Sefer Ali-Bey Sharvashidze (also known by the

Christian name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...

of Giorgi Sharvashidze) was a prince of the

Principality of Abkhazia The Principality of Abkhazia ( ka, აფხაზეთის სამთავრო, tr) emerged as a separate feudal entity in the 15th-16th centuries, amid the civil wars in the Kingdom of Georgia that concluded with the Triarchy and coll ...

in 1810–21. He was the youngest son of

Kelesh Ahmed-Bey Sharvashidze Kelesh Ahmed-Bey (Kelesh-Bey) Sharvashidze (1747–1808) was the head of state of the Principality of Abkhazia from the 1780s to 1808. Kelesh-Bey was the son of Manuchar Sharvashidze. Biography Kelesh-Bey was born in 1747 in the Principality of ...

. After Kelesh Ahmed-bey was killed by his heir, Aslan-Bey Sharvashidze (or, according to George Hewitt by Sefer-bey himself, together with

Nino Dadiani Nino ( ka, ნინო; 15 April 1772 – 30 May 1847) was a Georgia (country), Georgian princess royal (''batonishvili'') as a daughter of King of Georgia, King George XII of Georgia and princess consort of Principality of Mingrelia, Mingrelia a ...

and the Russian military administration), Sefer Ali-Bey was forced to hide out in neighboring

Mingrelia Mingrelia ( ka, სამეგრელო, tr; xmf, სამარგალო, samargalo; ab, Агырны, Agirni) is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly known as Odishi. It is primarily inhabited by the Mingrelian ...

under the protection of the Mingrelian princess regent Nino. With the help of the Mingrelian nobility, Sefer Ali-Bey tried unsuccessfully, to usurp the throne of Abkhazia. In 1809, Sharvashidze asked the

Tsarist Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states ...

Russian Empire 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. ...

to take Abkhazia under its protection, with the condition that Ali-Bey be established as the new ruler of the Principality. After decisive Russian victories during the Second Russo-Turkish War, the Russian forces were able to expel pro-Turkish Abkhazians as well as the remaining Turkish forces from the region.

Tsar Alexander I Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son of Gra ...

established Sefer Ali-Bey Sharvashidze as the new ruler of Abkhazia on 17 February 1810. He died in 1821 and was buried at the

Lykhny Church The Church of Dormition of Lykhny ( ka, ლიხნის ტაძარი, tr) is a medieval Eastern Orthodox, Orthodox Christian church in the village of Lykhny in Abkhazia/Georgia (country), Georgia, built in the 10th century. History ...

References

* ''Georgian State (Soviet) Encyclopedia.'' 1983. Book 10. p. 689. Year of birth missing 1821 deaths Abkhazian former Muslims Princes of Abkhazia Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy from Islam House of Shervashidze {{abkhazia-bio-stub