This series of posts is from a presentation entitled “German Geography of the Russian Empire 1721-1914” that I gave in the summer of 2025 at the conferences of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) and the Foundation for East European Family History Studies (FEEFHS). At a high level, it explores the territorial growth of Imperial Russia and shows its significance to German settlement and migration across the empire in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Geography of German Settlement in the Russian Empire
V. Caucasus Region
 |
| Section of the 1842 map “Sketch of the Acquisitions of Russia Since the Accession of Peter I to the Throne” showing the territory that Russia acquired between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. |
Timeline
1768 — Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774).
1774 — Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca ends the Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774).
1763 — Russo-Circassian War (1763-1864).
1784 — Treaty of Georgievsk.
1800 — By Ukase, Russia Declares Possession of Georgia (1800-1802, annexed by 1810).
1804 — First Russo-Persian War (1804-1813).
1813 — Treaty of Gulistan ends the First Russo-Persian War.
1817 — Caucasian War (1817-1864).
1826 — Second Russo-Persian War (1826-1828).
1828 — Treaty of Turkmenchay ends the Second Russo-Persian War (1826-1828).
1828 — Russo-Turkish War (1828-1829).
1829 — Treaty of Adrianople ends the Russo-Turkish War (1828-1829).
1877 — Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878).
1878 — Treaty of San Stefano ends Russo-Turkish War of (1877-1878).
There were three major empires competing for dominance in the Caucasus region in the 18th and 19th centuries: the Ottoman, Persian, and Russian empires. There were also numerous kingdoms and tribes that lived there that were fiercely resistant to Russian rule. Empires were fighting each other and also fighting the native people who lived here. This all set the stage for successive and prolonged conflicts in the area and gradual acquisition of territory by the Russian Empire.
Before getting into the long list of wars and treaties and land grabs, it’s worth mentioning two of the longest conflicts. The first is the Caucasian War (1817-1864). It was crucial in consolidating Russian control over the north Caucasus. For over 40 years, there was conflict between Russia and various North Caucasian peoples, including Circassians, Chechens, Dagestanis, and others. There was no formal treaty that ended the war; it was, very simply put, prolonged subjugation by Russia.
The second that must be mentioned is the Russo-Circassian War (1763-1864). The Circassians endured a century-long war with Russia, beginning with Catherine the Great’s reign. It ended with ethnic cleansing of the Circassian people during the Caucasian War. They were driven out of their homeland and deported to the Ottoman Empire. Many died in massacres and starvation. I include this as a sobering reminder here: when our German ancestors moved into the Russian Empire into newly conquered territory, in many cases…to make room…other populations were moved out.
As for territorial growth, the first real gain for the Russian Empire was by Catherine the Great in 1774. She had made significant gains in the Black Sea region against the Ottoman Empire. In the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, Russia gained control over the principality of Kabarda in the northern Caucasus.
The Treaty of Georgievsk in 1784 established a Russian protectorate over the east Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti. This marked the beginning of Georgia’s integration into the Russian Empire. Between 1800 and 1802, by ukase, Russia “declared herself possessed” of three Georgian kingdoms: Kartli-Kakheti, Imereti, and Mingrelia. They were all officially annexed by 1810.
The First Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) concluded with the Treaty of Gulistan, where Persia ceded Dagestan, northern Azerbaijan including Baku, and portions of Armenia to Russia.
The Second Russo-Persian War (1826-1828) resulted in the Treaty of Turkmenchay, ceding to Russia the Persian khanates of Yerevan and Nakhichevan. These territories roughly correspond to modern-day Armenia.
On the heels of one war was another. Russo-Turkish war (1828-1829) ended with the Treaty of Adrianople. This secured Russia's control over the eastern Black Sea coast from the mouth of the Kuban River at the Sea of Azov, all the way down to Poti, a Georgian port city.
The final territorial acquisition occurred following the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish War. The Treaty of San Stefano transferred Kars and Batumi from Ottoman control to the Russian Empire. Today Batumi is in modern Georgia, and Kars returned to Türkiye.
This area under the Russian Empire was the Caucasus Viceroyalty.
What did this mean for German settlement and migration?
 |
| Known German habitation in this region of the Russian Empire on a modern map. |
The earliest German colonists in the South Caucasus arrived in 1817 and 1818. This was at the beginning of the Caucasian War. Mother colonies were founded in the Tiflis and Elisavetpol provinces, today near Tbilisi, Georgia and Ganja, Azerbaijan.
Some German colonists wanted to go to the Caucasus region earlier, but they were not allowed to because of ongoing wars. They temporarily settled elsewhere in the Black Sea region, many around the city of Odessa and in the Taurida province. There are records of others in the Black Sea region who migrated with notes in revision lists and names lists that indicate that families that were in previous lists had left to “Grusien” — Georgia.
The last Mother colonies to be found in the Russian Empire were also in the South Caucasus, three Separatist settlements in 1884 near Sukumi on the Black Sea coast of Georgia today. This was one of the groups that believed in radical separation from the world to keep the flock pure while awaiting the pending apocalypse, or end of days. Some sources refer to them as the Württemburg Separatists, but this seems to have been an extreme version of it as there were other Württemburg Separatists in the Black Sea region. We’ll see this theme again as we get to settlement further into Asiatic Russia.
Aside from the early Mother colonies in the South Caucasus, the rest of the settlements you see on the map are migrations and Daughter colonies. As the German population grew land became scarce in other regions, it opened up in the Caucasus. It was a very dynamic area. The Germans in the Caucuses came from all over the Russian Empire, something we’ll see again in Asiatic Russia, but not quite as diverse as is seen here: Akmola, Bessarabia, Chernigov, Don Host, Ekaterinoslav, Estland, Irkutsk, Kiev, Kharkov, Kherson, Kursk, Livonia, Minsk, Moscow, Penza, Poltava, Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Taurida, Tula, Ufa, Volhynia, Voronezh.
There was also movement from province to province within this region, as is seen in EWZ (Einwanderungszentralstelle) records from much later in World War II.
Next up, Central Asia and Western Siberia.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Related Posts and Sources:
- Geography of German Settlement in the Russian Empire
I. Introduction (posted 20 September 2025)
II. The Baltics & Finland (posted 21 September 2025)
III. Eastern Europe (posted 22 September 2025)
IV. The Black Sea Region (posted 23 September 2025)
V. The Caucasus Region (posted 24 September 2025)
VI. Central Asia and Western Siberia (posted 25 September 2025)
VII. Russian Far East (posted 26 September 2025)
VIII. Summary (posted 27 September 2025) - Images from the series Geography of German Settlement in the Russian Empire