The House of Dadiani ( ka, დადიანი ), later known as the House of Dadiani- Chikovani, was a

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 ...

family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Mingrelia.

The House of Dadiani

The first data about the family dates back to 1046 AD. Presumably, the Dadiani descended from a certain Dadi, of the

House of Vardanisdze The House of Vardanisdze ( ka, ვარდანისძე) was an aristocratic family in medieval Georgia, listed among the Great Nobles ('' didebuli'') of the realm. The family is presumed to have branched off from another eminent Georgian f ...

. Appointed as hereditary ''eristavi'' (dukes) of

Odishi Odishi ( ka, ოდიში) was a historical district in western Georgia, the core fiefdom of the former Principality of Mingrelia, with which the name "Odishi" was frequently coterminous. Since the early 19th century, this toponym has been su ...

(

Samegrelo 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 ...

) in reward for their military services, the family had become the most powerful feudal house in western

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 ...

by the 1280's. At that time, the branches of the family governed also

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 ...

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 ...

, and Bedia. In 1542 AD, Duke

Levan I Dadiani Levan I Dadiani (also Leon; ka, ლევან ��ეონI დადიანი; died 1572) was a member of the House of Dadiani and ruler of Odishi, that is, Mingrelia, in western Georgia. He succeeded on the death of his father, Mamia III ...

became hereditary Prince (''

mtavari ''Mtavari'' ( ka, მთავარი) was a feudal title in Georgia usually translated into English as Prince or Duke. The earliest instances of the use of ''mtavari'' are in the early Georgian hagiographic texts dated to the 5th century. From ...

'') of Mingrelia and established himself as an independent ruler. His descendant Prince

Levan III Dadiani Levan III Dadiani ( ka, ლევან III დადიანი), born Shamadavle (შამადავლე) (died 1680) was Prince of Mingrelia, of the House of Dadiani, from 1661 to 1680. His reign unfolded against the background of a series ...

was forced to abdicate in 1691 AD and Dadiani’s relatives from the

House of Chikovani The House of Chikovani ( ka, ჩიქოვანი; sometimes spelled as Chicovani) was a Georgian princely (''mtavari'') house. Dukes of Chikovani ruled a historic province, Lechkhumi in northwestern Georgia. At the end of the 17th century, Ge ...

, hitherto Princes of

Salipartiano Salipartiano ( ka, სალიპარტიანო) was a fief in the Principality of Mingrelia, in western Georgia, from the middle of the 16th century down to the establishment of the Russian hegemony in 1804, when it became a canton of Min ...

, inherited the title of Princes of Mingrelia and the surname of Dadiani. The original dynasty of Dadiani thus went extinct into what genealogists have termed the House of Dadiani-Chikovani. Accepting

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n sovereignty in 1802, the Dadiani were elevated to the dignity of Prince of the

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. ...

(russian: Дадиани) and enjoyed significant independence in their home affairs.

made a de facto annexation of Samegrelo in 1857, but Samegrelo remained nominally in existence until January 4, 1867, when

Niko Dadiani Nikoloz "Niko" Dadiani ( ka, ნიკოლოზ "ნიკო" დადიანი), or Nikolay Davidovich Dadian-Mingrelsky (russian: Николай Давидович Дадиан-Мингрельский; 4 January 1847 – 23 January 190 ...

, the last Prince of

, was deposed and the principality was abolished. Prince Niko Dadiani officially renounced his rights to the throne in 1868.

Dukes (''eristavi'') and Princes (''mtavari'') of Mingrelia

Vardan I Dadiani Vardan I Dadiani ( ka, ვარდან I დადიანი) (died 1213) was a Georgian noble and the forefather of the Dadiani, the princely dynasty of Samegrelo (Mingrelia), a region in western Georgia which Vardan ruled as ''eristavi'' (" ...

(c. 1180s – 1190s) * Shergil Dadiani (c. 1220s – 1240s) * Vardan II Dadiani (c. 1240s – 1250s) *

Tsotne Dadiani Tsotne Dadiani ( ka, ცოტნე დადიანი) (died ) was a Georgian nobleman of the House of Dadiani and one of the leading political figures in the time of Mongol ascendancy in Georgia. Around 1246, he was part of a failed plot aim ...

