Aslan-Bey Sharvashidze was a prince of the

Principality of Abkhazia The Principality of Abkhazia ( ka, აფხაზეთის სამთავრო, tr) emerged as a separate feudal entity in the 15th-16th centuries, amid the civil wars in the Kingdom of Georgia that concluded with the dissolution of t ...

in 1808–10. He was the second son of

Kelesh Ahmed-Bey Sharvashidze Kelesh Ahmed-Bey (Kelesh-Bey) Sharvashidze (1747–1808) was the head of state of the Principality of Abkhazia from the 1780s to 1808. Kelesh-Bey was the son of Manuchar Sharvashidze. Biography Kelesh-Bey was born in 1747 in the Principality of ...

. Aslan-Bey was associated with pro-Turkish elements of the region, and was responsible for rebelling against and later killing his father in order to ascend the throne of the Principality. According to George Hewitt this a Russian fabrication and the assassination was organised by Aslan-bey's brother Sefer-Bey, Nino Dadiani and the Russian military administration. Aslan-bey turned the town of

Sukhumi Sukhumi (russian: Суху́м(и), ) or Sokhumi ( ka, სოხუმი, ), also known by its Abkhaz name Aqwa ( ab, Аҟәа, ''Aqwa''), is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the capital and largest city of ...

into his royal residence, which at the time, was guarded by a Turkish military regiment. Aslan-Bey actively fought together with King Solomon II of

Imereti Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 munic ...

against

Tsarist Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states ...

Russian forces. In 1810, after several decisive Russian military victories, Sharvashidze was driven out of Sukhumi together with the Turkish regiment that was protecting him and fled to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

. After Aslan-Bey’s expulsion from Abkhazia, the Tsarist Russian leadership established Aslan-Bey’s brother, Sefer Ali-Bey, as the new ruler of Abkhazia. In an interview with Nikoloz/Nicolas Sharvashidze (Head descendant of Aslan-bey) it was mentioned that the elder descendants of the Aslan-Bey branch of the Sharvashidze family currently preside in Georgia, while the junior branch is stated to have gone extinct in Turkey. Archived a
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References

* ''Georgian State (Soviet) Encyclopedia.'' 1983. Book 10. p. 688. * ''Sinop Etnografya Museum/Aslan Torun Mansion'' Princes of Abkhazia Aslan-Bey {{Georgia-noble-stub