House Of Mukhrani
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The House of Mukhrani is a Georgian princely family that is a branch of the former royal dynasty of Bagrationi, from which it sprang early in the 16th century, receiving in
appanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...
the domain of
Mukhrani Mukhrani ( ka, მუხრანი, originally Mukhnari უხნარი i.e., "oak-grove") is a historical lowland district in eastern Georgia (country), Georgia, currently within the borders of Mtskheta-Mtianeti mkhare, region, north o ...
, in 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 ...
. The family — currently the seniormost genealogical line of the entire Bagrationi dynasty Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. " Burke’s Royal Families of the World: ''Volume II Africa & the Middle East'', 1980, pp. 58-67. — has since been known as Mukhranbatoni ( ka, მუხრანბატონი ). An elder branch of the house of Mukhrani, now extinct, furnished five royal sovereigns of Kartli between 1658 and 1724. Its descendants bore the
Imperial Russian The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
titles of Prince
Gruzinsky Gruzinsky (; ka, გრუზინსკი) was a title and later the name of two different princely lines of the Bagrationi dynasty of Georgia (country), Georgia, both of which received it as subjects of the Russian Empire. The name "Gruzins ...
(Грузи́нский, გრუზინსკი) and Princes Bagration (Багратион, ბაგრატიონი). Another branch, presiding in Mukhrani as ''
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 ...
'' and received among the princely nobility of Russia under the name of Bagration of Mukhrani (Bagration-Mukhransky; Багратион-Мухранский; Bagration-Mukhraneli, ბაგრატიონ-მუხრანელი), still flourishes and has, since 1957, claimed to be the Royal House of Georgia by virtue of being the genealogically eldest surviving line of the Bagrationi dynasty. Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. " Burke’s Royal Families of the World: ''Volume II Africa & the Middle East'', 1980, pp. 58-67.
David Bagration of Mukhrani Prince David Bagrationi Mukhrani (''Mukran-Batoni'' []) of Georgia, ''David Bagration de Moukhrani y Zornoza'', or ''Davit Bagrationi-Mukhraneli'' ( ka, დავით ბაგრატიონ-მუხრანელი; born 24 June 1976), ...
has been the head of this house since January 16, 2008.
Toumanoff, Cyril Cyril Leo Toumanoff ( ka, კირილ თუმანოვი; ; 10 October 1913 – 4 February 1997) was a Georgian-American historian, and academic genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armen ...
(1967). ''Studies in Christian Caucasian History'', p. 269.
Georgetown University Press Georgetown University Press is a university press affiliated with Georgetown University that publishes about forty new books a year. The press's major subject areas include bioethics, international affairs, languages and linguistics, political s ...
.


