UNKNOWN ANATOMY OF GEORGIAN DIPLOMATIC ASSASSINATIONS

. Current research is dedicated to the unstudied event of the Georgian diplomacy in the 80-ies of the XVIII century – unknown death of Capuchin ambassadors Domenico and Mauro Veronelli sent to Europe by Erekle II, the king of Kartli-Kakheti. Instruction (dated: 1782) of Catharine II confirms that Imperial Court of St. Petersburg was the initiator and interested force to disrupt the Ambassade sent to the Emperor of Austria by Erekle II. Based on the analysis of the primary sources preserved in the archives of Austria and Italy and the background political events, the current article reviews the preconditions and arguments unequivocally proving the assassinations of Erekle’s ambassadors and indicating that referred assassinations were ordered by the Imperial Court of Russia.

The most important point is that despite the death of Mauro Veronelli, the letters sent to Europe in Georgian language (without translation) were still delivered to their place of destination. Erekle's letters were being translated with great enthusiasm at the Imperial Court of Vienna for a year and the referred process was THEORY AND PRACTICE OF SCIENCE: KEY ASPECTS 624 led by the diplomat Wenzel Kaunitz, known and recognized throughout the world [Tabaghua 1979:110-121].

Purpose of the Study
Purpose of the current study is to find out the actual history hidden behind these bare facts. Whether it is coincidental that none of the ambassadors sent by Erekle reached their destination and whether the ambassadors were assassinated or died natural death? This issue has not been studied in historiography.
In order to make certain conclusions in regard of the referred issue we should find out the official version of the two Ambassades sent by Erekle and whether the real purpose towards the Imperial Court of Vienna was camouflaged by the official version. The question, whether there was a political force opposing Georgian-Austrian diplomatic union, shall be answered specifically as well.

Novelty of the Study
The cause of death of the Ambassadors sent by Erekle to Europe has not been studied. The current study is the first attempt to clarify the referred issue.

