a feudal state in Eastern Georgia, which emerged in the second half of the 15th century as a result of the disintegration of the united Georgian Kingdom. Its capital was Tbilisi. The kingdom was in existence until 1762, at which time it united with Kakhetia to form a single Kartli-Kakhetian state under King Erekle II. Kartli Kingdom had a barter economy. It was divided into separate semiindependent units, or satava-dos. The late 17th and early 18th centuries were a period of economic and cultural progress. In the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, Kartli waged a continuous struggle against Iranian and Turkish aggression. Georgian statesmen, including Luarsab I, Simon, Georgii Saakadze, Rostom, Vakhtang VI, and Erekle II, fought for the preservation of the country’s independence. In 1723 the Kartli Kingdom was conquered by the Turks; in 1735, by the Iranians. In 1744 the kingdom liberated itself from its foreign subjugators. In 1801 the Kartli-Kakhetian Kingdom was annexed to Russia.