![Oliver Wardrop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Oliver_Wardrop.jpg)
Sir John Oliver Wardrop
KBE CMG (10 October 1864 – 19 October 1948) was a British
diplomat
A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
, traveller and translator, primarily known as the United Kingdom's first
Chief Commissioner
A chief commissioner is a commissioner of a high rank, usually in chief of several commissioners or similarly styled officers.
Colonial
In British India the gubernatorial style was chief commissioner in various (not all) provinces (often after be ...
of
Transcaucasia
The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...
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 ...
, 1919–20, and also as the founder and benefactor of
Kartvelian studies
The Kartvelian studies ( ka, ქართველოლოგია) also referred as Kartvelology or Georgian studies is a field of humanities covering Kartvelian (Georgian) history, languages, religion and/or culture.
In a narrower sense, the ...
at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
.
After travelling to Georgia (then part of
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 ...
) in 1887, Wardrop wrote his study ''The Kingdom of Georgia'', published in 1888. In 1894 during his second journey to Georgia he mastered the
Georgian language
Georgian (, , ) is the most widely-spoken Kartvelian language, and serves as the literary language or lingua franca for speakers of related languages. It is the official language of Georgia and the native or primary language of 87.6% of its p ...
and published a series of books on Georgia, including his translation of
Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani
Prince Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani ( ka, სულხან-საბა ორბელიანი ) (November 4, 1658 – January 26, 1725) was a Georgian writer and diplomat. Orbeliani is noted in part due to his important role as an emissary of ...
's ''
The Book of Wisdom and Lies''.
From 1906 to 1910 Wardrop served as Consul to Romania at
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, and in 1914 he was appointed Consul at
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
, later Consul and then Consul-General for western Norway, remaining at Bergen.
In July 1919 the British Foreign Secretary
Lord Curzon
George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...
offered Wardrop the post of the first British Chief Commissioner of Transcaucasus in
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 ...
. The government of
independent Georgia and its head
Noe Zhordania welcomed Sir Oliver's return to Georgia. Wardrop, a capable diplomat, tried to promote Georgian culture and gather all the support from the west for the newly formed country under the threat of
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
aggression. However, in February 1921 Soviet Russia's
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
invaded Georgia, putting an end to the short-lived democratic republic.
In
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, Wardrop organized the set-up of the Georgian Society and the Georgian Committee in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. In 1930, along with
W.E.D. Allen, he formed the Georgian Historical Society which published its own journal ''Georgica''. His sister
Marjory Wardrop
Marjory Scott Wardrop (11 November 1869 – 7 December 1909) was an England, English scholar and translator of Georgia (country), Georgian literature. She was a sister of the United Kingdom, British diplomat and scholar of Georgia, Oliver Wardrop ...
(1869–1909) translated the 12th-century Georgian epic by
Shota Rustaveli
Shota Rustaveli ( ka, შოთა რუსთაველი, c. 1160 – after c. 1220), mononymously known simply as Rustaveli, was a medieval Georgian poet. He is considered to be the pre-eminent poet of the Georgian Golden Age and one of th ...
, ''
The Knight in the Panther's Skin
''The Knight in the Panther's Skin'' ( ka, ვეფხისტყაოსანი, tr literally "the one with the skin of a tiger") is a Georgian medieval epic poem, written in the 12th or 13th century by Georgia's national poet Shota Rustav ...
'' into
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
Wardrop also catalogued the Georgian manuscripts at the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
and continued to add to the Wardrop Collection of Georgian books and manuscripts at the
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
.
In 1909 the Marjory Wardrop Fund at Oxford University was created by Wardrop after his sister's death. Through it, Wardrop augmented his collection, which now consists of 1,454 items, of which 215 are periodicals and 73 are series. Included are 74
MSS in the category of texts and collections of Georgian literature. Based on the legacy left by Sir John Oliver Wardrop and his sister Marjory, in 2003 th
Oxford University Georgian Societywas founded.
A statue of Oliver and Marjory, by
Jumber Jikia, was unveiled on 18 October 2015,
during the
Tbilisoba
Tbilisoba ( ka, თბილისობა) is an annual October festival which celebrates the diversity and history of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. It was first held on October 28, 1979, and has since become an established tradition. The fest ...
festival, in Tbilisi's Oliver Wardrop Square, which itself opened during the 2014 Tbilisoba.
A room in the
National Library
A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, o ...
in the city also bears their names.
In October 2019 the
Europe-Georgia Institute
Europe-Georgia Institute (EGI) ('' ka, ევროპულ-ქართული ინსტიტუტი'') – is a non-governmental organization in Georgia. The Europe-Georgia Institute was founded by George Melashvili, Shalva Chkheidze ...
initiated the Oliver Wardrop Discussions to bring together
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and
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 ...
politicians and young leaders and foster dialogue and cooperation between the countries. The first Wardrop Discussion was held on the 22-nd of October, 2019 and featured former Georgian Ambassador to the
UK Giorgi Badridze, the representative of British
Liberal Democrats Imad Ahmed and the head of the Europe-Georgia Institute
George Melashvili.
Europe in a suitcase: Oliver Wardrop Discussions
/ref>
Notes
References
WARDROP, Sir (John) Oliver
Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007, accessed 18 April 2012
Obituary: Sir Oliver Wardrop
''The Times'', London, 21 October 1948
*
*
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wardrop, Oliver
1864 births
1948 deaths
Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford
British book and manuscript collectors
British diplomats
British lexicographers
British non-fiction writers
Kartvelian studies scholars
Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
British male writers
Place of birth missing
Explorers of the Caucasus
Male non-fiction writers