The House of Dadiani ( ka, დადიანი ), later known as the House of Dadiani- Chikovani, was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of

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

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. Appointed as hereditary ''eristavi'' (dukes) of Odishi ( Samegrelo) 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 became hereditary Prince ('' mtavari'') of

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, G ...

, hitherto Princes of Salipartiano, 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 transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

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 Samegrelo, 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 ai ...

(c. 1260s) *

Bedan Dadiani Bedan ( he, בְּדָן ''Bəḏān'') is named as one of the deliverer of Israelites in 1 Books of Samuel, Samuel 12:11. He is not mentioned elsewhere as a Biblical judges, judge of Israel. Bishop Simon Patrick and others (including the Talmu ...

(c. 1270s – c. 1290s) *

Giorgi I Dadiani Giorgi I Dadiani ( ka, გიორგი I დადიანი; died 1323) was a member of the House of Dadiani and ''eristavi'' ("duke") of Odishi in western Georgia from the late 13th century until his death. The principal source on Giorgi Dad ...

(c. 1293 – 1323) * Mamia I Dadiani (1323–1345) *

Giorgi II Dadiani Giorgi II Dadiani ( ka, გიორგი II დადიანი; died 1384) was a member of the House of Dadiani and '' eristavi'' ("duke") of Odishi in western Georgia from 1345 until his death. Giorgi II succeeded on the death of his father, ...

(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 Mamia II Dadiani ( ka, მამია II დადიანი; died 1414) was a member of the House of Dadiani and '' eristavi'' ("duke") of Odishi, latter-day Mingrelia, in western Georgia from 1396 until his death. Mamia was the son of Vameq I ...

(1396–1414) * Liparit I Dadiani (1414–1470) * Shamadavle Dadiani (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 (1482–1512) * Mamia III Dadiani (1512–1533) * Levan I Dadiani (1533–1546) * Giorgi III Dadiani (1546–1573, 1574–1582) *

Mamia IV Dadiani Mamia IV Dadiani ( ka, მამია IV დადიანი; died 1590) was Prince of Mingrelia, of the House of Dadiani, from 1573 to 1578 and again from 1582 until his death. He was a younger son of Levan I Dadiani. Mamia Dadiani's career un ...

(1574, 1582–1590) *

Manuchar I Dadiani Manuchar I Dadiani ( ka, მანუჩარ I დადიანი; died 1611) was Principality of Mingrelia, 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 ...

(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 assu ...

(1658–1661) *

(1661–1681) *

Levan IV Dadiani Levan IV Dadiani ( ka, ლევან IV დადიანი; died 1694) was Prince of Mingrelia from 1681 until 1691, when he was forced to abdicate and retire to Constantinople, where he died. A natural son of the preceding Levan III 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 Georgia ...

(1714–1728) * Otia I Dadiani (1728–1758) * Katsia II Dadiani (1758–1788) * Grigol I Dadiani (1788–1791, 1794–1802, 1802–1804) * Manuchar II Dadiani (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-st ...

(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 (1853–1857)

Heads of the Princely House of Mingrelia

* Niko I Dadiani (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, 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 (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 (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 ...

{{Authority control Georgian-language surnames