(c. 1260s) * Bedan Dadiani (c. 1270s – c. 1290s) * Giorgi I Dadiani (c. 1293 – 1323) * Mamia I Dadiani (1323–1345) * Giorgi II Dadiani (1345–1384) *

Vameq I Dadiani Vameq I Dadiani ( ka, ვამეყ I დადიანი; died 1396) was a member of the House of Dadiani and ''eristavi'' ("duke") of Odishi in western Georgia from 1384 until his death. Vameq succeeded on the death of his father, Giorgi II ...

(1384–1396) * Mamia II Dadiani (1396–1414) *

Liparit I Dadiani Liparit I Dadiani ( ka, ლიპარიტ I დადიანი; died 1470) was a member of the House of Dadiani and '' eristavi'' ("duke") of Odishi, latter-day Mingrelia, in western Georgia from 1414 until his death. Under his rule, Mingrel ...

(1414–1470) *

Shamadavle Dadiani Shamadavle Dadiani (also Shamandavle or Shamandavla; ka, შამადავლე დადიანი; died 1474) was a member of the House of Dadiani and ''eristavi'' ("duke") of Odishi ( Mingrelia) in western Georgia from 1470 until his deat ...

(1470–1473) *

Vameq II Dadiani Vameq II Dadiani (also Vamiq; ka, ვამეყ ��ამიყII დადიანი; died 1482) was a member of the House of Dadiani and ''eristavi'' ("duke") of Odishi ( Mingrelia) in western Georgia from 1474 until his death. Vameq was th ...

(1474–1482) *

Liparit II Dadiani Liparit II Dadiani ( ka, ლიპარიტ II დადიანი; died 1512) was a member of the House of Dadiani and ''eristavi'' ("duke") of Odishi, that is, Mingrelia, in western Georgia from 1482 until his death. Liparit was a son of Sh ...

(1482–1512) *

Mamia III Dadiani Mamia III Dadiani ( ka, მამია III დადიანი; died 31 January 1533) was a member of the House of Dadiani and '' eristavi'' ("duke") of Odishi, that is, Mingrelia, in western Georgia from 1512 until his death. Mamia was a son and ...

(1512–1533) *

(1533–1546) *

Giorgi III Dadiani Giorgi III Dadiani ( ka, გიორგი III დადიანი; died 1582) was Prince of Mingrelia, of the House of Dadiani, from 1572 to 1573 and again from 1578 until his death. He was a son and successor of Levan I Dadiani. Giorgi Dad ...

(1546–1573, 1574–1582) * Mamia IV Dadiani (1574, 1582–1590) *

Manuchar I Dadiani Manuchar I Dadiani ( ka, მანუჩარ I დადიანი; died 1611) was Prince of Mingrelia, of the House of Dadiani, from 1590 until his death. A younger son of Levan I Dadiani, he succeeded on the death of his elder brother, Mami ...

(1590–1611) *

Levan II Dadiani Levan II Dadiani (also Leon; ka, ლევან ��ეონII დადიანი; 1597-1657) was a member of the House of Dadiani and ruler of the Principality of Mingrelia in western Georgia. Levan grew up in Kakheti under his grandfathe ...

(1611–1657) * Liparit III Dadiani (1657–1658) *

Vameq III Dadiani Vameq III Dadiani (also Vamiq; ka, ვამეყ ��ამიყIII დადიანი; died 1661) was Prince of Mingrelia, of the House of Dadiani, from 1658 until being deposed in 1661. He was also briefly King of Imereti in 1661. He ass ...

(1658–1661) *

(1661–1681) * Levan IV Dadiani (1681–1691) * Giorgi IV Dadiani (Lipartiani) (1700–1704, 1710–1714) * Katsia I Dadiani (1704–1710) *

Bezhan I Dadiani Bezhan Dadiani ( ka, ბეჟან დადიანი; died 1728), of the House of Dadiani, was Prince of Mingrelia from 1715 to 1728. He acceded to power in a coup against his own father, Giorgi IV Dadiani, and came to dominate western Georg ...

