 • Total40,861.03 km2 (15,776.53 sq mi)
Highest elevation
(Mount Kazbek)
5,034 m (16,516 ft)
Population
 (1916)
 • Total1,473,308
 • Density36/km2 (93/sq mi)
 • Urban
40.90%
 • Rural
59.10%
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Tiflis Governorate[a] was a province (guberniya) of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire with its administrative center in Tiflis (present-day Tbilisi). In 1897, it constituted 44,607 sq. kilometres in area and had a population of 1,051,032 inhabitants.[1] The Tiflis Governorate bordered the Elizavetpol Governorate to the southeast, the Erivan Governorate to the south, the Kars Oblast to the southwest, the Batum Oblast to the west, the Kutaisi Governorate to the northwest, the Terek Oblast to the north, the Dagestan Oblast to the northeast, and after 1905, the Zakatal Okrug to the east. The governorate covered areas of central and southeastern Georgia, the partially recognised state of South Ossetia, most of the Lori Province of Armenia, small parts of northwestern Azerbaijan, and a minuscule southern part of Ingushetia within Russia.

History

Tiflis Governorate was established in 1846 along with the Kutaisi Governorate, after the dissolution of the Georgia-Imeretia Governorate. It was initially formed from uezds of Tiflis, Gori, Telavi, Signakh, Elizavetpol, Erivan, Nakhichevan and Alexandropol and the okrugs of Zakatal, Ossetian and Tushino-Pshavo-Khevsurian. In 1849, uezds of Erivan, Nakhichevan and Alexandropol were attached to Erivan Governorate. In 1859, the Ossetian Okrug became part of Gori district and Tushino-Pshavo-Khevsurian Okrug was renamed to Tionety Okrug. In 1867, the northern part of Tiflis uezd was separated into the Dusheti uezd, while Akhaltsikhe uezd which was created after ceding from Ottoman Empire to Russian Empire in 1829, was detached from Kutaisi Governorate and part of Tiflis one. In 1868 Elizavetpol uezd (in the same decree, the Kazakh uezd was formed from it) became a part of the Elizavetpol Governorate. In 1874, the southern part of Akhaltsikhe uezd became the Akhalkalaki uezd, and the Tionety okrug was elevated to an uezd. Finally, the southern part of Tiflis uezd was detached to become the Borchaly uezd.

The Tiflis Governorate lasted within these boundaries for some 50 years until the Russian Revolution and subsequent founding of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1918.[2] The governorate and its counties were soon abolished after its incorporation into the Soviet Union and reorganised into the raions (counties) of the Georgian SSR by 1930.

Administrative divisions

The counties (uezds) of the Tiflis Governorate in 1917 were as follows:[3][4]

Name Capital Population Area
1897 1916
Akhalkalaki uezd (Ахалкалакскій уѣздъ) Akhalkalaki 72,709 107,173 2,407.00 square versts (2,739.32 km2; 1,057.66 sq mi)
Akhaltsikhe uezd (Ахалцихскій уѣздъ) Akhaltsikhe 68,837 96,947 2,331.88 square versts (2,653.82 km2; 1,024.65 sq mi)
Borchaly uezd (Борчалинскій уѣздъ) Shulavery (Shaumiani) 128,587 169,351 6,046.96 square versts (6,881.82 km2; 2,657.08 sq mi)
Gori uezd (Горійскій уѣздъ) Gori 191,091 241,016 6,007.56 square versts (6,836.98 km2; 2,639.77 sq mi)
Dusheti uezd (Душетскій уѣздъ) Dushet (Dusheti) 67,719 66,430 3,411.80 square versts (3,882.84 km2; 1,499.17 sq mi)
Signakh uezd (Сигнахскій уѣздъ) Signakh (Signagi) 102,313 153,864 5,291.79 square versts (6,022.39 km2; 2,325.26 sq mi)
Telavi uezd (Телавскій уѣздъ) Telav (Telavi) 66,767 67,955 2,162.91 square versts (2,461.53 km2; 950.40 sq mi)
Tiflis uezd (Тифлисскій уѣздъ) Tiflis (Tbilisi) 234,632 521,222 4,004.08 square versts (4,556.89 km2; 1,759.43 sq mi)
Tionety uezd (Тіонетскій уѣздъ) Tioneti (Tianeti) 34,153 49,350 4,250.06 square versts (4,836.83 km2; 1,867.51 sq mi)
Zakatal okrug (Закатальскій округъ) Zakataly (Zaqatala) 84,224 [b] 3,502.24 square versts (3,985.77 km2; 1,538.91 sq mi)

Demographics

Russian Empire Census

According to the Russian Empire Census, the Tiflis Governorate had a population of 1,051,032 on 28 January [O.S. 15 January] 1897, including 575,447 men and 475,585 women. The plurality of the population indicated Georgian to be their mother tongue, with significant Armenian, Tatar,[c] Russian, and Ossetian speaking minorities.[3]