History

Origins of the house of Mukhrani date back to 1512, when King
David X of Kartli David X ( ka, დავით X) (c. 1470s or 1480s –1526) was the second king ('' mepe'') of the Kingdom of Kartli from 1505 to 1525. Associated with the throne as a child, he became king on the death of his father and from then on had to en ...
was obliged to create his younger brother
Bagrat Bagrat (, in Western Armenian pronounced as Pakrad, ka, wikt:ბაგრატ, ბაგრატ) is a male name popular in Armenia. It is derived from the Old Persian ''Bagadāta'', "gift of God". The names of the Armenian Bagratuni dynasty, ...
a hereditary lord of Mukhrani in order to secure his support against encroachments from another Georgian ruler, King
George II of Kakheti George II ( ka, გიორგი II, ''Giorgi II'') also known as George the Bad, the Mad or the Evil (''Av-Giorgi'', ავგიორგი) (1469–1513), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king (''mepe'') of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 15 ...
. The
Ksani fortress The Ksani fortress ( ka, ქსნის ციხე, tr), also known as the Mtkvari fortress (მტკვრის ციხე, ''mt'k'vris tsikhe''), is a fortress in eastern Georgia (country), Georgia, strategically perched on a mount overloo ...
built then became a stronghold of the house. Subsequently, the residence was moved to Mukhrani village. Over time, the princes of Mukhrani exploited the weakness of royal authority and converted their fiefdom into an autonomous seigneury, ''satavado'', that is "a holding of
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 ...
(
prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
)". Suny, Ronald Grigor (1994), ''The Making of the Georgian Nation'', pp. 46-7.
Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...
, .
On the death without heirs of King
Rostom of Kartli Rostom or Rustam Khan ( ka, როსტომი or როსტომ ხანი; c. 1565 – 17 November 1658) was a Georgian royal, from the House of Bagrationi, who functioned as a Safavid-appointed vali (i.e. viceroy)/king ('' mepe'') ...
, his adopted son
Vakhtang Vakhtang ( ka, ვახტანგ) is a masculine Georgian given name of Persian language, Persian origin. Originally from "vahrka-tanū," meaning "wolf-bodied." Some sources argue that the meaning of the name could possibly be a representation ...
, Prince of Mukhrani, succeeded on the throne as King Vakhtang V in 1659 and ceded the ownership of Mukhrani to his younger brother,
Constantine I Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...
, ancestor of all the subsequent Princes of Mukhrani.Horan, Brien Purcell (1998)
The Russian Imperial Succession
. ''Russian Imperial Union Order''. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
The descendants of Vakhtang V, the elder branch of the house of Mukhrani, retained the crown of Kartli until 1724, when the Ottoman invasion forced King
Vakhtang VI of Kartli Vakhtang VI ( ka, ვახტანგ VI), also known as Vakhtang the Scholar, Vakhtang the Lawgiver and Ḥosaynqolī Khan (; 15 September 1675 – 26 March 1737), was a Georgian monarch (''mepe'') of the royal Bagrationi dynasty. He ru ...
and his household into exile in Russia, without, however, renouncing their rights to the throne. They formed two lines in exile, both accepted among the ranks of Russian 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 ...
''. One of these, Princes Gruzinsky ("of Georgia"), descended from Vakhang VI's son
Bakar Bakar may refer to: *Bakar, Croatia Bakar is a town in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The population of the town was 8,279 according to the 2011 Croatian census, including 1,473 in the titular settlement. Ninety percent of th ...
and died out in 1892. The other, Princes Bagration, descending from Vakhang VI's nephew
Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...
, was made famous by
Pyotr Bagration Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration (10 July 1765 – 24 September 1812) was a Russian general and prince of Georgians, Georgian origin, prominent during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Bagration, a member of the Bagrationi dynasty ...
, a Russian general of the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, and became extinct in male line in 1920, after the death of the brothers Dmitry and Alexander Bagration. The throne of Kartli eventually passed to their distant cousins from the Bagrationi dynasty 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 ...
. This new royal house united both Kartli and Kakheti into a single monarchy. Constantine's scions, the branch of the house of Mukhrani, chose to stay in Kartli rather than follow Vakhtang VI to Russia. They remained in possession of Mukhrani under the Kakhetian Bagrationi and continued to exercise within the united kingdom of Georgia the hereditary positions of Mayor of the Palace of Georgia and High Constable of Upper Kartli. After Russia's annexation of Georgia in 1801, Georgia and Mukhrani ceased to exist as autonomous territories and its former rulers were confirmed as Russian princes in 1825 and 1850. This line became the genealogically senior representatives of the Bagrationi dynasty, as the elder branch of the house of Mukhrani had gone extinct in its male line by 1920. After the
Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
takeover of Georgia, the family relocated to
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
in 1930. In 1957, Prince
Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani Irakli Bagration-Mukhraneli ( ka, ირაკლი ბაგრატიონ-მუხრანელი; 21 March 1909 – 30 October 1977) was a Georgian prince of the Mukhrani branch of the former royal dynasty of Bagrationi. Early life ...
, having established himself in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, declared himself head of the Royal House of Georgia, which claim has been taken up by his descendants and is currently held by his grandson,
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
who has returned to Georgia. A rival claim, based on male
primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...
descent from the last kings of Kartli-Kakheti in eastern Georgia, comes from Prince Nugzar, head of the Bagration-Gruzinsky family, an offshoot of the Bagrationi of Kakheti. Sainty, Guy Stair (ed.)
Bagration (Georgia)
. ''Almanach de la Cour''. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.


