The Tarkhan-Mouravi ( ka, თარხან-მოურავი) (Tarkhnishvili, თარხნიშვილი, or Tarkhan-Mouravishvili, თარხან-მოურავიშვილი) is a
Georgian noble family, claiming descent from the
Shamkhal dynasty of
Tarki, in
Dagestan
Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North ...
. Originally known as Saakadze (სააკაძე), they acquired, in the 1640s, the title of prince (''
tavadi'') and the new surname, which is a composite of the two hereditary offices,
mouravi and
tarkhan. The family was reconfirmed as the princes (
knyaz
, or (Old Church Slavonic: Кнѧзь) is a historical Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times of history and different ancient Slavic lands. It is usually translated into English as prince or duke, dependi ...
) by the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
in 1826 and 1850. The cadets continued to be called Saakadze and remained members of the untitled nobility (
aznauri ''Aznauri'' ( ka, აზნაური, ; pl. ''aznaurni'', აზნაურნი, or ''aznaurebi'', აზნაურები) was a class of Georgian nobility.
The word derives from Middle Persian ''āznāvar'', which, in turn, correspond ...
) until 1881 when they were also elevated to the princely rank.
The earliest record of the Saakadze clan dates back to the reign of Queen
Tamar. The first known member of the family, Siaush Saakadze (died c. 1606), was a loyal officer in the service of
Simon I of Kartli, who gave him the office of mouravi of
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...
in the 1580s. His son,
Giorgi Saakadze (the Grand Mouravi; c. 1570 – 1629) pursued a contradictory and turbulent career. He dominated the political life in eastern Georgia for years in which he firstly collaborated with the Persian
Safavids
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
, conspired against them later on, and eventually ended up his life in exile in the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
after the
Battle of Bazaleti. His last surviving son, Ioram (died 1664) returned to Georgia, and was conferred with the titles of prince and tarkhan by
Rostom of Kartli early in the 1640s. His descendants assumed the surname of Tarkhan-Mouravi. Their fiefdom centered on the village of Akhalkalaki and the Tedzami river valley in
Inner Kartli
Shida Kartli ( ka, შიდა ქართლი, , ; "Inner Kartli") is a landlocked administrative region (''Mkhare'') in eastern Georgia. It comprises a central part of the historical-geographic province of Shida Kartli. With an area of , Sh ...
. Throughout the 17th century, the Saakadze's were one of the most successful noble families in
Safavid Iran
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often consi ...
, especially through
Bijan Beg Saakadze
Bijan Beg, also known as Bijan Beg Gorji (''Bezhan'', ''Bizhan''), was a Safavid courtier, official, and royal '' gholam'' from the Georgian Saakadze clan. He was one of the most influential and closest servants of king Abbas I (r. 1588–1629) ...
and his Descendants.
References
{{Reflist
Noble families of Georgia (country)
Families of Georgia (country)
Georgian-language surnames