Teimuraz Bagrationi
Encyclopedia
Teimuraz Bagrationi otherwise known as tsarevich Teimuraz Georgievich (April 23, 1782 – October 25, 1846) was a Georgian
prince (batonishvili
) and scholar primarily known as an author of the first critical history in Georgian as well as for his work to popularize interest in the history and culture of Georgia and preserve its treasures.
Prince Teimuraz was born in Tbilisi
to Heir Apparent George
, subsequently the last king of Georgia (Kingdom of Kartli and Kakheti) from 1798 to 1800, and his wife, Ketevan née Andronikashvili. He studied at the Telavi
Seminary, and, at the age of 13, took part in the 1795 Battle of Krtsanisi
at which his grandfather, King Heraclius II of Georgia, was defeated by a Persian
invading army under Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. Teimuraz did not accept the Russian
annexation of Georgia of 1801, which followed shortly after his father’s death and fled to Persia, whence his uncle, Alexander
fought to expel the Russians from Georgia. During the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813)
, Teimuraz commanded Persian artillery in a few battles. In 1810, however, he surrendered to the Russian authorities and returned to Georgia, but was thence deported to St Petersburg where he was granted a state salary and pension. In 1813, he acquired a mansion on Vasilievsky Island
and concentrated on scholarly work. He collected and researched old Georgian chronicles and analyzed Greco
-Roman
and Armenia
n sources on Georgia. He was a collaborator and friend of Marie Brosset, a French
scholar, whom he frequently consulted on the history of Georgia. At the same time, Prince Teiumraz befriended and tutored the young Georgian students in St Petersburg – Platon Ioseliani
, and David Chubinashvili
– both of whom eventually became prolific Georgian historians.
In the 1830s-40s, he composed two major works on the early history of Georgia – "ისტორია დაწყებითგან ივერიისა, ესე იგი გიორგიისა, რომელ არს სრულიად საქართველოჲსა" (1832, History of Iberia
or Georgia, that is All of Sakartvelo) and "ისტორია ძველი კოლხიდისა" (1840, History of Ancient Colchis
) – and wrote commentaries to the 12th-century Georgian national epic "The Knight in the Panther's Skin
" ("განმარტება პოემა ვეფხისტყაოსანისა", 1843). His articles were published in the Paris
-based Journal Asiatique and Memoires inedits. He was elected an honorary member of the French Societe Asiatique
(1831), the Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences (1837) and the Danish
Royal Antiquarian Society
(1838). Prince Teimuraz also authored several poems, and a memoir of his Europe
an travels as well as the Georgian translations of Tacitus
, Voltaire
, and Pushkin.
He died in St. Petersburg and was buried there at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra
.
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...
prince (batonishvili
Batonishvili
Batonishvili was a title for princes and princesses of the blood royal in the Transcaucasian kingdom of Georgia, and was suffixed to the Christian name e.g., Alexandre Batonishvili, Ioane Batonishvili...
) and scholar primarily known as an author of the first critical history in Georgian as well as for his work to popularize interest in the history and culture of Georgia and preserve its treasures.
Prince Teimuraz was born in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
to Heir Apparent George
George XII of Georgia
George XII , sometimes known as George XIII , of the House of Bagrationi, was the last king of Georgia from 1798 until his death in 1800...
, subsequently the last king of Georgia (Kingdom of Kartli and Kakheti) from 1798 to 1800, and his wife, Ketevan née Andronikashvili. He studied at the Telavi
Telavi
Telavi is the main city and administrative center of Georgia's eastern province of Kakheti. Its population consists of some 21,800 inhabitants . The city is located on foot-hills of Tsiv-Gombori Range at 500-800 meters above the sea level....
