EREKLE II (1720–1798). King of Kakheti in 1744–1762 and of Kartli-Kakheti in 1762–1798. Popularly known as Patara Kakhi, Erekle II is one of the most important political figures in 18th-century Georgia. Born into the Kakhetian branch of the Bagration dynasty, Erekle spent his early years in the service of Nadir Khan, who restored Persian dominance in eastern Georgia in 1734–1735. Nadir appointed Erekle's father, King Teimuraz II (1729–1744) as wali (viceroy) of Kakheti while a Persian governor ruled the neighboring Kartli. Despite the resistance of many Georgian nobles to Persian rule, Teimuraz and Erekle remained loyal to Nadir Khan (who became shah after 1737) to secure their power and rebuild the country. Erekle gained a reputation as a military commander commanding Georgian forces in Nadir Shah's campaigns in India in 1737–1740, where he distinguished himself during the assault on Deli. In 1743, Erekle and Teimuraz supported Nadir Shah against the rebellious Georgian nobles, and as a reward, the Shah granted Kartli to Teimuraz and Kakheti to Erekle.

Following Nadir Shah’s assassination in 1747, Erekle took advantage of the political instability in Persia to assert his independence and concluded alliances with the khans of Azerbaijan against the Persians. In 1749, Erekle drove the last Persian troops out of Kartli and, after the death of his father in 1762, Erekle became the ruler of the united Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti. He successfully campaigned throughout southeastern Caucasia, where he established a temporary Georgian hegemony over various Muslim principalities. In 1751, he routed Azat Khan of Adarbadagan, one of the pretenders to the Persian throne, in a decisive battle at Kirbulakh (in Armenia) and then captured him in 1760. King Erekle also fought a series of battles against his archenemy, Açi Chalabi, khan of Saki-Shirvan, who defeated the Georgians at Ganja in 1752 but was routed later that year. In the late 1750s, Erekle was engaged in a war of attrition with the Daghestanians, whose relentless raids devastated eastern Georgia. In 1754–1755, he defeated them near Mchadijvari and Kvareli. He attempted to unify other Georgian principalities and negotiated a military alliance with King Solomon of Imereti in 1758. Erekle made significant reforms toward the modernization of army, administration, education, and economy and restricted the powers of the feudal aristocracy. In 1765, he suppressed the uprising of Prince Paata and ruthlessly eliminated the rebel leaders. 

Erekle also actively sought Russian aid against foreign threats because Russia was a Christian nation and could serve as a link to Europe, which Erekle thought essential for Georgia's development. In 1752, he sent a mission to St. Petersburg to request Russian troops or a financial subsidy, but, preoccupied with European affairs, the Russian rulers ignored these appeals. Despite Erekle’s support of Russia in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774, Russia remained reluctant to commit itself to a new alliance and treated Georgia as a secondary theater of military operations. Erekle finally obtained the guarantees he had sought from Russia when he and Empress Catherine II concluded the Treaty of Georgievsk in 1783. The treaty transformed Kartli-Kakheti into a Russian protectorate and pledged Russian protection against any foreign threats. However, Russia failed to live up to its responsibilities, and during a new Russo-Turkish War from 1787–1792, Russian troops evacuated Kartli-Kakheti, leaving Erekle to face Persia alone. 

Agha Muhammad Khan of Persia, determined to restore Persian control over eastern Georgia, demanded that Erekle renounce his alliance with Russia and acknowledge Persian suzerainty. When Erekle refused, Agha Muhammad Khan invaded Kartli-Kakheti, defeated Erekle in a pitched battle at Krtsanisi and razed Tbilisi in 1795. Russian troops arrived in 1796, too late to be of any help. Even then, the death of Empress Catherine brought an abrupt change in Russian policy as her successor Paul I withdrew Russian troops from eastern Georgia. Despite being let down by the Russians, Erekle remained convinced that only Russian protection could ensure the continued existence of his country. His death in early 1798 was a momentous event in Georgian history. The country lost an able and experienced leader and found itself in the midst of a dynastic crisis as members of the royal house vied against each other for power. Erekle’s quest to gain Russia’s help proved of great consequence for Georgia since it led to the eventual annexation of Georgian principalities by Russia in 1801 and the subsequent 190 years of Russian administration.

ALM