| Area Total Km2: | 40,861.03 |
| Elevation Max M: | 5,034 |
| Elevation Max Point: | Mount Kazbek |
| Established Date: | 1846 |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Extinct Date: | 1917 |
| Extinct Title: | Abolished |
| Mapsize: | 220px |
| Tiflis Governorate | |
| Native Name: | Тифлисская губерния |
| Native Name Lang: | ru |
| Population As Of: | 1916 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Rural: | 59.10% |
| Population Total: | 1,473,308 |
| Population Urban: | 40.90% |
| Seat: | Tiflis (present-day Tbilisi) |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Settlement Type: | Governorate |
| Subdivision Name: | Russian Empire |
| Subdivision Name1: | Caucasus |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Viceroyalty |
| Total Type: | Total |
Tiflis Governorate was a province (guberniya) of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire with its administrative centre in Tiflis (present-day Tbilisi). In 1897, it constituted in area and had a population of 1,051,032 inhabitants.[1] Tiflis Governorate bordered Elizavetpol Governorate to the southeast, Erivan Governorate to the south, Kars Oblast to the southwest, Batum Oblast to the west, Kutaisi Governorate to the northwest, Terek Oblast to the north, Dagestan Oblast to the northeast, and after 1905, the Zakatal Okrug to the east. The governorate covered areas of central and southeastern Georgia, the partially recognised state of South Ossetia, most of the Lori Province of Armenia, small parts of northwestern Azerbaijan, and a minuscule southern part of Ingushetia of Russia.
Tiflis Governorate was established in 1846 along with the Kutaisi Governorate, after the dissolution of the Georgia-Imeretia Governorate. It was initially formed from uezds of Tiflis, Gori, Telavi, Signakh, Elizavetpol, Erivan, Nakhichevan and Alexandropol and the okrugs of Zakatal, Ossetian and Tushino-Pshavo-Khevsurian. In 1849, uezds of Erivan, Nakhichevan and Alexandropol were attached to Erivan Governorate. In 1859, the Ossetian Okrug became part of Gori district and Tushino-Pshavo-Khevsurian Okrug was renamed to Tionety Okrug. In 1867, the northern part of Tiflis uezd was separated into the Dusheti uezd, while Akhaltsikhe uezd which was created after ceding from Ottoman Empire to Russian Empire in 1829, was detached from Kutaisi Governorate and part of Tiflis one. In 1868 Elizavetpol uezd (in the same decree, the Kazakh uezd was formed from it) became a part of the Elizavetpol Governorate. In 1874, the southern part of Akhaltsikhe uezd became the Akhalkalaki uezd, and the Tionety okrug was elevated to an uezd. Finally, the southern part of Tiflis uezd was detached to become the Borchaly uezd.
The Tiflis Governorate lasted within these boundaries for some 50 years until the Russian Revolution and subsequent founding of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1918.[2] The governorate and its counties were soon abolished after its incorporation into the Soviet Union and reorganised into the raions (counties) of the Georgian SSR by 1930.
The counties (uezds) of the Tiflis Governorate in 1917 were as follows:[3]
| Name | Capital | Population | Area | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | 1916 | ||||
| Akhalkalaki uezd | Akhalkalaki | 72,709 | 107,173 | 2407verst2 | |
| Akhaltsikhe uezd | Akhaltsikhe | 68,837 | 96,947 | 2331.88verst2 | |
| Borchaly uezd | Shulavery (Shaumiani) | 128,587 | 169,351 | 6046.96verst2 | |
| Gori uezd | Gori | 191,091 | 241,016 | 6007.56verst2 | |
| Dusheti uezd | Dushet (Dusheti) | 67,719 | 66,430 | 3411.8verst2 | |
| Signakh uezd | Signakh (Signagi) | 102,313 | 153,864 | 5291.79verst2 | |
| Telavi uezd | Telav (Telavi) | 66,767 | 67,955 | 2162.91verst2 | |
| Tiflis uezd | Tiflis (Tbilisi) | 234,632 | 521,222 | 4004.08verst2 | |
| Tionety uezd | Tioneti (Tianeti) | 34,153 | 49,350 | 4250.06verst2 | |
| Zakatal okrug | Zakataly (Zaqatala) | 84,224 | 3502.24verst2 | ||
According to the Russian Empire Census, the Tiflis Governorate had a population of 1,051,032 on, including 575,447 men and 475,585 women. The plurality of the population indicated Georgian to be their mother tongue, with significant Armenian, Tatar, Russian, and Ossetian speaking minorities.
