The Kakhaberidze, archaically Kakhaberisdze (pl. -''ebi'') ( ka, კახაბერი ��ე ��ბი}, literally "the sons of Kakhaber") was a noble family in medieval

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 ...

which held sway over the highland northwestern Georgian province of

Racha Racha (also Račha, , ''Račʼa'') is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and ...

from the 11th or 12th century to the 13th. The Kakhaberidze were a branch of the Liparitid-Baguashi, their dynastic name being derived from its early member Kakhaber known from a few inscriptions from Racha.

Toumanoff, Cyril Cyril Leo Toumanoff (russian: Кирилл Львович Туманов; 13 October 1913 – 4 February 1997) was a Russian-born Georgian historian and genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armenia, ...

. "The Fifteenth-Century Bagratids and the Institution of Collegial Sovereignty in Georgia." ''Traditio'' 7 (1949–51): 176. By 1184, when Queen

Tamar of Georgia 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 dyna ...

ascended the throne, the Kakhaberidze had been in possession of both Racha and the neighboring district of Takveri, bearing the title of "Duke of Dukes" (

eristavt-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, ...

). Kakhaber (II) Kakhaberidze was the one who, together with Archbishop Anton of Kutaisi, placed the crown upon Tamar's brow at a ceremony held at the

Gelati Monastery Gelati ( ka, გელათის მონასტერი) is a medieval monastic complex near Kutaisi in the Imereti region of western Georgia. One of the first monasteries in Georgia, it was founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia as ...

. His descendant and probably a grandson, Kakhaber (III), was powerful enough to defy the royal authority and play King David VI and his

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

overlords against one another. By c. 1278, Kakhaber had been defeated, blinded and exiled at the king's order. His possessions were turned over to the crown. The Kakhaberidze seem to have retained themselves in Racha into the early 15th century, but then went in obscurity. Antelava, I, "კახაბერისძენი" (''The Kakhaberisdze''), in: ''Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia'', vol. 5, p. 446.

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

: 1980 Their descendants, the house of

Chichua The House of Chichua (Georgian: ჩიჩუა hichua was a Georgian family of nobles, commanders, and princes in Samegrelo (Mingrelia) or Odishi. Historians have different view points about who were the ancestors of Chichua. Some sources state ...

(ჩიჩუა) became a prominent family in the western Georgian region of Mingrelia while the house of Chijavadze (ჩიჯავაძე) (another branch of Kakhaberidze), continued to play an important role in the western Georgian

kingdom of Imereti The Kingdom of Imereti ( ka, იმერეთის სამეფო, tr) was a Georgian monarchy established in 1455 by a member of the house of Bagrationi when the Kingdom of Georgia was dissolved into rival kingdoms. Before that time, Im ...

and both noble houses were confirmed as the princes ( knyaz) under the Russian rule in the 19th century.

References

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

See also

References