(1714–1728) * Otia I Dadiani (1728–1758) *

Katsia II Dadiani Katsia II Dadiani ( ka, კაცია II დადიანი; died 1788), of the House of Dadiani, was Prince of Mingrelia from 1758 to 1788. His rule was dominated by complicated relations with the Kingdom of Imereti, which claimed suzerainty ...

(1758–1788) * Grigol I Dadiani (1788–1791, 1794–1802, 1802–1804) *

Manuchar II Dadiani Manuchar II Dadiani ( ka, მანუჩარ II დადიანი; died ), of the House of Dadiani, was Prince of Mingrelia from 1791 to 1793 as a rival to his elder brother, Grigol Dadiani, whose rule was marred by the long-standing struggl ...

(1791–1793) *

Tariel Dadiani Tariel "Taia" Dadiani ( ka, ტარიელ ��აიადადიანი; ), of the House of Dadiani, was Prince of Mingrelia from 1793 to 1794 and in 1802 as a rival to his elder brother, Grigol Dadiani, whose rule was marred by the long-s ...

(1793–1794, 1802) *

Levan V Dadiani Levan V Dadiani ( ka, ლევან V დადიანი; 1793 – 30 July 1846), of the House of Dadiani, was Prince of Mingrelia, in western Georgia, from 1804 to 1846. Succeeding on the death of his father Grigol Dadiani, he ruled—init ...

(1804–1840) * David I Dadiani (1840–1853) *

Niko I Dadiani Nikoloz "Niko" Dadiani ( ka, ნიკოლოზ "ნიკო" დადიანი), or Nikolay Davidovich Dadian-Mingrelsky (russian: Николай Давидович Дадиан-Мингрельский; 4 January 1847 – 23 January 190 ...

(1853–1857)

Heads of the Princely House of Mingrelia

(1857–1903) * Niko II Dadiani (1903–1919) * Shalva Dadiani (1919–1959) * Archil Dadiani (1959–1976) * Niko III Dadiani (1976–present)

Other members of the family

Mariam Dadiani Mariam Dadiani ( ka, მარიამ დადიანი; born between 1599 and 1609; died 1682) was a daughter of Manuchar I Dadiani, Prince of Mingrelia, by his second wife, Tamar Jaqeli. Thrice married, successively to Simon I Gurieli, P ...

, a 17th-century princess * Constantine Dadiani, a 19th-century poet and general of Russian army *

Andria Dadiani Prince Andria Dadiani ( ka, ანდრია დადიანი; 1850–1910), known in Russia as Andrey Davidovich Dadian-Mingrelsky (russian: Андрей Давидович Дадиани), was a Georgian nobleman and a chess player. ...

(1850-1910), chess player and tournament patron *

Ekaterine Dadiani Ekateriné Dadiani, Princess of Mingrelia ( ka, ეკატერინე დადიანი; ''née'' Chavchavadze; March 19, 1816August 13, 1882) of the House of Dadiani, was a prominent 19th-century Georgian aristocrat and the last ruling ...

(1816-1882), Regent Princess of Mingrelia *

Salome Dadiani Princess Salomé Dadiani ( ka, სალომე დადიანი; 13 October 1848 – 23 July 1913) was a Georgian princess, the only sister of Niko Dadiani, the last Prince of Megrelia. Early life Salomé was born on 13 October 1848. ...

(1848-1913), wife of

Prince Achille Murat Charles Louis Napoleon Achille Murat (known as Achille, 21 January 1801 – 15 April 1847) was the eldest son of Joachim Murat, the brother-in-law of Napoleon who was appointed King of Naples during the First French Empire. After his father was de ...

* Shalva Dadiani (1874-1959), prominent writer and dramatist * Eleesa Dadiani (born 1988), art gallery owner *

Alex Greenwich Alexander Hart Greenwich (born 28 November 1980) is the member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the seat of Sydney since the 2012 Sydney by-election. He ran as an independent and was backed by his predecessor, indepen ...

(born 1980), Australian politician

References

External links

Dadiani Dynasty
A project by Smithsonian &

National Parliamentary Library of Georgia The National Parliamentary Library of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პარლამენტის ეროვნული ბიბლიოთეკა, ''sakartvelos p'arlament'is erovnuli bibliotek'a'') is a governmenta ...

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