The Cholokashvili ( ka, ჩოლოყაშვილი,

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 ...

: Чолокаевы) is a former noble family in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. It claimed an exotic foreign lineage and first appeared in the eastern Georgian province, and later

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

, of

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 ...

in 1320. They were enfeoffed of the office of Prince-Master of the Palace of Kakheti and produced several notable members from the 16th century into the 20th.

History

Traditional genealogical accounts have it that the family's ancestor was a Genoese officer who moved, in the 14th century, from a

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

n colony to

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

where he was dubbed by locals as ''Cholagh'' "for the multitude of sheep and cattle he possessed". Cholagh is said to have quarreled with the local tribesmen and fled into neighboring Georgia through the

Derbend Derbent (russian: Дербе́нт; lez, Кьвевар, Цал; az, Дәрбәнд, italic=no, Dərbənd; av, Дербенд; fa, دربند), formerly romanized as Derbend, is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea. It i ...

road in 1320. King

George V of Georgia George V the Brilliant ( ka, გიორგი V ბრწყინვალე, ''Giorgi V Brtskinvale''; also translated as the ''Illustrious'', or ''Magnificent''; 1286/1289–1346) was King of Georgia from 1299 to 1302 and again from 1314 un ...

welcomed Cholagh and granted him an apanage and the princely title of the extinct family of Irubakidze in

. იოანე ბატონიშვილი (

Ioane Bagrationi 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 ...

; 1768-1830)
"ჩოლაყაშვილი (კახეთის თავადნი)" (Cholakashvili (Princes of Kakheti))
შემოკლებით აღწერა საქართველოსა შინა მცხოვრებთა თავადთა და აზნაურთა გვარებისა (''The Brief Description of the Georgian Noble Houses''). Retrieved on April 12, 2007. The family played an important role in later-day Georgia and intermarried with the Kakhetian branch of the

Bagrationi Dynasty The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In modern usage, the name of the dynasty is sometim ...

. They were considered one of the 2 "undivided" houses of Kakheti. Their fiefdom — Sacholokao (საჩოლოყაო) — was annexed to

Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

along with east Georgia in 1801, and the family became mediatized as Russian nobility (russian: Чолокаевы, Cholokaev; or Челокаевы, Chelokaev). The family briefly held the

Duchy of Aragvi The Duchy of Aragvi ( ka, არაგვის საერისთავო) was an important fiefdom in medieval and early modern Georgia, strategically located in the upper Aragvi valley, in the foothills of the eastern Greater Caucasus cres ...

from 1747 to c. 1753.

Notable members

*Garsevan Cholokashvili, a powerful minister at the court of

Levan of Kakheti Levan ( ka, ლევანი), also known as Leon ( ka, ლეონი) (1503–1574), was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi dynasty, who reigned as king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1518/1520 to 1574. He presided over the most prospero ...

(reigned 1520–74) *Shermazan Cholokashvili (died after 1612), politician and diplomat *Kaikhosro Cholokashvili (died 1613), poet and politician *Revaz Cholokashvili (died 1648), politician and soldier *

Nikoloz Cholokashvili Nikoloz Cholokashvili (Nicholas Irubakidze-Cholokashvili) ( ka, ნიკოლოზ ჩოლოყაშვილი; ნიკოლოზ ირუბაქიძე-ჩოლოყაშვილი), known in Europe as Niceforo Irbachi, (15 ...

(Niciphores Irbachi; c. 1585-1658), Georgian Orthodox priest, politician and diplomat. *

Bidzina Cholokashvili Bidzina Cholokashvili ( ka, ბიძინა ჩოლოყაშვილი) (died c. 1660) is a Christian martyr canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church. His feast is celebrated on October 1. He was one of the leaders of Bakhtrioni Uprisin ...

(died c. 1660), Christian martyr of Persian aggression canonized by the

Georgian Orthodox Church The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonly ...

*Jimsher Cholokashvili (died 1756),

eristavi ''Eristavi'' (; literally, "head of the nation") was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine ''strategos'' and normally translated into English as "prince" or less commonly as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, i ...

of the

Aragvi The Aragvi ( ka, არაგვი) and its basin are in Georgia on the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains. The river is long, and its basin covers an area of . The ground strata are mostly sandstone, slate, and limestone. The Zhinval ...

1743-56 *Davit Cholokashvili (1735–1810), poet and translator *Ilia Cholokashvili (1824–1877),

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the Russian army *

Kakutsa Cholokashvili Kaikhosro "Kakutsa" Cholokashvili ( ka, ქაიხოსრო ��აქუცაჩოლოყაშვილი; french: Kakoutsa Tcholokachvili; russian: Кайхосро �акуцаЧолокашвили �елокаев}, ''Kaikhosro Che ...

(1888–1930), military commander and national hero of Georgia

References

{{Reflist

History

Notable members

References

See also