Mamia Gurieli Pirince of Guria, Georgia 17th century

The House of Gurieli () was a Georgian princely ('' mtavari'') family and a ruling dynasty (dukes) of the southwestern Georgian province of

Guria Guria ( ka, გურია) is a region (''mkhare'') in Georgia, in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the Black Sea. The region has a population of 113,000 (2016), with Ozurgeti as the regional capital. Geography ...

, which was autonomous and later, for a few centuries, independent. A few ducal rulers of the dynasty also rose in the 17th-18th centuries to be kings of the whole western Caucasus in place of the hereditary Bagrationi kings 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 ...

History

Bearing a hereditary title for governors ( Eristavi) of Guria since the mid-13th century, Gurieli (literally, "of Guria") was adopted as a dynastic name by the Vardanisdze family (ვარდანისძე), hereditary rulers of

Svaneti Svaneti or Svanetia (Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia. It is inhabited by the Svans, an ethnic subgroup of Georgians. Geography Situated on the southern slop ...

(a highland province in western Georgia). The other notable branch of the Vardanisdze was the

Dadiani The House of Dadiani ( ka, დადიანი ), later known as the House of Dadiani- Chikovani, was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Mingrelia. The House of Dadiani Th ...

(დადიანი) of Samegrelo. Both of these branches occasionally used double names: Gurieli-Dadiani or Dadiani-Gurieli. The medieval Gurieli were vassals of the Georgian crown but, at the same time, seem to have paid some kind of homage ( el, προςκυνησις) to the rulers of the neighboring

Empire of Trebizond The Empire of Trebizond, or Trapezuntine Empire, was a monarchy and one of three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Despotate of the Morea and the Principality of Theodoro, that flourished during the 13th through ...

, whose last emperor,

David Komnenos David Komnenos ( el, Δαβίδ Κομνηνός) (c. 1184 – 1212) was one of the founders of the Empire of Trebizond and its joint ruler together with his brother Alexios until his death. At least two lead seals and an inscription found on a towe ...

(reigned from 1459 to 1461), is documented as having been 'gambros' of Mamia Vardanisdze-Gurieli (c. 1450 - 69), which is interpreted to mean that Mamia married his daughter or sister or close kinswoman. If the couple had issue, possibly the subsequent ruler Kakhaber (1469–83), the latter-day Gurieli would descend from several

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and Trapezuntine emperors. In the 1460s, when the power 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 som ...

of Georgia was on the decline, the Gurieli pursued a policy of separation and became virtually (formally acknowledged at times) independent rulers ( mtavari) of the

Principality of Guria The Principality of Guria ( ka, გურიის სამთავრო, tr) was a historical state in Georgia. Centered on modern-day Guria, a southwestern region in Georgia, it was located between the Black Sea and Lesser Caucasus, and was ...

in the mid-16th century, but were forced to pay tribute to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

, nominally recognizing also the authority of the princes of Mingrelia and

kings 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 ...

. Throughout the following two centuries, the politics of the Gurieli dynasty were dominated by conflicts with the neighboring Georgian rulers, Ottoman encroachment, and repeated occasions of civil strife and palace coups. In the 17th and 18th centuries, as many as four Gurieli rulers managed to be chosen kings of the whole Western Caucasus in place of hereditary Bagrationi kings of Imereti. Gurieli kings however are usually characterized as usurpers, or as counter-monarchs of a rival dynasty. On several occasions powerful neighbors also managed to divert the rule of Guria to members of rival branches of the Gurieli dynasty. Having accepted

Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the 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 the Great Northern War. The ...

n sovereignty in 1810, the dynasty continued to enjoy some autonomy in their home affairs until 1829, when the Russian authorities deposed Prince David, the last Gurieli, and annexed the Principality of Guria. Lang, David M. (1957), ''The Last Years of the Georgian Monarchy: 1658-1832'', p. 52.

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fie ...

. With the death of David in 1839, his cousin David Gurieli (1802–1856), and his descendants (russian: Гуриели, Гуриеловы) were confirmed in the Russian nobility with the princely title of (''

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 ...

