Baratashvili ( ka, ბარათაშვილი) is a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

noble family, appearing at the end of the 15th century as a continuation of the Kachibadze (ქაჩიბაძე), which were possibly related to the Liparitids-Orbeli. The surname "Baratashvili", literally “children/descendants of Barata”, derives from the 15th-century nobleman Barata “the Great” Kachibadze. The Kachibadze are first attested in the early 14th century inscription from the Pitareti monastery and, according to the Georgian scholar

Simon Janashia Simon Janashia ( ka, სიმონ ჯანაშია; July 13, 1900 – November 5, 1947) was a Georgian historian and public figure. He was a professor of history and one of the founding members of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. Janash ...

, originated in

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...

. Early in the 16th century, the Baratashvili estates, known as Sabaratiano, included hundreds of villages with 2,500-3,000 peasant households and some 250-300 noble vassals in

Lower Kartli Kvemo Kartli ( ka, ქვემო ქართლი, az, Aşağı Kartli) or "Lower Kartli", is a historic province and current administrative region (mkhare) in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is the regional capital. Location Kvem ...

in the south of Georgia. They had castles at

Samshvilde Samshvilde ( ka, სამშვილდე, ) is a ruined fortified city and archaeological site in Georgia, in the country's south, near the homonymous modern-day village in the Tetritsqaro Municipality, Kvemo Kartli region. The ruins of the c ...

Dmanisi Dmanisi ( ka, დმანისი, tr, , az, Başkeçid) is a town and archaeological site in the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia approximately 93 km southwest of the nation’s capital Tbilisi in the river valley of Mashavera. The hominin ...

, Darbaschala, Tbisi and Enageti; and familial abbeys at

Pitareti Pitareti Monastery ( ka, ფიტარეთის მონასტერი) is a medieval Orthodox Christian monastery in Georgia, approximately 26 km southwest of the town of Tetritsqaro, Kvemo Kartli, southwest of the nation's capita ...

, Gudarekhi,

, and Kedi. They were listed among the top five great nobles,

tavadi ''Tavadi'' ( ka, თავადი, "prince", lit. "head/chief" an from ka, თავი ''tavi'', "head", with the prefix of agent ''-di'') was a feudal title in Georgia first applied in the Late Middle Ages usually translated in English as P ...

, of the

Kingdom of Kartli The Kingdom of Kartli ( ka, ქართლის სამეფო, tr) was a late medieval/ early modern monarchy in eastern Georgia, centred on the province of Kartli, with its capital at Tbilisi. It emerged in the process of a triparti ...

and played a prominent role in the political and cultural life of Georgia; they were High Constables of

Somkhiti Somkhiti ( ka, სომხითი ) was an ambiguous geographic term used in medieval and early modern Georgian historical sources to refer to Armenia on one hand and to the Armeno-Georgian marchlands along the river valleys of Debed and Khr ...

-Sabaratiano, and also majordomos and Lords Chief Justice at the royal court. In the 16th and 17th centuries, several noble houses sprung off the Baratashvili. These were: *Gostashabishvili *Germanozishvili *Zurabishvili *Abashishvili * Orbelishvili-Qaplanishvili *Palavan-Khosroshvili *Iaralishvili *Iotamishvili. The main Baratashvili line gradually declined and lost their privileges to their own offshoot Qaplanishvili. A branch of the Baratashvili, Barataev (Баратаевы), was also established in Russia by an expatriate prince Melkisedek (Mikhail), who followed King

Vakhtang VI Vakhtang VI ( ka, ვახტანგ VI), also known as Vakhtang the Scholar, Vakhtang the Lawgiver and Ḥosaynqolī Khan ( fa, حسین‌قلی خان, translit=Hoseyn-Qoli Xān) (September 15, 1675 – March 26, 1737), was a Georgian ...

in his Russian emigration in 1724. Melkisedek Baratashvili, now known as Mikhail Barataev, entered Russian service. Of his four sons, two – Pyotr and Semyon – became generals in the Russian army and governors of Siberia and Kazan, respectively. His daughters married into Russian nobility. Pyotr Barataev's son, Prince

Mikhail Barataev Prince Mikhail Petrovich Barataev (russian: Михаил Петрович Баратаев (Бараташвили), ka, მიხეილ ბარათაევი ��არათაშვილი}) (January 1, 1784 – July 30, 1856) was a R ...

, was a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...

better known as an archeologist and numismatist of Georgia. After Russian annexation of Georgia, the Georgian Baratashvili were confirmed among the princely nobility (

knyaz , or ( Old Church Slavonic: Кнѧзь) is a historical Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times of history and different ancient Slavic lands. It is usually translated into English as prince or duke, dependi ...

Baratov, Баратовы) in the decrees of 1826, 1827, 1829, and 1850.Баратовы (Baratov)
''Russian Biographic Lexicon''. Retrieved on 2008-07-07.

Notable members

*Barata Baratashvili (died c. 1626), military commander *Kaikhosro Baratashvili (died 1636), military commander *Qaplan Baratashvili (died 1671), military commander *

Nikoloz Baratashvili Prince Nikoloz "Tato" Baratashvili ( ka, ნიკოლოზ "ტატო" ბარათაშვილი; 4 December 1817 – 21 October 1845) was a Georgian poet. He was one of the first Georgians to marry modern nationalism with European R ...

(1817-1845), poet * Sulkhan Baratashvili (1821-1866), historian

References

{{Reflist Noble families of Georgia (country) Georgian-language surnames