Parsadan Gorgijanidze
Encyclopedia
P'arsadan Gorgijanidze (1626 – c. 1696) was a Georgian
factotum
and historian
who served at both the Georgian and Persian courts and is principally known for his informative chronicles The History of Georgia (საქართველოს ისტორია, sak’art’velos istoria).
Originally from the town of Gori
, Gorgijanidze was brought up at the court of the pro-Persian Georgian ruler Rostom of Kartli
in Tbilisi
and engaged in Georgian-Persian diplomacy early in his career. In 1656, he was appointed, through the recommendation of Rostom, a darugha (prefect) of the Persian capital Isfahan. Gorgijanidze had to become a Muslim
on this occasion and was to spend four decades in the service of the shah
s Abbas II
and Suleiman I
.
Shortly after his appointment as a darugha of the capital, P’arsadan’s administrative rearrangements and new laws raised him opposition and led the Isfahanians into rebellion. He was removed from his post and appointed an eshik-agha (Master of Ceremonies
) of the Safavid court. P’arsdan’s family remained in Georgia, but several of its members were also active in Persia. Thus, one of P’arsandan’s brothers, Alexander, served as the zarabibash (chief of the Shah’s mint) of Isfahan; another, Melik Sadat-Bek, was yuzbash (lieutenant) of the shah’s army. P’arsadan’s son, David, was trained as an officer of the shah’s guard (gholem). Gorgijanidze found himself involved in the incessant intrigues in the Safavid administration and twice fell in disfavor with the shah, being exiled to Shushtar
from 1666 to 1671.
A manuscript of Gorgijanidze’s untitled chronicle was discovered by the Georgian scholar Platon Ioseliani
in 1841 and was conventionally named The History of Georgia by the 19th-century scholars of Georgia Marie-Félicité Brosset
and Teimuraz Bagrationi
. It is voluminous work which seems to have been completed by the author by 1694 or 1696. The chronicle relates the Georgian history from the ascension of Christianity
in Georgia in the 4th century down to the late 17th century. Gorgijanidze’s account of his contemporary events is of special value. He made extensive use of foreign, primarily Persian, historical works in order to confirm or supplement information from native Georgian sources. The chronicles contain also autobiographic information and is written in vernacular Georgian apparently because of the author’s poor knowledge of the contemporary standards of Georgian literary language. Gorgijanidze also translated a book of Muslim law into Georgian and composed a trilingual Georgian-Arabic-Persian dictionary.
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...
factotum
Factotum
Factotum is the second novel by American author Charles Bukowski. The plot follows Henry Chinaski, Bukowski's alter ego, who has been rejected from the World War II draft and makes his way from one menial job to the next...
and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
who served at both the Georgian and Persian courts and is principally known for his informative chronicles The History of Georgia (საქართველოს ისტორია, sak’art’velos istoria).
Originally from the town of Gori
Gori, Georgia
Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. The name is from Georgian gora , that is, "heap", or "hill"...
, Gorgijanidze was brought up at the court of the pro-Persian Georgian ruler Rostom of Kartli
Rostom of Kartli
Rostom or Rustam Khan was a ruler of Kartli, eastern Georgia, from 1633 until his death. Appointed by a Persian shah as a Wāli of Kartli, he styled himself king of kings and sovereign.- Life :...
in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
and engaged in Georgian-Persian diplomacy early in his career. In 1656, he was appointed, through the recommendation of Rostom, a darugha (prefect) of the Persian capital Isfahan. Gorgijanidze had to become a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
on this occasion and was to spend four decades in the service of the shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
s Abbas II
Abbas II of Persia
Shah Abbas II was Shah of Iran from 1642 to 1666. He was the seventh Shah of the Safavid Dynasty. He was the son of Shah Safi I and a Circassian, Anna Khanum, and originally bore the name Sultan Muhammed Mirza before his coronation on May 15, 1642...
and Suleiman I
Suleiman I of Persia
Suleiman I was a Safavid shah of Persia who reigned between 1666 and 1694. He was the elder son of the previous shah Abbas II and a Circassian slave, Nakihat Khanum....
.
Shortly after his appointment as a darugha of the capital, P’arsadan’s administrative rearrangements and new laws raised him opposition and led the Isfahanians into rebellion. He was removed from his post and appointed an eshik-agha (Master of Ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
) of the Safavid court. P’arsdan’s family remained in Georgia, but several of its members were also active in Persia. Thus, one of P’arsandan’s brothers, Alexander, served as the zarabibash (chief of the Shah’s mint) of Isfahan; another, Melik Sadat-Bek, was yuzbash (lieutenant) of the shah’s army. P’arsadan’s son, David, was trained as an officer of the shah’s guard (gholem). Gorgijanidze found himself involved in the incessant intrigues in the Safavid administration and twice fell in disfavor with the shah, being exiled to Shushtar
Shushtar
-External links:** Hamid-Reza Hosseini, Shush at the foot of Louvre , in Persian, Jadid Online, 10 March 2009, .Audio slideshow: .* .* * , PressTV, 13 June 2010....
from 1666 to 1671.
A manuscript of Gorgijanidze’s untitled chronicle was discovered by the Georgian scholar Platon Ioseliani
Platon Ioseliani
Platon Ioseliani was a Georgian historian.Educated at St Petersburg Theological Academy, he then taught physics and philosophy at Tbilisi Theological Seminary and later served for the office of the Viceroy of the Caucasus. His articles were regularly published in the Russian and Georgian press...
in 1841 and was conventionally named The History of Georgia by the 19th-century scholars of Georgia Marie-Félicité Brosset
Marie-Félicité Brosset
Marie-Félicité Brosset was a French orientalist who specialized in Georgian and Armenian studies.He was born in Paris into the family of a poor merchant who died the same year that Brosset was born...
and Teimuraz Bagrationi
Teimuraz Bagrationi
Teimuraz Bagrationi otherwise known as tsarevich Teimuraz Georgievich was a Georgian prince and scholar primarily known as an author of the first critical history in Georgian as well as for his work to popularize interest in the history and culture of Georgia and preserve its treasures.Prince...
. It is voluminous work which seems to have been completed by the author by 1694 or 1696. The chronicle relates the Georgian history from the ascension of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in Georgia in the 4th century down to the late 17th century. Gorgijanidze’s account of his contemporary events is of special value. He made extensive use of foreign, primarily Persian, historical works in order to confirm or supplement information from native Georgian sources. The chronicles contain also autobiographic information and is written in vernacular Georgian apparently because of the author’s poor knowledge of the contemporary standards of Georgian literary language. Gorgijanidze also translated a book of Muslim law into Georgian and composed a trilingual Georgian-Arabic-Persian dictionary.
Further reading
- Lang, David MarshallDavid Marshall LangDavid Marshall Lang , was a Professor of Caucasian Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was one of the most productive British scholars who specialized in Georgian, Armenian and ancient Bulgarian history.David M...
. Georgia and the Fall of the Safavi Dynasty. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of LondonUniversity of London-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, Vol. 14, No. 3, Studies Presented to Vladimir Minorsky by His Colleagues and Friends (1952), pp. 523-539.