Cherkezishvili ( ka, ჩერქეზიშვილი) 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
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
, descended from the
Circassia
Circassia (; also known as Cherkessia in some sources; ady, Адыгэ Хэку, Адыгей, lit=, translit=Adıgə Xəku, Adıgey; ; ota, چرکسستان, Çerkezistan; ) was a country and a historical region in the along the northeast ...
n chieftains of
Great Kabarda, whence the surname, literally meaning "children/descendants of a Circassian" in Georgian. They settled in
Kakheti
Kakheti ( ka, კახეთი ''K’akheti''; ) is a region (mkhare) formed in the 1990s in eastern Georgia from the historical province of Kakheti and the small, mountainous province of Tusheti. Telavi is its capital. The region comprises eigh ...
(eastern Georgia) in the 17th century, and attained to a princely dignity of
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 (country), Georgia first applied in the Late Middle Ages usually trans ...
. Under the
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
rule they were confirmed, in 1829 and 1850, in the princely nobility as
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 ...
Cherkezov (Черкезовы).
History
The traditional genealogical accounts such as that of
Prince Ioann of Georgia
Ioane ( ka, იოანე ბაგრატიონი) (16 May 1768 in Tbilisi, Georgia – 15 February 1830 in Saint Petersburg, Russia) was a Georgian prince (batonishvili), writer and encyclopaedist.
Life
A son of George XII, the la ...
at the beginning of the 19th century had it that the Cherkezishvili descended from a Circassian chieftain who had arrived in Georgia during the reign of
Queen Tamar
Tamar the Great ( ka, თამარ მეფე, tr, lit. "King Tamar") ( 1160 – 18 January 1213) reigned as the Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, presiding over the apex of the Georgian Golden Age. A member of the Bagrationi dynasty ...
(r. 1184–1213). In fact, the ancestor of the family, the Kabardian nobleman Alejuko known to the Georgians as Aladag, settled down in the eastern Georgian
kingdom of Kakheti
The Second Kingdom of Kakheti ( ka, კახეთის სამეფო, tr; also spelled Kaxet'i or Kakhetia) was a late medieval/ early modern monarchy in eastern Georgia, centered at the province of Kakheti, with its capital first at Grem ...
in the 17th century. With the adoption of Christianity by Aladag and his scions, the family was conferred with the princely rank and given several villages, such as
Manavi
Manavi ( ka, მანავი) is a village in the Georgian province of Kakheti. It is famous for its yellowish green wine, Manavis Mtsvane. In Georgia, wine drinking is central to the culture and is especially recommended for long celebrations. ...
,
Tokhliauri,
Kakabeti, and
Kachreti, in possession by the kings of Kakheti. The
princely possessions of the family were collectively known as Sacherkezo (საჩერქეზო).
There was another family surnamed Cherkezishvili in
Kartli
Kartli ( ka, ქართლი ) is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari (Kura), on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role ...
, the western neighbor of Kakheti, but of different origin and rank. Descending from a companion of
George II of Imereti
George II ( ka, გიორგი II) (died 1585), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti from 1565 to 1585.
Reign
George II succeeded on the death of his father, Bagrat III. With his ascend to the throne, George found himself involv ...
's Circassian bride Rusudan, they appeared in the Georgians lands in the 16th century and ranked as
aznauri ''Aznauri'' ( ka, აზნაური, ; pl. ''aznaurni'', აზნაურნი, or ''aznaurebi'', აზნაურები) was a class of Georgian nobility.
The word derives from Middle Persian ''āznāvar'', which, in turn, corresponds ...
in Kartli.
See also
*
Varlam Cherkezishvili
Varlam Cherkezishvili ( ka, ვარლამ ჩერქეზიშვილი) (15 September 1846 – 18 August 1925), also known as Warlaam Tcherkesoff or Varlam Nikolaevich Cherkezov in Russian manner, was a Georgian aristocrat and journal ...
*
List of Georgian surnames
*
List of Georgian princely families
This is the alphabetic list of the upper class noble houses of Georgia. They were entitled as tavadi ( ka, თავადი), roughly translated in English as "prince" and in Russian as "knyaz", a title which was eventually conferred upon most of ...
References
Noble families of Georgia (country)
Georgian-language surnames
{{Georgia-noble-stub