House of Sidamoni
Encyclopedia
The House of Sidamoni was a noble family (tavadi
) in Georgia
, their principal line known as Aragvis Eristavi (არაგვის ერისთავი) by virtue of being eristavi
(“duke
s”) of Aragvi
from 1578 to 1743. They were also known as Sidamonidze (სიდამონიძე), Sidamonishvili (სიდამონიშვილი), and Sidamon-Eristavi (სიდამონ-ერისთავი). The family produced several important figures in Georgian politics, culture, and science.
The family claimed descent from the medieval kings of Alania
. They originally lived in the village of Vanati on the Little Liakhvi River and, through the loyal service rendered to the Georgian kings of Kartli
, rose in the ranks of nobility (aznauri
) in the mid-16th century. In the 1578s, they secured the help of the Dukes of Ksani
and took control of the Aragvi valley, being recognized as the eristavi (“duke”) of Aragvi by the crown in 1578. The Eristavi of Aragvi pursued an aggressive, expansionist policy which resulted in important territorial acquisitions at the expense of other noble houses of Georgia. They were considered among the six "undivided" houses of the Kingdom of Kartli, which outranked those that had succumbed to the weakening division of their dynastic allods. Their loyalty to the crown was not permanent. In 1743, King Teimuraz II
dispossessed the Sidamoni family of their duchy and his successor Erekle II
forced them into retirement to Kakheti
where they were granted a smaller estate and confirmed as Princes Sidamonishvili. After the Russian annexation of Georgia
in 1801, the Sidamonishvili attempted to restore their erstwhile titles and patrimonial estates in the Aragvi valley, but to no avail. Under the Russian rule, the three Sidamoni lines were received among princely nobility
of the empire: two as Princes Eristov-Aragvsky and one as Princes Sidamon-Eristov (Сидамон-Эристов; 1826).
Tavadi
Tavadi , "prince", lit. "head/chief" [man], from tavi, "head", with the prefix of agent -di) was a feudal title in Georgia first applied in the Late Middle Ages usually translated in English as prince...
) in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, their principal line known as Aragvis Eristavi (არაგვის ერისთავი) by virtue of being eristavi
Eristavi
Eristavi was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, it was the title of the third rank of prince and governor of a large province...
(“duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
s”) of Aragvi
Duchy of Aragvi
The Duchy of Aragvi was an important fiefdom in medieval and early modern Georgia, strategically located in the upper Aragvi valley, in the foothills of the eastern Greater Caucasus crest, and ruled by a succession of eristavi from c...
from 1578 to 1743. They were also known as Sidamonidze (სიდამონიძე), Sidamonishvili (სიდამონიშვილი), and Sidamon-Eristavi (სიდამონ-ერისთავი). The family produced several important figures in Georgian politics, culture, and science.
The family claimed descent from the medieval kings of Alania
Alania
Alania may refer to:*Alania, the medieval state of the Alans or Alani people in the North Caucasus*The short name of the modern North Ossetia-Alania, one of the Caucasian republics in the Russian Federation...
. They originally lived in the village of Vanati on the Little Liakhvi River and, through the loyal service rendered to the Georgian kings of Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
, rose in the ranks of nobility (aznauri
Aznauri
Aznauri was a class of Georgian nobility; the term that was first applied to all nobles, but in the later Middle Ages narrowed to designate the petty nobles....
) in the mid-16th century. In the 1578s, they secured the help of the Dukes of Ksani
Ksani
Ksani is a small river in central Georgia, which rises on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in South Ossetia and flows into the Kura River. Ksani is often associated with the Medieval Georgian Ksani Fortress which lies close to the Ksani River....
and took control of the Aragvi valley, being recognized as the eristavi (“duke”) of Aragvi by the crown in 1578. The Eristavi of Aragvi pursued an aggressive, expansionist policy which resulted in important territorial acquisitions at the expense of other noble houses of Georgia. They were considered among the six "undivided" houses of the Kingdom of Kartli, which outranked those that had succumbed to the weakening division of their dynastic allods. Their loyalty to the crown was not permanent. In 1743, King Teimuraz II
Teimuraz II
Teimuraz II , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Kakheti, eastern Georgia, from 1732 to 1744, then of Kartli from 1744 until his death.- Life :...
dispossessed the Sidamoni family of their duchy and his successor Erekle II
Erekle II
Erekle II was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi Dynasty, reigning as the king of Kakheti from 1744 to 1762, and of Kartli and Kakheti from 1762 until 1798. In the contemporary Persian sources he is referred to as Erekli Khan, while Russians knew him as Irakli...
forced them into retirement to Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
where they were granted a smaller estate and confirmed as Princes Sidamonishvili. After the Russian annexation of Georgia
Georgia within the Russian Empire
Between 1801 and 1918 the country of Georgia was part of the Russian Empire. For centuries, the Muslim Ottoman and Persian empires had fought over various fragmented Georgian kingdoms and principalities but by the 18th century, a third imperial power, Russia, had emerged in the region. Since Russia...
in 1801, the Sidamonishvili attempted to restore their erstwhile titles and patrimonial estates in the Aragvi valley, but to no avail. Under the Russian rule, the three Sidamoni lines were received among princely nobility
Knyaz
Kniaz, knyaz or knez is a Slavic title found in most Slavic languages, denoting a royal nobility rank. It is usually translated into English as either Prince or less commonly as Duke....
of the empire: two as Princes Eristov-Aragvsky and one as Princes Sidamon-Eristov (Сидамон-Эристов; 1826).