Linguistic composition of the Tiflis Governorate in 1897[3]
Language Native speakers %
Georgian 465,537 44.29
Armenian 196,189 18.67
Tatar[c] 107,383 10.22
Russian 79,082 7.52
Ossetian 67,268 6.40
Avar-Andean 34,130 3.25
Greek 27,118 2.58
Turkish 24,722 2.35
German 8,340 0.79
Dargin 7,565 0.72
Ukrainian 6,443 0.61
Polish 6,282 0.60
Jewish 5,188 0.49
Kurdish 2,538 0.24
Chechen 2,207 0.21
Persian 1,991 0.19
Assyrian 1,570 0.15
Imeretian 1,546 0.15
Lithuanian 1,263 0.12
Kyurin 1,149 0.11
Mingrelian 498 0.05
French 356 0.03
Kist 296 0.03
Italian 259 0.02
Belarusian 247 0.02
Czech 229 0.02
Romanian 198 0.02
Kazi-Kumukh 197 0.02
Talysh 152 0.01
Chuvash 148 0.01
Latvian 123 0.01
Other 818 0.08
TOTAL 1,051,032 100.00
Religious composition of the Tiflis Governorate in 1897[7]
Faith Male Female Both
Number %
Eastern Orthodox 319,930 264,891 584,821 55.64
Armenian Apostolic 113,399 96,762 210,161 20.00
Muslim 104,500 84,528 189,028 17.98
Armenian Catholic 10,363 9,853 20,216 1.92
Old Believer 8,156 8,053 16,209 1.54
Roman Catholic 8,630 2,914 11,544 1.10
Judaism 5,642 4,068 9,710 0.92
Lutheran 4,221 4,257 8,478 0.81
Baptist 142 122 264 0.03
Reformed 44 31 75 0.01
Karaite 10 5 15 0.00
Anglican 2 7 9 0.00
Buddhist 3 2 5 0.00
Mennonite 2 3 5 0.00
Other Christian denomination 183 10 193 0.02
Other non-Christian denomination 220 79 299 0.03
TOTAL 575,447 475,585 1,051,032 100.00

Kavkazskiy kalendar

According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Tiflis Governorate had a population of 1,473,308 on 14 January [O.S. 1 January] 1916, including 780,010 men and 693,298 women, 1,255,176 of whom were the permanent population, and 218,132 were temporary residents:[4]

Nationality Urban Rural TOTAL
Number % Number % Number %
Georgians 62,627 14.64 580,009 55.47 642,636 43.62
Armenians 197,916 46.28 213,831 20.45 411,747 27.95
Russians 94,885 22.19 57,924 5.54 152,809 10.37
Sunni Muslims[d] 6,353 1.49 61,164 5.85 67,517 4.58
Asiatic Christians 19,560 4.57 36,410 3.48 55,970 3.80
North Caucasians 2,714 0.63 45,037 4.31 47,751 3.24
Shia Muslims[e] 9,434 2.21 29,548 2.83 38,982 2.65
Other Europeans 12,058 2.82 12,845 1.23 24,903 1.69
Jews 14,296 3.34 4,948 0.47 19,244 1.31
Kurds 2,279 0.53 3,653 0.35 5,932 0.40
Yazidis 4,697 1.10 0 0.00 4,697 0.32
Roma 851 0.20 269 0.03 1,120 0.08
TOTAL 427,670 100.00 1,045,638 100.00 1,473,308 100.00

Governors

The administration tasks in the governorate were executed by a governor. Sometimes, a military governor was appointed as well. The governors of Tiflis Governorate were[9]

Notes

  1. ^
  2. ^ The Zakatal Okrug was detached from the Tiflis Governorate in 1905 to be administered separately. As a special administrative okrug, Zakatal's population in 1916 was 92,608.
  3. ^ a b Before 1918, Azerbaijanis were generally known as "Tatars". This term, employed by the Russians, referred to Turkic-speaking Muslims of the South Caucasus. After 1918, with the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and "especially during the Soviet era", the Tatar group identified itself as "Azerbaijani".[5][6]
  4. ^ Primarily Turco-Tatars.[8]
  5. ^ Primarily Tatars.[8]

References

  1. ^ Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopaedia: Tiflis Governorate (in Russian)
  2. ^ Coats of Arms of the Cities of the Georgia-Imeretia Governorate of the Russian Empire Archived 2008-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b c "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  4. ^ a b Кавказский календарь на 1917 год, pp. 206–213.
  5. ^ Bournoutian 2018, p. 35 (note 25).
  6. ^ Tsutsiev 2014, p. 50.
  7. ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  8. ^ a b Hovannisian 1971, p. 67.
  9. ^ Н. Ф. Самохвалов, ed. (2003). Губернии Российской Империи. История и руководители. 1708-1917. Moscow: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russian Federation. pp. 372–376, 467–468.

Bibliography

Further reading

41°43′00″N 44°47′00″E / 41.7167°N 44.7833°E / 41.7167; 44.7833

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