Dadiani
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Dadiani (Georgian: დადიანი) was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Samegrelo.
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[edit] The House of Dadiani
The first data about the family dates back to 1046. Presumably, the Dadiani descended from a certain Dadi, of the House of Vardanisdze. Appointed as hereditary eristavi (dukes) of Odishi (Samegrelo) in reward for their military services, the family had become the most powerful feudal house in western Georgia by the 1280s. At that time, the branches of the family governed also Svaneti and Guria.
In 1557, Duke Levan I Dadiani became hereditary Prince (mtavari) of Mingrelia and established himself as an independent ruler. His descendant Prince Levan III Dadiani was forced to abdicate in 1691 and Dadiani’s relatives from the Chikovani (ჩიქოვანი in Georgian) family inherited the title of Princes of Mingrelia and the surname of Dadiani. Accepting Russian sovereignty in 1802, the Dadiani were elevated to the dignity of Prince of the Russian Empire (Russian: Дадиани) and enjoyed significant independence in their home affairs. Niko Dadiani, the last Prince of Samegrelo was deposed and his principality was abolished by the Russian government on January 4, 1857. Prince Niko Dadiani officially renounced his rights to the throne in 1868.
[edit] Dukes (eristavi) and Princes (mtavari) of Mingrelia
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- Tsotne Dadiani (ca 1260s)
[edit] Other members of the family
- Constantine Dadiani, poet and general of Russian army
- Andria Dadiani, chess player and tournament patron
- Ekaterina Dadiani, Princess of Mingrelia
- Salome Dadiani, wife of Prince A. Murat
- Shalva Dadiani, prominent writer and dramatist