Intra-dynastic marriage

Prince Nugzar's daughter, Princess
Anna Bagration-Gruzinsky Princess Ana Bagration-Gruzinsky ( ka, ანა ბაგრატიონ-გრუზინსკი; born 1 November 1976) is a batonishvili, royal princess and senior heir of the Gruzinsky branch of the Bagrationi dynasty, which is one of ...
, a divorced teacher and journalist with two daughters, married Prince
David Bagration of Mukhrani Prince David Bagrationi Mukhrani (''Mukran-Batoni'' []) of Georgia, ''David Bagration de Moukhrani y Zornoza'', or ''Davit Bagrationi-Mukhraneli'' ( ka, დავით ბაგრატიონ-მუხრანელი; born 24 June 1976), ...
, on 8 February 2009 at the Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral. The marriage united the Gruzinsky and Mukhrani branches of the Georgian
royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...
, and drew a crowd of 3,000 spectators, officials, and foreign diplomats, as well as extensive coverage by the
Georgian media Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) **Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group **Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scripts ...
. The dynastic significance of the wedding lay in the fact that, amidst the turmoil in political partisanship that has roiled Georgia since its independence in 1991,
Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia Ilia II ( ka, ილია II, tr; born 4 December 1933), also transcribed as Ilya or Elijah, is the 82nd and current Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the spiritual leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church. He is officially styled as "Catholic ...
publicly called for restoration of the monarchy as a path toward national unity in October 2007.Time for a King for Georgia?
/ref> Although this led some politicians and parties to entertain the notion of a Georgian
constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...
, competition arose among the old dynasty's princes and supporters, as historians and
jurists A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a legal practition ...
debated which Bagrationi has the strongest hereditary right to a throne that has been vacant for two centuries. Although some Georgian monarchists support the Gruzinsky branch's claim, others support that of the re-patriated Mukhrani branch. Both branches descend in unbroken, legitimate male line from the
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
kings of Georgia down to
Constantine II of Georgia Constantine II ( ka, კონსტანტინე II, tr) (c. 1447 – 1505), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 23rd and last king ('' mepe'') of United Georgia from 1478 until his death. Early in the 1490s, he had to recognise the in ...
who died in 1505. Whereas the Bagration-Mukhrani were a
cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...
of the former Royal House of
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 ...
, they became the genealogically seniormost line of the Bagrationi family in the early 20th century: yet the elder branch had lost the rule of Kartli by 1724. Meanwhile, the Bagration-Gruzinsky line, although junior to the Princes of Mukhrani genealogically, reigned over the 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 ...
, re-united the two realms in the kingdom of
Kartli-Kakheti The Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti ( ka, ქართლ-კახეთის სამეფო, tr) was created in 1762 by the unification of the two eastern Georgian kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti. From the early 16th century, according to the ...
in 1762, and did not lose sovereignty until Russian annexation in 1800. The bridegroom is the only member of his branch who retains Georgian citizenship and residence since the death of his father, Prince George Bagration-Mukhrani in 2008. Aside from his unmarried elder brother, Prince David is the ''
heir male In inheritance, a hereditary successor is a person who inherits an indivisible title or office after the death of the previous title holder. The hereditary line of succession may be limited to heirs of the body, or may pass also to collateral ...
'' of the Bagrationi family, while the bride's father is the most senior descendant of the last Bagrationi to reign over the
Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti The Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti ( ka, ქართლ-კახეთის სამეფო, tr) was created in 1762 by the unification of the two eastern Georgian kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti. From the early 16th century, according to t ...
. Since Nugzar and his cousin, Prince Eugene Bagration-Gruzinsky (b. 1947, married with no children), are the last patrilineal males descended from King George XIII, their branch verges on extinction. But the marriage between Nugzar Gruzinsky's heiress and the Mukhrani heir resolves their rivalry for the claim to the throne, which has divided Georgian monarchists. The son born of this marriage, prince George Bagration-Bagrationi (born on September 27, 2011) is apt to eventually become both the ''heir male'' of the House of Bagrationi and the ''heir general'' of George XIII of Kartli-Kakheti.


