Kelesh Ahmed-Bey (Kelesh-Bey) Chachba (Shervashidze) (1747–1808) was the head of state 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 dissolution of t ...

from the 1780s to 1808. Kelesh-Bey was the son of Manuchar Chachba-Shervashidze. In his childhood, Kelesh-Bey was taken to

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

as a hostage, where he converted to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

. Kelesh returned to

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which ...

from Istanbul in the 1770s with the goal of taking over and ruling his native land. With the help of Turkish forces, Kelesh-Bey was able to overthrow his uncle,

Zurab Shervashidze Zurab Shervashidze ( ka, ზურაბ შარვაშიძე; also known as Suraba Bey) was the ruler of Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of ...

, and take over the Abkhaz crown. Kelesh-Bey was known for his energetic drive to consolidate state power while actively fighting against the

Principality of Mingrelia The Principality of Mingrelia ( ka, სამეგრელოს სამთავრო, tr), also known as Odishi and as Samegrelo, was a historical state in Georgia ruled by the Dadiani dynasty. History The principality emerged out of ...

which bordered Abkhazia to the east. Kelesh-Bey was the grand father of Gülüstü Hanım, Sultan

Abdulmejid I Abdulmejid I ( ota, عبد المجيد اول, ʿAbdü'l-Mecîd-i evvel, tr, I. Abdülmecid; 25 April 182325 June 1861) was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839. His reign was notable for the r ...

's consort and Sultan

Mehmed VI Mehmed VI Vahideddin ( ota, محمد سادس ''Meḥmed-i sâdis'' or ''Vaḥîdü'd-Dîn''; tr, VI. Mehmed or /; 14 January 1861 – 16 May 1926), also known as Şahbaba () among the Osmanoğlu family, was the 36th and last Sultan of the ...

's mother. In 1802, he rallied the Turkish support and captured the Mingrelian fort of Anaklia. After

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 ...

joined 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 ...

in 1803, Kelesh also tried to seek closer ties (associated relations) with Russia, which led to Abkhazia’s break with Ottoman Turkey. Becoming increasingly worried about Abkhazia drifting closer to Russia, the Turkish leadership tried to remove Kelesh-Bey from power by force, but failed. In the end, Turkey was able to remove Kelesh from the Abkhaz throne by forging close ties to his son Aslan-Bey who killed his father and became the new ruler of Abkhazia. George Hewitt considers this a Russian fabrication and accuses Aslan-bey's brother Sefer-Bey, Nino Dadiani and the Russian military administration of the assassination.

Children

* Aslan-Bey Shervashidze *

Sefer Ali-Bey Shervashidze Sefer Ali-Bey Shervashidze (also known by the Christian name of Giorgi Shervashidze) was a prince of the Principality of Abkhazia in 1810–21. He was the youngest son of Kelesh Ahmed-Bey Shervashidze. After Kelesh Ahmed-bey was killed by his ...

*Batal Bey Shervashidze *Hasan Bey Shervashidze *Tatar Bey Shervashidze *Rustam Bey Shervashidze *Sulaiman Bey Shervashidze *Mahmud Bey Shervashidze *Sekir Bey Shervashidze *Rustam Khanum

References

* ''Georgian State (Soviet) Encyclopedia.'' 1983. Book 10. p. 689. 1747 births 1806 deaths Converts to Islam from Eastern Orthodoxy Former Georgian Orthodox Christians Princes of Abkhazia Kelesh Ahmed-Bey {{abkhazia-bio-stub