Literature Review
Based on Erekle's letters, the official goal of the Ambassade is to raise funds in Europe in order to train two regiments in an European manner [ If the function of these letters was only to awaken Russia and make it turn to Georgia, as V. Peradze considers, the question is, what was the necessity of sending a second Ambassade to Europe. Why the letters of the same content of the first Ambassade was not enough for Russia to «turn and awake»? What was the need of repeating the performance created for «turning and awakening»?
We agree with V. Peradze that Erekle was ready for the scenario that the Russian agency would be interested and follow the ambassadors sent by him.
However, we believe it is obvious that Russia should have done this not for the harmless purpose of understanding the content of the letters sent by Erekle to the European monarchs, but rather, to disrupt the Ambassade. Disruption of Ambassade without making influence over Domenico was unreal. Therefore, one way for hampering the capuchin Ambassador was his liquidation.
It is also noteworthy that V. Peradze constructs his reasoning based on a factual mistake stating that Erekle had been preparing this Ambassade for a long time. It is evident that the Ambassade failed. However, it is necessary to achieve the most important goal -to send letters to Vienna and notify Erekle's position to the Emperor of Austria. It is also clear and possible that the Ambassador could have really died a natural death on the way, but it should not turn into an obstacle to achieve the already set goal. Taking into account the background situation, changing the route of the ambassador and demonstratively sending a missioner to Europe through Russia instead of using the old, proven and closest way -through These substantial circumstances require clarification of numerous issues. We suppose that changing the route is not an accidental event, as going to Vienna from Georgia via Moscow instead of using an approved and shorter way, is quite far from the optimal chice.
Obviously, Erekle had to choose the worse option due to certain circumstances.
The reason for considering the ambassador's trip to Vienna via a longer way shall be clarified as well.
While searching the referred factors, another and quite important question ariseswhether the change of a route was connected to the death of Domenico. If yes, whether the missioner Ambassador of Erekle was assassinated for disrupting the diplomatic mission of the latter.
Naturally, it is difficult to confirm exactly who killed Domenico due to the lack of respective documents. Nevertheless, we believe it is possible to find out whether anyone was interested in Domenico's death and the disruption of the ambassade through the analysis of existing situation and a combination of sources.
In Rome, an interesting primary source is preserved in the third volume of Propaganda Fide Historical Archives (Sheet No. 45), proving that an unknown person (identity is not indicated) attempted to obtain the letters kept by Domenico.
Padre Fortunat de Trento wrote to Cardinal: «After the death of former prefect Padre Domenico Triestino, I informed this to a person in order to attend the funeral.
Herein, I also talked to him about the letters the prefect had with him. Two or three days later the above-mentioned person sent me two letters one after another and ordered me not to send the above-mentioned letters until I received the reply from King Erekle. Consequently, the combination of the mentioned facts and circumstances prove that quite important forces acted against Erekle's European mission.
Following issues need to be clarified as well-who might have been interested in disrupting the ambassade and seizing the letters; whether it was a precondition for Erekle to consider the route via Constantinople and the environment existing there dangerous. It is also interesting to what extent was the threat associated with Domenico's death.
We think that if Domenico died a natural death, the Royal Court of Kartli-Kakheti would have no need to change the route. In our opinion, the referred decision adopted by Erekle is a lustration that Domenico was assassinated. This means that as soon as Georgia becomes a neighboring country to Russia, the «annexation» of this territory will automatically be inserted into the agenda of the Imperial Court of St. Petersburg.
Theoretically, Russia faces a choice -it must either take advantage of the benevolence of its ally, that is one of the main guarantees of its success, or think about its own imperial future and maintain the conglomerate, being an excellent opportunity for the future annexation of the Caucasus. Russia chooses this second option, the conquest of the Caucasus, and attempts to gradually prepare the political processes related to its plans without any difficulties. Obviously, this instruction is aimed more at the international community rather than at the Russian bureaucracy.
The Imperial Court of St. Petersburg needs multi-faceted calculations in diplomatic field. One of these calculations refers to the indication that the treaty must be concluded with an allied and not subordinate state, therefore the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti should also be referred to as an ally and not a subordinate. We believe that necessity of changing the approved route during the preparation of the second Ambassade was preconditioned by the assassination of Domenico. Selection of a more difficult route through Russia was a kind of prevention that the second phase of the Ambassade would not end with similar lethal outcome as it happened in Domenico's case.
We think such a decision of the Bagrationi Royal Court definitely excludes the possibility of considering Domenico's death as «a natural death» rather than assassination.
Erekle is quite open and at the same time deliberate politician towards Russia.
If he needs diplomatic manipulations in regard of Russia, it is only because the imperial door of St. Petersburg actually pursues an anti-Georgian policy camouflaged as a coreligionist. Accordingly, Erekle is trying to take a rational step for the favour of Georgian nation and therefore he has to endure a lot of insults from Russia. The interest of the nation and the state is supreme for Erekle. Hence, the reality shall be explained through considering these circumstances and Erekle's orderly, conceptual attitude towards the referred issues. Morover, no document can be found confirming Erekle's anti-Russian sentiments.
Therefore, the question is whether Erekle tries to demonstrate that he makes no intrigues behind the Imperial Court of St. Petersburg by sending Mauro Veroneli to Vienna through Russia. Moreover, when it refers to Austria, which has a fairly harmonious relationship with Russia.
That is why we think that the change of route is a premeditated prevention in order to ensure the ambassador's arrival to his place of destination, in Vienna alive and fulfil his mission. Unfortunately, such prevention turned out to be ineffective.
The second Ambassade leaves even more questions than the first. The strangest thing is that the correspondence of paramount importance is carried by the ambassador without translation -in Georgian, but the fact is that Erekle asked the Capuchin monks to translate the letters. It is evident that Erekle realizes not only the importance of translating these letters, but also the necessity, though, his order is not fulfilled. The question arises -whether Erekle is aware that the missionary ambassador takes the correspondence in Georgian without any translation.

