Duchy of Aragvi
Encyclopedia
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
("duke
s") from c. 1380 until being transferred to the royal crown in 1747.
which flourished in the 13th century. From this house, the duchy passed to those of Tumanisdze and, finally, in the 16th century, to the House of Sidamoni
. This latter change of power took place sometime after 1569, when an obscure nobleman of the Sidamoni clan, with the aid of the dukes of the Ksani, massacred the Tumanisdze family and took control of their possessions. In the process of time, the tenure of a duke of Aragvi became hereditary, and the eristavi ranked as mtavari
, one of the "undivided" princely houses of Georgia.
The dukes of Aragvi had their residences at Dusheti
and Sioni, and the main fortress at Ananuri
. Bodorna
was their familial abbey and a burial ground. Their possessions extended from the main ridge of the Great Caucasus in the north to the left bank of the Mtkvari (Kura) in the south, and from the Liakhvi River in the west to the mountains of Alevi and Gremi
in the east – which formed the watershed between the valleys of the Ksani
and the Aragvi. As of the 1770 census, the duchy’s population amounted to 3,300 households. The duchy controlled a vital road to the North Caucasus
, which would later become the Georgian Military Road
.
The energetic 17th-century dukes of Aragvi – Nugzar, Zurab, and Zaal – waged a relentless struggle to achieve more autonomy from the royal authority of Kartli
as well as to subdue the free mountainous communities of Pshavi
-Khevsureti
and Ertso-Tianeti
.
In 1743, the rebellious Aragvians killed their duke Bezhan and surrendered the duchy to Teimuraz II
, a Georgian king of Kartli. Teimuraz converted the duchy into a royal appanage and gave it to his grandson Prince Vakhtang. The surviving members of the ducal family were later removed by Teimuraz’s son Erekle II
to Kakheti
and granted a smaller estate. Vakhtang died in 1756 and was succeeded by his brothers, first by Levan (died 1781), and then by Vakhtang-Almaskhan, who was sent into exile by the Russians
, once they took control of Georgia
, in 1803. Later, the descendants of the dukes of Aragvi attempted to restore their titles and patrimonial estates in the Aragvi valley, but to no avail. In 1828, the Russian Senate
ruled their claims to be groundless.
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...
, strategically located in the upper Aragvi valley
Aragvi River
The Aragvi River and its basin is located in Georgia on the southern slope of the Caucasus Mountains. The river is 112 km in length. The basin covers an area 2,724 km² The ground strata is mostly sandstone, slate, and limestone. The hydro-electricity dam built on the river produces much of...
, in the foothills of the eastern Greater Caucasus
Greater Caucasus
Greater Caucasus , sometimes translated as "Caucasus Major", "Big Caucasus" or "Large Caucasus") is the major mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains....
crest, and ruled by a succession of eristavi
Eristavi
Eristavi 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...
("duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
s") from c. 1380 until being transferred to the royal crown in 1747.
History
The first known dukes of Aragvi belonged to the House of ShaburisdzeShaburidze
Shaburidze were a Georgian noble family, which claimed descent from the Sassanid dynasty of ancient Persia and to which belonged the Duchy of Aragvi from the 13th century to the 15th....
which flourished in the 13th century. From this house, the duchy passed to those of Tumanisdze and, finally, in the 16th century, to the House of Sidamoni
House of Sidamoni
The House of Sidamoni was a noble family in Georgia, their principal line known as Aragvis Eristavi by virtue of being eristavi of Aragvi from 1578 to 1743. They were also known as Sidamonidze , Sidamonishvili , and Sidamon-Eristavi...
. This latter change of power took place sometime after 1569, when an obscure nobleman of the Sidamoni clan, with the aid of the dukes of the Ksani, massacred the Tumanisdze family and took control of their possessions. In the process of time, the tenure of a duke of Aragvi became hereditary, and the eristavi ranked as mtavari
Mtavari
Mtavari was a feudal title in Georgia usually translated in English as prince.The earliest instances of the use of mtavari are in the early Georgian hagiographic texts dated to the 5th century. From the 11th to the 14th centuries, the title mtavari, along with tavadi, was synonymous with eristavi,...
, one of the "undivided" princely houses of Georgia.
The dukes of Aragvi had their residences at Dusheti
Dusheti
Dusheti is a town in Georgia, situated in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, 54 km northeast of the nation’s capital of Tbilisi.Dusheti is located on both banks of the small mountainous river of Dushetis-Khevi at the foothills of the Greater Caucasus crest at an elevation of 900 m above sea level...
and Sioni, and the main fortress at Ananuri
Ananuri
Ananuri is a castle complex on the Aragvi River in Georgia, about 45 miles from Tbilisi.-History:Ananuri was a castle and seat of the eristavis of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century. The castle was the scene of numerous battles.In 1739, Ananuri was attacked by...
