Gruzinsky (; ka, გრუზინსკი) was a title and later the name of two different princely lines of the

Bagrationi dynasty The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal family, royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia (country), Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christianity, Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, both of which received it as subjects of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. The name "Gruzinsky" (also spelled Gruzinski or Gruzinskii) derives from the Russian language, originally and literally meaning "of Georgia". Of the two lines, the younger one is the only line that still exists.

Elder line

The "Elder House" of Princes Gruzinsky was an offshoot of the

House of Mukhrani The House of Mukhrani is a Georgia (country), Georgian princely family that is a branch of the former royal dynasty of Bagrationi, from which it sprang early in the 16th century, receiving in appanage the domain of Mukhrani, in the Kingdom of Kart ...

that was dispossessed of the throne 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 rol ...

in 1726. The line descended from Prince Bakar of Georgia (1699/1700-1750), who had removed to Russia in 1724, and it became extinct with the death of Pyotr Gruzinsky (1837–1892). The family had estates in the

governorates A governorate or governate is an administrative division headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces, the term ''governorate'' is typically used to calque divisions o ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and Nizhegorod, and it was confirmed among the princely nobility of Russia in 1833. Toumanoff, Cyril (1967). ''Studies in Christian Caucasian History'', p. 269.

Georgetown University Press Georgetown University Press is a university press affiliated with Georgetown University that publishes about forty new books a year. The press's major subject areas include bioethics, international affairs, languages and linguistics, political s ...

Younger line

The "Younger House" of Princes Gruzinsky (Bagrationi-Gruzinski) is an offshoot of the House of

Kakheti Kakheti (; ) is a region of Georgia. Telavi is its administrative center. The region comprises eight administrative districts: Telavi, Gurjaani, Qvareli, Sagarejo, Dedoplistsqaro, Signagi, Lagodekhi and Akhmeta. Kakhetians speak the ...

(after 1462) and of Kartli (after 1744). The title of Prince(ss) Gruzinsky (Serene Prince safter 1865) was conferred upon the grandchildren of the penultimate Georgian king, Erekle II (1720/1-1798), after the Russian annexation of Georgia in 1801. Descendants of Prince Bagrat (1776–1841), grandson of Erekle II and son of the last king of Georgia, George XII (1746–1800), still survive in Georgia. The most recent head of this family,

Nugzar Bagration-Gruzinsky Prince Nugzar Petres dze Bagration-Gruzinsky ( ka, ნუგზარ პეტრეს ძე ბაგრატიონ-გრუზინსკი; 25 August 1950 – 1 March 2025) was a Georgian theatrical director and head of the princel ...

(1950-2025), claimed the legitimate headship of the

Royal House of Georgia 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 someti ...

(also claimed by the genealogically senior line of Bagrations of Mukhrani) based on male

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

descent from the last king of Kartli-Kakheti in eastern Georgia. As Nugzar had no male issue, Yevgeny Petrovich Gruzinsky (1947–17 July 2018), the great-great grandson of Bagrat's younger brother Ilia (1791–1854), who lived in the

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, was considered to be Nugzar's

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...

within the primogeniture principle. Yevgeny died without issue. Nugzar himself argued in favor of having his elder daughter, Ana, designated as his heir in accordance with the Georgian dynastic law of "''Zedsidzeoba''" according to which every child of Princess Ana would inherit eligibility for dynastic succession through their mother, thus continuing the elder line of George XII.The Legal Heir to the Royal Throne of the Georgian Bagrationi Dynasty
Retrieved 2013-08-02.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Gruzinsky
Bagrationi-Gruzinski website
Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti Russian noble families Branches of the Bagrationi dynasty House of Mukhrani (royal line)