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Needless to say, Erekle is well aware of the difficulties that correspondence in the Georgian language might cause for Europeans. Therefore, logical conclusion can be made-if Erekle had known about it, he would have made the ambassador wait until the translation of letters. However, based on the developed events, this elementary logic remains logical and has no effect on political reality.
We must take into account the limited communication opportunities characteristic of that period -Georgian is quite rare in Europe and the only option is again in Rome, the Congregation of Propaganda Fide that can translate Erekle's letters. However, no one can guarantee that the letters will be translated as quickly It is rather significant that the purpose of the Ambassade is secret. Erekle confirms it in the letter himself. Hence, the reason for the secrecy shall be specified.
If the main reason for the Ambassade is to obtain money from Europe and the equipment for two regiments, and this is evident in the letter, how can it be a stated goal (at least easily understood by those who received these letters) and a secret at the same time?
We think it is impossible to be compatible on the one hand, the notion of mystery and on the other hand, the facts clearly confirmed in the letter. It is an approved diplomatic practice that the Ambassadors convey the secret tasks to the addressees orally. Despite the official texts, which could be found by undesirable persons. Therefore, it was thus possible to hide the real purpose and transmit the secret orally.
Erekle uses this approved and tested system when sending the Ambassade to This means that the secret was Erekle's instruction to Mauro Veronelli in order to transmit the Emperor of Austria, the one Patri should report Joseph II in a private conversation and not what Erekle had requested in a letterin particular, two regimens and money. Certainly, it is interesting to know what a particular case is considered to be urgent and secret at the same time.
Based on the primary sources and existing international situation, we have come to the conclusion that Erekle's goal is to get involved in the process of global redistribution of Europe as the king of an independent state and not just a person fulfilling the will of others needed by European states for targeted strikes against the Ottoman Empire. This is a part of a so-called «Greek Project» envisaging the Erekle is interested in all the projects that envisage weakening of the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, it is evident, he will not be indifferent to the «Greek project» aiming to neutralize the Ottoman Empire.
According to the agreement made between Joseph II and Catherine II this plan should have been kept secret, however, it leaked from the backstage and the reason for this was Catherine's own policy itself, who built the whole empire on the template of this ideology, manifested in culture and architecture as well as in literary and social-political processes. This is how Catherine prepared the Russian Empire for the Greek project.
Erekle follows the rules of the game set by the two emperors and tries not to mention the topic in the letters until the end and transmit his ideas to Joseph II orally.
As for the urgency causing the postponement of the translation of letters, it is connected to the journey of future Emperor Paul (together with his wife) in Austria during 1781-1782. That was a unique opportunity for Erekle to hold negotiation in three-sided format. Erekle hopes for this, as Joseph the Emperor of Austria is clearly sympathetic to Erekle and perceives numerous conceptual layers to develop a common policy.
The goal of the Russian Imperial Court is not to allow Erekle take advantage of this unique chance. The shortest way to implement it is to liquidate the ambassadors.

Conclusions
Thus, according to the official position of the Russian Imperial Court, namely, the relation for Potemkin (dated December 1782) composed by the Russian Empress Catherine II herself, made it obvious that Erekle's relationship with either the Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II Emperor of Austria, or other Christian states was unacceptable.
Both Ambassades sent to Europe by Erekle served one purpose. In particular, Georgian political leader wanted to neutralize Russia's imperial ambitions through the Emperor of Austria. The main task of his Ambassades to Austria and Europe was to make Russia recognize Kartli-Kakheti as an allied sovereign state and not as a segregated segment of a Kartli-Kakheti kingdom and multi-faceted conglomerate of the Caucasus. However, Russia had different aspirations. Kartli-Kakheti as a strong and sovereign state was unacceptable for Russia. Therefore, Erekle's attempt to be connected with Europe, bypassing St. Petersburg, was perceived as an act against Russia's interests and the shortest way to prevent it was to get rid of the ambassadors. However, it is also possible that Russian authorities were incited to adopt such a radical decision as Domenico and Mauro Veronelli might have had a secret verbal commission from Erekle to forward to the Emperor of Austria.
Perhaps, that is why Erekle's ambassadors became the main targets of the Russian