Relations franco-géorgiennes Le Français Victor Letellier et le complot politique de 1832 en Géorgie

Abstract

In 1832, in Georgia, there was conspiracy, aiming to throw off the shackles of Russian Empire from Georgia. The testimonies of conspirators confirm that the initiators (Dimitri and Okropir Batonishvili) and organizers (Tamar Batonishvili, Elizbar Eristavi, Alexander Orbeliani, Solomon Dodashvili) had extensive relations with the political and diplomatic circles of England and France, among them, with Frenchman Victor Letellier, the secretary of the Consulate of France in Georgia. Georgian scientists share the opinion that he has participated in the conspiracy.

Goal of our research was to study:
1. Biography of Victor Letellier and his relations with the conspiracy of 1832.
2. Objective reasons of relations of Georgian conspirators with France.
3. Actual goals of the government of France related to Georgia. According to the materials found in the course of assignment to the Diplomatic Archive of France in December 2022, it became possible to clarify the details of Victor Letellier’s biography. In 1827- 1830, he served as the secretary of Consulate of France in Georgia. He had secret relations and meetings with Georgian conspirators. He supported and sheered them up. He studied the history of Transcaucasia, Georgia, Lazica, Armenia, as well as Persia, Ottoman and Russia and as a result, in 1840, in Paris, he has published the book Travel and Rout in Constantinople, Among the Laz, Georgia, Persia and Part of Russia, from 1826 to 1833 by Louis Victor Letellier, book I, 440 pages.
Victor Letellier has also traveled to Persia, with special assignment, to find the ways for making trade contacts with the Persian Empire. Diplomatic Archive of France contains Victor Letellier’s report (Mémoire sur la nécessité d’établir des relations commerciales avec la Perse par V. Letellier, 1830-1832) sent to Bavaria, to the royal minister, Monsieur de Bourgogne. V. Letellier advised his government that France should show interest to entry to the large market of Asia, where, at that time, Russia was the sole player. For this, it needed trade contacts with much better civilized Persia and this way ran across Georgia.Thus, interest of France to Georgia was determined by its geopolitical location at that time. Therefore, it is apparent that France had actual goal for providing support to Georgia. This can also explain the reason of such great hopes of Georgian conspirators that the Europe and specifically France would support them

Unfortunately, the hope for European aid to Georgia turned out to be in vain. It seems that the French government could not or did not appreciate Victor Letellier’s opinion that the connection with Georgia was very urgent and relevant for geopolitical reasons.