Vakhushti
Encyclopedia
Vakhushti (1696-1757) was a Georgian
prince (batonishvili
), geographer, historian and cartographer.
(ruled 1716-1724), he was born in Tbilisi
, 1696. Educated by the brothers Garsevanishvili
and a Roman Catholic mission, he was fluent in six foreign languages, particularly in Greek
, Latin, French
, Turkish
, Russian
and Armenian
.
In 1719 and 1720, he took part in two successive campaigns against the rebel duke (eristavi
) Shanshe of the Ksani
. From August to November 1722, he was a governor of the kingdom during his father’s absence at the Ganja campaign. Later he served as a commander in Kvemo Kartli
. After the Ottoman
occupation of Kartli
, he followed King Vakhtang in his emigration to the Russian Empire
in 1724. Retired to Moscow
, Tsar
evich Vakhusht (as he came to be known in Russia) was granted a pension.
He married in 1717 Mariam, youngest daughter of Prince Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze
, virtual ruler of the Kingdom of Imereti
, and had seven children.
He died at Moscow, 1757. He was buried at the Donskoy Monastery
in Moscow
, a traditional burial ground of Georgian emigrant royalty and nobility.
(completed in 1745) and The Geographic Description of Georgia (completed in 1750), also two geographic atlases of the Caucasus
region accompanied by the images of several historic coats of arms (1745-46).
His famous Description of the Kingdom of Georgia is essentially an adorned synopsis of the initial texts of the corpus of medieval Georgian annals, Kartlis Tskhovreba. Vakhushti was critical of the re-edition of the corpus assembled by a scholarly commission chaired by his father Vakhtang VI. So as to rectify perceived oversights of Vakhtang's version, Vakhushti compiled his own comprehensive history and geographical description of the Georgian people and lands. One of the chief goals of his corrective was to underscore all-Georgian political and cultural unity despite the fact that Georgia was politically divided among competing kings and princes during Vakhushti’s lifetime. The popularity of Vakhushti’s tome is evidenced by the many copies made of it, and his narrative significantly shaped the way in which subsequent generations have conceived of an all-Georgian past. It is also a major source on the Georgian history of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Vakhushti's works were soon translated into Russian and later into French and served as a guide to many contemporary Europe
an scholars and travelers to Caucasus up to the early 20th century.
He also completed, together with his brother, Prince Bakar, the printing of the Bible
in Georgian, which he had been only partly done by their father, Vakhtang VI. He established for that purpose, in his house near Moscow, a printing-press, taught the art of printing to several Georgian clergymen, and completed the first printed edition of the Bible of the language of his country in 1743. The printing-press was afterwards transferred to Moscow, where several religious works in Georgian were printed.
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...
), geographer, historian and cartographer.
Life
A son of King Vakhtang VI of KartliVakhtang VI of Kartli
Vakhtang VI , also known as Vakhtang the Scholar and Vakhtang the Lawgiver, was a Wāli of Kartli, eastern Georgia, as a nominal vassal to the Persian shah from 1716 to 1724. Traditionally, he has been still styled as king of Kartli...
(ruled 1716-1724), he 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...
, 1696. Educated by the brothers Garsevanishvili
Garsevanishvili
Garsevanishvili , also known as Gersevanov is a Georgian noble Baronial family active in both Georgia and Russia.The family came to prominence in the early 18th century at the court of the Georgian king Vakhtang VI of Kartli...
and a Roman Catholic mission, he was fluent in six foreign languages, particularly in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Latin, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
.
In 1719 and 1720, he took part in two successive campaigns against the rebel duke (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...
) Shanshe of the Ksani
Shanshe, Duke of the Ksani
Shanshe, Duke of the Ksani , was a politician from Kingdom of Kartl-Kakheti. From 1718 was eristavi of Ksani....
. From August to November 1722, he was a governor of the kingdom during his father’s absence at the Ganja campaign. Later he served as a commander in Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli is a historic province and current administrative region in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is a regional capital. The population is mixed between Azeris and Georgians .The current governor is Davit Kirkitadze.- External links :* *...
. After the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
occupation 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...
, he followed King Vakhtang in his emigration to the Russian Empire
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...
in 1724. Retired to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
evich Vakhusht (as he came to be known in Russia) was granted a pension.
He married in 1717 Mariam, youngest daughter of Prince Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze
Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze
Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze was a Georgian nobleman and King of Imereti as George VI from 1702 to 1707. He was a member of the prominent Abashidze family....
, virtual ruler of the Kingdom of Imereti
Kingdom of Imereti
The Kingdom of Imereti was established in 1455 by a member of the house of Bagration when the Kingdom of Georgia was dissolved into rival kingdoms. Before that time, Imereti was considered a separate kingdom within the Kingdom of Georgia, to which a cadet branch of the Bagration royal family held...
, and had seven children.
He died at Moscow, 1757. He was buried at the Donskoy Monastery
Donskoy Monastery
Donskoy Monastery is a major monastery in Moscow, founded in 1591 in commemoration of Moscow's deliverance from an imminent threat of Khan Kazy-Girey’s invasion...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, a traditional burial ground of Georgian emigrant royalty and nobility.
Works
Most of his works were written or completed in Moscow. The chief of these were Description of the Kingdom of GeorgiaDescription of the Kingdom of Georgia
Description of Kingdom of Georgia – is written by Vakhushti Bagrationi. Full name of the work is “Description of Kingdom of Georgia, its habits and canons” . The work was completed on 20th October 1745 in Moscow. The work thoroughly describes geography of Georgia, its regions, values and narrates...
(completed in 1745) and The Geographic Description of Georgia (completed in 1750), also two geographic atlases of the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
region accompanied by the images of several historic coats of arms (1745-46).
His famous Description of the Kingdom of Georgia is essentially an adorned synopsis of the initial texts of the corpus of medieval Georgian annals, Kartlis Tskhovreba. Vakhushti was critical of the re-edition of the corpus assembled by a scholarly commission chaired by his father Vakhtang VI. So as to rectify perceived oversights of Vakhtang's version, Vakhushti compiled his own comprehensive history and geographical description of the Georgian people and lands. One of the chief goals of his corrective was to underscore all-Georgian political and cultural unity despite the fact that Georgia was politically divided among competing kings and princes during Vakhushti’s lifetime. The popularity of Vakhushti’s tome is evidenced by the many copies made of it, and his narrative significantly shaped the way in which subsequent generations have conceived of an all-Georgian past. It is also a major source on the Georgian history of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Vakhushti's works were soon translated into Russian and later into French and served as a guide to many contemporary 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 scholars and travelers to Caucasus up to the early 20th century.
He also completed, together with his brother, Prince Bakar, the printing of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
in Georgian, which he had been only partly done by their father, Vakhtang VI. He established for that purpose, in his house near Moscow, a printing-press, taught the art of printing to several Georgian clergymen, and completed the first printed edition of the Bible of the language of his country in 1743. The printing-press was afterwards transferred to Moscow, where several religious works in Georgian were printed.