Mukhrani ( ka, მუხრანი, originally Mukhnari
უხნარი i.e., "
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
-grove") is a historical lowland district in eastern
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 ...
, currently within the borders of
Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Mtskheta-Mtianeti ( ka, მცხეთა-მთიანეთი, literally "Mtskheta-Mountain Area") is a region (Mkhare) in eastern Georgia comprising the town of Mtskheta, which serves as a regional capital, together with its district and t ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
, north of the town of
Mtskheta
Mtskheta ( ka, მცხეთა, tr ) is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti province of Georgia. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. Itis located approximately north of T ...
. It lies within the historical borders of
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 ...
, bounded by the
Kura River, and its two affluents:
Ksani
The Ksani (, , ''Ĉysandon'') is a river in central Georgia, which rises on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in South Ossetia and flows into the Kura (''Mtkvari''). It is long, and has a drainage basin of . and
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 ...
.
History
Strategically located on major transit routes traversing ancient and medieval Georgia, easily irrigable and fertile, Mukhrani was an economically advanced area and, in some sense, a link between Kartli’s lowland and highland districts.
In the 2nd-4th centuries AD, the area was home to
Dzalisi, one of the most important settlements of
Caucasian Iberia
In Greco-Roman geography, Iberia (Ancient Greek: ''Iberia''; la, Hiberia) was an exonym for the Georgian kingdom of Kartli ( ka, ქართლი), known after its core province, which during Classical Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages ...
. Medieval Georgian annals describe Mukhrani as a forested area greatly favored by the Georgian kings as a hunting ground. We then hear of the noble family of Dzaganisdze being in possession of this district from the 8th/9th century to 1123 when the king
David IV
David IV, also known as David the Builder ( ka, დავით აღმაშენებელი, ') (1073–1125), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 5th king of United Georgia from 1089 until his death in 1125.
Popularly considered to be ...
confiscated it. Mukhrani became a flourishing sector of the royal domain, and its portion was subsequently donated by the crown to the monastery of
Shio-Mghvime and the cathedral of
Sveti-Tskhoveli.
In 1512, Mukhrani passed, in hereditary ownership, to a collateral branch of the
Bagrationi royal dynasty of Kartli. This occurred when the district was scrounged from King
David X of Kartli
David X ( ka, დავით X) (1482–1526) was a king of the Georgian kingdom of Kartli from 1505 to 1525. Life
David was the eldest son of Constantine II, whom he succeeded as king of Kartli in 1505. Although Constantine had recognised the ...
by his younger brother
Bagrat
Bagrat ( hy, Բագրատ, in Western Armenian pronounced Pakrad, ka, ბაგრატ) is a male name popular in Georgia and Armenia. It is derived from the Old Persian ''Bagadāta'', "gift of God".
The names of the Armenian Bagratuni and ...
in reward for crucial assistance against the neighboring Georgian ruler
George II of Kakheti
George II ( ka, გიორგი II, ''Giorgi II'') also known as George the Bad, the Mad or the Evil (''Av-Giorgi'', ავგიორგი) (1464–1513), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1511 to 151 ...
. Henceforth, the lord of Mukhrani came to be known as the ''Mukhran-
Batoni'', and the branch of Bagrations which held it as the
Bagrationi-Mukhraneli (some members of which were later naturalised in Russia as the "Princes Bagration-Moukransky"). As royal authority declined, Mukhrani evolved into an autonomous
seigneury
''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (o ...
called a ''
satavado Satavado ( ka, სათავადო), same as county, was a large feudal landholder and feudal hierarchy-political unit in the 15th-18th centuries in Georgia. Satavados were established in times of political and economical overthrow of Georgian ...
'', that is "a holding 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 first applied in the Late Middle Ages usually translated in English as P ...
",
Suny, Ronald Grigor
Ronald Grigor Suny (born September 25, 1940) is an American historian and political scientist. Suny is the William H. Sewell Jr. Distinguished University Professor of History at the University of Michigan and served as director of the Eisenberg In ...
(1994), ''The Making of the Georgian Nation'', pp. 46-7. Indiana University Press
Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes 140 ...
, . or Georgian principality. It was known as ''Samukhranbatono'', i.e., "
he landof Mukhran-Batoni."
The chief settlement of this princedom was Shios-Ubani, since the 1770s known as the village of Mukhrani, while a
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
built at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Ksani early in the 16th century served as a principal stronghold in the area. Other villages over which the ''Mukhran-Batoni'' held sway were
Aghaiani
Aghaiani ( ka, აღაიანი) is a village in Kaspi District, Shida Kartli, Georgia. It is located on Mukhrani plain, on the right bank of the river Ksani, at an altitude of 540 meters. It is 22 kilometers from Kaspi. According to the 20 ...
, Kandagiani, Tezi, Okami and, for a certain period of time, Lamisqana and Gremiskhevi. The autonomous status of Mukhrani lasted until 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 ...
annexation of eastern Georgia in 1801, but was not fully abolished until the 1840s.
[ "სამუხრანბატონო" (''Samukhranbatono''). In: ''k’art’uli sabch’ot’a ents’iklopedia'' (Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia), vol. 9, p. 40. ]Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
: 1985.
References
{{Georgian historical regions
Former provinces of Georgia (country)
Historical regions of Georgia (country)
Former principalities
States and territories established in 1512
States and territories disestablished in 1801