Hereditary princes of Mukhrani

* Bagrat I (1512–1539) *
Vakhtang I Vakhtang I Gorgasali ( ka, ვახტანგ I გორგასალი, tr; or 443 – 502 or 522), of the Chosroid dynasty, was a king (''mepe'') of Iberia, natively known as Kartli (eastern Georgia) in the second half of the 5th and firs ...
(1539–1580) ** Ashotan I (co-prince, 1539–1561) * Teimuraz I (1580–1625) **
Erekle I Heraclius I ( ka, ერეკლე I, Erekle I; ) or Nazar Alī Khān (; ) (1642–1709), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a Georgian monarch (''mepe'') who ruled the kingdoms of Kakheti (1675–1676, 1703–1709) and Kartli (1688–1703) under ...
(1580–1605) * Kaikhosro (1625–1626) *
David I David I may refer to: * David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399 * David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741) * David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881) * David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048) * David I of Scotland ...
(1626–1648), (was bestowed by King
Teimuraz I of Kakheti Teimuraz I ( ka, თეიმურაზ I; 1589–1663), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a Georgian monarch ('' mepe'') who ruled, with intermissions, as King of Kakheti from 1605 to 1648 and also of Kartli from 1625 to 1633. The eldest son of ...
) *
Vakhtang II Vakhtang II ( ka, ვახტანგ II; died 1292), of the dynasty of Bagrationi, was king (''mepe'') of Georgia from 1289 to 1292. Early life A son of the Western Georgian ruler, king David VI Narin, by his first wife Tamar, daughter of Pr ...
(1648–1658) *
Constantine I Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...
(1658–1667) * Teimuraz II (1667–1688) * Ashotan II (1688–1692) * Papuna (1692–1696, 1703–1710) * Constantine II (1696–1700) * Iese I (c. 1700) *
Erekle II Heraclius II, also known as Erekle II ( ka, ერეკლე II) and The Little Kakhetian ( ka, პატარა კახი, link=no ; 7 November 1720 or 7 October 1721 Cyril_Toumanoff.html" ;"title="ccording to Cyril Toumanoff">C. Touman ...
(1717–1719) * Levan (1719–1721) ** Iese II (1719–1724) * Mamuka (1730–1735) *
Constantine III Constantine III may refer to: * Constantine III (Western Roman emperor), self-proclaimed western Roman Emperor 407–411 * Heraclius Constantine, Byzantine Emperor in 641 * Constans II, Byzantine emperor 641–668, sometimes referred to under this ...
(1735–1756) *
Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
(1756–1778) * Ioane I (1778–1801) *
Constantine IV Constantine IV (); 650 – 10 July 685), called the Younger () and often incorrectly the Bearded () out of confusion with Constans II, his father, was Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685. His reign saw the first serious check to nearly 50 years ...
(1801–1842) *
Ioane Ioane is a given name. Notable people with the name include: ;Georgian name for Given name John: *Saint John the Iberian, a Georgian monk *Ioane Bagrationi (Georgian: იოანე ბაგრატიონი) (1768–1830), Georgian prince ( ...
(1842–1895) *
Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine g ...
(1895–1903) *
Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...
(1903–1918) *
George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...
(1918–1957) *
Irakli Irakli, Irakly ( ka, ირაკლი), or Erekle ( ka, ერეკლე) is a Georgian version of the Greek name Heracles, and is a popular masculine name in Georgia. Notable people with these names include: Erekle *Erekle I, Prince of Mukh ...
(1957–1977) *
George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...
(1977–2008) *
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
(2008–present)


See also


References


External links

*
Royal House of Bagration of Georgia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mukhrani, House Of M
Mukhrani Mukhrani ( ka, მუხრანი, originally Mukhnari უხნარი i.e., "oak-grove") is a historical lowland district in eastern Georgia (country), Georgia, currently within the borders of Mtskheta-Mtianeti mkhare, region, north o ...
Mukhrani Mukhrani ( ka, მუხრანი, originally Mukhnari უხნარი i.e., "oak-grove") is a historical lowland district in eastern Georgia (country), Georgia, currently within the borders of Mtskheta-Mtianeti mkhare, region, north o ...