The House of Cholokashvili ( ka, ჩოლოყაშვილი,

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 ...

: Чолокаевы) was an old Georgian noble family. It claimed an exotic foreign lineage and first appeared in the eastern Georgian province, and later kingdom, of

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 ...

in 1320. They were enfeoffed of the office of Prince-Master of the Palace of Kakheti and produced several notable members from the 16th century into the 20th.

History

Traditional genealogical accounts have it that the family's ancestor was a Genoese officer who moved, in the 14th century, from a

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

n colony to

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...

where he was dubbed by locals as ''Cholagh'' "for the multitude of sheep and cattle he possessed". Cholagh is said to have quarreled with the local tribesmen and fled into neighboring Georgia through the Derbend road in 1320. King

George V of Georgia George V the Brilliant ( ka, გიორგი V ბრწყინვალე, tr; also translated as the Illustrious, or Magnificent; 1286–1346) of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the king ('' mepe'') of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1299 to 13 ...

welcomed Cholagh and granted him an apanage and the princely title of the extinct family of Irubakidze in

. იოანე ბატონიშვილი ( Ioane Bagrationi; 1768-1830)
"ჩოლაყაშვილი (კახეთის თავადნი)" (Cholakashvili (Princes of Kakheti))
შემოკლებით აღწერა საქართველოსა შინა მცხოვრებთა თავადთა და აზნაურთა გვარებისა (''The Brief Description of the Georgian Noble Houses''). Retrieved on April 12, 2007. The family played an important role in later-day Georgia and intermarried with the Kakhetian branch of the

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 ...

. They were considered one of the 2 "undivided" houses of Kakheti. Their fiefdom — Sacholokao (საჩოლოყაო) — was annexed to

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

along with east Georgia in 1801, and the family became mediatized as Russian nobility (, Cholokaev; or Челокаевы, Chelokaev). The family briefly held the

Duchy of Aragvi The Duchy of Aragvi ( ka, არაგვის საერისთავო) was an important fiefdom in medieval and early modern Georgia (country), Georgia, strategically located in the upper Aragvi River, Aragvi valley, in the foothills of t ...

from 1747 to c. 1753.

Notable members

*Garsevan Cholokashvili, a powerful minister at the court of Levan of Kakheti (reigned 1520–74) *Shermazan Cholokashvili (died after 1612), politician and diplomat *Kaikhosro Cholokashvili (died 1613), poet and politician *Revaz Cholokashvili (died 1648), politician and soldier * Nikoloz Cholokashvili (Niciphores Irbachi; c. 1585–1658), Georgian Orthodox priest, politician and diplomat. * Bidzina Cholokashvili (died c. 1660), Christian martyr of Persian aggression canonized by the

Georgian Orthodox Church The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonl ...

*Jimsher Cholokashvili (died 1756),

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 ...

of the

Aragvi The Aragvi ( ka, wikt:არაგვი, არაგვი, tr ) and its basin are in Georgia (country), Georgia on the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains. The river is long, and its basin covers an area of . The ground strata are most ...

1743-56 *Davit Cholokashvili (1735–1810), poet and translator *Ilia Cholokashvili (1824–1877), major general in the Russian army *

Kakutsa Cholokashvili Kaikhosro "Kakutsa" Cholokashvili ( ka, ქაიხოსრო ��აქუცაჩოლოყაშვილი; ; , ''Kaikhosro Chelokayev''; born 14 July 1888 – 27 June 1930) was a Georgian military officer and a commander of an anti-So ...

(1888–1930), military commander and national hero of Georgia

References

{{Reflist

History

Notable members

References

See also