Tsitsishvili
Encyclopedia
The Tsitsishvili is a Georgian
noble family, with several notable members from the 15th century through the 20th.
The Tsitsishvili family was a continuation of the medieval house of Panaskerteli, known in the province of Upper Kartli (Samtskhe) from the 12th century, who derived their name from the castle of Panaskerti in Tao-Klarjeti
. They came into prominence with Zachariah of Panaskerti, who, together with some other nobles, put down in 1192 the revolt against Queen Tamar of Georgia
and were eventually enfeoffed with the duchy of Tao. His descendant, T'aqa Panaskerteli, Duke of Tao, defeated the Turkomans
invading Georgia in about 1302 at Tortomi
Castle.
In 1442, the king of Georgia, Vakhtang IV
, married Sitikhatun, daughter of Prince Zaza I Panaskerteli
. Pressured by the princes of Samtskhe of the Jaqeli
dynasty, Zaza removed in 1467 to Inner Kartli, where he obtained from King Constantine II
the fiefs of Khvedureti and Kareli
. These formed the basis of a new princedom of the Panaskerteli, later known as Satsitsiano. The name Satsitsiano derived from the patronymic
of Tsitsishvili, which was borne by Zaza’s posterity, but must have been derived from an earlier member of the house called Tsitsi, and not, as has sometimes been supposed, from Zaza’s son, for the patronymic is found already in an undated charter of King Alexander I of Georgia
(r. 1412-1442).
The Tsitsishvili ranked as fifth among the six "undivided" princely houses of the kingdom of Kartli
, a successor state of the already fragmented kingdom of Georgia
. They intermarried with the royal dynasty and other nobility of Georgia and held several top hereditary offices at the court. In the 17th century, the house divided into the Upper and Lower branches, which entailed the loss of the family’s dynastic status. Upon the Russian
annexation of Georgia in 1801, the house of Panaskerteli-Tsitsishvili was received into the princely nobility
of the empire under the name of Tsitsianov . Earlier, in 1724, a branch of this family, also known as Tsitsianov, was established in Russia by the expatriate Georgian nobleman Paata Tsitsishvili.
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...
noble family, with several notable members from the 15th century through the 20th.
The Tsitsishvili family was a continuation of the medieval house of Panaskerteli, known in the province of Upper Kartli (Samtskhe) from the 12th century, who derived their name from the castle of Panaskerti in Tao-Klarjeti
Tao-Klarjeti
Tao-Klarjeti is the term conventionally used in modern history writing to describe the historic south-western Georgian principalities, now forming part of north-eastern Turkey and divided among the provinces of Erzurum, Artvin, Ardahan and Kars...
. They came into prominence with Zachariah of Panaskerti, who, together with some other nobles, put down in 1192 the revolt against Queen Tamar of Georgia
Tamar of Georgia
Tamar , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy...
and were eventually enfeoffed with the duchy of Tao. His descendant, T'aqa Panaskerteli, Duke of Tao, defeated the Turkomans
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
invading Georgia in about 1302 at Tortomi
Tortum
Tortum is a town and district of Erzurum Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey.The population is 4,507 as of 2010.There are 4 different ethnic group in the district.Ethnicity distribution*Turkish*Hemshin*Kurdish*Zaza- External links :...
Castle.
In 1442, the king of Georgia, Vakhtang IV
Vakhtang IV of Georgia
Vakhtang IV , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was King of Georgia from 1442 until his death.Vakhtang was the eldest son of Alexander I of Georgia by his first wife Dulandukht. He was raised to the co-kingship by his father in 1433...
, married Sitikhatun, daughter of Prince Zaza I Panaskerteli
Zaza Panaskerteli-Tsitsishvili
Zaza Panaskerteli-Tsitsishvili was a 15th-century Georgian prince, politician, and man of letters known for his compendia of medical arts Karabadini . He is described as “the great healer and head of the wise” in a contemporary record.Zaza belonged to the old aristocratic family Panaskerteli,...
. Pressured by the princes of Samtskhe of the Jaqeli
Jaqeli
Jaqeli was a Georgian noble family, an offshoot of the House of Chorchaneli, that rose to a ruling house of the principality of Samtskhe in the 13th century, and eventually Islamized to become a dynasty of Akhaltsikhe under the Ottoman Empire in the 16th/17th century.-History:"Jaqeli", literally...
dynasty, Zaza removed in 1467 to Inner Kartli, where he obtained from King Constantine II
Constantine II of Georgia
Constantine II , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Georgia since 1478. Early in the 1490s, he had to recognise the independence of his rival rulers of Imereti and Kakheti, and to confine his power to Kartli....
the fiefs of Khvedureti and Kareli
Kareli, Georgia
Kareli is a town in Shida Kartli, Georgia, located on the right bank of the Mtkvari , 94 km west of the nation’s capital of Tbilisi....
. These formed the basis of a new princedom of the Panaskerteli, later known as Satsitsiano. The name Satsitsiano derived from the patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
of Tsitsishvili, which was borne by Zaza’s posterity, but must have been derived from an earlier member of the house called Tsitsi, and not, as has sometimes been supposed, from Zaza’s son, for the patronymic is found already in an undated charter of King Alexander I of Georgia
Alexander I of Georgia
Alexander I, “the Great” , of the Bagrationi house, was king of Georgia from 1412 to 1442. Despite his efforts to restore the country from the ruins left by the Turco-Mongol warlord Timur Leng’s invasions, Georgia never recovered and faced the inevitable fragmentation that was followed by a long...
(r. 1412-1442).
The Tsitsishvili ranked as fifth among the six "undivided" princely houses of the kingdom 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...
, a successor state of the already fragmented kingdom of Georgia
Kingdom of Georgia
The Kingdom of Georgia was a medieval monarchy established in AD 978 by Bagrat III.It flourished during the 11th and 12th centuries, the so-called "golden age" of the history of Georgia. It fell to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century, but managed to re-assert sovereignty by 1327...
. They intermarried with the royal dynasty and other nobility of Georgia and held several top hereditary offices at the court. In the 17th century, the house divided into the Upper and Lower branches, which entailed the loss of the family’s dynastic status. Upon the Russian
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...
annexation of Georgia in 1801, the house of Panaskerteli-Tsitsishvili was received into the princely nobility
Knyaz
Kniaz, knyaz or knez is a Slavic title found in most Slavic languages, denoting a royal nobility rank. It is usually translated into English as either Prince or less commonly as Duke....
of the empire under the name of Tsitsianov . Earlier, in 1724, a branch of this family, also known as Tsitsianov, was established in Russia by the expatriate Georgian nobleman Paata Tsitsishvili.