Argveti (), also Margveti (), is a historic district in

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 ...

, western

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 ...

Overview

The area lay on the historic

Iberian Iberian refers to Iberia. Most commonly Iberian refers to: *Someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. The term ''Iberian'' is also used to refer to anything pertaining to the fo ...

Lazica The Kingdom of Lazica (; ; ), sometimes called Lazian Empire, was a state in the territory of west Georgia in the Roman era, Georgia in the Roman period, from about the 1st century BC. Created as a result of the collapse of the kingdom of Colc ...

n frontier, i.e., between what are now

eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

and western parts of Georgia. From the 3rd century BC to the 6th century AD, it frequently came under the rule of the kings of Iberia (

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 ...

) and occasionally covered also some neighbouring areas, particularly

Takveri Lechkhumi ( ) is a historic province in northwestern Georgia (country), Georgia which comprises the area along the middle basin of the Rioni river, Rioni and Tskhenistskali and also the Lajanuri river valley. Now part of the Racha-Lechkhumi and K ...

. Argveti was a semi-independent princedom (samtavro) during the early Middle Ages, famed for its 8th-century nobles David and Constantine

Mkheidze The House of Mkheidze (), originally Mkhetsidze (მხეციძე), also Pkheidze (ფხეიძე), Kheidze (ხეიძე), Mkhetsia (მხეცია), and Khetsia (ხეცია), is an ancient Nobility of Georgia (country), Georg ...

who fought against the

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

in the 730s. From the 8th to 11th centuries, Argveti formed a duchy within the

Abkhazian Kingdom The Kingdom of Abkhazia ( ka, აფხაზთა სამეფო, tr; ) was a Middle Ages, medieval feudalism, feudal state in the Caucasus which was established in the 780s. Through dynastic succession, it Unification of the Georgian rea ...

, which was united with Kartli to form a united Georgian monarchy in 1008. It was then a patrimony of the powerful

Baghvashi The Liparitids ( ka, ლიპარიტები), also known as Baghuashi (ბაღჳაში), were a Georgian noble house ('' didebuli'') in medieval Georgia, with notable members from the 9th to 12th centuries. They were famed for their ...

ducal family, which went back in 1103, allowing King

David IV David IV, also known as David IV the Builder ( ka, დავით IV აღმაშენებელი, tr; 1073 – 24 January 1125), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 5th List of monarchs of Georgia, king (''mepe'') of the Kingdom of Ge ...

to donate part of Argveti to

Gelati Monastery Gelati ( ka, გელათის მონასტერი ) is a medieval monastic complex near Kutaisi in the Imereti region of western Georgia. One of the first monasteries in Georgia, it was founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia as ...

. What was left from the Baghvashi dominion was granted to the

Amanelisdze The House of Amanelisdze ( ka, ამანელისძე) was a noble family in medieval Georgia with a surge in prominence in the 12th and 13th centuries. History The 13th-century anonymous Georgian chronicle ''The Histories and Eulogies ...

family in the 12th-13th centuries. In the late medieval period, Argveti was distributed among the fiefdoms of various noble families of Imereti, particularly the

Tsereteli The House of Tsereteli ( ka, წერეთელი), also known as Tsertelev (Russian), is a noble family in Georgia (and partly, a Russian noble family) which gave origin to several notable writers, politicians, scholars, and artists. Histo ...

Abashidze The House of Abashidze ( ka, აბაშიძე) is a Nobility of Georgia (country), Georgian noble family and a former List of Georgian princely families#A, Georgian princely house. Appearing in the 15th century, they achieved prominence in t ...

Chkheidze The House of Chkheidze was an old Nobility of Georgia (country), Georgian noble family, ruling family of the Duchy of Racha, until the late XVIII century. In the 19th century, after the annexation of Georgia by the Russian Empire, they became part ...

, and

. Some of the important historic monuments scattered across the area are the fortresses of

Shorapani Shorapani ( ka, შორაპანი ) is a small Georgian town, situated in the Zestaponi District, part of the region of Imereti. Founded in the 3rd century BC, it served as a residence of the ''eristavi'' (dukes) of Argveti (also known as ...

, Skanda, Sveri, Chikha, Mukhuri, and the churches of

Ubisi Ubisa ( ka, უბისი) is a small village and a medieval monastic complex in Georgia, particularly in the region Imereti, some 25 km from the town Kharagauli. The monastic complex of Ubisi comprises a 9th-century St. George’s Monastery fo ...

Jruchi The Jruchi Monastery of Saint George ( ka, ჯრუჭის წმინდა გიორგის სახელობის მონასტერი, tr) is a ruined Georgian Orthodox monastic church in the western Georgian region of I ...

, Tabakini, and Katskhi.

References

Former provinces of Georgia (country) Historical regions of Georgia (country) {{Georgia-geo-stub