Editing Paul I of Russia (section)

===Irano-Georgian matters===
{{See also|Georgia within the Russian Empire}}
{{Further|Treaty of Georgievsk|Battle of Krtsanisi}}
[[File:Roubaud. Russian troops entering Tiflis in 1799.JPG|thumb|''Entrance of the Russian troops in Tiflis, 26 November 1799'', by [[Franz Roubaud]], 1886]]

In lieu of Russia's failure to honour the terms of the [[Treaty of Georgievsk]], Qajar Iran reinvaded Georgia. Georgian rulers felt they had nowhere else to turn now as Georgia was again re-subjugated by Iran. [[Battle of Krtsanisi|Tbilisi]] was captured and burnt to the ground, and eastern Georgia reconquered. However, [[Agha Mohammad Khan]], Persia's ruler, was assassinated in 1797 in [[Shusha]], after which the Persian grip on Georgia softened again. [[Heraclius II of Georgia|Erekle, King of Kartli-Kakheti]], still dreaming of a united Georgia, died a year later. After his death, a civil war broke out over the succession to the throne of Kartli-Kakheti, and one of the rival candidates called on Russia to intervene and decide matters. On 8 January 1801, Tsar Paul I signed a decree on the incorporation of Georgia (Kartli-Kakheti) within the Russian Empire,<ref>Gvosdev (2000), p. 85</ref><ref>Avalov (1906), p. 186</ref> which was confirmed by Tsar Alexander I on 12 September 1801.<ref>Gvosdev (2000), p. 86</ref><ref>[[David Marshall Lang|Lang]] (1957), p. 249</ref> The Georgian envoy in Saint Petersburg, [[Garsevan Chavchavadze]], reacted with a note of protest that was presented to the Russian vice-chancellor [[Alexander Kurakin]].<ref>Lang (1957), p. 251</ref> In May 1801, after Paul's death, Russian General [[Carl Heinrich von Knorring]] removed the Georgian heir to the throne, [[David Bagrationi|David]] [[Batonishvili]], from power and deployed a provisional government headed by General [[Ivan Petrovich Lazarev]].<ref>Lang (1957), p. 247</ref>