Seminary, and, at the age of 13, took part in the 1795 Battle of Krtsanisi
Battle of Krtsanisi
The Battle of Krtsanisi was fought between Persian and Georgian armies at the place of Krtsanisi near Tbilisi, Georgia, from September 8 to September 11, 1795, as part of the war intended by the Persian ruler Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar as a reprisal for King Heraclius II of Georgia’s alliance with...
at which his grandfather, King Heraclius II of Georgia, was defeated by a Persian
History of Iran
The history of Iran has been intertwined with the history of a larger historical region, comprising the area from the Danube River in the west to the Indus River and Jaxartes in the east and from the Caucasus, Caspian Sea, and Aral Sea in the north to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and Egypt...
invading army under Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. Teimuraz did not accept the Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
annexation of Georgia of 1801, which followed shortly after his father’s death and fled to Persia, whence his uncle, Alexander
Alexander of Georgia
Alexander was a Georgian prince of the Bagrationi family who headed several insurrections against the Russian rule in Georgia between 1800 and 1832. He was known in Persia as Eskandar Mirza.- Early career :...
fought to expel the Russians from Georgia. During the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813)
Russo-Persian War (1804-1813)
The 1804-1813 Russo-Persian War, one of the many wars between the Persian Empire and Imperial Russia, began like many wars as a territorial dispute. The Persian king, Fath Ali Shah Qajar, wanted to consolidate the northernmost reaches of his Qajar dynasty by securing land near the Caspian Sea's...
, Teimuraz commanded Persian artillery in a few battles. In 1810, however, he surrendered to the Russian authorities and returned to Georgia, but was thence deported to St Petersburg where he was granted a state salary and pension. In 1813, he acquired a mansion on Vasilievsky Island
Vasilievsky Island
Vasilyevsky Island is an island in Saint Petersburg, Russia, bordered by the rivers Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva in the south and northeast, and by the Gulf of Finland in the west. Vasilyevsky Island is separated from Dekabristov Island by the Smolenka River...
and concentrated on scholarly work. He collected and researched old Georgian chronicles and analyzed Greco
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
-Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n sources on Georgia. He was a collaborator and friend of Marie Brosset, a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
scholar, whom he frequently consulted on the history of Georgia. At the same time, Prince Teiumraz befriended and tutored the young Georgian students in St Petersburg – Platon Ioseliani
Platon Ioseliani
Platon Ioseliani was a Georgian historian.Educated at St Petersburg Theological Academy, he then taught physics and philosophy at Tbilisi Theological Seminary and later served for the office of the Viceroy of the Caucasus. His articles were regularly published in the Russian and Georgian press...
, and David Chubinashvili
David Chubinashvili
David Chubinashvili , otherwise known as David Yesseevich Chubinov by the Russified form of his name was a Georgian lexicographer, linguist and scholar of old Georgian literature....
– both of whom eventually became prolific Georgian historians.
In the 1830s-40s, he composed two major works on the early history of Georgia – "ისტორია დაწყებითგან ივერიისა, ესე იგი გიორგიისა, რომელ არს სრულიად საქართველოჲსა" (1832, History of Iberia
Caucasian Iberia
Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli , corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia...
or Georgia, that is All of Sakartvelo) and "ისტორია ძველი კოლხიდისა" (1840, History of Ancient Colchis
Colchis
In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgian state kingdom and region in Western Georgia, which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation.The Kingdom of Colchis contributed significantly to the development of medieval Georgian...
) – and wrote commentaries to the 12th-century Georgian national epic "The Knight in the Panther's Skin
The Knight in the Panther's Skin
The Knight in the Panther's Skin is an epic poem, consisting of over 1600 shairi quatrains, was written in the 12th century by the Georgian epic-poet Shota Rustaveli, who was a Prince and Treasurer at the royal court of Queen Tamar of Georgia. The Knight in the Panther's Skin is often seen as...
" ("განმარტება პოემა ვეფხისტყაოსანისა", 1843). His articles were published in the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
-based Journal Asiatique and Memoires inedits. He was elected an honorary member of the French Societe Asiatique
Société Asiatique
The Société Asiatique is a French learned society dedicated to the study of Asia. It was founded in 1822 with the mission of developing and diffusing knowledge of Asia. Its boundaries of geographic interest are broad, ranging from the Maghreb to the Far East. The society publishes the Journal...
(1831), the Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences (1837) and the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Royal Antiquarian Society
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
(1838). Prince Teimuraz also authored several poems, and a memoir of his Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an travels as well as the Georgian translations of Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
, Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
, and Pushkin.
He died in St. Petersburg and was buried there at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra
Alexander Nevsky Lavra
Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Saint Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter I of Russia in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg supposing that that was the site of the Neva Battle in 1240 when Alexander Nevsky, a prince, defeated the Swedes; however, the battle...
.