The House of Toreli ( ka, თორელი), earlier known as the Gamrekeli (გამრეკელი), was a noble family in medieval
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 ...
, known from the 10th century and prominent into the 14th. The dynastic name "Toreli" is derived from the territorial epithet, literally meaning "of
Tori", a historic district and the family's original fiefdom in south-central Georgia.
History
The Toreli rose to particular prominence during the
Georgian Golden Age
The Georgian Golden Age ( ka, საქართველოს ოქროს ხანა, tr) describes a historical period in the High Middle Ages, spanning from roughly the late 11th to 13th centuries, during which the Kingdom of Georgia rea ...
under
Queen Tamar
Tamar the Great ( ka, თამარ მეფე, tr , ; 1160 – 18 January 1213) reigned as the Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, presiding over the apex of the Georgian Golden Age. A member of the Bagrationi dynasty, her position ...
(
r. 1178/1184–1213) and her immediate successors,
George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...
(r. 1213–1223) and
Rusudan (r. 1223–1246). They held fiefs in south and central Georgia and, at times, governed the newly conquered north
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
n districts on behalf of the crown. Several members of the family – one of the most important princely houses at that time – occupied important posts in the administration and army, including the dignity of
amirspasalar
''Amirspasalar'' or ''amirspasalari'' ( ka, ამირსპასალარი, from , ) was the commander-in-chief of the medieval Georgian army and one of the highest officials of the Kingdom of Georgia, commonly rendered as "Lord High C ...
. A senior branch held the hereditary office of
eristavi
''Eristavi'' (; literally, "head of the nation") was a Georgia (country), Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine ''strategos'' and normally translated into English language, English as "prince" or less comm ...
("duke") of
Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki ( ka, ახალქალაქი, tr ; ) is a town in Georgia (country), Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe–Javakheti and the administrative centre of the Akhalkalaki Municipality. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti ...
, and a junior branch –
Akhaltsikheli
Akhaltsikheli ( ka, ახალციხელი; pl. ''Akhaltsikhelebi'', ახალციხელები) were a Georgian noble family prominent in the end of the 12th to the mid-13th centuries. Their name came from the city of Akhalt ...
– that of
Akhaltsikhe
Akhaltsikhe ( ka, ახალციხე ), formerly known as Lomsia ( ka, ლომსია ), is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region () of Samtskhe–Javakheti. It is the administrative center of the Akhaltsikhe Municipality and ...
. At one point in the 12th century, the former was briefly surpassed by the latter, whose influence quickly waned after the death of
Shalva and Ivane Akhaltsikheli during the
Khwarezmian invasion in 1225.
The Toreli went in gradual decline during the
Mongol hegemony over Georgia in the course of the 13th century. Of the Toreli branches, the longest surviving were the
Javakhishvili
The House of Javakhishvili ( ka, ჯავახიშვილი) is a Russian noble family of Georgian origin, which was a branch of the Toreli (თორელი), known from the 10th century.
History
The surname Javakhishvili, literally " ...
, in
Shida Kartli
Shida Kartli ( ka, შიდა ქართლი, , ; "Inner Kartli") is a landlocked administrative region (''Mkhare'') in eastern Georgia. It comprises a central part of the historical-geographic province of Shida Kartli. With an area of , S ...
, eventually confirmed as princes (
knyaz
A , also , ''knjaz'' or (), is a historical Slavs, Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times. It is usually translated into English language, English as 'prince', 'king' or 'duke', depending on specific historical c ...
) 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 ...
in 1850.
Some Georgian historians (such as
S. Kakabadze, N. Shoshiashvili, S. Tsaishvili) have put forward a tentative hypothesis identifying the medieval Georgian epic poet
Shota Rustaveli
Shota Rustaveli ( ka, შოთა რუსთაველი, – 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 the g ...
with a member of the Toreli family.
[Natadze, N & Tsaishvili, S (1966), ''Shota Rustaveli and His Poem'', pp. 20–22. Tbilisi: Ganatleba]
References
Toreli
Georgian-language surnames
{{Georgia-noble-stub