The House of Baratashvili ( ka, ბარათაშვილი) is a Georgian noble family, appearing at the end of the 15th century as a continuation of the House of Kachibadze (ქაჩიბაძე), which were possibly related to the Liparitids-Orbeli.

History

The name "Baratashvili", literally “children/descendants of Barata”, derives from the 15th-century nobleman Barata “the Great” Kachibadze. The Kachibadze are first attested in the early 14th century inscription from the Pitareti monastery and, according to the Georgian scholar

Simon Janashia Simon Janashia ( ka, სიმონ ჯანაშია; July 13, 1900 – November 5, 1947) was a Georgia (country), Georgian historian and public figure. He was a professor of history and one of the founding members of the Georgian Academy of ...

, originated in

Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...

. Early in the 16th century, the Baratashvili estates, known as Sabaratiano, included hundreds of villages with 2,500-3,000 peasant households and some 250-300 noble vassals in Lower Kartli in the south of Georgia. They had castles at

Samshvilde Samshvilde ( ka, სამშვილდე, ) is a ruined fortified city and archaeological site in Georgia, in the country's south, near the homonymous modern-day village in the Tetritsqaro Municipality, Kvemo Kartli region. The ruins of the ...

Dmanisi Dmanisi ( ka, დმანისი, tr, , ) is a town and archaeological site in the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia (country), Georgia approximately 93 km southwest of the nation’s capital Tbilisi in the river valley of Mashavera. Abandoned i ...

, Darbaschala, Tbisi and Enageti; and familial abbeys at Pitareti,

Gudarekhi Gudarekhi ( ka, გუდარეხი) is a village in Kvemo Kartli, Georgia (country), Georgia, notable for a nearby monastic complex and archaeological site. It is located on a hill some 8 km north from the town Tetritsqaro, southwest of ...

, and Kedi. They were listed among the top five great nobles,

tavadi ''Tavadi'' ( ka, თავადი, "prince", lit. "head/chief" an from ka, თავი ''tavi'', "head", with the prefix of agent ''-di'') was a feudal title in Georgia (country), Georgia first applied in the Late Middle Ages usually trans ...

, of the

Kingdom of Kartli The Kingdom of Kartli ( ka, ქართლის სამეფო, tr) was a late medieval and early modern monarchy in eastern Georgia, centred on the province of Kartli, with its capital at Tbilisi. It emerged in the process of a tripar ...

and played a prominent role in the political and cultural life of Georgia; they were High Constables of

Somkhiti Somkhiti ( ka, სომხითი, ) was an ambiguous geographic term used in medieval and early modern Georgian historical sources to refer to Armenia on one hand and to the Armeno-Georgian marchlands along the river valleys of Debed and Kh ...

-Sabaratiano, and also majordomos and Lords Chief Justice at the royal court. In the 16th and 17th centuries, several noble houses sprung off the Baratashvili. These were: *Gostashabishvili *Germanozishvili *Zurabishvili *Abashishvili * Orbelishvili-Qaplanishvili *Palavan-Khosroshvili *Iaralishvili *Iotamishvili. The main Baratashvili line gradually declined and lost their privileges to their own offshoot Qaplanishvili. A branch of the Baratashvili, Barataev (Баратаевы), was also established in Russia by an expatriate prince Melkisedek (Mikhail), who followed King Vakhtang VI in his Russian emigration in 1724. Melkisedek Baratashvili, now known as Mikhail Barataev, entered Russian service. Of his four sons, two – Pyotr and Semyon – became generals in the Russian army and governors of Siberia and Kazan, respectively. His daughters married into Russian nobility. Pyotr Barataev's son, Prince Mikhail Barataev, was a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...

better known as an archeologist and numismatist of Georgia. After Russian annexation of Georgia, the Georgian Baratashvili were confirmed among the princely nobility (

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 ...

Baratov, Баратовы) in the decrees of 1826, 1827, 1829, and 1850.Баратовы (Baratov)
''Russian Biographic Lexicon''. Retrieved on 2008-07-07.

Notable members

*Barata Baratashvili (died c. 1626), military commander *Kaikhosro Baratashvili (died 1636), military commander *Qaplan Baratashvili (died 1671), military commander *

Nikoloz Baratashvili Prince Nikoloz "Tato" Baratashvili ( ka, ნიკოლოზ "ტატო" ბარათაშვილი; 4 December 1817 – 21 October 1845) was a Georgian poet. He was one of the first Georgians to marry modern nationalism with European ...

(1817-1845), poet * Sulkhan Baratashvili (1821-1866), historian

References

{{Reflist Noble families of Georgia (country) Georgian-language surnames