Kelesh Ahmed-Bey (Kelesh-Bey) Sharvashidze (1747–1808) was the head of state of the

Principality of Abkhazia The Principality of Abkhazia ( ka, აფხაზეთის სამთავრო, tr) emerged as a separate feudal entity in the 15th-16th centuries, amid the civil wars in the Kingdom of Georgia that concluded with the dissolution of th ...

from the 1780s to 1808.

Biography

Kelesh-Bey was born in 1747 in the

, the son of Manuchar I Sharvashidze, Prince of Abkhazia. In his childhood, Kelesh-Bey was taken 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 ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

as a hostage, where he was converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. Kelesh returned to

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 ...

from Istanbul in the 1770s with the goal of taking over and ruling his native land. With the help of Turkish forces, Kelesh-Bey was able to overthrow his uncle, Zurab Sharvashidze, and take over the Abkhaz crown. Kelesh-Bey was known for his energetic drive to consolidate state power while actively fighting against the

Principality of Mingrelia The Principality of Mingrelia ( ka, სამეგრელოს სამთავრო, tr), also known as Odishi and as Samegrelo, was a historical state in Georgia ruled by the Dadiani dynasty. States and territories disestablished in ...

which bordered Abkhazia to the east. Kelesh-Bey was the grand father of Gülüstü Hanım, Sultan

Abdulmejid I ʻAbd al-Majīd (ALA-LC romanization of , ), also spelled as Abd ul Majid, Abd ul-Majid, Abd ol Majid, Abd ol-Majid, and Abdolmajid, is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Maj ...

's consort and Sultan

Mehmed VI Mehmed VI Vahideddin ( ''Meḥmed-i sâdis'' or ''Vaḥîdü'd-Dîn''; or /; 14 January 1861 – 16 May 1926), also known as ''Şahbaba'' () among the Osmanoğlu family, was the last sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the penultimate Ottoman Cal ...

's mother. In 1802, he rallied the Turkish support and captured the Mingrelian fort of

Anaklia Anaklia () is a town and seaside resort in western Georgia. It is located in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, at the place where the Enguri River flows into the Black Sea. History The earliest settlement on Anaklia's territory dates back to ...

. After

Mingrelia Mingrelia or Samegrelo ( ka, სამეგრელო, tr ; ) is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly known as Odishi. It is primarily inhabited by the Mingrelians, a subgroup of Georgians. Geography and climate Mingr ...

joined the

Russian Empire 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 ...

in 1803, Kelesh also tried to seek closer ties (associated relations) with Russia, which led to Abkhazia’s break with

Ottoman Turkey The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Central Euro ...

. Becoming increasingly worried about Abkhazia drifting closer to Russia, the Turkish leadership tried to remove Kelesh-Bey from power by force, but failed. In the end, Turkey was able to remove Kelesh from the Abkhaz throne by forging close ties to his son Aslan-Bey who killed his father and became the new ruler of Abkhazia. George Hewitt considers this a Russian fabrication and accuses Aslan-bey's brother Sefer-Bey, Nino Dadiani and the Russian military administration of the assassination.

Personal life

Kelesh Ahmed-Bay Sharvashidze married 4 times. He married in 1771 his first wife was Princess Mariam Dzapsh-Ipa. They divorced in 1789. He was married secondly to Leiba-khanum of Mgudzrikhva, thirdly to Rabia-Begum Marshania of Tselebi (b. 1748) and for the fourth time to Princess Afize-khanum Inal-Ipa, widow of his cousin, Bekir Bey Sharvashidze, Lord of Shuasopeli.https://rgenea.ru/familiya/shervashidze/page_3 He had: * Aslan-Bey Sharvashidze * Sefer Ali-Bey Sharvashidze *Batal Bey Sharvashidze *Hasan Bey Sharvashidze *Tatar Bey Sharvashidze *Rustam Bey Sharvashidze *Sulaiman Bey Sharvashidze *Mahmud Bey Sharvashidze *Sekir Bey Sharvashidze *Rustam Khanum Sharvashidze (by his thirs wife)

References

* ''Georgian State (Soviet) Encyclopedia.'' 1983. Book 10. p. 689. 1747 births 1806 deaths Converts to Sunni Islam from Eastern Orthodoxy Former Georgian Orthodox Christians Princes of Abkhazia Kelesh Ahmed-Bey {{abkhazia-bio-stub