| Language | Native speakers | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgian | 465,537 | 44.29 | |
| Armenian | 196,189 | 18.67 | |
| Tatar | 107,383 | 10.22 | |
| Russian | 79,082 | 7.52 | |
| Ossetian | 67,268 | 6.40 | |
| Avar-Andean | 34,130 | 3.25 | |
| Greek | 27,118 | 2.58 | |
| Turkish | 24,722 | 2.35 | |
| German | 8,340 | 0.79 | |
| Dargin | 7,565 | 0.72 | |
| Ukrainian | 6,443 | 0.61 | |
| Polish | 6,282 | 0.60 | |
| Jewish | 5,188 | 0.49 | |
| Kurdish | 2,538 | 0.24 | |
| Chechen | 2,207 | 0.21 | |
| Persian | 1,991 | 0.19 | |
| Assyrian | 1,570 | 0.15 | |
| Imeretian | 1,546 | 0.15 | |
| Lithuanian | 1,263 | 0.12 | |
| Kyurin | 1,149 | 0.11 | |
| Mingrelian | 498 | 0.05 | |
| French | 356 | 0.03 | |
| Kist | 296 | 0.03 | |
| Italian | 259 | 0.02 | |
| Belarusian | 247 | 0.02 | |
| Czech | 229 | 0.02 | |
| Romanian | 198 | 0.02 | |
| Kazi-Kumukh | 197 | 0.02 | |
| Talysh | 152 | 0.01 | |
| Chuvash | 148 | 0.01 | |
| Latvian | 123 | 0.01 | |
| Other | 818 | 0.08 | |
| TOTAL | 1,051,032 | 100.00 |
| Male | Female | Both | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | ||||
| Eastern Orthodox | 319,930 | 264,891 | 584,821 | 55.64 | |
| Armenian Apostolic | 113,399 | 96,762 | 210,161 | 20.00 | |
| Muslim | 104,500 | 84,528 | 189,028 | 17.98 | |
| Armenian Catholic | 10,363 | 9,853 | 20,216 | 1.92 | |
| Old Believer | 8,156 | 8,053 | 16,209 | 1.54 | |
| Roman Catholic | 8,630 | 2,914 | 11,544 | 1.10 | |
| Judaism | 5,642 | 4,068 | 9,710 | 0.92 | |
| Lutheran | 4,221 | 4,257 | 8,478 | 0.81 | |
| Baptist | 142 | 122 | 264 | 0.03 | |
| Reformed | 44 | 31 | 75 | 0.01 | |
| Karaite | 10 | 5 | 15 | 0.00 | |
| Anglican | 2 | 7 | 9 | 0.00 | |
| Buddhist | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0.00 | |
| Mennonite | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.00 | |
| Other Christian denomination | 183 | 10 | 193 | 0.02 | |
| Other non-Christian denomination | 220 | 79 | 299 | 0.03 | |
| TOTAL | 575,447 | 475,585 | 1,051,032 | 100.00 | |
According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Tiflis Governorate had a population of 1,473,308 on, including 780,010 men and 693,298 women, 1,255,176 of whom were the permanent population, and 218,132 were temporary residents:
| Nationality | Urban | Rural | TOTAL | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | ||
| Georgians | 62,627 | 14.64 | 580,009 | 55.47 | 642,636 | 43.62 | |
| Armenians | 197,916 | 46.28 | 213,831 | 20.45 | 411,747 | 27.95 | |
| Russians | 94,885 | 22.19 | 57,924 | 5.54 | 152,809 | 10.37 | |
| Sunni Muslims | 6,353 | 1.49 | 61,164 | 5.85 | 67,517 | 4.58 | |
| Asiatic Christians | 19,560 | 4.57 | 36,410 | 3.48 | 55,970 | 3.80 | |
| North Caucasians | 2,714 | 0.63 | 45,037 | 4.31 | 47,751 | 3.24 | |
| Shia Muslims | 9,434 | 2.21 | 29,548 | 2.83 | 38,982 | 2.65 | |
| Other Europeans | 12,058 | 2.82 | 12,845 | 1.23 | 24,903 | 1.69 | |
| Jews | 14,296 | 3.34 | 4,948 | 0.47 | 19,244 | 1.31 | |
| Kurds | 2,279 | 0.53 | 3,653 | 0.35 | 5,932 | 0.40 | |
| Yazidis | 4,697 | 1.10 | 0 | 0.00 | 4,697 | 0.32 | |
| Roma | 851 | 0.20 | 269 | 0.03 | 1,120 | 0.08 | |
| TOTAL | 427,670 | 100.00 | 1,045,638 | 100.00 | 1,473,308 | 100.00 | |
The administration tasks in the governorate were executed by a governor. Sometimes, a military governor was appointed as well. The governors of Tiflis Governorate were[4]