'') by the Emperor's ''

ukase In Imperial Russia, a ukase () or ukaz (russian: указ ) was a proclamation of the tsar, government, or a religious leader ( patriarch) that had the force of law. "Edict" and " decree" are adequate translations using the terminology and concep ...

'' of 1850.

Princes-regnant of Guria

* c. 1385–1410 – Kakhaber I; son of

Giorgi II Dadiani Giorgi II Dadiani ( ka, გიორგი II დადიანი; died 1384) was a member of the House of Dadiani and '' eristavi'' ("duke") of Odishi in western Georgia from 1345 until his death. Giorgi II succeeded on the death of his father, ...

; ''eristavi'' of Guria and Svaneti * c. 1410–1430 – Giorgi I; son of Kakhaber I * c. 1430–1450 – Mamia I; son of Giorgi I * c. 1450–1469 – Mamia II; son of Liparit I Dadiani * 1469–1483 – Kakhaber II; possibly son of Mamia II by his Trapezuntine wife * 1483–1512 – Giorgi I (II); son of Kakhaber II; sovereign prince from 1491 * 1512–1534 – Mamia I (III); son of Giorgi I * 1534–1564 – Rostom; son of Mamia I * 1564–1583 – Giorgi II (III); son of Rostom; deposed * 1583–1587 – Vakhtang I; son of Giorgi II * 1587–1600 – Giorgi II (III); restored * 1600–1625 – Mamia II (IV); son of Giorgi II * 1625 – Svimon I; son of Mamia II; deposed, died after 1672 * 1625–1658 – Kaikhosro I (III); son of Vakhtang I * 1659–1668 –

Demetre Demetre is an Old Greek male name. Examples *Demetre Chiparus Demetre is an Old Greek male name. Examples * Demetre Chiparus * Demetre II of Georgia * Demetre I of Georgia * Demetre Kantemir * Demetre of Guria * Demetres Koutsavlakis ...

; son of Svimon I; deposed, died 1668 * 1669–1684 – Giorgi III (IV); son of Kaikhosro I * 1685–1689 – Kaikhosro II (IV); son of Giorgi III ** Malak'ia; son of Kaikhosro I; rival prince 1685; deposed * 1689–1712 – Mamia III (V); son of Giorgi III; deposed ** Malak'ia; restored as rival prince 1689; deposed, died after 1689 * 1712 – Giorgi IV (V); son of Mamia III; deposed * 1712–1714 – Mamia III (V); restored * 1714–1716 – Giorgi IV (V); restored; deposed * 1716 – Kaikhosro III (V); son of Mamia III; deposed, died after 1751 * 1716–1726 – Giorgi IV (V); restored * 1726–1756 – Mamia IV (VI); son of Giorgi IV; deposed, died 1778 * 1756–1758 – Giorgi V (VI); son of Giorgi IV; abdicated * 1758–1765 – Mamia IV (VI); restored; deposed * 1765–1771 – Giorgi V (VI); restored; deposed * 1771–1776 – Mamia IV (VI); restored; abdicated * 1776–1788 – Giorgi V (VI); restored; abdicated * 1788–1792 – Svimon II; son of Giorgi V; died 1792 * 1792–1797 –

Vakhtang II Vakhtang II (died 1292), of the dynasty of Bagrationi, was king of Georgia from 1289 to 1292. He reigned during the Mongol dominance of Georgia. A son of the western Georgian ruler, king David VI Narin, by his first wife Tamar, daughter of P ...

; son of Giorgi V; deposed, died after 1814 * 1797–1826 – Mamia V (VII); son of Svimon II ** Kaikhosro, brother of Svimon II, regent 1797–1809 * 1826–1829 – Davit'; son of Mamia V; deposed, died 1839 ** Sophia, mother of Davit', regent 1826–1829

References

{{Reflist Noble families of Georgia (country) Families of Georgia (country) Russian noble families Empire of Trebizond Georgian-language surnames