Cholokashvili
Encyclopedia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. It claimed an exotic foreign lineage and first appeared in the eastern Georgian province, and later kingdom
Kingdom of Kakheti
The Kingdom of Kakheti was a late medieval/early modern monarchy in eastern Georgia, centered at the province of Kakheti, with its capital first at Gremi and then at Telavi...
, of Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
in 1320. They were enfeoffed of the office of Prince-Master of the Palace of Kakheti and produced several notable members from the 16th century into the 20th.
History
Traditional genealogical accounts have it that the family’s ancestor was a GenoeseRepublic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
officer who moved, in the 14th century, from a Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
n colony to Dagestan
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
where he was dubbed by locals as Cholagh "for the multitude of sheep and cattle he possessed". Cholagh is said to have quarreled with the local tribesmen and fled into neighboring Georgia through the Derbend road in 1320. King George V of Georgia
George V of Georgia
George V, the "Brilliant" was King of Georgia from 1299 to 1302 and again from 1314 until his death. A flexible and far-sighted politician, he recovered Georgia from a century-long Mongol domination, restoring the country’s previous strength and Christian culture.-Reign:George was born to King...
welcomed Cholagh and granted him an apanage and the princely title of the extinct family of Irubakidze in Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
.
The family played an important role in later-day Georgia and intermarried with the Kakhetian branch of the Bagrationi Dynasty
Bagrationi Dynasty
The Bagrationi dynasty was the ruling family of Georgia. Their ascendency lasted from the early Middle Ages until the early 19th century. In modern usage, this royal line is frequently referred to as the Georgian Bagratids, a Hellenized form of their dynastic name.The origin of the Bagrationi...
. They were considered one of the 2 "undivided" houses of Kakheti. Their fiefdom — Sacholokao (საჩოლოყაო) — was annexed to Imperial Russia along with east Georgia in 1801, and the family became mediatized as Russian nobility . The family briefly held the Duchy of Aragvi
Duchy of Aragvi
The Duchy of Aragvi was an important fiefdom in medieval and early modern Georgia, strategically located in the upper Aragvi valley, in the foothills of the eastern Greater Caucasus crest, and ruled by a succession of eristavi from c...
from 1747 to c. 1753.
Notable members
- Garsevan Cholokashvili, a powerful minister at the court of Levan of KakhetiLevan of KakhetiLevan also known as Leon , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1518/1520 to 1574. He presided over the most prosperous and peaceful period in the history of the Kingdom of Kakheti.- Biography :...
(reigned 1520–74) - Shermazan Cholokashvili (died after 1612), politician and diplomat
- Kaikhosro Cholokashvili (died 1613), poet and politician
- Revaz Cholokashvili (died 1648), politician and soldier
- Nikoloz CholokashviliNikoloz CholokashviliNikoloz Cholokashvili , known in Europe as Niceforo Irbachi, , was a Georgian Orthodox priest, politician and diplomat....
(Niciphores Irbachi; c. 1585-1658), Georgian Orthodox priest, politician and diplomat. - Bidzina Cholokashvili (died c. 1660), Christian martyr of Persian aggression canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church
- Jimsher Cholokashvili (died 1756), eristaviEristaviEristavi was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, it was the title of the third rank of prince and governor of a large province...
of the Aragvi 1743-56 - Davit Cholokashvili (1735–1810), poet and translator
- Ilia Cholokashvili (1824–1877), major generalMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in the Russian army - Kaikhosro (Kakutsa) CholokashviliKakutsa CholokashviliKaikhosro Cholokashvili commonly known as Kakutsa was a Georgian nobleman and military commander, regarded as a National Hero of Georgia...
(1888–1930), military commander and national hero of Georgia