The House of Amirejibi ( ka, ამირეჯიბი) is a
Georgian family, formerly a prominent noble house, which branched off the
House of Palavandishvili and rose in prominence in the late 14th century. The family name comes from a Georgian courtier title of ''amirejibi'' (derived from
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: ''
amir
Emir (; ' (), also transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has ...
'', أمير + ''
hajib
Hajib or hadjib (, ) was a court official, equivalent to a chamberlain, in the early Muslim world, which evolved to fulfil various functions, often serving as chief ministers or enjoying dictatorial powers. The post appeared under the Umayyad Ca ...
'', الحاجب) that was hereditary in one of the Palavandishvili lines and roughly corresponded to the office of
Lord Great Chamberlain
The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Privy Seal but above the Lord High Constable of England, Lord High Constable. The office of Lo ...
.
History
The Amirejibi were in the immediate circles of the ruling
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 ...
. For example, King
Constantine I of Georgia (
r. 1405-1412) married Natia, daughter of
Kutsna Amirejibi, sometime
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
to
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
. After the
fragmentation of the Kingdom of Georgia into three independent kingdoms (
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 ...
,
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 ...
, and
Imereti
Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი, ) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 mun ...
), the family was confirmed in princely dignity by King
Luarsab II of Kartli in 1613. After the
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
annexation
Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...
of Georgia, the family was enlisted among the Russian noble houses as Princes Amiredzhibi (Амирэджиби) or Amiredzhibov (Амиреджибов) by the
Tsar
Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
’s decree of February 2, 1824.
See also
*
Chabua Amirejibi, Georgian novelist and Soviet-era dissident
*
Sophia Amirajibi, Georgian translator of poetry
*
Tengiz Amirejibi, Georgian pianist
References
External links
* {{Commons category-inline, House of Amirejibi
Noble families of Georgia (country)
Nobility of Georgia (country)
Surnames
Georgian-language surnames