GEORGIANNES IN THE 50s-60s OF THE CENTURY

Abstract

In this work, the history of Georgian identity in the 50s-60s of the 19th century is analyzed from a different perspective. From this point of view, the Crimean War and the issue of the Georgian kingdom-provinces are discussed. Here are presented public perceptions among Georgians regarding the Crimean War. It is shown how Georgians perceived this war, how Georgia was involved in the war as a constituent part of the empire, or as a way of preserving territorial identity, or as a religious unity.
The discussed material testifies that the main force of the Transcaucasian line of the Russo-Ottoman war was the Georgian People’s Army. In the struggle for territorial redistribution, both empires promised to appropriate the historical land of Georgia. For the Georgian people, it was a struggle for independence, an unusual perception of Georgians on the difficult path of preserving their Georgianness. Standing on Russia’s side in this struggle was a way of self-preservation for a part of
Georgians who believed that religious unity was equivalent to preserving identity. However, religious unity, as we have seen, could not guarantee the preservation of identity.