. Bodorna
Bodorna
Bodorna is a small village in Georgia, situated on the Georgian Military Road, 8 km from the town of Dusheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, in the east of the country....
was their familial abbey and a burial ground. Their possessions extended from the main ridge of the Great Caucasus in the north to the left bank of the Mtkvari (Kura) in the south, and from the Liakhvi River in the west to the mountains of Alevi and Gremi
Gremi
Gremi is a 16th-century architectural monument – the royal citadel and the Church of the Archangels – in Kakheti, Georgia. The complex is what has survived from the once flourishing town of Gremi and is located east of the present-day village of the same name in the Kvareli district, 175...
in the east – which formed the watershed between the valleys of the Ksani
Ksani
Ksani is a small river in central Georgia, which rises on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in South Ossetia and flows into the Kura River. Ksani is often associated with the Medieval Georgian Ksani Fortress which lies close to the Ksani River....
and the Aragvi. As of the 1770 census, the duchy’s population amounted to 3,300 households. The duchy controlled a vital road to the North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
, which would later become the Georgian Military Road
Georgian Military Road
The Georgian Military Road is the historic name for a major route through the Caucasus from Georgia to Russia. Alternative routes across the mountains include the Ossetian Military Road and the Transkam.-Route:...
.
The energetic 17th-century dukes of Aragvi – Nugzar, Zurab, and Zaal – waged a relentless struggle to achieve more autonomy from the royal authority of Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
as well as to subdue the free mountainous communities of Pshavi
Pshavi
Pshavi is a small historic-geographic area in Georgia, included in today’s Mtskheta-Mtianeti region and laying chiefly on the southern foothills of the Greater Caucasus mountains along Aragvi River and the lower Iori River. The Pshavs, who are locally called the Pshaveli, speak a Georgian dialect...
-Khevsureti
Khevsureti
Khevsureti/Khevsuria is a historical-ethnographic region in eastern Georgia. They are the branch of Kartvelian people located along both the northern and southern slopes of the Great Caucasus...
and Ertso-Tianeti
Ertso-Tianeti
Ertso-Tianeti is a small historical-geographic area in eastern Georgia. It lies along the upper Iori Valley in what is now Tianeti District in the region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti. The area's name is compound, consisting of its two subdivisions: Ertso and Tianeti .Ertso-Tianeti is located on the...
.
In 1743, the rebellious Aragvians killed their duke Bezhan and surrendered the duchy to Teimuraz II
Teimuraz II
Teimuraz II , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Kakheti, eastern Georgia, from 1732 to 1744, then of Kartli from 1744 until his death.- Life :...
, a Georgian king of Kartli. Teimuraz converted the duchy into a royal appanage and gave it to his grandson Prince Vakhtang. The surviving members of the ducal family were later removed by Teimuraz’s son Erekle II
Erekle II
Erekle II was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi Dynasty, reigning as the king of Kakheti from 1744 to 1762, and of Kartli and Kakheti from 1762 until 1798. In the contemporary Persian sources he is referred to as Erekli Khan, while Russians knew him as Irakli...
to Kakheti
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...
and granted a smaller estate. Vakhtang died in 1756 and was succeeded by his brothers, first by Levan (died 1781), and then by Vakhtang-Almaskhan, who was sent into exile by the Russians
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, once they took control of Georgia
Georgia within the Russian Empire
Between 1801 and 1918 the country of Georgia was part of the Russian Empire. For centuries, the Muslim Ottoman and Persian empires had fought over various fragmented Georgian kingdoms and principalities but by the 18th century, a third imperial power, Russia, had emerged in the region. Since Russia...
, in 1803. Later, the descendants of the dukes of Aragvi attempted to restore their titles and patrimonial estates in the Aragvi valley, but to no avail. In 1828, the Russian Senate
Governing Senate
The Governing Senate was a legislative, judicial, and executive body of Russian Monarchs, instituted by Peter the Great to replace the Boyar Duma and lasted until the very end of the Russian Empire. It was chaired by the Ober-Procurator...
ruled their claims to be groundless.
Sidamoni
- 1578-1580 : Jason I
- 1580-1600 : Avtandil I
- 1600-1618 : Nugzar,
- 1618-1620 : Baadur I
- 1620–1629 : Zurab I,
- 1630-1635 : David I,
- 1635–1659 : Zaal I,
- 1659-1670 : Otar I
- 1670-1687 : Revaz I
- 1687-1688 : Jason II
- 1688-1696 : George I
- 1696-1696 : Baadur II
- 1696-1723 : George I
- 1723-1725 : Otar II
- 1725-1729 : Teimuraz I
- 1729-1729 : Revaz II
- 1729-1731 : Papuna I
- 1731-1739 : Bardzim I
- 1739-1743 : Bezhan
Non-dynastic
- 1743-1747 : Givi IIGivi Amilakhvari200px|thumb|[[Archil of Imereti|Archil II]] and Givi AmilakhvariGivi Amilakhvari was a Georgian nobleman with a prominent role in the politics of eastern Georgia in the first half of the 18th century...
, Prince AmilakhvariAmilakhvariThe Amilkhvari was a noble house of Georgia which rose to prominence in the fifteenth century and held a large fiefdom in central Georgia until the Imperial Russian annexation of the country in 1801. They were hereditary marshals of Georgia from c. 1433, from which the family takes its name... - 1747 : Annexion by the Kingdom of Kakheti
Bagrationi appanage
- 1747–1756 : Vakhtang I Bagrationi
- 1756-1766 : Vacant
- 1766-1781 : Levan
- 1782–1801 : Vakhtang II
- 1801 : annexion by Russia