Tbilisi Governorate
Tbilisi Governorate (Tiflis Governorate), an administrative-territorial unit in the Russian Empire. It was established on December 14, 1846. Tbilisi Governorate was divided into Tbilisi, Gori, Sighnaghi, Telavi and Elizavetpol uezds (county). In addition, Tbilisi Governorate included the Tush-Pshav-Khevsureti, Gori and Ossetia okrugs (administrative divisions).
On June 19, 1858, the Nari district (historical Dvaleti), which was part of the Ossetia okrug, was separated from Tbilisi Governorate and transferred to the left wing of the Caucasus Line, which later became part of the Terek oblast (administrative division).
In 1864, the Russian administration introduced a system of administrative-territorial division of Georgia that was similar to the internal governorates of the Russian Empire. On September 15, 1864, the Emperor approved the statute on the division of the Tbilisi Governorate into rural communities. On April 11, 1865, the Viceroy of the Caucasus announced the statute on the creation of rural communities in the Tbilisi Governorate. A list of rural communities was published.
The development of capitalist relations, both in the central governorates of the Russian Empire and in Georgia, led to the implementation of reforms.
On December 9, 1867, the Supreme Regulation on the Change of Government in the Caucasus and South Caucasus was published, which approved a new system of administrative-territorial division of the entire South Caucasus and, in particular, the Tbilisi Governorate.
Tbilisi Governorate was divided into six uezds: Akhaltsikhe, Gori, Dusheti, Sighnaghi, Telavi and Tbilisi. Four of the six districts listed here – Tbilisi, Gori, Telavi and Sighnaghi – existed before the Regulation of December 9, 1867. Akhaltsikhe uezd was removed from the Kutaisi Governorate and was transferred to the Tbilisi Governorate, the Dusheti uezd was restored. Tianeti okrug also remained within the Tbilisi Governorate.
From December 9, 1867, the division of uezds into districts was abolished. On the basis of the regulation of the same year, a circular of the Vice-roy of the Caucasus was issued on February 12, 1868, which stated that the amendments provided for by the regulation would be implemented on February 19, 1868. The mentioned circular envisaged several more administrative-territorial changes of a private nature in the Tbilisi Governorate. A special prefecture named Akhalkalaki was allocated within the Akhaltsikhe uezd. It was created from the villages of the former Akhalkalaki district. Tianeti okrug was transformed into Tianeti prefecture and joined the Telavi uezd. The listed administrative-territorial changes were the result of the further economic development of our country.
Such an administrative-territorial division of the Tbilisi Governorate existed until 1874.
In 1874, a new regulation was prepared on the division of Tbilisi Governorate into uezds. On November 3 of the same year, a regulation of the State Council was published, according to which the uezds of Akhalkalaki and Tianeti were to be created within Tbilisi Governorate. The Akhalkalaki uezd was created from the former Akhalkalaki prefecture, and the Tianeti uezd was formed from the former Tianeti prefecture.
On May 6, 1880, another new administrative-territorial unit was created within Tbilisi Governorate — Borchaly uezd, which included the former Lori-Trialeti and Borchaly prefectures.
The difficulties of administrative governance forced the government to return to the system of dividing uezds into districts. On April 10, 1888, a regulation was published on the division of the uezds of Tbilisi Governorate into districts.
The new administrative-territorial division of Tbilisi Governorate was final and did not undergo any changes during the 19th century.
At the end of the 19th century, Tbilisi Governorate, located in the basin of the Mtkvari River and its tributaries, encompassing eastern Georgia and, partly, south-western Georgia (Samtskhe-Javakheti), and surrounded on all sides by mountains and rivers, represented a single, indivisible administrative-territorial unit. Tbilisi Governorate was abolished in 1917.
Z. Tsintsadze
